Review: Vampire: The Masquerade

Throughout its initial hours, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 endeavors to persuade you that it may truly be quite commendable. Defying expectations, this significantly troubled endeavor might exceed anticipations.

Nevertheless, as the game’s framework becomes increasingly clear, the authentic Bloodlines 2 unfolds as somewhat of a debacle. This continuation of Troika Games’ 2004 cult favorite quickly crumbles in upon itself, despite a few compelling narrative moments and a collection of intriguing concepts.

On various fronts, Bloodlines 2 recognizes what endeared its predecessor to players. That was an indisputably imperfect release too, yet it endures as a captivating little time capsule — a remarkably campy but deeply atmospheric interpretation of early 2000s subculture.

Even though set in 2024, the sequel does manage to capture that same delightfully cheesy tone — at least sporadically. There are sincere moments of engagement, whether through the game’s lore-laden dialogue or convoluted storytelling.

If you’re interested in that aspect of Vampire: The Masquerade — exploring the unspoken rules of vampire society — then you’ll likely appreciate much of what Bloodlines 2 assembles with its roster of (mostly) amusing characters. There’s a distinct respect for the franchise’s foundational lore evident here.

However, unlike the original title, Bloodlines 2 is significantly simplified as an RPG — to the extent that we would hesitate to even label it one. Developer The Chinese Room has attempted to temper expectations in this regard, suggesting that it’s more of a ‘streamlined’ experience, though that’s quite an understatement.

Indeed, you’re presented with numerous dialogue choices, and the title explicitly informs you that your decisions will bear consequences — but ultimately, merely two or three pivotal choices genuinely impact the entire game’s 15-hour duration.

And even then, the consequences are frequently dubious. Characters will assert that your actions have led to something, but you will rarely, if ever, witness these outcomes materialize. Most of the time, your selected dialogue simply results in colorful replies from your conversational partner — and then it all fades away the next time you interact.

What scant role-playing does exist also suffers from Fallout 4 syndrome. In this instance, you’ll be offered four dialogue choices, yet they all communicate the same sentiment with a subtly different tone. It’s a façade of choice through and through.

This is genuinely our primary issue with the game’s methodology; it takes effort to make you believe you’re making a difference. For instance, Telltale-style relationship updates flash at the top right of the screen when selecting an interaction, but once more, they equate to very, very little.

Regrettably, this is also true concerning selecting a clan and background for your character. You control a largely pre-established protagonist — an elder vampire named Phyre — and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, your flexibility is noticeably restricted.

Clan selection is arguably the most significant letdown. Bloodlines 2 heavily prioritizes action combat (more on that shortly), and your clan choice influences your fighting style. However, you will have unlocked all your clan’s skills well before reaching the second chapter of the storyline, in just two or three hours.

The skill trees — more akin to skill lines — are alarmingly underdeveloped, leading to what feels like an almost complete absence of character growth for much of the game.

In addition, you get to briefly discuss Phyre’s history near the narrative’s beginning. It’s an undeniably fascinating moment, as the centuries-old elder reminisces about the background you select — yet it’s rarely mentioned again beyond a couple of offhand remarks.

As we discussed earlier, Bloodlines 2 has numerous sparks that exhibit genuine potential, but one particular aspect of the experience thoroughly undermines everything surrounding it: Fabien’s flashbacks.

Fabien is a 1920s-style detective whose mind is somehow ensnared within Phyre’s psyche. Even as a faceless voice, there’s an eccentric charm to his character and his presence is undeniably captivating. As you’d anticipate, he’s crucial to the overarching narrative; there’s a mystery at the center of Phyre’s abrupt awakening, and Fabien’s profession could aid you in solving the case.

After roaming the streets of Seattle for over a century before being imprisoned in another vampire’s consciousness, Fabien provides insights and crucial world-building during your adventure. The catch, as previously hinted, is that much of this information is conveyed through agonizingly protracted and criminally dull flashback sequences.

At the conclusion of every chapter, Phyre returns home to rest, and Fabien dreams of the past. You are then placed into the detective’s shoes as he navigates the same sandbox Seattle that Phyre traverses — an already desolate collection of streets, alleys, and rooftops that are a complete hassle to maneuver because Fabien lacks Phyre’s mobility capabilities.

So, as Fabien, you walk between objective markers. Repeatedly. When you eventually arrive at one, you converse with a character, through dialogue options that are somehow even less meaningful than the ones encountered in the present.

You are expected to be playing detective here, but uncovering leads essentially boils down to selecting every dialogue choice and using one of Fabien’s four vampiric abilities to compel individuals or objects to divulge information.

There is no player autonomy during these flashbacks. It’s not even an illusion of choice — it’s an exercise in wasting the player’s time. Fabien should be a relatable ally, but due to these painstakingly elongated sequences, you’ll likely end up despising his witty banter.

The flashbacks repeatedly derail the game’s pace — along with any potential replay value that Bloodlines 2 might have offered.

truly perplexing blunder in the narrative department.

What about the combat then? The action might be one of the few redeeming features of the title, yet, predictably, it’s hindered by several disappointing design choices.

Essentially, it comprises a mix of light and heavy strikes, accompanied by a nimble dodging mechanism. There is indeed some level of complexity to the melee system; dodging in various directions allows you to execute unique follow-up strikes, each serving distinct purposes.

The Chinese Room clearly dedicated considerable time to this element, and the fundamentals are gratifyingly forceful. Additionally, your clan abilities — as limited as they are — can lend encounters a real boost. Some of them feel exhilarating to execute, like the Brujah clan’s Fist of the North Star-style punch sequence.

However, certain enemy types are a disaster to confront, dragging multiple encounters into frustrating scenarios. Firearms are arguably the largest concern, with foes wielding shotguns and SMGs locking you down without much forewarning, causing the screen to shake as if Phyre’s eyes are about to burst.

Projectiles may not be too menacing if you’re playing as a more stealthy Phyre, but stealth is frequently disregarded for forced, direct confrontations. If your clan abilities are tailored for ambushing adversaries from the shadows, brace yourself for a challenge against melee-only bosses and their endless horde of minions.

Poor combat balancing is problematic, but it escalates further when you introduce input-devouring frame rate drops into the mix. Indeed, Bloodlines 2 performs so poorly on PS5 — and PS5 Pro — that it significantly disrupts the action.

And we aren’t merely discussing minor drops here and there — the game is rife with single-digit frame rate plummets. Stutters are alarmingly prevalent, irrespective of the intensity of action; even merely turning around in a confined area can cause the game to stutter.

This represents a level of technical performance that defies belief. When considering full-price releases, we haven’t encountered anything this atrocious since Bethesda’s open world PS3 days — and those were far more aspirational games than Bloodlines 2.