The haunting line, “So weary is the wanderer that treads upon the fertile soil,” perfectly encapsulates Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. After enduring one of the most tumultuous development cycles imaginable, shifting between multiple teams, The Chinese Room’s interpretation of the World of Darkness has finally arrived. It’s a moment I still can’t quite believe, yet the game carries an immense weight of expectation.
The creators initially pitched Bloodlines 2 as a “spiritual successor,” and while Seattle’s wintery setting occasionally evokes shades of Troika’s Los Angeles, any direct narrative ties to the original are conspicuously absent. References to the first Bloodlines are relegated to obscure lore fragments, easily overlooked as players gather XP, or tucked away in the Santa Monica Memories DLC, separate from the main experience. It seems the bloodline, if it truly runs, is barely a trickle.
While Seattle undeniably boasts a grimy underside, its urban sprawl quickly becomes monotonous. The original Bloodlines offered a vibrant, explorable Santa Monica, with iconic locations like your apartment, the medical center, Gallery Noir, and The Asylum, each building begging to be discovered. Seattle, however, feels largely populated by inaccessible structures, serving primarily as a scenic but ultimately empty backdrop. Although the city’s atmosphere attempts to reflect escalating political tensions as the narrative unfolds, it often comes across as a generic, rather barren Unreal Engine 5 cityscape.
Despite the overall monotony, glimmers of brilliance punctuate the environmental design. Wake the Dead, Mrs. Thorn’s Tremere-owned coffee shop, exudes a charming, eloquent ambiance. Aurora Pawn, run by Banu Haquim primogen Niko, is filled with fascinating curiosities that genuinely feel like a collection amassed over centuries of unlife – not to mention the bizarre bone sculpture created by Toreador leader Patience in the back. Yet, these gems are often contrasted by places like the Hole in the Wall, Anarch leader Katsumi’s bar, which is just another generic dive with bland ‘SPORTS!’ signs and cluttered tables of recycled objects. For every intriguing detail, there’s an unfortunate amount of forgettable design.
One particular area on the map feels strangely disjointed, as if it belongs to an earlier version of the game. It hints at a connection to the original, only to culminate in a brief puzzle sequence. Furthermore, a substantial and visually appealing Chinatown is prominently located in the map’s center, yet it appears to be utilized for just one minor quest.
While reusing assets and animations can be an intelligent method for building expansive game worlds, Bloodlines 2 frequently employs it in ways that break immersion. For instance, in Lou Graham’s penthouse – she’s a former prince and eager opportunist – the same picture appears multiple times within close proximity. An image described in lore as a relative of Katsumi’s also inexplicably graces several walls in the police station. Character animations, too, often run on short, repetitive loops; Lou, for example, toys with her hair at least three times during our initial meaningful conversation, making her seem more robotic than a living regent.
This is truly regrettable, as the game’s characters are, for the most part, exceptionally well-written and voiced. Each perfectly embodies their unique clan and values without resorting to tired stereotypes. Lou, for instance, is the very picture of Ventrue ambition, her “blue blood” pulsing with both grandeur and malevolence. Ysabella, the flamboyant Toreador, is undeniably the artiste, her slow, seductive drawl and love for haute couture leaving you mesmerized. Safia, Graham’s despised Tremere Warlock, is sickeningly sweet, clinging to your Elder in a manner that feels perfectly authentic to her clan. Together, they form a compelling cast that encourages interaction, whether you’re flirting as a Toreador or engaging in a power struggle as a Tremere usurper.
Unfortunately, the extensive side cast, including Primogens like Mrs. Thorn and Niko, isn’t given enough narrative weight. Their side quests often devolve into repetitive fetch tasks or simple assassination assignments after a brief history lesson about an item. While these characters occasionally offer lore fragments and minor rewards, their quests are largely uninspired and rarely feel essential. The game also features a rudimentary romance system, essentially boiling down to persistent flirting until an unsatisfying conclusion.
The true standout, however, is Fabien, the Malkavian inhabiting protagonist Phyre’s mind, brilliantly voiced by Ronan Summers. Embodying a Malkavian in the tabletop RPG is notoriously challenging, often involving visions and voices. The original Bloodlines handled this masterfully, rewriting every voice line to reflect the clan’s unique perspective. While Bloodlines 2‘s interpretation of a Malkavian playthrough, channeled through Fabien’s detective quests, might feel like a narrative shortcut to some, his compelling story and exceptional performance more than compensate. It blends humor (though some is tied to the Santa Monica Memories DLC) with dramatic depth, immersing you in the role of an eccentric noir detective. Fabien consistently shines throughout, even if his later investigations sometimes feel like pacing roadblocks as you hurry toward the game’s climax.
Fabien, in my opinion, was the driving force behind the narrative, far more engaging than Phyre, a protagonist who feels utterly unremarkable – neither particularly good nor bad, but certainly not captivating. As the story progresses, a sense of fatigue begins to creep in, with “multiple things happening at once,” a phrase coined by White Wolf brand manager Jason Carl that perfectly describes the narrative’s overload. While these disparate elements eventually converge into a coherent storyline, the sheer volume of information to process can easily lead to players losing their “will to unlive.”
