It is onerous to consider a recreation that matches the invoice of “cult traditional” higher than 2004’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, a narrative-driven action-RPG with a wickedly alluring tackle the fashionable vampire. Within the twenty years since its launch, Bloodlines has birthed a devoted following on-line, considered as an enthralling oddity attribute of early-2000s PC gaming. Because the IP’s visibility has grown, so too have its related works, corresponding to visible novels, the Bloodhunt battle royale, and, in fact, the long-awaited Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
A humorous factor about cult classics is how they develop past themselves. The first Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is miles away from being excellent, and a few might even say that it is truly poorly crafted in a number of respects. Definitely, its writing and world-building are best-in-class, however its fight, open-world, and RPG parts are woefully underdone, even by 2004 requirements. And but, followers of the sport overlook these weaknesses—weaknesses that may be deadly to lesser video games—in favor of its sturdy fits, viewing Bloodlines as greater than the sum of its components.
That is how Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 ought to be considered, as a result of very like its predecessor, it has some extraordinarily tough edges. Its open-world design is trite and boring, its RPG programs are half-baked at greatest, and its quest design is about as pedestrian because it will get. However I had a good time with Bloodlines 2. Greater than that, I beloved its story, and may simply name it certainly one of 2025’s best-written video video games.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Has a Bloody Nice Narrative
Any fan of the unique Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines will readily let you know that its writing is its crown jewel, and its sequel places the identical premium on storytelling. The world of Vampire: The Masquerade, which is predicated on the early-90s TTRPG of the identical title, is darkish, edgy, creative, and cohesive – certainly one of just a few city fantasy IP that do not really feel immature or explicitly YA-oriented. Appropriately, it isn’t a franchise that is afraid to get darkish, nor does it try to reassure its viewers with common appeals to modern morality. Vampire: The Masquerade is about blood-sucking monsters, and it would not make any effort to make these monsters extra palatable. There is a sure confidence about Vampire: The Masquerade that is not usually seen in fashionable, big-budget tales, and it is extremely refreshing.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines got here out of the now-defunct Troika Video games, however its sequel comes from The Chinese Room, the studio behind narrative powerhouses like Nonetheless Wakes the Deep and Everyone’s Gone to the Rapture.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 nonetheless has the deep and multilayered vampiric lore of its predecessor, nevertheless it excels by means of a much more compelling plot, starring a extra engaged, fascinating protagonist. Gamers tackle the function of Phyre, often known as Nomad, a centuries-old Kindred well-known all through vampiredom, who finds themselves in Seattle simply after a significant Camarilla (vampire authorities) energy shift. It is good to consider Phyre alongside the identical traces as Cyberpunk 2077‘s V: you may steer their character throughout conversations, make key choices, and even outline sure components of their backstory, however their core needs and worth system are predetermined. This could be disappointing for followers of Bloodlines 1‘s extra conventional, open-ended RPG design, however others will discover that Phyre’s bespoke story makes for a much more targeted narrative expertise.
There is a sure confidence about Vampire: The Masquerade that is not usually seen in fashionable, big-budget tales, and it is extremely refreshing.
As Phyre, gamers will slowly unfurl the tangled internet of Seattle’s Camarilla, bringing secrets and techniques to the sunshine, illuminating the town’s shadowy historical past, and bearing witness to a frenzy of political intrigue. It is a tight, tidy little narrative that places loads of religion in its characters and lore, solely ever giving gamers essentially the most toothsome samples of what makes these parts tick, thus encouraging them to discover. So many modern video games bend over backwards to make their characters and worldbuilding charming, however Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 makes it look easy. No characters are wasted, no lore is contradicted, and the entire story glows with slick competence, even because it barrels towards a messy climax that you just will not wish to look away from.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s Gameplay Is a Blended Bag
In some methods, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2‘s gameplay is tragic, not as a result of it is horrible (it is actually higher than that of the primary recreation), however as a result of it hardly ever realizes its potential. Like the primary recreation, Bloodlines 2 is ready in a small open-world, although the snow-laden streets of Seattle are nowhere close to as dense and compelling as these of its predecessor. Within the first Bloodlines, Los Angeles looks like a dirty, greasy character in and of itself, with innumerable secrets and techniques, non-obligatory dialog encounters, Easter eggs, and extra. It isn’t the most effective stab on the mini-open-world, nevertheless it’s a stunning, multifaceted, and eerie sandbox, whereas Bloodlines 2‘s rendition of Seattle is soulless and trite.
