After more than 20 years of waiting, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has finally got a sequel. Fans hoping for a deeply interactive narrative will be disappointed, however, as I was disappointed with the ability to influence the story until later hours. Still, the game that remains offers decent action, stealth, and an engaging story that I was content to see through to the end. Bloodlines 2 doesn’t meet the current standards set by other open-world RPGs, but once you get past that, it’s an acceptable vampire experience.
In Bloodlines 2 you play as a 400-year-old vampire known as Phyre or Nomad. After waking up in Seattle after 100 years of torpor (a coma-like vampiric sleep), Phyre finds a mark on their hand that robs them of their power and bonds in the city. They are also joined by Fabien, a disembodied vampire who mysteriously appeared as a voice in Phyre’s head. The game’s neo-noir plot involves exploring both of these mysteries, and it’s an effective hook that kept me invested. It starts slower than I would like, but picks up considerably later on, and I was content to see it finish quickly.
My biggest problem with the narrative is the lack of player influence over the story, especially regarding factions. For example, one of the first crucial decisions is whether to follow the orders of the Camarilla Court (the main authority in Seattle) or to do the Anarchs a favor and suffer the consequences. I sided with the Anarchs, and upon my return, Camarilla, in anger… promoted me. They said it would be a restrictive role that would allow them to keep an eye on me, but I assumed I would be rejected and would have to join Anarchs like I wanted. As I got further into the story, I realized that this promo was an inevitable plot point. Most interactions with the Camarilla are choices, but despite my constant attempts to disappoint and anger them, Phyre is committed to this faction whether they like it or not.
Actions later in the game have much clearer and more real consequences, which is part of why I enjoyed the final hours of the game more. I made gigantic changes by betraying characters and aligning with others, and I could easily see how it affected the story. But despite constant feedback in the form of dialogue that said, “Tolly loved it” or “Lou hated it,” my relationship with the characters never seemed to matter. If it was somewhat relevant in a way I didn’t catch, I wish it had been more telegraphed; I want to know exactly what impact I have on history. Ultimately, I enjoyed the twisty plot and voice performances, especially for my female version of Phyre, but I wanted more agency.
The game’s other main problem is the open world, which quickly turns out to be more of an obstacle than a fun place to explore. There is no quick travel, so you will have to get around on foot. Your vampire super speed is invigorating, but the Masquerade, the rule that vampires must remain hidden from mortals, prevents you from using it on the streets. Instead, you can sneak up to the roof to move quickly, but they are peppered with enemies that attack immediately and reward minimal XP, making them tough to avoid and not worth fighting. Most importantly, there’s little reason to explore the open world; Blood MRI quests are repetitive and appear everywhere, all side quests are given to you by a handful of stationary NPCs, and the few collectibles you can find aren’t rewarding enough to warrant dedicated exploration.
In flashback sequences you play as Fabien when he still had a body, and the open world is even more tiring. Fabien has no combat or movement skills, and parts of it are more like an adventure game. You talk to people, utilize Malkavian’s psychic abilities to solve straightforward puzzles, and try to track down a serial killer. It’s bearable, but the pace is ponderous and the amount of walking from one place to another increases. I wish his sequences were more mechanically intriguing, or that quick travel was possible here, even if Phyre couldn’t do it.
However, Bloodlines 2 has its advantages. Combat, first of all, is mostly positive. By sucking blood from enemies, you charge up your powerful vampire moves, and I enjoyed optimizing my food for aggressive combat encounters. You can also utilize telekinesis to wield your enemies’ weapons against them, which is especially invigorating when fighting one particularly well-armed faction towards the end. That said, I wish there were more combat options that didn’t require blood as a resource, as encounters with bloodless enemies can become frustrating and lifeless without the ability to restore power.
I played as Banu Haqim, which means I inherited the stealth-focused skills and playstyle I like. Feeding on someone keeps me mute, and a high-level skill allows me to turn imperceptible so I can perform unstoppable feeding combos as an inaudible, imperceptible force of chaos. I also managed to unlock the abilities of other clans, but some require a lot of sonorous blood to fight for in the open world. The rewards, especially the passive benefits, are too good to pass up, but I didn’t enjoy spending an hour of the game repeating dozens of the same two voice lines to get NPCs to move to an alley.
On PS5, Bloodlines 2 also has some annoying technical issues. In performance mode, I often experience stutters and dropped frames, especially in the open world. In one sequence, when there were more people on the streets than usual, I couldn’t utilize my super speed because the game crashed when I drove too quick. There is also a lack of facial animation. Bloodlines 2 has great character designs and voice acting, but most of the characters’ faces are stiff and don’t match the nuances of emotion conveyed by the voices.
Bloodlines 2 is a failure, but not beyond repair. Despite a scant open world and a story that remains inflexible until later, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. The action and stealth gameplay aid fulfill the vampire fantasy, and the good acting from the voice actors makes the noir narrative one that I didn’t mind returning to each session. My 22 hours with Bloodlines 2 have been moderately entertaining, but like an insatiable vampire, I feel a little empty.
