The Blood Leading the Blind
The dark and amoral world of Vampire: The Masquerade has been used as a backdrop for countless stories over the last several decades, and now some of those tales are being translated into video game format. We’ve already reported on the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but now it’s time to put a spotlight on another blood-sucking title. Let’s talk about the narrative-driven rpg Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong.
Swansong takes place in Boston, or rather the World of Darkness version of Boston, where a secret society of hidden vampires known as the Camarilla is trying to forge an alliance with Hartford to ensure the species’ safety in the area. This alliance is disrupted by a mysterious shootout, leading three Boston vampires–Galeb the Ventrue, Emem the Toreador, and Leysha the Malkavian–to begin investigating the attack, who ordered it, and why.
This most recent trailer serves as an introduction to Galeb, a cold, cynical, and intimidating member of clan Ventrue. Ventrue vampires work to maintain an aura of honor, leadership, and overall classiness, but they’re also incredibly arrogant and don’t hesitate to magically dominate the wills of those around them. Or, you know, just kill people.
While Galeb comes off as a troubled but compelling man in this short, the video also does a great job of hammering in how dangerous even the noblest vampire truly is. To make things even more interesting, it’s implied that while Galeb is described as “just and unsentimental,” he may be losing patience with the world he’s found himself trapped in.
In this game, players will take on the roles of all three protagonists, switching between them over the course of the game. This will allow you to get a look at the full picture after playing through each vampire’s storyline. While the three are all about a century old, their pasts, abilities, and views of the Camarilla differ sharply, making for very distinct gameplay experiences.
Swansong does incorporate some of the original tabletop RPG mechanics, but the developers made the decision to focus more on player choice and the consequences of those choices, which sounds perfect for a world as dark and complicated as this one. We’re looking forward to learning more.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch, and PC in February 2022.
Which Vampire: The Masquerade game are you looking forward to most? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.