Vampire The Masquerade: Coteries of New York

“Vampire The Masquerade: Coteries of New York”

An Interactive Visual Novel By Draw Distance

Vampire The Massquerade, Coteries of New York, CoNY, CONY, Visual Novel, Sophie

Review By Talia R Heart

SPOILER NOTICE: This review contains non-specific SPOILERS for the game.

TRIGGER WARNING: This game reviewed here contains adult themes including violence (up to and including murder), sexuality, images NSFW, language of intolerance to minority groups. Reader & player discretion is advised.

*Above: New York City, where all of “Coteries of New York” takes place. (Art from the game & used with permission for review purposes).*

“Coteries of New York”, or CoNY, is the first of two (at present) “visual novels”, a game with a narrative you participate in, with a great deal of flexibility where the choices you make influence events in the story. Set in the “World of Darkness: Vampire The Masquerade” (WoD/VtM) Fifth Edition universe (but with some artistic license taken regarding rules), you take on the role of one of THREE of the well-known vampire clans who each have a background common to that clan (a Brujah rebel, a Toreador artist, or Ventrue businesswoman). Each character in the game starts (obstensibly) as a member of “The Camarilla”, a society of vampires dedicated to upholding “The Masquerade”, the secret that vampires are real, enforced at the risk of your un-life. CoNY does not require a deep knowledge of the WoD or VtM to play, and it includes an in-game dictionary where you can look up the meaning of certain key words as you learn them from other “Kindred” (vampires) or “Kine” (mortals).

*Above: In your apartment with Sophie’s ghoul servant, Gregory, who has come to drive you to her haven for a meeting.*

The story CONTENT is superb, but while your character can make many choices for themselves while expressing their own individuality, all paths do eventually lead to the same ending (assuming you make it past Qadir and are then taken under Sophie Langley’s “protection”). CoNY features not only a compelling story of plotting and intrigue that perfectly captures the spirit of VtM, including not only the machinations of the Camarilla but also the rebelliousness of “The Anarchs” (another Kindred group composed of mostly younger vampires who claim not engage in the politics of The Camarilla and that gives younger vampires more freedom while still observing The Masquerade), and the ever-present danger of “The Second Inquisition” (or “S.I.”, humans who are aware of the existence of Kindred, their weaknesses, and who may visit you in-game if you are careless with the use of your powers or your manner or place of feeding). The story would easily rate 5-stars from me except for their being only a single ending. The game is initially presented in a sort of “chose your own adventure” format, but whatever you chose, you get the same ending (which is a common complaint about CoNY). I also believe that different choices should have the chance to lead to different outcomes but given the game can be replayed as different clans and with different choices, it’s still a somewhat unique playthrough each time, so I give the CONTENT/STORY 4-stars out of 5.

*Above: Speaking to D’Angelo, a potential coterie member & Nosferatu investigator.*

The greatest strength of this game is the beautiful art which, even though it’s not a full animation, does contain changing elements (flashing lights, zooms or flashes in and out, etc.) that contribute to the feeling of momentum in-game. Each of the characters you can choose to play, as well as the companions and other characters you may meet in the story have their own unique portraits that appear when they speak to you. CoNY doesn’t rely solely on visual art however, as the whole game features an accompanying soundtrack complete with the game theme, character themes, and more. Integrated together with the art & narrative, I felt truly transported to The World of Darkness. The QUALITY of the game easily receives a 5-star rating from me.

*Above: Anarch territory, where your character has a moment to chose.*

Overall, “Coteries of New York” is an enjoyable visual novel/game, and a solid introduction of Vampire The Masquerade to players new to The World of Darkness. It also sets the stage for a sequel, “Shadows of New York” (available now, sold separately or in a discounted bundle). CoNY currently sells for just under $20.00 USD for Windows PC on Steam, and for a game requiring an average of 10-12 hours for an initial playthrough, and considering it’s replay value, I give CoNY 5-stars for VALUE at that price. Altogether with a 4 in Content, a 5 in Quality, and a 5 in Value, I give CoNY a COMPREHENSIVE RATING of 4.5-stars out of 5.

*Above: A NYC subway station that you might not see at all in the game, depending on your choices.*

Reviewers Notes: While two free copies of CoNY were received from Draw Distance by ‘Drat And Cat Suggest’ for purposes of giveaway, I’d already bought my own copies years prior and completed this review before any collaboration with DrawDistance. So, be assured that all opinions expressed herein are my own and may not necessarily represent the opinions of Draw Distance, World of Darkness, Renegade Publishing, Paradox or any of their partners, nor am I nor have I ever been an employee or contractor of/for Draw Distance, World of Darkness, Renegade Publishing, or Paradox. For the purpose of this review, I played the PC version (in English) of “Vampire The Masquerade: Coteries of New York”. “Coteries of New York” is now available for PC (Windows), MacOS, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and in 8 languages. The game’s soundtrack and a CoNY art book are also available, each sold separately on Storyteller’s Vault (or sometimes in a bundle with the game on Steam).