Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives

While it was well written, I felt that Night Road was better in this regard. Where this game excelled in was the importance of your choices and the large number of permutations throughout the story. There are only a few scenes that you’ll see in every playthrough, while the rest of the story can vary considerably. I was amazed at just how different each campaign can progress, with the two playthroughs often feeling like entirely different stories. This game requires multiple reads if you want to see the entire story, as there are often multiple events happening at the same time in each chapter and thus you can only see one of them, which will be based off the choices you’ve made and who you’ve chosen to ally with. After my first reading, I was disappointed that the game left so many questions unanswered, and that so many characters who initially appeared to be important ended up playing almost no role in my story. However, I immediately started a second playthrough, and what I encountered was an entirely different story-line that focused on different characters and answered some of these questions. In fact, that second campaign illustrated how little I had seen and learned in my first playthrough. The game is like an onion, with many different layers that need to be peeled back. To see everything, you’d likely need to play the game four or five times. As you’d expect from the title, this game is far more focused on vampire politics, making allies, and intrigue than Night Road was, and it’s a stronger story because of it. Every character has an agenda and their own goals. In general, the characters are fantastic, far better than Night Road IMO (though perhaps this is because you spend more time with them in this one). They feel interesting and real, which really immerses you in the story that the author is telling. And like Night Road, this game also has illustrated portraits for characters, which is nice to have. The skill system is far simpler compared to Night Road, as it only has the attributes from VtM and none of the actual skills. There’s a lot less instances where they are used as well, and they are the percentages that are more typical with these types of games rather than Night Road's dots which are more VtM accurate. You also don’t earn experience, instead skills either increase from your actions in the early game or you select which ones to increase in your dreams in between chapters. The game also doesn’t track your money and there isn’t an inventory. It does visibly track your relationship with all the major characters though. Thus, I preferred Night Road’s leveling up system and I loved its inventory and shopping, but I did prefer that Parliament didn't have as much focus on your skills. I also preferred the way that disciplines were done in this game. You don’t invest in them at all, instead you just have access to all three of the disciplines of your chosen clan from the beginning, and most of the time they guarantee success (though like Night Road, they do require blood). What I liked most is that outside of a few rare circumstances you can’t get access to more than your clan's three disciplines, which gives each clan a unique feel and encourages you to try different ones in later playthroughs. I should end this with a mention of the romance options. There are two characters you can romance in the base game (one male named Qui and Jordon, whose gender is based on your sexual preference) and another two added in the DLC (Lucca & Sevinc, both female). I really enjoyed Lucca’s romance arc, however I felt like I had to dedicate my entire playthrough to doing her personal missions in order to see the entire thing play out. I wasn’t as impressed with Jordon’s romance, but spending time with her/him did result in uncovering some important information that I did not learn in other playthroughs. Therefore, I recommend getting the DLC just for Lucca’s romance, but the best part of “What Stares Back” is the two additional clans. I haven’t tried the Lasombra yet, but my Malkavian playthrough was amazing. An incredible amount of new content was added for this clan, resulting in a very unique playthrough. I don’t want to spoil anything here; I’ll just say that that you absolutely must try a Malkavian character at some point. Though as the author recommends, you should play through once with a different clan first. My first playthrough took 10 hours to complete, so despite having just a little lower word count it was noticeably shorter than Night Road, but I think it’s also far more replayable.

Its really a shame more companies havent taken advantage of the world of darkness. So many actual RPGs could be made from this game.

I wasn’t expecting it to be this good — it’s almost like a sandbox RPG. The RPG elements are deep, detailed, and truly matter. Your actions lead to many different possibilities and outcomes. The political aspects are excellent, a true VtM experience; you can climb the ranks of the Camarilla depending on your choices and words. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up as a pawn. The story is very intruging and exciting. Don’t miss out on this game — it’s highly recommended for experienced VtM fans. If you’re new, try Night Road and the visual novels first TLDR; Better than Bloodlines2

During the course of Parliament of Knives, I become paranoid about the motives and machinations of the game's various characters. For a Vampire: The Masquerade game this is all I could ask for. I would likely recommend this game if you are into the Vampire: The Masquerade series.

Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives could most certainly last a few years if you're playing it occasionally. It has great characters, vampire abilities to use, mystery, and political drama as many factors are trying to fight for power while you make many choices to decide which side you want to be on. The character creation is fantastic and most definitely carries over throughout the game. You can even have your own pet. I had a white rat named Dawn. If you ever get the chance you should play it whilst listening to this in the background: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k2SKnAzybFU

This is not usually the kind of game I would buy, since its essentially a book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and if you are a fan of Vampire The Masquerade I think you will too.

Loved this and am ready for replays on different paths. Hope the author does more WoD games…

night road的主角比较苦哈哈每天打工养家，这部主角出生就是nepo baby依靠有权老妈（sire），但比较苦的是老妈不怎么靠得住，还有不同的势力浑水摸鱼，这部的话绝对不推荐非ip粉玩，对世界观不了解一进去就是一头雾水两眼抓瞎。而且一周目是绝对没法了解全部真相，需要多周目走不通的线来拼凑真相。捏卡的话没有night road复杂，只能选3个本体里的clan加dlc里的2个。romance元素比night road强一点，但主要还是侧重政治游戏和立场。 现存的几部Vtm if 游戏个人喜好排名 night road> >Parliament of knives >sins of the sires>>>out for blood

can i please romance arundel can i be his discord kitten how much for a romance arundel dlc i need to kiss arundel with tongue im begging for a chance to romance arundel i promise i'm soo normal about arundel i promise i can be trusted with being left alone in a room with arundel

