The team behind Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has spoken about its “visceral immersive combat” system.
Due for release later this year, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 takes place in a modern-day Seattle on the brink of an open war and a new development diary sees The Chinese Room’s creative director Alex Skidmore talk about the games three different combat styles.
Comparing the “strategic stalker” playstyle to the Dishonored series, as well as “stealth-focused builds” in Fallout or Elder Scrolls, Skidmore said that “strategic combat experiences where staying hidden and using the element of surprise is key” to the game.
The second playstyle is “action brawler. It is about being in the centre of the brawl and using your abilities to control the crowd so you can deliver as much damage as possible,” said Skidmore, before listing the God Of War series, Shadow Of Mordor and Elden Ring as inspirations.
A third “narrative adventurer” playstyle will be focused more on the “fantasy, narrative and exploration elements of the game” rather than “combat and action gameplay”.
With these different playstyles, Skidmore explained that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is focused more on “immersion over complexity”.
“We would rather players were thinking about what cool thing they want to do next, rather than how they do it,” he added, with developers chasing a principle they called “immersive combat”.
Previously, Skidmore said that both combat and non-combat experiences in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 would fulfill “vampire fantasy”.
In November, narrative designer Arone Le Bray said that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will “borrow” elements from Baldur’s Gate 3 to ensure that players feel like their choices have weighty consequences.
In other news, Palworld creators Pocketpair Inc has shared a demo for upcoming metroidvania roguelite game Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse.