Despite the unfortunate news regarding the indefinite delay of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodline's sequel, fans of the series thankfully still have one game to look forward to this year. Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is an upcoming choice-based RPG, and based on the promotional material thus far, it looks like the perfect game to satiate fans of the series.
Highly based upon the World of Darkness table-top game and its lore, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong sees players take control of three protagonists – Galeb, Emem, and Leysha. The three Boston vampires have been caught up in solving the mystery behind the attack on the Boston Camarilla, all while having their own personal journeys to travel.
Galeb
Galeb is the flagship vampire of Swansong – he's all over the promotional material, front and center. From his character trailer, he seems to be the oldest vampire out of the three protagonists and a member of the aristocratic Ventrue clan. Galeb is also the oldest vampire in Boston, period, as he remained in the city while other Elder vampires left over the centuries. This is a vampire who has lived a long life and, as such, is shown to be completely indifferent to and weary of it.
As the oldest vampire in Boston, Galeb is the Prince's right-hand man and has become caught up within the power struggle of the Boston vampires. He's sent to investigate the attack upon the Boston Camarilla, a key sect to the game's lore. Galeb uses his vampiric abilities, honed over the centuries, to carefully navigate around the human enforcement agencies to discover the truth behind the attack.
Emem
A member of the flamboyant vampire Clan Toreador, Emem is a former artist who is deeply embedded within Boston's show business and owns a number of cabaret clubs across the city. She fell in love with a Toreadorian vampire, Hilda, and requested the Embrac so that the two could be eternal in love. It's uncertain as to how old Emem is, but it would be safe to assume that she is old enough to hold influence over members of her Clan, and within the Boston vampiric community overall – meaning she could be several decades old.
In contrast to Galeb and Leysha, Emem plays a more ambassadorial role within Swansong. Rather than investigate crime scenes and solve the nitty-gritty details of the attack upon the Boston Camarilla, she uses her influence (enhanced by her innate Toreadorian abilities) to negotiate with members of the Camarilla clans. However, she also has a hidden agenda – to try to expand her network of clubs. Her clubs act as neutral zones, where vampires of different clans and families gather freely, so long as they tolerate each other's presence.
Leysha
The edgy-looking Leysha is a member of the Malkavian clan, known for their fractured minds and the possession of the 'Gift of Insight' – often prophetic in nature according to Vampire: The Masquerade lore. Not only does Leysha have the unstable power of foresight, but she is also able to conceal herself and certain objects. Thanks to her unique Malkavian abilities, she, like Galeb, works in the Prince's service, handling the more covert missions.
According to her character trailers, Leysha has a daughter, Halsey, who is frequently by her side. Whether Halsey is a human or a vampiric child like Anne Rice's Claudia, is unclear. Leysha also seems to need a special blood transfusion to survive, but she also undergoes an unknown procedure in order to be with her daughter, which has the negative effect of decaying her memories and driving her further into madness.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong releases on May 19, 2022, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch version is in development.