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 633: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10) Jeffrey Dean's[i] Vampire: The Masquerade — Parliament of Knives ("Parliament")[/i] is a beast of a game. A beast of 600,000 words, I tell you! I honestly cannot even begin to properly express how ravenous I became while reading. Sure, there was a bit of a slow start, but the narrative deliberately keeps its cards close to its chest. Every revelation feels just as shocking as the previous one as layers of political intrigue, hidden agendas, and long-buried secrets are gradually peeled back. Rather than handing you the full picture, the story constantly leaves you questioning who can be trusted and what everyone is truly after, making each new discovery impossible to resist. Along with an incredibly complex cast of characters, [i]Parliament[/i] has one of the strongest narratives in the whole catalog. That said, it is not without its flaws. It has a more demanding game design than usual. I found myself locked out of branches or choices I would have gladly taken in a heartbeat. As a result, I got a horrific ending and a lack of closure. But if you’re the type of reader to do multiple playthroughs, the struggle is so, so worth it. [b]As always, I owe a huge thank you to the staff for the free copy! See full review [url=https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/kates-reviews-new-vampire-the-masquerade-parliament-of-knives/174532/503?u=kate27]here.[/url][/b] [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ [b]Stat system.[/b] For those who are worried that the stat system is inferior compared to [i]Night Road,[/i] do not worry! Your stats are more slimmed down and used less, and there's no XP, money, or inventory. That style made sense for [i]Night Road[/i] because it was a more crunchy, systems-based story. However, [i]Parliament[/i] has less action and need to min-max. As a result, I focused more on the story instead of checking my stats after every choice, which rarely happens with me! ✅ [b]Characters.[/b] I knew the game would be more story-heavy than other V:tM games, but I didn't expect this. [i]Parliament[/i] has shown me how difficult writing complex characters and a serious, thoughtful plot is—and how the two are linked. To begin, I love the portrayal of vampires. I can count on one hand the number of vampires who are considered, at the least, “morally grey.” No, these vampires are evil, murderous, duplicitous ♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥. But they’re also so interesting and real, not just some shallow villain. Each vampire is also charismatic, witty, intimidating, and frankly alive. Every character has their own goals, yet you spend so much time getting to know your chosen ally, only to realize each cast member has a similar depth. I also loved the illustrated portraits: the art style actually makes sense and looks good! ✅ [b]Plot.[/b] Holy! The game is far more focused on politics, diplomacy, and intrigue than any other V:tM game, and it’s a tighter, stronger story because of it. It’s also nice to begin as an established vampire instead of a complete newbie scrabbling your way to the top. But the actual plot itself is so *puts head in hands*. While you are heavily encouraged to replay the game to get the full story (more on this in the “Mixed” section), the narrative had me in a chokehold. I literally can only speak emotionally about this, no analysis here. It unfolds with such momentum and secrecy that I couldn’t step back and analyze it while playing. Opposing characters consistently present competing theories and interpretations of events, each of which feels plausible in its own right. By the end, there is no single, clearly authoritative version of the truth, and that ambiguity is part of what makes the narrative so compelling. You are never simply uncovering “what really happened,” but instead piecing together fragmented, biased perspectives in an effort to approximate something like the truth. ✅[b] The breadth and width of the choices presented is incredible[/b]. I'm not exaggerating when I say that nearly every decision feels meaningful, starting with Chapter 1. But what you choose to do in Chapter 2 is just as important, and Chapter 3, as well, and so on. From merely one playthrough, I've missed out on starting new questlines, meeting side characters, and even possible alliances. Alliances! Like an RPG would! There's a sense of reactivity in [i]Parliament[/i] that's hard to capture well in IF. Your clan matters, your skills matter; everything matters. And these are not easy choices, either! I actually had to sit back and think over what to do. This game just has some great writing, man. [b][h2]Mixed:[/h2][/b] 🟨 [b]Requires multiple playthroughs to get the full story.[/b] I criticized the need for multiple playthroughs to “unlock” the full story in previous IF. Well, I lied. Okay, actually, I stand by all I said! BUT I’m giving [i]Parliament[/i] a pass. Sorry not sorry! My first playthrough ended with me getting quite possibly the worst ending possible, with doom and gloom as the game failed to answer any of the major questions. Some of this is a #skill issue; some might be due to obscurity (see below), but I was almost upset by how many plot threads went unresolved. ➡️[b] I could not let this slide.[/b] I started a new playthrough; I read through all the Reddit and Steam discussions, as well as forum posts. And then I understood all the secrets of the universe. No joke. The truth about all the unsolved mysteries blew my mind and illustrated how little I had learned. The game doesn't simply encourage replayability: it recontextualizes itself. Every new route reveals information that reshapes your understanding of previous events, making it feel less like replaying the same story and more like uncovering another side of the same political conspiracy. Some games can get away with this. Most can’t. [i]Parliament[/i] is different, though. 🟨 [b]Some lack of signposting and strict branch locking.[/b] I’m going to be talking out of my ass here, but I’ve never had an experience of being inadvertently locked out of a branch or not having the required amount of flags before. Some examples are required, I think. First off, I was quite surprised when my playthrough was romance-less. Which, real. But I thought I did everything right. I picked a choice where I was interested in Jordan and was always warm with them. They even helped me with my missing memories! But nope, nothing. So I went back and read a guide. Apparently, the romance was properly started in Chapter 4, where you have about six characters you can talk to, yet only time for three. I, sadly, did not pick Jordan because I was interested in getting to know the other characters too! And surely, any ROs will be open to the player, regardless, right? My frustration is simply that I didn't realize I was making such a consequential decision at the time. Looking back, I would have appreciated just a little more signposting that these early choices would permanently shape which parts of the story remained accessible. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one. [/hr]