Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is one of the most embattled new games on 2025's roster. Last year's gameplay reveal left many World of Darkness fans feeling tepid toward it – myself included. When I read my editor's impressions in his recent Bloodlines 2 hands-on preview, I felt the flames of hope spark up once more. However, following the new release date trailer shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live, the community's skepticism has only intensified.
I get it. After numerous delays and a total rework that saw it picked up by Still Wake the Deep developer The Chinese Room, the upcoming RPG had a lot to live up to. Specifically, the legacy carved out by Troika's 2004 cult classic, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. At face value, I agree that the sequel and its predecessor look like night and day next to each other. But I'm still not going to judge The Chinese Room too hard for the direction it's taken things, because if I really think about it, Bloodlines 2's very existence is a miracle in itself.
