In the dark underbelly of Venice, Italy, players step into the shoes of Justice, a vampire on a quest for vengeance and the retrieval of a stolen relic. Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice from Fast Travel Games offers a blend of stealth action and narrative-driven gameplay, set in the World of Darkness universe. As we sank our teeth into a half-hour demo during Gamescom, the game’s intriguing mechanics and atmospheric setting left a lasting impression. Here’s more.
What We Know:
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice is a narrative-driven single-player adventure RPG designed for VR platforms, including Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest Pro, and PlayStation VR2. Players assume the role of Justice, a vampire of the Banu Haqim clan, seeking to unravel the mystery behind their sire’s murder and recover a stolen artifact in the streets of Venice.
Being set in the world of Vampire – The Masquerade, the game emphasizes stealth and paranormal abilities, offering players a range of vampiric Disciplines (which translate to specialist skills) to employ in their pursuit. These Disciplines, including Cloak of Shadows for stealth, Cauldron of Blood for lethal attacks, and Shadow Trap for otherworldly manipulations, can be customized via in-game XP. Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice is also the second foray into the World of Darkness universe for Fast Travel Games, promising a deep and immersive experience for fans of the franchise if it’s anything like Wraith.
What We Saw:
At Gamescom, we immersed ourselves in a hands-on session with Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice in a half-hour demo on a Quest headset. Navigating the shadowy alleyways of Venice, we got a taste of the game’s stealth mechanics, reminiscent of titles like Hitman but imbued with a supernatural twist. This demo session provided a glimpse into the game’s core mechanics, leaving us eager for more – though you can see some footage below.
What We Thought:
Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice feels like a promising addition to the World of Darkness universe, with a VR experience that seamlessly integrates stealth action with a captivating narrative. The setting of Venice, which feels like the real place under a shroud of darkness, serves as a brooding backdrop for a dark and enigmatic tale that we only got a glimpse of thus far.
The game’s emphasis on player choice and customization through Disciplines adds a layer of strategic depth, allowing for various playstyles. It feels like, with time and practice, it’ll be great to mix them up. Whether employing the elusive Cloak of Shadows or the brutal Cauldron of Blood, each Discipline offers distinct advantages, encouraging experimentation. It can feel like a little much during a demo, but there’s a lot of potential for diverse gameplay here.
The game’s narrative-driven approach, coupled with quality voice acting, draws players deeper into its world. The branching dialogues and intriguing storyline promise an engaging experience that keeps players invested in the fate of Justice and the mysteries surrounding their sire’s demise.
But while Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice shows great potential, some technical polish may be needed. We’ll see how much juice Fast Travel Games can squeeze out of the Quest 2, but we’re also curious to see what we’ll see on other platforms. And although the idea of grabbing an enemy from behind and draining their blood sounds great, there wasn’t any real tactile feedback from the controllers when doing so – which would’ve enhanced the immersion.
Overall, Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice holds great promise as an upcoming VR title, offering a unique blend of stealth, narrative, and supernatural elements. With its November 2nd release date on select VR platforms, it’s poised to be a compelling addition to the World of Darkness universe that we can’t wait to explore in more detail.
Press Play Media 