Everything We Know About Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 (Topic)

Like many people, I am drawn to the world of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines. At one time, the game amazed everyone by the fact that, like Half Life 2, it used Source. Nevertheless, this technology has become a rather controversial point for the game. When I found myself embroiled in the vampire confrontation in the thrilling setting of the World of Darkness, it remained in my memory forever.

When the second part was announced, the excitement was contained by awe. Moving the scene to Seattle was a great move and the prospect that I would return to the universe that warmed my soul so much as a teenager. However, instead of entrusting the production of the game to a studio that has experience in creating projects with an unusual setting, such as Obsidian, the second part of Bloodlines is being developed by Hardsuit Labs, the developers of the multiplayer shooter Blacklight: Retribution. These concerns are reported by a GameInformer employee.

However, after talking with the creators of the game and seeing the 20-minute gameplay, he realized that there was nothing to worry about, and systematized everything we know about Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2.

The game world is still rich

The main feature of Bloodlines is its rich lore. If you haven't played the original game by now, the closest example I can give is the underworld of the John Wick assassins. Bloodlines has vampires who live to this day, making their own laws (or breaking them), designed to stay in the shadows and keep people in the dark. Whole wars are fought behind the backs of people, and they happen everywhere: in sewers, on the streets and in skyscrapers.

Seattle is generally different from Los Angeles, but the street layout and lighting are reminiscent of a more attractive version of the first game. You won't just wander from one mission to the next, the streets are filled with interesting places, and npcs with side quests. Many of them have their own rules that you can accept or reject and go through the quest the way you want.

Clan Front

The first part intrigued in many ways with clan enmity, which are so different from each other. Toreador, for example, born manipulators, can subdue consciousness and deceive. They are always trying to find a way out of any situation that the world throws up. On the other hand, we have the Brujah clan - brutal vampires, accustomed to solving problems with force and blows in the face. Naturally, with such different approaches, the two clans dislike each other.

In Bloodlines, the player's attitude towards the clans was vague. He worked for every clan and was an errand for various representatives. Bloodlines 2 revolutionizes this attitude by making the system more flexible and giving the player choice.

For example, in a gameplay video, we were shown how a character from an unknown faction sends our hero a weak-blooded one for information about a vampire in the Nosferatu hideout [vampires cursed with ugliness, which Masquerade forbids to appear in public in principle]. When you arrive at the hideout, the gatekeeper gives you the opportunity to abandon your original goal in exchange for the opportunity to get to them in the catacombs in the future.

When you reach your goal, you will have several options for what to do: you can talk your target, beat her until she tells everything, use the power of a vampire and untie her tongue, and in the end you can spare or kill her. If you choose mercy, then your original employer will be furious and what kind of relationship with his clan you will have to forget about. But Nosferatu will be kinder to you, they will let you into their shelter, and you will also have access to their line of quets.

As narration designer Kara Ellison said, there are no right or wrong choices in the game, you will always act the way you want and get the corresponding consequences.

The whole world is a hub, baby

One of the main excitements with the game was that current trends might push designers to create an open world where the original game was a hub divided by loading screens. Such worlds were more detailed, rich in unique decorations and with the minimum of copyable objects or environments that might be necessary to create a large open world.

According to Lead Designer Rachal Laker, Seattle is also divided into hubs in the game, which recreate real-life areas of this city, for example, the Jungle - the homeless area. Bloodlines 2, according to the classics, adds fantastic elements and the same Jungle became a platform where Nosferatu are hiding.

Strange theatricality is still with us

Ellison says there will be "dramatic drama" in the game, but that doesn't mean elements like the haunted houses or the creepy Alice in Wonderland-inspired mansion won't be present. At this time, the main story will be more down-to-earth, says Senior Product Manager Florian Schwarzen, but at the same time: "We will have things (oddly at the level of Bloodlines) in the game ... this obviously will not be a project without a budget for special effects."

Your choices go beyond storytelling

The abilities you choose when creating your character, ranging from basic perks to clan, affect how you progress through certain missions. You might have seen this in Dishonored and Deus Ex. During the gameplay demo, our hero could turn into fog, which is very good for stealth, and allows you to slip into the vents, bypass enemies and not kill them.

As in the original, you can play the game as a pacifist, and try not to kill anyone, resolving conflicts peacefully. So, the vampire in the demonstration bribed the guard with 50 bucks to go into the restricted area. This would save us the constant harassment.

You will see old friends ... probably

Bloodlines was rich in written characters such as the Prince of Lacroix, or the anarchist Nines Rodriguez. I asked the developers if we would see them, and was expecting to hear “no”, when suddenly I was told the following encouraging phrase: “If you have favorite characters in the game, we would gladly try to return them, but now talk about it for now can not". The second part of the game takes place several years after the events of the first, and you will see exactly how some characters will refer to the events of the past.

This time the fight will be more dynamic

The first game had many advantages - combat was one of them. Although we do not deny that this is a problematic advantage. And the developer knows about it.

“The first game was based more on the classic combat system. In the sequel, we want to give the player the opportunity to be more a vampire than a human. Namely, that they use their vampire powers on more enemies.

The vampire demonstrated to us shows his powers as a way to turn into a killing machine. The people who attacked him with knives and bullets could not harm him, but when the vampire used his ability, he literally tore people apart in a few seconds.

It was very cool to watch how inhuman blows send enemies into the walls and they fight from them, break bones and fall like rag dolls. We were also shown how a vampire used blood magic and forced opponents to vomit with it, threw round balls like grenades at them, and they exploded colorfully. All in all, Bloodlines 2 has a lot of spectacular death tools.

The Topic of Article: Everything We Know About Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2.
Author: Jake Pinkman