The Chinese Room studio has recently unveiled a captivating development diary for Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, packed with fresh gameplay footage. This latest update showcases how players will navigate the thrilling hunt as a vampire within the game's immersive universe.
In the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, vampires adhere to the Masquerade, a crucial rule designed to keep their supernatural existence concealed from the human population. This principle is intricately woven into the fabric of Bloodlines 2 through the introduction of a Masquerade meter, which tracks actions that could potentially breach this secrecy.
The Masquerade meter features three distinct levels of violation, each indicated by a color-coded eye icon at the top of the screen:
- Green: Represents a minor violation. At this stage, simply hiding from view is sufficient to maintain the Masquerade.
- Yellow: Indicates that the player has committed several infractions, perhaps fed on a human or used aggressive vampiric powers. At this level, players must deal with witnesses or take steps to avoid drawing excessive attention from law enforcement.
- Red: Signals a severe breach of the Masquerade, triggering a police pursuit. The best course of action at this point is to flee and find a place to hide. Should the meter reach its maximum, the Camarilla, the governing body of vampires, will intervene directly, as demonstrated in the gameplay clip below:
To mitigate their "infamy" and restore their standing within the Masquerade, players can opt to either manipulate witnesses into forgetting what they've seen or take more drastic measures and eliminate them. If the police become involved, the most straightforward strategy is to lay low and wait for the situation to deescalate.
The developers have assured fans that the challenge of maintaining the Masquerade will intensify as the game progresses. To successfully uphold this vital secrecy, players must act swiftly and make strategic decisions to evade exposure and continue their nocturnal pursuits undetected.
