Long-awaited sequel Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, developed by Still Wakes the Deep studio The Chinese Room and published by Paradox Interactive, arrives this fall – but don't go into it expecting a massive, open-world experience.
When it comes to the Bloodlines follow-up, the developers are prioritizing quality over quantity, so to speak. Art director Ben Matthews reveals as much in a recent interview with Game Informer, explaining how The Chinese Room isn't trying to make another Grand Theft Auto 6 – it's all about attention to detail and not size.
"One thing we really wanted to pay attention to was quantity of detail over scope," explains the lead in regards to the game's take on Seattle.
That's why in Bloodlines 2, players aren't able to go wherever they please in the city. If they approach the map's borders, the mark on protagonist Phyre's hand will stop them from going any further. "We're not making GTA," continues Matthews. "This isn't a big, open world, sprawling game where the horizon is your limit." Making the sequel's version of Seattle as immersive and dense as possible took priority over expansion for exploration's sake.
"That was something we really paid attention to," as the art director describes, "to try to make everything as dense [as possible]." As a longtime fan of both the original Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines and World of Darkness in general, it makes sense to me. After all, these are games that largely prioritize story and the role-playing experience over exploration, like in, say, Skyrim or even The Witcher 3. It's simply a different sort of title.
Thankfully, there's not long left now until we get to dive into Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and experience its setting for ourselves. After all, the sequel releases in October, leaving just a few mere months before its hotly anticipated launch.
