Masterfully written Vampire game
Let's get it out of the way: is not a Vampire Bloodlines game. Is not really an action RPG, the combat is anecdotal at best and the skill tree does nothing for the plot. In fact I played it on easy and it was the right decission for me. Phyre should be OP after all.
However.
This game is clearly done with care, the ambiance is amazing, the music is really good and well placed, I've been wanting to play Vampire TTPRG games again all the time while playing it.
The characters are very cool and the voice acting is great. Fabien's voice acting is deserving of an award.
The plot is simply amazing. I haven't finished it yet, but all I've seen so far has had me glued to the controller. The rythm of the story is also great, I've had dificulties stopping because the beats of the plot are constant and good, I want to keep learning about what is going on.
And is not too long. I don't want a massive city full of slop, I really enjoy well crafted, limited missions and spaces. In that sense it is like the original Bloodlines.
I'd love to see more games to the tune of this one.
If the combat was improved, the skill tree reworked so it can be used to affect the plot to a point (in my opinion it doesn't need to change the results drastically, just add info along the way depending on which abilities you can deploy is cool).
I really missed the Brujah's Presence, the game opted for the "you're just a brawler" way and that is not really the point of the clan.
And PLEASE don't tie the appearences to the skill tree.
Again, I understand that this game was in development hell for a while, the result given the circumstances is great, but with some more focus and time this could become an amazing game.
For what it is: an action game with RPG tones and conversation trees? I LOVE it.
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