It took me a long time to finally write this review for Vampire: The Masquerade-Bloodlines 2. It was actually supposed to be part of our spooky Halloween week content. Thankfully, we had other dark titles to cover that week, including the delightful Strange Antiquities casual adventure and the much more horrifying Silent Hill f. Columnist Vincent Mahoney also looked at some scary adventures in his Save State Column, including the frightful indie game No, I’m not Human.
There were other factors working against a quick review for Bloodlines 2, including a disastrous launch that had many PC players unable to get beyond the title screen due to a misplaced User file. Thankfully, that was fixed relatively quickly for players on Steam and other PC platforms. The game runs fine now, other than a few missing controls that most modern titles have, like the ability to turn off motion blur or head bobbing for first person interfaces. The developers, The Chinese Room, have stated that those would eventually be added, but there is no sign of them yet.
The funny thing is that launch problems were also a challenge for the first Bloodlines RPG, which was riddled with all kinds of crazy bugs, but which managed to become an all-time favorite title for many players, myself included. I went back and looked at my GiN review of the original Bloodlines from 2004 and remembered why it earned a perfect 5 GiN Gems score. The first Bloodlines really broke the mold, giving players the chance to really immerse themselves deep inside the dark world of Vampire: The Masquerade with a freedom that was almost unheard of in role-playing games at the time. I’ve actually replayed it many times over the years (with the required fan-made patch for stability), and it still offers up a really fun and engaging experience. And now, over 20 years later, we finally get a sequel.
Giddy nostalgic longing and critical launch day bugs aside, once I finally dropped into Bloodlines 2, I could start to enjoy The World of Darkness once more through the eyes of a powerful undead monster still retaining some bit of their humanity. However, longtime fans should know that Bloodlines 2 is not the same kind of title as the first one. The original Bloodlines was a role-playing game in every sense of the word, while Bloodlines 2 instead is much more of an adventure game (and one overly-focused on melee combat) with some role-playing elements. Personally, I prefer the way the original title handled gameplay, although I can see why the developer opted for a more adventure-game style. It does make Bloodlines 2 more accessible to just about everyone. You don’t really need to be a role-player or an expert on the world to jump in and start experiencing a compelling story.
One of the reasons that the developer could slash most of the RPG elements is because you don’t start off as a fledgling vampire with weak powers and no knowledge of the world. Instead you play an almost mythical elder known as the Nomad, who you can make be either male or female. They are an elder vampire forced into torpor (that long sleep where vampires are actually kind of dead) back in 1924 and reawakened into modern day. When you awake, you are already one of the most powerful beings in the city of Seattle, where the adventure is set. The court and the Camarilla all respect or fear you right from the start, which makes integrating into that world really easy. Just about ten hours into the game you are even appointed court sheriff, which is pretty unheard of for a newcomer in town.
Nomad, who calls themselves Phyre (pronounced Fire) these days, does have a limited skill tree to develop. There are five skills that you can learn within your chosen clan, with almost all of them combat oriented regardless of which clan you choose. For example, Ventrue vampires can compel mortals to simply kill themselves rather than fight while the Tremere can conjure powerful blood daggers to fling silently at opponents in the dark. Meanwhile, Toreador vamps can compel others to fight for them while they sit back and watch the fun.
Given the melee-heavy nature of Bloodlines 2, the vampire powers make certain clans more or less easy to play. For example, the Brujah are really overpowered now because almost all of their powers involve dealing massive amounts of damage in a fight. Other clans that rely on fewer direct attacks are much more challenging to pull off. The title rates each clan by how easy they are to play, so people can perhaps choose something a bit less challenging for their first run.
Thankfully, you can also buy powers outside of your original clan’s abilities by doing side missions for those clans and then spending experience points and a special blood resource to grab whatever power you want to add to your arsenal. It works but is much more expensive than simply adding your own clan’s powers. However, because of this, I first maxed out my own clan’s skill tree (doing so lets you buy a powerful passive skill) and then went back and bought replacement skills from other clans to make up for areas where my core powers were weak or not in line with my preferred play style. Players also earn a new outfit for each skill bought, which is a nice bonus for those who enjoy cosmetics.
The gameplay in Bloodlines 2 takes place over a series of nights where events get increasingly dangerous and deadly for the vampires of Seattle. Interestingly enough, a lot of what is happening in modern day is connected to the past. And Phyre just happens to have another vampire living in their head named Fabian who knows a bit about that. You find out why pretty quickly as the story progresses, but this sets up an interesting dynamic where Phyre is certainly in charge but can get advice and help from Fabian, who knows much more about the city and modern times. Fabian, who was turned in the 1920s, is a Malkavian detective, so he has a real gumshoe kind of vibe. You get to play as Fabian too in a few flashback missions, solving cases inside his warped mind and giving insight to Phyre’s modern challenges.
Everything in Bloodlines 2 takes place in Seattle, and everything is confined to a single map. Technically the city has different districts, but they all seem to run together. Honestly, it seems kind of small compared with the original Bloodlines that allowed you to travel between a few different places like Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles. The atmosphere is really nice, however, with a snowstorm that makes the city look beautiful and sinister at the same time. Phyre can also explore the city in unique ways, stalking down the streets and alleyways or soaring from the rooftops using a gliding power that is almost like flying.
Whereas I am disappointed that Bloodlines 2 is not really a role-playing game, I was impressed with the story and the characters. The vampires that inhabit Seattle are extremely compelling, even when they are secretly plotting to backstab you while still being polite and grinning from ear to ear. The dialogue choices you get in Bloodlines 2 are interesting, and I found that it was pretty natural making the other vampires like me. Even Fabian eventually said how impressed he was with my ability to say whatever the other vampires wanted to hear.
In the end, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is not the long-awaited, systems-driven RPG sequel many of us dreamed of for the last two decades. Its simplified mechanics, small scope and combat-heavy focus make it feel far removed from the sprawling, choice-driven original.
But while Bloodlines 2 doesn’t recapture the full magic of Bloodlines, it does succeed at something equally important: it understands the World of Darkness. The political tension, the constant dread, the sense that every conversation could be a trap and every alliance temporary, all of that is alive and well here. Seattle is full of sharp smiles hiding sharper knives, and Bloodlines 2’s atmosphere, characters and writing absolutely nail the seductive danger that defines Vampire: The Masquerade.
So no, this isn’t the sequel I wanted. But as a narrative-driven adventure set in the shadows of the Camarilla, it’s still a world I’m glad to sink my fangs into.
Developers: The Chinese Room
Platforms: Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox Series X