The latest gameplay demo for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, showcased at this year’s Gamescom, seems to have worried fans with its apparent absence of a vital element of the 2004 prequel: namely, its role-playing mechanics.
The focus on combat – which has been praised for its depth and fluidity by those who’ve played the demo, by the way – certainly marks a departure from the original, and seems to have taken precedence over character sheets and player choice. Some think this means Bloodlines 2 won’t deliver the vampiric fantasy sim they crave.
But truth be told, I don’t think these are really the elements that made the original Bloodlines so good. Despite being one of the best RPGs of the past quarter of a century, the key to its greatness lay beyond upgrading skills and tracking stats.
All brawn, no brains?
No, what made Bloodlines so appealing was the writing. The diverse characters and their dialogue, as well as the intriguing plot, explored the power dynamics and machinations of vampire society, couched in a contemporary setting. Because of this, interacting with the story and its characters was endlessly rewarding.
From what we’ve seen of Bloodlines 2 so far, that slick writing is still present and correct. For instance, Fabien, the old Malkavian whose voice is trapped in the head of protagonist Phyre, is as witty and as charming as you’d expect given his noirish Gumshoe persona. A good job, too, since he appears to talk to the player a lot, standing in as narrator.
And just because Bloodlines 2 isn’t a role-playing game (RPG), it doesn’t mean player choice has been eradicated altogether. You can still choose your starting class – or clan in the parlance of the VTM universe – with four available at launch (or six with the optional Shadows and Silk DLC pack), including fan favorites Tremere and Ventrue.
Dialogue options are still present, too, and look to be a salient part of the game. They allow you to navigate the world in your own way, with your approach requiring good judgment to say the right thing to the right people in order to win them over.
Another highlight showcased in the Bloodlines 2 demo is the setting. The first Bloodlines captured the milieu of postmillennial LA brilliantly, but it lacked the detail and artistry to sell it consistently. The Chinese Room, the studio behind Bloodlines 2, has a knack for nailing environments, whether it’s the English bucolic idyll in Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture or the brutal reality of a North Sea oil rig in Still Wakes The Deep.
From what we’ve seen, it looks like it’s pulled off the trick yet again. Of course, there’s been graphical improvements over the twenty-year-old original, but the studio’s fastidious attention to detail is what’s really caught my eye.
Every environment we’ve seen in its wintry Seattle setting looks authentic and lived-in, suggesting Bloodlines 2 will be an even more immersive playground for skulking around in. It also looks like every level of vampire on the socio-economic ladder is getting equal attention with respect to their dwellings, from opulent manors to scruffy bedsits.
I hope I’ve done enough to allay any concerns you may have had about the potential for this game to head in the wrong direction. Of course, we’ll have to wait till the full release to see exactly where the focus of the game lies, but if it does end up forgoing many of the more traditional RPG elements, I don't think that'll necessarily be a bad thing – it could, in fact, be a great thing.
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