TheGamer managed to snag a seat at PDXCON 2019 to watch a slightly updated demo of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. While we weren't able to play - only watch a developer walk us through the first 30 minutes or so of the game - we were impressed by what we saw. Here are five things we learned.
5. The Resonance System
Mortals in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 have a distinct, colored aura around them that creatures with heightened senses - such as vampires - can pick up. The different colors denote different Resonances - dominant emotions or states of mind. A red aura, for instance, denotes a Resonance of Rage; other Resonances include Delirium, Desire, and Fear.
Feasting on multiple mortals with the same Resonance allows the player to customize their character in particular ways depending on which Resonances they've taken in.
4. The Three Disciplines
Early on, the main character gains access to their first three Disciplines: Chrioptera, Mentalism, and Nebulation. Each of these will allow the character different problem-solving abilities, and after being able to try out each of them, they are forced to pick just one that will affect their playstyle for the rest of the game.
Chiroptera grants the character an affinity with bats, and the ability to fly short distances. Mentalism allows a certain level of telekinesis, which in the demo allowed them to shift an obstacle blocking a door from being opened. Lastly, Nebulation allows the character to turn into a mist and enter a vent, gaining access to otherwise restricted areas.
3. How The Story Begins
The main characters wakes to find themselves being staked in the chest and wheeled into a courtroom, where vampires of feuding factions accuse one another of having perpetrated a Mass Embrace, when multiple new vampires are created at once. A flashback shows the events as they transpired - multiple vampires descending on a park, feasting on mortals and forcing them to drink their blood.
Soon enough, fire erupts in the courtroom, incinerating nearly all those present, allowing the main character to escape. This is where the playable section begins (though there have been dialogue options up until this point). The player has to navigate a burning building, make it through a section of Seattle's underground, encounter a mesmerized man with a cell phone, beat up a bunch of mortals with guns, and eventually almost get killed by a vampire assassin.
2. Where The Story Is Going To Go
Some mysteries are laid out right from the beginning of the game:
Who did perpetrate the Mass Embrace, and why?
Who is the woman on the phone, and what is your connection to her?
Why is the vampire assassin hunting people down, and why aren't you on his list?
How will the main character evolve from being a Thinblood to being a Fullblood?
1. It's Funny
The dialogue in the game is surprisingly funny. The serious questions of the courtroom inquiry can be met with semi-serious responses or the wild ramblings of someone deeply confused as to why they're being interrogated by vampires. Early on we meet the vampire landlord Dale, who wears a housecoat and introduces you to the vagaries of vampire society with the same bored affect with which he reminds you when rent is due.