Nowhere is that this extra evident than within the recreation’s facet content material, which looks like little greater than a crucial tithe to open-world conventions clashing with Bloodlines 2‘s in any other case untainted imaginative and prescient. Facet quests are all some variation of “stroll right here, do that,” they usually by no means chain collectively in any significant means. So as to add insult to harm, many quests will both haven’t any reward, or will solely reward gamers with a selected kind of XP, which may be simply obtained by means of different, much less time-consuming means. Past structured facet missions, there are numerous collectibles scattered about Seattle, however accumulating them additionally looks like a chore, since they’re so quite a few and seemingly positioned concerning the map at random.
This ties into the sport’s broader issues with RPG fundamentals, which by no means actually launch. There aren’t any stats, gadgets, or gear accessible that may have allowed for some extent of creativity or energy creep, and development is nearly solely tied to a collection of skills. To the sport’s credit score, many of those skills are distinctive and enjoyable to make use of, however solely 4 of them may be outfitted at any given time, which makes unlocking them really feel much less such as you’re getting extra highly effective and extra such as you’re simply getting new choices. It is a good thought, however the novelty wears off as soon as you determine a handful of powers that be just right for you. There are some passive skills, however they’re far too insignificant for a way onerous they’re to unlock. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2‘s abilities may be intelligent, however their inexplicably conservative integration into the remainder of the gameplay loop retains them from reaching their full mechanical potential.
It is a disgrace, as a result of when Bloodlines 2‘s gameplay is firing on all cylinders, it is a good looking factor. Phyre is blindingly cell, in a position to dash alongside the bottom with feline agility, leap a number of ft into the air, glide, double-jump, and climb, which makes each traversal and fight encounters delightfully frenetic. This gels properly with the aforementioned deal with skills, which provides construction and expression to the chaos, permitting you to dominate the battlefield in your individual means. Phyre can also use telekinesis at any time, permitting them to seize and throw all method of things, and even hearth weapons, which is at all times satisfying. The fight and traversal sandboxes actually shine within the recreation’s second half, when there’s essentially the most enemy and setting selection, however at its slower moments, it may really feel just like the sturdy moment-to-moment gameplay is hogtied by a development mannequin that is far too inflexible, and quest design that hardly ever encourages utilizing Phyre’s extra novel powers in new or surprising methods.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will not be a recreation for everybody. In case you’re in search of the depth and number of content material supplied by different main AAA RPGs, The Chinese language Room’s comparatively modest tackle Seattle-at-night may go away you feeling somewhat underwhelmed. However if you would like a narrative you could sink your tooth into and gameplay that, whereas not at all times given the correct room to breathe, usually will get the job performed, then you definately’ll doubtless settle into this relaxed-fit action-adventure fairly properly. In a means, Bloodlines 2 is a becoming continuation of its predecessor’s legacy: it is deeply flawed, however masterfully written.
- Launched
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October 21, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Nudity, Drug Reference, Sturdy Language
- Developer(s)
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The Chinese language Room
- Unbelievable story, characters, and dialog
- Nice moment-to-moment gameplay
- A novel fantasy world
- Inventive, authentic powers
- Unhealthy development
- Boring, trite facet quests
- Ineffectual world design
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 releases on October 21, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Sequence X|S. Recreation Rant was offered a PC code for this evaluate.
