There’s always an almost morbid fascination with games that have gone through “development hell”, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is easy to view as one of the more disrupted examples of this. The game’s development can more truthfully be seen as one failed project and then a wholesale reboot that has taken a thoroughly different path to explore Seattle’s secretive vampiric nightlife. The long and arduous journey to release is almost at an end, though, with Bloodlines 2 now set to launch on 21st October.
The game starts as you’re woken up by a security guard in a dilapidated building. Unluckily for him, you’re not some junkie, but rather a vampire who’s basically got no idea who they are. After drinking them dry to regain some strength, wandering forward brings you into contact with the other security guard – there’s a comedic touch here as you’ve just been complaining about feeling weak, only to just slap that fellow across the room, leaving a bloody smear on the door. Yeah, you’re soooo weak….
It soon emerges that you are actually a vampire of great standing, of legend, even: The Nomad – though you’ve chosen to go by Phyre for now. You’ve been woken from a century-long torpor, and now have a sudden permanent companion, seemingly thanks to a magical symbol branded on your arm. Fabien will happily natter away, though this thinblood Malkavian and private investigator who’s somehow lost touch with their body and ended up in yours. Also, he can barely remember anything right now, which isn’t particularly helpful now, is it? I do enjoy his presence, though, a strong alternative to the video game mainstay of characters talking to themselves, and his PI persona reminding me of Miller from The Expanse series.
How you interact with Fabien will quickly start to determine just what kind of a character your version of Phyre is. You might not be able to name them or determine their origins, but you will have a huge amount of control over who they are through the dialogue choices you make. You also have a broad choice over which clan your Phyre comes from – these bloodlines lending all members of a particular sect certain strengths and weaknesses. Given the opportunity, I chose the Lasombra, a lineage that’s known for their prowess as predators, wielding the shadows to grip their prey and to move rapidly around in combat – also a newly announced playable faction for Bloodlines 2, albeit as additional DLC to the game.
You can choose between male and female versions of Phyre.
Of course, a human security guard is a completely different proposition to even a rebellious ghoul, especially as they come in groups that can be tricky to take down stealthily. Approaching from behind gives you the choice of a quick takedown or to drink their blood in the process, which takes a little longer and risks getting spotted more, but restores your health and abilities.
Once you get stuck into it, combat is fast, furious and a bit messy, taking place in first person and forcing you to use dodges to avoid damage, as opposed to blocking. It’s easy to find yourself cornered if you take on a large group all at once, and the need to charge up heavy attacks to shove enemies back means that you can take a flurry of hits before you know it. You really need to get enemies to the staggered state where you can feast on them to restore your health and abilities – the grasping shadows of Arms of Ahriman and the Shadow Step that the Lasombra have access to early on in their skill tree are really helpful here.
The Blood Boil ability in action from one of the other vampire clans.
After escaping from the confinement of the opening hotel, stepping into Seattle for the first time is a real treat. This city is gripped by a wintry snow storm, blanketing the pavements, streets and parked vehicles in the white stuff, and it helps to give strong contrast to the alleys, the neon red lights of certain buildings, and all the vampire-themed advertising – uh, I thought the masquerade was trying to avoid everyone thinking about vampires all the time?
It quickly becomes clear that the vampire community is in complete and utter turmoil. Following the scent trail that Fabien left, we run into the Sheriff, who’s out on the rampage hunting Thinbloods to kill. Then we seek an audience with the Prince who leads the council, except that he’s been murdered two nights ago, and last night saw a huge murder spree by a mysterious gowned figure sweeping through the city. A new Prince has been put in place, but a huge power struggle is taking place, and even the Anarch Ghouls are getting in on the action.
Actually, this screenshot is of the Inquisition. Bet you weren’t expecting that!
The opening hours quickly set out this scene, introducing you to a small core of characters and giving you the chance to start picking sides and shaping the narrative, both personally and on a wider level.
As a taster of the game ahead, it’s a fairly solid start. Phyre feels both powerful and capable in a broad sense, but isn’t yet an absolute wrecking ball of vampiric power, and combat can get a bit messy if you’re not careful, while Fabien provides a great narrative outlet to help navigate the precarious situation that Seattle finds itself in. Will I fix it, or will I tear it all down? We won’t have too long to wait before I get the chance to decide..
