Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York

Excellent writing and vibrant characters help to overcome prominent technical issues and unwelcome repetition.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is essentially a collection of subplots for their own sake, largely set in stone. But they’re written with talent and confidence and I would gladly read some more.

I completed this game three times and I'm still left hungry and unsatisfied.

I went into this game really expecting to like it – and I did, for the most part. In the end, I couldn't get past the odd tone and the feeling that it was penned by someone who didn't actually respect the source material, but wanted to write a self-aware parody of it.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York left me feeling hungry. The game is certainly well-written, but its truncated story doesn’t quite do its complex, captivating world justice. If you’re a dedicated VTM devotee, Coteries of New York is a solid appetizer, but you’ll have to wait until next year for something to truly sink your fangs into.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is an absolutely gorgeous title, with mesmerizing, painterly artwork that showcases the viciousness and beauty held within the World of Darkness. Smart characterization and moody atmosphere color the experience in positive ways, as well.

So, would I recommend this game? Well, those who are fans of text-based adventure games may find VMNY to be one filled with interesting characters, a mysterious and well-written narrative, and beautiful visual and sound design. However, those new to the genre, or simply looking to try out the game, may quickly become disillusioned by the never-ending dialogue, which provides little pay-off despite the implementation of choice-based mechanics. As a result, your experience with VMNY will entirely depend on whether you are able to appreciate the game beyond these text-based interactions. If not, rather than stucking the life out of the citizens of New York, you might just find the game sucking the life out of you.

A decent story based on a strong background, which lingers too long explaining and then rushing too fast to a satisfactory end. There are some minor technical issues but nothing too serious. It's relatively short story offers enough choices and side stories to allow several replays.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York is a beatiful visual novel set in the universe of Vampire: The Masquerade. In this experience you will play as 3 character from the differents clans of this dark universe.

While clearly not as impressive in gaming terms as the Bloodlines series, Coteries of New York is a welcome addition to the digital world of The Masquerade. Offering up an immersive and atmospheric take on the politics and personalities of the undead Big Apple, it seduces with it's quality of writing and characterisation, proving to be more than a mere snack to tide the Hunger over until the main course of Bloodlines 2. If you have any taste for the Gothic you should give yourself over to the vampiric delights of Coteries.