Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York is a standalone visual novel about a vampire who must investigate a dangerous death in New York. Instead of action combat, conversations, observations and decisions drive the story. The game comes from the Polish studio Draw Distance.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York was released on September 10, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch at the same time. Standalone versions for iOS and Android followed in 2024.

The story has been released for PC with Windows, macOS and Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, as well as iOS and Android. The PC operating systems belong to the same PC version. On PS5 and Xbox Series, the respective older console version runs via backward compatibility, not as a native release of its own.

The PC version includes a digital artbook and a separately sold soundtrack. The Deluxe Edition bundles the main game with these extras. The artbook and music are additional products, not further story chapters.

For Windows, Steam lists at least a dual-core processor at 3 GHz, 4 GB RAM, a graphics unit with 1 GB VRAM and 2 GB free storage. The game still lists Windows 7 SP1 as its original minimum. However, installing via Steam today requires Windows 10 or newer.

Julia Sowinski, a member of the Lasombra clan, stands on the edge of the vampire power order. After the death of an Anarch leader, she is of all people tasked with the investigation. In doing so, she is caught between the Camarilla's political calculations, personal loyalties and her own will to survive.

Julia belongs to the Lasombra, whose relationship with the Camarilla is shaped by an earlier power struggle. Her connection to darkness allows her to make contact with beings beyond the ordinary world. These abilities are part of the story and its conflicts, not a replacement for the choices in the dialogue.

In conversations, Julia does not only decide how she treats other characters. Her answers also shape her own attitude and therefore later narrative options. Making different choices lets you get to know characters and situations from another perspective.

New York's vampire society is shaped by rival interests. The Camarilla claims political leadership, while the Anarchs defend their own order. Julia must build relationships with headstrong residents of the city without always fully knowing their motives.

The focus is on illustrated scenes, longer dialogue and choices. You follow Julia's thoughts and conversations and decide at key points how she deals with other characters. The game is designed as a single-player story and has no competitive multiplayer mode.

The story takes you through familiar and new parts of New York. As Julia pursues her case, she meets people and vampires with their own stories. The city is experienced mainly through the narrative, the illustrations and the view of its main character.

Shadows of New York is a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, but has its own lead character and a self-contained case. The predecessor is not required to understand Julia's story. Anyone who knows Coteries will recognize familiar characters and additional connections.

Drawn locations and character art carry the dark mood. A standalone soundtrack accompanies Julia's journey through the city. The music is also sold separately, so it can be listened to outside the story too.

In 2024, the visual novel also came out as a standalone app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The iOS version supports larger text display and subtitles according to the App Store. Cross-device save states are not promised.

The PC version offers on-screen text in English, French, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese. A German text version is not included in the Steam language list. The iOS store also lists these four languages.

On PC, Shadows of New York can be played with a mouse and keyboard or a controller. The controls focus on reading, navigating and choosing dialogue options.

The iOS version supports larger text and subtitles according to the App Store. This makes dialogue easier to read on mobile screens. Whether the same options are available in all other versions cannot be concluded from this.