Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong review: A dense meal

digitaltrends.com:

Have you ever had a dream where you show up to class in time for a test that you forgot to study for? That’s kind of what it feels like to play Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong if you’re not already deeply familiar with the series.

The narrative RPG from Big Bad Wolf Studio takes place in the World of Darkness, an expansive tabletop RPG universe full of vampires and werewolves. The moment players begin the game, they’re dropped into a sprawling world full of invented terminology, warring factions, and political conflicts that require a history book to fully grasp. It’s all a little overwhelming, but that’s exactly what makes the Vampire: The Masquerade series such a ripe target for a story-driven adventure. There’s a lot of blood in those veins.

Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong weaves a sprawling vampire drama through clever tabletop RPG systems that go above and beyond your average narrative game. It’s let down by low production values and dense writing though, taking some power out of its bite.

If you’re not already a fan of the World of Darkness series, be warned: Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong throws players right into the deep end. Within moments, I found myself right in the middle of a vampire conflict being told to me in an almost foreign language.

Literacy isn’t optional and that makes the experience less approachable.

The story takes place in an alternate version of Boston that’s populated with vampire factions hiding from the world. When one of the game’s factions, the Camarilla, is attacked, the group’s “Prince” sends three of her vampires out to investigate and find out who’s responsible. It kicks off a long and winding 15-hour story that bounces between vampire sects, secret government agencies,