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Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room Unveil Gameplay for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
Creative Director Alex Skidmore explains how players will explore Seattle as a Brujah Kindred, showcasing Disciplines and more
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January 31, 2024
4 Min Read
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Paradox Interactive :
STOCKHOLM – January 31, 2024 – Today, Paradox Interactive and The Chinese Room released two gameplay videos for the upcoming first-person action RPG Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The Chinese Room’s Creative Director, Alex Skidmore, was joined by TCR Community Manager Joshua Matthews to deep-dive into the game’s mechanics and setting while exploring Seattle as a Brujah Kindred. Additional gameplay videos detailing the Brujah and other clans in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will be released in the coming months.
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. “Players can choose their legend, but the world is dynamic, and characters will remember how you treat them. Think carefully, and trust no one.”
Kindred Key Features Include:
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.
Bloodlines 2 is the successor to the cult-classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. In Bloodlines 2, players choose one of four clans for Phyre: the rebellious Brujah, blood sorcery masters Tremere, adjudicators of justice Banu Haqim, or the persuasive Ventrue. Wishlist the game today on Steam, Epic Games, GOG, Microsoft Store on Xbox, and PlayStation Store.
To learn more, visit the official website, follow #Bloodlines2 on all social media platforms, and join the community on the game’s Discord.
About Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive is one of the premier developers and publishers of strategy and management games for PC and consoles. The players are located all over the world but some of the biggest markets are North America, Western Europe and Asia.
The game portfolio consists of popular franchises such as Stellaris, Europa Universalis, Hearts of Iron, Crusader Kings, Cities: Skylines, Prison Architect, the Surviving games, Age of Wonders and Victoria. Paradox Interactive also owns the World of Darkness brand catalog.
For more information, please visit http://www.paradoxinteractive.com
About World of Darkness
World of Darkness is a transmedia entertainment brand encompassing a number of modern fantasy horror franchises, including Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, and more. Through tabletop roleplaying games, video games, board games, literature, comic books, and more, these franchises tell mature stories in a dark supernatural fantasy layered over our modern world. Since 1991, World of Darkness has defined monster-perspective entertainment for a generation of fans. For more information visit www.worldofdarkness.com.
About The Chinese Room
The Chinese Room is an award-winning game development studio based in Brighton, UK. Since 2012, the studio has built a reputation for innovative first-person gaming. Their titles include the ground-breaking Dear Esther (2012); the cult horror Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2013); the internationally acclaimed Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (2015) and the highly-anticipated Still Wakes the Deep (2024).
Since joining the Sumo Digital family in 2018, The Chinese Room has been hard at work building on its reputation for creative excellence in game development. From humble roots in modding and academia to a team of over one hundred game devs and numerous influential titles, the studio is busy with projects that merge TCR storytelling with new directions, new genres, and new ambitions.
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