As development progresses on Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, developer The Chinese Room has provided further insights into how players will become a significant nuisance to San Francisco's residents and the reasons behind their relentless thirst for blood. In the game, blood serves as a vital resource, enabling players to harness their vampiric abilities. To maintain their powers, players must regularly hunt for fresh blood supplies. Acquiring human sustenance will necessitate the use of supernatural abilities or persuasive tactics to lure civilians into a discreet feeding session, all while adhering to the Masquerade's rules to avoid dire consequences.
"One of the most challenging aspects was the presentation, particularly from a first-person perspective," explained senior game designer Max Bottomley on the Bloodlines 2 blog. "Feeding in first-person doesn't offer much visual feedback, and at worst, it can look absurd. However, a simple switch to third-person can be disorienting and feel disconnected. Our solution combines elements of both, using cinematic cutting techniques to maintain motion continuity and enough first-person action to keep players engaged in their next move."
Senior concept artist Michele Nucera emphasized that the feeding mechanic was designed to be an "intimate experience" between players and their victims, capturing the raw thrill of "stealing life from a beating heart" and transferring it to the vampire. An intriguing addition to this mechanic is the ability to track and hunt NPCs that can provide a maximum Resonance effect. Resonance is a new feature in the game that introduces additional effects based on the emotional state of the victim at the time of feeding. This secondary-XP system activates Resonance-specific buffs known as Merits, with Resonances like desire, rage, fear, pain, and delirium already revealed.
After a tumultuous development cycle that nearly led to the game's cancellation, The Chinese Room took over, and Bloodlines 2 is now slated for release in the first half of 2025. Initially planned for Q4 2024, the studio is utilizing the extra time to refine the game and expand its narrative.
