I got to explore a sinister Seattle in this final version of the first-person adventure sequel, to unearth what has come to light in the World of Darkness for its October 21 launch on PlayStation 5.
A living undead world
The Emerald City has adopted a distinct shade of white in Bloodlines 2, following a brutal winter snowstorm, restricting all transport. It’s the perfect setting of isolation for assuming control of a 400-year-old Elder vampire only known as Nomad (or Phyre, for the more familiar), who you can customize via a massive variety of outfits, facial styles, and accessories. These choices can also affect how others react to you – want to get a biker to respect Phyre? Then slipping on a power suit isn’t going to cut it.
After finishing an action-packed tutorial through a derelict building, I was free to explore Seattle’s brightly lit streets, rat- infested back alleys, and impressive skyscrapers. Despite being set in the depths of night, the city heaves with life. Between its varied wanderers, street art, and radio shows broadcasting everything from weather bulletins to the mood of the people, environmental storytelling is everywhere, filling each area with something to pay attention to.
Move like a vampire
From its opening minutes, the game teaches you the importance of verticality, with Phyre’s enhanced jump via a quick double tap of the X button allowing them to scale high fences and reach tall ledges.
Between supernatural leaps, a super-speed dash, the ability to clamber up drainpipes and fire escapes with ease, and being able to glide across the sky without worrying about fall damage, navigating the city was an empowering experience. Especially as I often had to use Phyre’s enhanced senses via R3 to track scents across the rooftops. However, there’s a catch…
Preserve the masquerade
As per the series’ established rules, performing unusual, supernatural, or outright vampiric actions within the public eye is punishable by the Camarilla, the code-enforcing vampire court. This meant my activities had to be governed with caution to prevent hunters from being sent to collect my immortal head. And mortal police roaming these snowy streets will not hesitate to fire if they suspect ill intent.
Supernatural skills
But none of this limited my bloodsucking expression. The fun was in figuring out how to work around the law, supernatural or otherwise, especially as combat is a big part of Bloodlines 2.
Starting off simple, a tap of L1 lets you dodge attacks, while R1 delivers a melee strike. The latter is devastating to humans – often turning them into instant mulch – but will only slightly damage enhanced enemies such as ghouls or other vampires. Given I was fighting around half a dozen brutes at one time, stealth and hit- and- run tactics were essential to survival.
However, Phyre has another trick in their coffin. Pressing R2 activates their telekinesis ability, which can be used to levitate items from a distance, steal weapons from enemies, and even throw their bodies. This allowed me to draw people into the shadows so Phyre could feed, but also, in one instance, gave me the chance to provoke the police into attacking a band of ghouls – leaving me to find a safe spot to watch them wipe each other out.
A clash of clans
Of course, there are other ways to fight, too. The clan you choose at the start of the game determines your ability tree progression and unlockable skills. I bit into Ventrue, which specialises in mental domination perks like temporarily possessing or entrancing enemies, and passive attack resistance.
Other clans offer different talents, such as the brawling Brujah with abilities like Earthshock, a Hulk-like ground- shaking slam. The Tremere clan specialises in ranged attack blood magic, Banu Haqim focuses on stealth perks, including the ability to prevent an enemy from calling for help, the shadow-driven Lasombra clan allows skills designed to trap or scare opponents, and Toreadors are all about overpowering the weak-willed at close quarters. Handily, you can also unlock skills outside of your chosen clan by feeding on people with particular types of blood.
Adding another layer to all of this is Fabien, the vampire detective, unexpectedly trapped in Phyre’s head. During short interludes, I was transported into Fabien’s past, tying a previous case to the current- day mystery of their psychic entanglement, giving access to fresh powers, like reading emotions to glean information from the tight-lipped.
Choose your words carefully
In situations where fists don’t fly, the branching dialogue system nicely changes the pace. When engaging in conversation, you’ll often be given different ways to respond, with Fabien sometimes hinting at the personality you’re facing. It’s important to know when to employ flattery, discretion, directness, or intimidation to yield the best results, as your responses can affect these relationships and how others perceive you as the story progresses,on top of the influence of your clan affiliation.
Put your vampiric powers through their paces when Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 releases on October 21.