‘Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’ combat is like “playing with your food”
The Chinese Room, the developer that is driving Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, has shared how both combat and non-combat encounters will fulfil the “vampire fantasy”.
Alex Skidmore, studio design director, took to publisher Paradox Interactive‘s official blog to shed a little light on what to expect from their take on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
“Still Wakes The Deep builds on The Chinese Room’s heritage, and Bloodlines 2 is about looking to the future for our games,” explained Skidmore, referring to its other upcoming game, a psychological horror set on an offshore oil rig in the ’70s.
Bloodlines 2 will be “a big leap forward into the action role-playing genre while bringing [its] narrative expertise to bear”. This fusion then creates “a compelling and rich plot you’d expect from an adventure game” as well as “RPG agency allowing you to act out your vampire fantasy”.
The “vampire fantasy” is part of the first game pillar of Bloodlines 2, but The Chinese Room realised that initial iterations of the game became tropey. “We put in a rule that the non-combat gameplay should be about something only a vampire could do; keep it aspirational,” continued Skidmore.
On the other hand, combat was similar to Dishonored, a comparison that the team was pleased with, but it didn’t correspond with their vision for Bloodlines 2.
“We want to build an action experience where players feel confident, almost trolling the enemies with their disciplines,” elaborated the design director. “Testers use the phrase ‘playing with your food,’ which we love and illustrates how we think a Vampire: The Masquerade ARPG should feel has come up in playthroughs.”
This, in combination with the other two game pillars, should come together to “immerse” the player in the “feeling of being a vampire”. More information on those pillars will arrive in the future, assured Skidmore.
In other gaming news, Striking Distance Studios chief executive officer Glen Schofield, chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu have all left the developer.
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Imogen Donovan
NME
