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[strike] Awful [/strike] > [strike] Bad [/strike] > [b] OK [/b] > [strike] Good [/strike] > [strike] Super [/strike] > [strike] Awesome [/strike]
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[i]There is a lot of negative sentiment around this game and I understand why, though I think it's bit undeserved if you give the game a proper chance. It sits right on the line between good and OK or outright bad, and which side it falls on heavily depends on your own preferences and the decisions you make at the very start of the game.
Those early decisions can completely destroy your run and make the game becomes really unfair.
Some questionable design choices then add on top of that frustration throughout mechanics like the "suspicion", which especially deserves your close attention from the start. Then there are confrontations, willpower, and hunger, all of which could have been handled better. And yes, there are also bugs and some of them quite severe.
The very first decision you'll make is choosing skills and disciplines. The customization is a nice touch, but this is not an RPG where every skill has meaningful use. If you don't want your playthrough to fall apart from the start and continue to degrade as you go, you need to pick the right combinations. THe the problem is, you don't know how the game works yet, when you're making those choices. The skills aren't self explanatory in the way like most RPG skills are, so if you go by instinct or pick what sounds cool, you can easily end up feeling like a completely incompetent and weak kindred (vampire). That really isn't a good experience.
As for the three main characteres... let's say... they could be better:
Leysha has an interesting story, but her character design, voice, and missions don't quite fit together in my opinion.
Emem is just irritating.
Galeb is the coolest of the bunch, but feels frustratingly weak and incompetent for someone who should be an immensely powerful, centuries old vampire - in fact the oldest in Boston. If you don't invest in the right skills for him, he'll struggle to persuade or dominate even the lowliest of the NPCs. That said, he arguably has the best cutscenes and missions in the game.
Secondary characters are mostly a letdown across the board. Models, voice acting, writing ... all feel underdeveloped. Though maybe I just didn't click with them personally.
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So I've been quite critical so far, but the game really does have genuine redeeming qualities.
The environment design is excellent (aside from the opening chapter) and really sells the World of Darkness atmosphere, complemented by a solid soundtrack.
The overall story kept me engaged, but you have to push through the introductory chapters to get it going.
The puzzles were another highlight for me personally. Some solved through throguh deduction, others by accident or trial and error, but satisfying more often than not. Not all of them were great, but the package as a whole was fitting the game well. Thoguh I am not one who usually enjoy puzzles in games, so its probably different from person to person.
Another significant positive is conditional. You need to make the right skill investments from the start and the experience transforms into you really feeling like you are playing a powerful creature of the night, and it becomes genuinely satisfying. Because of this, [u][b]I strongly recommend checking a guide or two before you begin playing. The recommendations in these guides are essential if you want to enjoy the game. Please read the guides. If you do that, I think you'll enjoy the game and won't regret the time you put into it. If you don't... well, I won't be surprised if you ditch the game t after few hours and leave a negative review.[/b][/u]
It is unfortunate this that my recommendation of the game is linked to whether you heeded my advice and let guides help you make the right decisions. It should be developer's responsibility to make the game enjoyable as it is. But if you did that, I would really recommend the game and I do.[/i]
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[i]One last thing at the end. I do have a fair bit of familiarity with Vampire The Masquerade and World of Darkness lore and I think that helped me quite a lot. If you're playing the game without it, the game will throw a lot at you lore-wise and it can feel overwhelming and confusing, especially early on. It might genuinely harm the experience quite a lot I think. So if you're new to the World of Darkness, be prepared that this might not be the game for you. Or you should read all or most of the lore pieces in the game's codex.[/i]
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