It's finally here – two decades after the first title from Troika Games and Activision launched, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 has released… but its reviews show a mixed bag of reactions from newcomers to the RPG and longtime fans of the original alike.
Vampire stans and Bloodlines fans have been united under their excitement for the big Bloodlines follow-up, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, for quite some time now – but it appears the new RPG isn't exactly delivering on its hype. The Steam page for Bloodlines 2, which just landed last night, shows "Mixed" reviews so far… and quite a few disappointed players.
"This is not Bloodlines 2," one person exclaims in their review, saying "the game you wish this was" was canceled long ago. Another writes, "Much like you stole another vampire's power from the start, this 'sequel' is Bloodlines in name only." Various players liken the new game not to the OG Bloodlines but to other, more linear titles. "It's infinitely closer to Zeno Clash and Dishonored's lovechild," as somebody puts it.
Further down in the reviews, a fan explains that, "It really depends on your expectations. I personally really enjoy it so far and just treat it as vampire Dishonored." To be completely fair, there are plenty of "Positive" comments too – much like that one – but overall, it seems that hardened Bloodlines stans aren't thrilled with the sequel. Reddit sheds more light on folks' thoughts, with one thread reading, "If you didn't want your game compared to VTMB, you shouldn't have named it VTMB 2."
Another post describes how "the repeat enemies are just embarrassing" in Bloodlines 2, alluding to the controversial launch of Cyberpunk 2077: "Even Cyberpunk on release, which was criticized for lack of NPC diversity, was nowhere near as bad as this." Other player discussions on the forum see people criticizing everything from the lack of manual saves to the inability to dance in the game's nightclubs.
As our own Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 review declares, the "blunt-toothed sequel is just a boring, linear action brawler" rather than the engaging RPG fans of the first game expected – and it looks like others largely agree.
Searching for new games to play after trying Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 for yourself? Be sure to browse our roundup for more.
