Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 extended gameplay reveal released

Developer The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox Interactive has revealed a long awaited extended gameplay look at Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

We’ve been slowly getting more and more information on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 after the news that The Chinese Room had taken over development of the game. We’ve had the reveal of the playable clan “The Tremere” back in November 2023, as well as a playable character called Phyre, who we were informed about back in October.

Check out the gameplay below, showing the game off, featuring The Chinese Room’s Creative Director, Alex Skidmore, and Community Manager Joshua Matthews:

Matthews and Skidmore highlight an early-game mission, discussing why the player character, Phyre, infiltrates an abandoned warehouse to uncover clues about the mysterious mark on their hand. Players must choose their actions wisely, whether confronting the court’s secret keeper like Willem or meeting unruly ghouls and illusions that cloud the environment. Acting as “The Sheriff” of the Court, Phyre’s choices impact how the world perceives them and bring them closer to uncovering Seattle’s secrets.

Each clan has its own playstyle and Disciplines, creating different ways to explore. Whether it’s the Brujah’s brute force, Banu Haqim’s cloak-and-dagger approach, Ventrue’s cutthroat manipulation, or Tremere’s blood magic, players have a wide range of options. Details on each clan’s respective Disciplines will be available this year.

“The gameplay and action of Bloodlines 2 is 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”, explained Alex Skidmore, Creative Director at The Chinese Room, adding: “Players can choose their legend, but the world is dynamic, and characters will remember how you treat them. Think carefully, and trust no one”.

Here’s the Kindred Key Features from the press release:

• Feeding for Power: Feeding is a critical element of strengthening Phyre’s abilities and reflects the nature of the clan selected.
• Telekinesis: Distract enemies by lifting and throwing objects or pulling foes closer to deliver the final punch.
• Heightened Senses: See things others can’t see or hear. Focus from great distances and see what mere humans would miss in each mission and puzzle.
• Fabien’s Judgement: While all major characters in Seattle build opinions of Phyre based on their interactions with the world, Fabien sees and hears all.

Developer The Chinese Room has been responsible for some superb titles, like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and of course, Dear Esther, so it’ll be super interesting to see how the team handles a major IP and the RPG genre with this one. Regarding Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, we said: “…this is a special game, and one that is hard to pin down. A story that grips you firmly until the end, with some of the best visual and audio design in a long time, there’s so much here to recommend. As long as you know you’re getting a heavily scripted game, and are familiar with the type of experience, you’ll enjoy it. It won’t be for everyone, but for those that love Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, it’ll stay in the memory for a very long time indeed”.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is expected later this year.