If you were hungry for more gooey human plasma 15 years ago after finishing the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, you’ll be ravenous by now. Happily for you, the wait for your next crimson meal is almost over: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is official, and it’s coming out in Q1 2020.
Paradox Interactive’s teases for a sequel to the most famous iteration of the World of Darkness is now much more than an ARG dating app: the sequel to Troika Games’ choice-based action-RPG was officially revealed by Paradox and Hardsuit Labs at GDC 2019, four years on from the publisher’s acquisition of White Wolf and the World of Darkness.
Bloodlines 2 leaves the City of Angels behind for a gothic punk 19th century reimagining of Seattle. Once again you’re a vampire, but with a difference: as a thinblood, you are not wedded to any of the vampiric factions that make up the Emerald City from the beginning, but it’s your actions that light the spark of a blood war between them. That said, if you have any concerns about the story staying true to the original, you’ll be heartened to see Brian Mitsoda return as lead narrative designer.
As ever, you must respect the tenets of the Masquerade, the conspiracy each vampire, or ‘Kindred’, maintains to ensure that humanity is none the wiser to them. That’s all while you keep your internal blood stores plentiful by quietly feasting on oblivious humans. However, mysterious forces with a worrying amount of knowledge about you work busily in the shadows, and you’ll need to wade through the murk of vampire politics through choices and exploration to piece everything together.
Inspired by immersive sims like Dishonored and Deus Ex, Bloodlines 2 boasts plenty of ways for you to navigate obstacles you encounter. Nebulation turns you into smoke to travel up pipes, and telekinetic powers let you rip enemy weapons away from them from afar. And, speaking of weapons, they play a much less important role, but skill trees that support ranged playstyles are still featured. You also have the chance to select your protagonist’s pre-Kindred background – including the quintessentially Seattleite barista trait – which triggers different reactions from the game’s NPCs.
Bloody hell: Your first look at Bloodlines 2 gameplay
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 comes out in the first quarter of next year on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Launcher for $59.99 / €59.99. There will also be a special ‘Blood Moon Edition’ for $89.99 / €89.99 which allows you to suck up the ‘Season of the Wolf’ season pass that includes the sequel’s post-launch story content.