As noted in my earlier preview, Bloodlines 2 initially sinks its fangs into you with a compelling start. However, as the hours accumulate and the plot thickens, it struggles to fulfill the promise of its many intriguing narrative hooks. Major reveals often lack significant impact, and I found myself constantly, yet fruitlessly, anticipating a meaningful link to the original game.
Much of these narrative shortcomings could be overlooked if the core RPG mechanics and action combat were robust. Regrettably, this is not the case. The original Bloodlines was infamous for its truly terrible combat, particularly if you lacked firearm skills for the unavoidable Ming Xiao boss fight. While Bloodlines 2 has made some improvements, the combat fundamentally remains an unengaging experience.
On my initial playthrough, I chose the Toreador clan. True to their tabletop counterparts, they manipulate minds and zip across the battlefield with incredible speed. While I commend The Chinese Room’s effort to translate these abilities into action, the outcome is chaotic. The absence of a lock-on mechanism is a significant flaw, especially when your charmed enemy-turned-ally is often targeting the same foe as you. As you swiftly traverse the fight, your temporary companion frequently suffers from unavoidable friendly fire. This lack of lock-on reaches its frustrating peak during the game’s final boss encounter.
Furthermore, blocking is not an option. Each clan possesses a relocation ability, such as the Toreador’s Blink, but beyond dodging, there’s no way to prevent incoming damage. My experience with dodging was also inconsistent, almost as if an invisible stamina bar was hindering my movements. Conversely, enemies can block, requiring you to charge a heavy attack to break their guard—a painful endeavor (both literally and figuratively) when surrounded by swarming foes and a rapidly depleting health bar.
Adding to the frustration, the game struggles to keep pace with the Toreador’s rapid movements. I encountered frequent frame rate drops and performance problems in nearly every combat sequence. This, combined with the absence of blocking and lock-on, often transformed battles into a chaotic, bloody button-mashing mess. Thankfully, some of these issues were less pronounced when playing as a Tremere, a slower, range-focused clan.
Combat difficulty also scales with your level, ensuring battles become progressively harder. The boss encounters are largely uninspired; my Tremere’s long-range blood magic, for example, easily neutralized much of Sheriff Benny Muldoon’s aggressive, melee-focused attacks. While later boss fights improve, with one memorable encounter stripping away your disciplines and forcing hand-to-hand combat, they never truly stand out.
A noticeable flaw is the game’s increasing reliance on firearms in later stages. Phyre can telekinetically snatch weapons and unleash them upon unsuspecting enemies, but this feels more like a shallow gimmick than a fundamental mechanic. The core fantasy of playing as an Elder vampire, capable of tearing through humans and weaker Kindred with supernatural prowess, is undermined by the need to depend on mundane guns. As a Toreador, my limited damage-focused abilities severely impeded my progress. While long-range sniping offers a satisfying slow-motion finisher, I yearned for visceral, close-quarters vampiric combat, not the feel of an FPS game.
However, there’s a definite silver lining: having experienced multiple clans including Toreador, Tremere, Lasombra, and Ventrue, each Bloodlines 2 clan truly offers a distinct playstyle, faithfully echoing the tabletop RPG. Players can further customize their builds by incorporating skills from other clans, allowing for the creation of unique, hybrid characters perfectly tailored to individual preferences.
This progression system faithfully reflects the tabletop experience; disciplines outside your clan’s three core skill trees cost slightly more to acquire. For instance, as a Toreador, I shared the Celerity tree (focused on rapid, powerful strikes) with the Brujah, allowing me to learn Celerity powers at a reduced cost. Playing as a Tremere, however, which lacks Celerity in its base tree, would see that cost increase.
You unlock these new powers using Resonance Points, acquired by feeding on specific blood types. This innovative system, reminiscent of Sharkmob’s approach in Bloodhunt, cleverly integrates a core mechanic and provides a subtle thematic link to other titles in the franchise.
However, it’s difficult to shake the persistent feeling that Bloodlines 2 is overshadowed by its predecessor in almost every aspect. The original Bloodlines offered a comprehensive humanity system, where actions had genuine consequences, alongside computer hacking for disabling alarms and uncovering crucial information, and a delicate balance of feeding mechanics to avoid accidental kills. Furthermore, its world, despite its age, felt astonishingly vibrant, brimming with hidden secrets and moral ambiguities around every corner.
Bloodlines 2 largely lacks this kind of emergent storytelling, where mechanics seamlessly interweave to create depth. Instead, it often devolves into a linear series of forgettable fetch quests. It appears The Chinese Room has inadvertently amplified the original Bloodlines’ weaknesses – primarily its clunky combat and performance issues – rather than refining them. Ultimately, Bloodlines 2 fails to be either a satisfying sequel or a compelling enough RPG experience to provide the franchise with the revitalization it desperately needs. While long-time Vampire: The Masquerade fans might find some enjoyment in its characters and the more carefully crafted areas of Seattle, those hoping to rekindle the magic of Troika’s classic will be left wanting.