Review: VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE: COTERIES OF NEW YORK and SHADOWS OF NEW YORK are decent non-horror visual novels for the spooky season

Funstock recently launched physical versions for Vampire The Masquerade: New York Pack. This includes two visual novel role-playing games set in the World of Darkness: Coteries of New York AND Shadows of New York. You can purchase physical editions from select retailers including GameStop (affiliate link) for Nintendo Switch and PS4. The Collector’s Edition includes a fun Collector’s Box, a 52-page artbook, and a branded USB drive with a pendent cross keychain featuring digital backgrounds and the 28-song soundtrack. I wanted to check more Vampire The Masquerade games lately and Funstock was kind enough to provide me with digital codes to review the games on Nintendo Switch. All thoughts below are my own.

I made the bold decision to review both games in the same article, but I stand by that decision. It originally came from the simple fact that Coteries of New York AND Shadows of New York they were bundled together for physical release. It’s worth noting that Shadows of New York it’s not a direct sequel, but it’s connected to Coteries of New York. However, the games will share a rating to reflect the package.

In both games, you take on the role of a newly transformed vampire. In Coteries of New Yorkyou can select from three predefined fonts while you’re in Shadows of New York, you control Julia who feels she has more say in who she ends up being in the end. As mentioned above, both games are visual novels that allow you to make certain dialogue choices and choose where to go at times. If you don’t like these types of games, this will be no exception. In all honesty, for me they tend to be hit and miss and for a while I was worried they would be a complete failure.

Coteries of New York It has a very slow start. However, I knew it wouldn’t be a long game (only about 6-7 hours) and after the first hour or so, things got better. Slowly at first and before I knew it, I realized I was about ⅔ of the way there and I didn’t want to stop. Shadows of New York it didn’t feel that slow and that might have to do with the fact that the prologue doesn’t feel that long and there’s a time jump at the beginning that skips several months and means you’re not a new vampire. The stories of both games are really well done to a point and I really enjoyed them. That said, there were some weaknesses.

For starters, while I appreciate that both games are quite short, as previously mentioned, the stories felt as if the player wasn’t given enough time to feel completely satisfied. For example, in Coteries of New York, you get to a point where you have a few nights to meet other characters, but unless you really dedicate time to just two of the four specific characters you won’t be able to complete more than one of their storylines. I know it’s meant to get you playing the different clans multiple times, but it was still a bit of a shame when I felt like the ending took me a bit by surprise. In fact, the end of Coteries of New York It’s very unsatisfactory for me. It ends with you presenting your character with a choice, but you have no idea what will happen from there. You can’t make a choice. Your character doesn’t make a choice. In the last line you are more or less given a choice and then the credits roll. Fortunately, Shadows of New York had a more satisfying ending. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it seemed more conclusive.

I feel like it’s important to note that neither game has a happy story. This is the World of Darkness and if you are not happy with happy endings, we recommend that you do not play these games. I think that’s one of the things that goes his way. Since the game is trying to get to its specific ending, it is necessary to ensure that some elements remain incomplete. Sorry, I really try to avoid spoilers.

Aside from the story, you can expect some very atmospheric music to help you get into the brooding mood. These are dark stories and the music is very dark but it’s also just background music. I wish the music was more distinctive in some parts instead of maintaining the ethereal atmosphere throughout the entire game. That said, I also wish there was some voice acting. Even if it wasn’t for everything, having a few lines that could be as simple as a laugh or an “oh…” I think would have gone a long way. However, the graphics and images are really suitable and Shadows of New York It seems to have more animated visuals, even just in the backgrounds which helps the game feel a little more alive.

One final complaint I want to raise is that after you complete the game your save file is deleted. You can’t just reload it and choose another path. You have to replay the entire game. This isn’t a big deal for me personally, but I can see how it would be a little annoying, especially if you have longer gaming sessions and are hoping to return to a specific choice. I just don’t understand why this is a thing.

Overall, Coteries of New York AND Shadows of New York provided hours of compelling story that sucked me in. I appreciated that Shadows of New York had connections with Coteries of New York but it wasn’t a direct sequel. Having said that, I hope so Coteries of New York it had an ending that felt like an ending. There are a few areas where I feel the games could improve, but if you want to enjoy some vampire visual novels during spooky season (or whenever you want to enjoy them, no judgement), then these are decent choices. That said, I would recommend playing both and not just one.