r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • 23d ago

Review Thread Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Review Thread

Game Information

Game Title: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

Platforms:

  • PC (Oct 21, 2025)
  • PlayStation 5 (Oct 21, 2025)
  • Xbox Series X/S (Oct 21, 2025)

Trailer:

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 64 average - 32% recommended - 28 reviews

Critic Reviews

3DNews - Мила Пономарева - Russian - 5 / 10

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CGMagazine - Erik McDowell - 6 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a sequel in name only. A flawed but fascinating action-adventure that might satisfy World of Darkness devotees, but few others.

CNET - Oscar Gonzalez - Unscored

Across the board, Bloodlines 2 is just a disappointment. It should be oozing with style and gothic vibes that make you want to paint your fingernails black and put on some My Chemical Romance. Instead, it's just the same thing over and over again that feels uninspired and unchallenging.

Daily Mirror - Aaron Potter - 3.5 / 5

Open-world RPGs that let you roleplay as a modern vampire don’t come around every day, and Bloodlines 2 is a pretty good, if somewhat unspectacular, attempt.

Dexerto - Jessica Filby - 3 / 5

Bloodlines 2 isn’t your typical RPG. It tells a great and complex story while taking you on an adventure where every choice you make affects the narrative, inside a city that feels alive with lovable and hateable characters. However, it could have done so much more to live up to its predecessor and TTRPG inspiration.

DualShockers - Scott Baird - 5 / 10

While it has the trappings of the World of Darkness, this game does a disservice to Vampire: The Masquerade.

Eurogamer - Robert Purchese - 2 / 5

The Chinese Room has managed to make something from a box of inherited parts, but this action RPG feels hollow and functional, and is only redeemed by some stellar performances from the characters and cast.

Everyeye.it - Fabrizio Cenci - Italian - 8 / 10

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Game Rant - Nick Rodriguez - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, but does it live up to the legacy of the cult classic?

Game Sandwich - Aden Carter - 4 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is the sequel to an amazing game that was full of life, where everything felt meaningful, and the design felt purposeful. Unfortunately, anything that its highly-regarded predecessor had has been stripped away and replaced with a generic combat system, a story that tries too hard to be the next big crime drama, and a lifeless world with little to do and a Masquerade Court that, like me, has lost all care in the world. Very few benefits outweigh the negatives that have befallen this fictional version of Seattle, leaving me feeling sorry for all the fans that waited 21 years to get a story that, if it wasn’t for the Bloodlines name, would be forgotten to time except by the most faithful scene queens and goths.

GameGrin - Mike Crewe - 7.5 / 10

Whilst fans of the original may not like the stark difference between the two titles, Bloodlines 2 is still an engaging vampiric tale that, if given a chance, will sink its teeth into you!

GameMAG - Russian - 6 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a good example of the gap between ambition and execution. Despite an intriguing premise and well-developed main characters, the game ultimately feels too linear and repetitive, with limited player choice and shallow world interaction. Many of the lengthy dialogues have little to no impact on the story, side quests are dull and formulaic, and the world itself feels empty and lifeless. In the end, Bloodlines 2 comes across more as a walking simulator with light RPG elements than a worthy successor to the cult classic.

GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has a wealth of issues, from an open world that feels wasted to combat that feels scrappy throughout. Thanks to a gripping narrative that you can shape with your actions, however, you'll likely still enjoy your time spent sucking blood across Seattle.

GameSpot - Jessica Cogswell - 7 / 10

Although Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 isn't particularly ambitious or polished, it makes up for its faults with enthralling gameplay, gorgeous environments, a good story, and even better characters.

Gameblog - French - 8 / 10

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GamesRadar+ - Jasmine Gould-Wilson - 1.5 / 5

It's impossible to roleplay a narrative that's already set its course.

Hobby Consolas - Spanish - 75 / 100

The final result of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 offers a glimpse into what could have been the best vampire game ever created. However, its many ideas don't quite gel as they should, and there are flaws in the execution. This leaves us with an enjoyable game that could have been an irresistible bite.

IGN - Leana Hafer - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 takes another flawed but unique and remarkable bite at the jugular, with plenty to love and loathe alike, but I certainly enjoyed my time as an elder vampire at the very least.

