Posted on: July 24, 2024

AJBAtreides
Verified ownerGames: 697 Reviews: 5
Modern Werewolves & New Reasons to Rage
Halfway through the game and I am deeply impressed by the use of contemporary issues to tell a story of alienation, rage, and creeping despair. Using Harano (the paralysing sense of being unable to fight insurmountable issues) as a core mechanic pulls in the tabletop systems effectively while tying in the core theme of the story. It's a balancing act of being a creature of violence and rage fighting a system of laws, contracts, and bureaucracy and realising you're not the right tool for the job. I disagree with another reviewer who thinks the World of Darkness isn't about modern politics or personal identity. The entire theme of WoD is the darkness affecting and caused by humanity, and refugees, oppressed minorities, and corrupt politics and business are all a key part of that. Werewolf has always been a game of spiritual environmentalist monsters fighting against the selfishness and violence built into modern life. Werewolf problems are companies destroying the earth, monsters feeding on human bigotry, and the feeling of the world dying around us. The game isn't subtle, but werewolves rarely are. What it does do is use contemporary experiences, leaning on the terror and hope of people fleeing violence and oppression, and then trying to establish themselves in a new place. All of that complicated by being part of an isolated community of monsters. It's not a perfect game, but it's one of the better visual novels I've played, and one of the best WoD adaptations to capture the feeling of the world.
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