Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 review – when is a sequel not a sequel?

After 21 years of waiting fans finally have a sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, as this long-awaited sequel both confounds and delights.

It’s a long time since 2004, and the release of cult classic Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. Since that time, gaming, and many other things, have changed almost out of all recognition, while the attempts to create a sequel have faced more setbacks than almost any game in recent memory.

But now it’s here, with White Wolf Publishing – who handled the original tabletop role-playing game it’s based on – returning as co-publisher, alongside Paradox Interactive. The developer has changed many times during the troubled development but in the end it’s Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture and Still Wakes The Deep creator The Chinese Room who have brought the sequel to heel.

The game is set in the neon-lit city of Seattle, amidst a snowy winter, while you play as the cringely named Phyre, an elder vampire who wakes up after a century of torpor (that’s vampire hibernation), with little knowledge of the modern world.

Phyre wakes up to find their head inhabited by a second player character: Fabio, a noir detective vampire from the fan favourite Malkavian clan, who has no idea how he got there. With a serial killer on the loose and brewing turbulence between several factions, it’s up to Phyre and Fabien to figure it all out and maintain the ‘Masquerade’ – the illusion that, as far as ordinary humans are concerned, vampires don’t exist.

So, here’s the main gripe… having played through the entirety of Bloodlines 2, I find that the publishers have very charitably labelled it as an action role-player. There’s a little cursory customisation, so you can choose Phyre’s gender and customise a few options such as their hair and eye colour. You also select their clan, which changes how Phyre is perceived by other vampires, but perhaps more vitally, defines their combat playstyle.

The devs boast of 12 different endings to the game, and that key characters will remember the choices Phyre makes, changing their feelings towards you as the story progresses. However, the dialogue options and the decisions you make feel more akin to the simple mechanics of Fallout 4, rather than the richness of choice given in a game like Fallout: New Vegas.

Bloodlines 2 barely feels like a role-playing game at all, and its similarities to the original game are mostly confined to the lore and some familiar returning faces.

However, once you accept that this isn’t really a Bloodlines follow-up, you have in front of you a wonderfully gripping action adventure. The storyline, paired with first person vampy gameplay, had me hooked for the entire 24 hours it took to propel myself through my first playthrough.

The branching narrative and cast of interesting characters, whose relationships to Phyre greatly influence the plot, adds a lot of depth. I’m reminded of Telltale’s noir classic The Wolf Among Us, with added first person vampire action.

The atmosphere and immersive-ness of the game is really where it shines. You would expect nothing less from The Chinese Room, whose entire brand is built on games layered with rich environmental worldbuilding and tension, and the moment you first step out into the snowy Seattle night is breathtaking.

Neon lights diffused by the snow, dark alleys, and clandestine rooftop encounters have a whiff of Blade Runner nostalgia about them. The best moments of the game are spent stalking around Seattle as a powerful predator, sensing the heartbeats of potential human victims. The soundtrack and sound design is fantastic and bringing back original Bloodlines composer Rik Schaffer, as one of three composers on the game, was smart work.

Wandering around in the early game is a feast, but this unfortunately does start to wear as you discover that Phyre has very limited freedom to explore. You can only really enter story-relevant buildings and non-player characters sometimes feel like obviously repeating clones of each other, with very limited opportunities for unique dialogue.

It’s a reminder that the game is pulling you along by the narrative beats, rather than offering a true open world experience, which is also exactly what you’d expect from The Chinese Room.

For my first playthrough, I threw myself in with the much-maligned Lasombre clan, who aren’t a playable clan in the first game. They were also initially one of two clans locked behind day one DLC, that Paradox recently walked back on after justifiable upset from fans.

They’re described as having one of the most challenging mechanics to learn. Whilst there’s certainly a knack to it, once you master the mechanics, combat as an elder vampire is satisfyingly immersive. You can slow down time, disappear into shadow, and pop-up behind enemies to drain them of blood.

Whilst you can’t technically wield weapons, Phyre uses telekinesis to fire guns and throw objects at enemies. This leads to some very funny encounters leaping around the map when low on blood, desperately scrabbling for stuff to throw at advancing spawn before draining them for energy.

If you picked an easy-to-use vampire clan, you may not find combat as enjoyable, even on lower difficulties, as the game rewards thought-out moves and creative plays. I will note, though, that the game does give you the opportunity to respec your abilities throughout the game, should you get bored.

There is also a romance mechanic in the game, although in the lore of Vampire: The Masquerade, vampires treat romantic liaisons a little differently to, say, characters in Baldur’s Gate 3. I’ll leave that for you to discover.

As a role-playing fan, I came into the game sceptical but found I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent as Phyre. I’m sure the devs know that it was a little silly to position the game as a follow-up to Bloodlines, but that implied connection will clearly help it to sell more. But rather than a direct sequel, this is something entirely new in the Masquerade universe.

It’s packed with big campy boss battles and set pieces, beautifully crafted environments, and an admirable dedication to lore accuracy. Making a complex Western role-playing game in today’s graphically demanding, budget-inflating world is stressful and expensive. With role-playing veterans BioWare and Bethesda having suffered recent misfires, I see the logic of the game before me.

The Chinese Room, who have no previous experience with role-playing games, have instead worked to their strengths and created a rewardingly rich game within a tighter scope. I would much rather this game than another empty and disappointing modern role-player, even whilst lamenting that we still haven’t got an actual sequel to Bloodlines.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Paradox Interactive and White Wolf Publishing
Developer: The Chinese Room
Release Date: 21st October 2025
Age Rating: 18

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