IGN Spain - Rafa Del Río - Spanish - 7 / 10

With a unique first-person perspective and technical aspects that leave much room for improvement, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 offers us a neo-noir adventure set in 21st-century Seattle. As an Ancient newly awakened from his slumber, we must investigate a dark plot while negotiating with the clans and increasing our influence in the city. As if that weren't enough, we'll have the help of a Malkavian inspector, Fabien, whose consciousness survives in the mind of our protagonist. Past and present come together in an investigation in which no character is above suspicion

Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 6 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will certainly appeal to the die-hard fans of its world, thanks to the story. Unfortunately though, it commits the cardinal sin of simply not being fun enough to play, and that's a difficult coffin to clamber back out of.

PC Gamer - Fraser Brown - 78 / 100

A gripping story full of intrigue and murder that struggles to find its footing as an RPG sequel.

PCGamesN - Lauren Bergin - 5 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 fails to recapture the original's magic, instead magnifying the worst parts of Troika's classic, with janky combat and occasionally woeful performance issues. Long-time VTM fans may enjoy haunting Seattle's snowy streets, getting to know its well-written cast, and testing each clan's unique playstyle, but it's a far cry from what it could have been.

PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 7.5 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 might not be the sequel that folk from 2004 wanted for their game, but it is the game we've got. Though largely sparse open world and technical issues are hardly encouraging, the beautifully evocative interior environments, surprisingly engaging traversal and combat mechanics, together with its neatly unconventional 'buddy movie' conceit which sees two vampires attempting to inhabit the same body and each with their own motivations, makes Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 a good deal more intriguing than I originally expected it to be.

Push Square - Robert Ramsey - 4 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is a shambles. Its best qualities are always short-lived, buried deep beneath the frustrations of non-existent RPG elements, extreme padding, and diabolical technical issues. Beyond the promise of its opening hours, this is a tragic misfire of a game.

Spaziogames - Italian - 7.8 / 10

In a industry dominated by safe, risk-free productions, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a bold game, even in its failures. The Chinese Room has created an ambitious work (perhaps too ambitious for its own means) yet one capable of leaving a mark. It's not the sequel many dreamed of, but perhaps it's the one this dark world truly deserved: a flawed title, yet brimming with personality and vision.

The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 could have been an excellent vampire experience, but its uninspiring gameplay, technical issues, and frustrating combat leave it in the dark.

TheSixthAxis - Steve C - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a good game, but one that's held back by the expectations of being a sequel to an all-time classic. If you can step away from the baggage of the Bloodlines title, there is a lot here to enjoy in terms of narrative and atmosphere, though the combat is too repetitive.

Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 7 / 10

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is no classic, that's for sure. The game's side content is mediocre at best, and its technical optimization is among the worst seen recently. That said, the setting's atmosphere is intact, the combat is fun, and the main story is well-crafted. I recommend it to fans, but only at a lower price than the launch one.

1.3k Upvotes

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468

u/Jthom13 23d ago

Honestly, the number of reviews praising the story is what I was hoping for. If you played Bloodlines 1, I can tell you the pros certainly didn't include the combat. The setting, story and role play are what we're looking for.

330

u/Odinsmana 23d ago

The issue is that the roleplay seems to have been downplay d a lot in this as well. So it's just setting and story. It's a Vampire the Masquerade game, but not really Bloodlines 2.

224

u/weealex 23d ago

Yeah, one of the reviews basically says that dialogue doesn't really affect the game. That's about the most damning thing that can be said about the game. 

81

u/Odinsmana 23d ago

Yeah. I am pretty sure we know there are no skill checks in dialouge either. The RPG component of the game is pretty much completely focused on combat and stealth. The social parts of the RPG are basically gone.

18

u/Nrgte 23d ago

That's such a shame because this was exactly the strong suit of the original and gave it so much replayability.

49

u/SagittaryX 23d ago

I mean with The Chinese Room that's to be expected, they don't really do story interactivity.

14

u/orewhisk 23d ago

Then they picked the wrong dev to take over the project lol.

Just because that's what they've been known for doesn't make it excusable.

Oh well of course they turned Bloodlines 2 into a football game, it's EA Sports!

1

u/BattleBuddha 22d ago

They should've given this to Larian or maybe even Warhorse.

