After more than five years and a developer shift from Hardsuit Labs to The Chinese Room, publisher Paradox Interactive revealed new gameplay from Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 on Wednesday, showing how the game has changed since its reveal in 2019.
The footage of the first-person action-RPG focuses on combat, and is largely spoiler-free (up to a point). The Chinese Room showcase an early-game mission starring player character Phyre, a member of the Brujah Kindred.
In the gameplay reveal, Phyre (joined by Fabien, a secondary voice in Phyre’s head) infiltrates a Seattle warehouse looking for answers about the mark on their hand, using the Brujah clan’s brute-force approach to enemies and investigation. There’s first-person stealth and sneaking, as Phyre uses telekinesis to distract ghouls — and eventually winds up face-to-face with them, feeding, punching, and snapping necks. There’s a smattering of role-playing present, in the form of a simple dialogue choice.
Alex Skidmore, creative director at The Chinese Room, describes the gameplay of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 as “a sort of dance.”
“As players explore the world, soak in the atmosphere, and make strategic choices, they affect their relationships with the characters around them,” Skidmore said in a statement accompanying the gameplay reveal. “Players can choose their legend, but the world is dynamic, and characters will remember how you treat them. Think carefully, and trust no one.”
Separately, Skidmore and The Chinese Room community manager Joshua Matthew offered a deeper dive into gameplay in an extended look at Bloodlines 2. That video runs more than 15 minutes, and includes a more spoiler-heavy discussion between Matthews and Skidmore. You can watch it below.
While the gameplay reveal focuses on Phyre as a member of the Brujah, Paradox and The Chinese Room promise to show gameplay and disciplines from the perspective of the other three clans in the near future. Details on the cloak-and-dagger Banu Haqim, the persuasive Ventrue, and blood magic users Tremere will be shown later this year, developers said.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is coming to PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X sometime this fall.
