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2022 is turning into a bumper year for fans of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise, and video game-based bloodsucking in general. In April, free-to-play battle royale Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt burst its bloody way out of Early Access, taking ruthless vampire clan wars onto the streets of Prague. On May 19, it’s the turn of narrative thriller Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, the first RPG in the video game franchise since 2004’s Bloodlines.
In Swansong, the north-eastern US city of Boston plays host to the normally discreet creatures of the night, in a story-driven game that sees players take the roles of three very different vampires. Sating the mindless hunger of vamps takes a backseat in Swansong in favor of a more subtle approach, where the varying talents of the three protagonists are put to good use investigating mysterious events, protecting vampire interests, and sometimes indulging in vamp-style violence in a city plunging towards chaos.
To find out more, Intel Gaming Access waited until sundown and took to the streets of Bordeaux, France, with Eliott Hipeau, lead quest designer on the game at developer Big Bad Wolf.
<a href="https://youtu.be/dQihMBniUwA">VTM - Swansong | The Night Has Come Pre-order Trailer </a>
Choices, Choices
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is something of a passion project for the compact French team, which may come as a surprise for such a storied and successful franchise. “The games industry gives the impression that behind every game lies a big, opaque studio,” said Eliott. “But the truth is, we’re a small team, working from Bordeaux in the French south-west, and every member of the team has been putting an incredible amount of work and love into this game.”
The team has strong RPG chops, having previously released The Council, a quietly successful narrative RPG that by design puts dialogue and the consequences of players’ actions first. “With Swansong, we drew from our previous experience with The Council and asked ourselves what we could do better,” said Elliot. “We tried to push the RPG systems a bit further, twisting and improving on the recipe based on what we learned, and to better fit the ‘World of Darkness’. It’s a narrative RPG for people who love stories that adapt to your choices.”
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Those choices are fundamental to the experience each player will have in Swansong, not least because resources are limited and the pressure’s on. Wise use of your finite but replenishable supply of Willpower points is needed to perform many of the game’s actions, while flexing those all-important supernatural vamp skills known as Disciplines will up your Hunger Gauge—not the best look when you’re trying to pass unnoticed amid so much delicious humanity. “You’ll have to put your skills and Disciplines to good use: Psychology to convince people to help you, or Security to crack open doors and safes,” explained Eliott. “Be cautious though—as you act on the world, your Hunger will rise and your Willpower will fall. And if you don’t pay attention, you’ll have to feed on someone…” 
It’s also worth noting that the consequence of your choices in Swansong—both big and small—will not necessarily be signposted. You’ll need to play close attention to what’s going on and think carefully about what might be helpful further down the line—otherwise you might end up retracing your steps, or worse.
Big Influences
The body of work comprising the ‘World of Darkness’ universe was a rich seam for the team to mine for Swansong, but it was far from the only influence on their creation. “On the design side, we’ve looked at games like Hitman for its high level of interactivity and multiple paths to a single objective,” said Eliott. “Much like the vampires in Swansong, Agent 47 has to move through the game hidden among people that would kill him if they knew who he really was.”
“On the other hand, we’ve looked at Detroit: Become Human for its investigative theme and mechanics, and its ability to stage dialogues in the most cinematic way possible,” continued Eliott. “And of course, we’ve been reading the history of Boston in the World of Darkness through the Giovanni Chronicles and Dark Colony sourcebooks.”
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The city of Boston has long played a role in the lore of Vampire: The Masquerade, and with Swansong it’s the canvas for a rich new narrative. “We want players to explore a deep and mysterious Boston, where plots and treachery are around every corner,” said Eliott. “We want them to experience the power fantasy of playing a vampire, as well as the stressful situation of being surrounded by humans while having to respect the Masquerade.” 
As the launch date approaches, and the sun starts to set on development, the team is eagerly awaiting the moment its new player-vampires hit the streets of Boston to explore the world they’ve created. “We’re dedicated to making Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong the best it can possibly be,” said Eliott, “and we can’t wait to hear players' feedback once the game is live!”
<a href="https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong">Pre-order Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong on Epic Games Store.</a>

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is the RPG Fix Vampire Fans Need Right Now