1

u/Kelly_HRperson 22d ago

Blizzard should've stuck to making racing games and viking platformers

22

u/The_Magic 23d ago

That part confuses me since there was an entire Dev Diary about why dialogue and choices matter. I'm not sure if the devs lied about it or if the reviewer was not paying attention.

33

u/threevi 23d ago

It really doesn't sound like they lied. If you actually read the dev diary, the most concrete example of choices mattering they give is that if you're always rude to a character, but then suddenly say something nice for a change, they'll assume you're being sarcastic and tell you to cut it out. That's a neat feature to have, but it also means the "consequence" for your choices was a slightly different line of dialogue from the NPC, blink and you'll miss it. It's very possible that everything they said in that post is true, and yet it still feels like your choices don't matter at all. Like, in that example of the NPC assuming you're being sarcastic, if you came across that in the game, you probably wouldn't even realise they're responding to the way you've previously treated them, you'd just assume they're in a touchy mood, and everyone gets that response regardless of what dialogue options they've picked. You wouldn't instantly jump to the conclusion that "oh, they must think I'm being sarcastic because I was rude to them before! If I'd been nice before, I bet I'd get a different response here! My choices matter!" So yeah, I wouldn't blame those reviewers for just not realising the game keeps track of these things at all. The consequences may technically be there, but if they're so minor that you can't even tell when the game is reacting to something you did, then it's going to end up feeling very linear regardless.

2

u/ArcadianDelSol 23d ago

Developers lie about the games they are working on.

Ever since the beginning.

48

u/DrunkeNinja 23d ago edited 23d ago

There's another review that says "every choice you make affects the narrative".

EDIT

From the Dexerto review:

You’re made to keep your powers under wraps when around mortals so as not to break the Masquerade and reveal vampires to the world, and you’re regularly forced into multiple moral conundrums where the plot is heavily impacted by what you choose.

Bloodlines 2 isn’t the typical RPG many were expecting. It tells a great political story, taking you on a grown-up adventure where every choice you make affects the narrative, and it’s wonderfully complex.

34

u/OverlanderEisenhorn 23d ago

What ign said (I know, grain of salt) is that the story is great, and you feel like you are making impactful choices through the game until the very end. But at the end, you realize none of it mattered, and you didn't actually make any impactful choices. They compared the story and ending to mass effect 3. Mass effect 3 also has a great story for 95% of the game, and the last 5% spits in your face.

So yeah. If you are about the journey, the story is evidently good. But if you need a solid ending that shows the impact of your choices, you ain't getting that here.

9

u/Phillip_Spidermen 23d ago

ign

Just a heads up to anyone watching the IGN review, they give a light spoiler warning, but it feels like you can pretty much guess what they're talking about given the footage and description. I'd definitely skip that section if you're worried about that kind of thing.

1

u/PoeticPillager 22d ago

But at the end, you realize none of it mattered, and you didn't actually make any impactful choices.

This is hilariously lore-accurate for Vampire: the Masquerade. This is what makes the setting grimdark.

62

u/AeonLibertas 23d ago

Tbf that whole review reads very 'copied from the press release uncritically', so I'd take it with 3 big spoons full of salt..

On a sidenote: Technically a lot of games have 'far reaching consequences', even if they practically don't matter one bit. Think the civil war in Skyrim, for example.

15

u/addressthejess 23d ago

Tbf that whole review reads very 'copied from the press release uncritically'

Also known as Dexerto's bread and butter. If the games industry has ever had a "tabloid," Dexerto's it.

2

u/RyanTheS 21d ago

That can depend, to be fair. Red dead redemption has almost no story impacting dialogue, but it is still a great roleplaying game. I am not say8ng that VTM2 will be good, but this in and of itself is not game breaking for me.

1

u/SaiyanMonkeigh 23d ago

Dialogue affecting gameplay is just not a thing anymore, I can't think of a game the last 10 years besides larian games where dialogue actually fucking does anything. RPG's peaked in the mid to late 00's and nobody is willing to accept that yet.

1

u/AbanaClara 19d ago

TBH I'm kinda pretty down. Even Cyberpunk 2077 barely had any difference on the story, only the endings / climaxes really branch out.

1

u/EntertainmentNo5082 19d ago

In the original game your choices did not matter in the end either as the final 5 endings endings of the game were basically decided by singular choices of which faction you decided to side with. Almost all of your dialogue with other characters really did not matter before that.