Vampire: The Masquerade – Oaths & Ashes Review: A Great Story Buried Under Too Many Mechanics

Vampire: The Masquerade – Oaths & Ashes takes a different approach to the well-established vampire universe. Rather than delivering a traditional RPG experience, it focuses on political intrigue, character relationships, and decisions that can have lasting consequences. While it may initially seem like a fairly straightforward visual novel, Oaths & Ashes features a surprising number of gameplay systems and mechanics. Unfortunately, not all of them are particularly well executed.

The game's strongest asset is undoubtedly its narrative. With two compelling protagonists, well-written dialogue, and choices that genuinely influence how events unfold, Oaths & Ashes manages to deliver an engaging experience within the Vampire: The Masquerade universe.

Two Vampires, Two Very Different Perspectives

The story takes place in Berlin, a city where the relationships between different vampire factions are far more complicated than they initially appear. Players follow two protagonists: Alice and Lenz.

Alice is a member of the Camarilla who wants to climb the ranks of the vampire hierarchy. When her superior, Lucinde, loses control following the betrayal of a former ally, Alice is sent to Berlin to investigate the situation and undermine those who have turned against her. However, things quickly become more complicated, putting her ambitions to the test.

Lenz, on the other hand, is a Duskborn vampire whose life largely revolves around addiction and chasing his next high. His motivations and goals are very different from Alice's, but circumstances eventually bring the two together.

The relationship between these two characters is one of the game's biggest strengths. Their contrasting personalities, personal struggles, and different views of the world give the story plenty of room to develop. The supporting cast also adds depth to the narrative, with even characters who get relatively little screen time managing to leave an impression.

Oaths & Ashes also doesn't require players to have extensive knowledge of the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. There's plenty of terminology and lore to take in, but the built-in glossary makes it easier to follow. Longtime fans will appreciate the references to the wider tabletop RPG setting, while newcomers get a relatively accessible entry point into the franchise.

Choices That Actually Matter

The biggest strength of Oaths & Ashes lies in how it handles player choices. Dialogue isn't simply an opportunity to pick one of several predetermined responses. The way you build relationships, approach conflicts, and treat other characters can influence later events and even determine how the story ends.

What's particularly interesting is that the game doesn't reduce every decision to a simple choice between good and evil. Selfish actions can sometimes offer clear advantages, while seemingly noble decisions can lead to unexpected complications. It's an approach that fits the Vampire: The Masquerade setting perfectly, where moral boundaries are rarely straightforward.

Knowing that your actions can have consequences gives every conversation additional weight. At the same time, Alice and Lenz are developed well enough that their reactions to certain situations feel believable. It's easy to see why players might want to experience the story again, making different choices and exploring alternative outcomes.

Too Many Mechanics, Not Enough Polish

When it comes to gameplay, Oaths & Ashes tries to go beyond the usual visual novel formula. Alongside dialogue and branching decisions, players have to manage nightly activities, gather influence, complete side missions, keep hunger under control, and maintain the Masquerade.

The Masquerade system is one of the more interesting additions. Vampires must protect their secrecy and prevent humans from discovering their existence. Breaking that fundamental rule can have serious consequences, and too many violations can bring a game over. This adds another layer of tension and forces players to think carefully about their actions.

The Berlin map is used to keep track of influential figures and select both main and side activities. However, the number of actions available during each night is limited by the resources at your disposal. Some missions help satisfy your character's hunger, others are focused on gaining influence, while certain activities can help repair damage to the Masquerade.

The problem is that the game doesn't always provide enough information about what to expect from a particular mission. Quest descriptions can be rather vague, making it difficult to determine which activities should take priority. The influence system also doesn't always feel like it has a meaningful impact on the bigger picture.

There are additional mechanics, too, including Lenz's ability to produce drugs that can give him an advantage during conversations, as well as preparing identities and cover stories before arriving in Berlin. These systems add a sense of depth, but they also make the overall experience unnecessarily complicated at times.

One particularly frustrating omission is the lack of a dialogue history feature. Considering how important conversations and information are throughout the game, not being able to revisit previous dialogue is a surprisingly inconvenient limitation. It's easy to miss an important line or forget a detail from an earlier conversation, and there's no simple way to go back and check what was said.

A Promising Direction for Vampire: The Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade – Oaths & Ashes is far from perfect. Its abundance of mechanics, poorly explained systems, and lack of a dialogue history feature prevent it from reaching its full potential.

However, most of those shortcomings become less noticeable once the story really gets going. Alice and Lenz are compelling protagonists, Berlin provides an excellent backdrop for political intrigue and conflict, and player choices carry enough weight to make another playthrough appealing.

For longtime fans, this is a worthwhile opportunity to explore a familiar universe from a different perspective. Fans of visual novels may also find plenty to enjoy here, thanks to its engaging narrative and meaningful character interactions.

Oaths & Ashes proves that a compelling story, memorable characters, and meaningful choices can be far more important than the sheer number of gameplay systems a game tries to cram into the experience.