This is one announcement many hoped for and still didn't see coming. After all these years, a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines is one the way. It's been delayed heavily due to multiple factors, but with the development team taking its time, this could end up as one of the best Xbox RPGs available.
In the meantime, there's a lot to go over as you start considering just what kind of bloodsucker you'll be in the Seattle underworld. Here's everything you need to know about Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2.
What is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2?
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 is a role-playing game being published by Paradox Interactive. It was originally being developed by Hardsuit Labs but that shifted after the game was delayed out of 2021 and the current lead developer is unknown. It's a sequel to the 2004 Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines, a game that was notoriously buggy at launch but became a cult classic due to its setting and deep role-playing elements.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 trailers
You can check out the original announcement trailer for the game below:
In May 2020, Paradox Interactive released a separate trailer that has everyone in Seattle dancing until they're dead. Quite literally.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 gameplay and features
Like the original game, Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 places a hefty emphasis on role-playing in the World of Darkness, with your chosen stats and skills heavily affecting how you can interact with the world. Unlike the original title, which revolved around the vampires of Santa Monica, California, this game is set in Seattle, Washington.
The player character is a Thin Blood vampire, turned against their will in a Mass Embrace, something considered terrorism in the dark secret world of vampire clans. The story is still heavily under wraps but revolves around the player character figuring out which groups to side within the wars surrounding the city's blood trade.
There are five clans to pick between: Brujah, Tremere, Toreador, Ventrue, and Malkavian. Each comes with different advantages, disadvantages, and unique powers at its disposal.
Separate from the vampire clans, there are multiple factions in the city, and players can join one, none, or multiple factions, which will impact how the story unfolds.
Some post-launch story content collectively referred to as the Season of the Wolf will consist of two story-packs and one expansion. Given the name, it's heavily implied this will focus on werewolves interfering with the vampire clans in Seattle, as werewolves are a major threat to all but the most powerful vampires in existence.
When is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2's release date?
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 was originally scheduled to release sometime in 2020. As a result of the global pandemic and the game's creative director being fired, the release date was initially pushed out to some point in 2021. Paradox Interative then announced in February 2021 that Hardsuit Labs was no longer leading development and that the game's release window was being pushed out of 2021, meaning it'll be here at 2022 at the earliest.
Sink your teeth in.
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 is promising to be everything fans could want in a sequel to the classic RPG. In Seattle, players have a choice to become the kind of vampire they want to be while navigating the treacherous factions of the city's dark underworld.
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