It looks like the upcoming, and long-anticipated, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will give the player some interesting questions to ponder when it comes to relationships in the game. The sequel to Troika Games’ 2004 action-RPG will see you take to streets of vampire-infested Seattle and establish some uneasy associations with members of the various vampiric factions running the city – and, according to publisher Paradox Interactive’s product manager, you’ll be wondering just how deep your friendships and romances really go.
Speaking at this year’s Gamescom about how deep social interactions in the game will be, Florian Schwarzer says “this is a very interesting and difficult subject for us to talk about, because one of the central ideas of the game is to be a vampire, and to make this whole ‘you’re a predator, you’re a creature that has one number-one priority, and that’s blood’ tangible in all parts of the game.
“So there are definitely people who in the end would call you a friend, and there’s definitely the possibility to flirt, there’s definitely something in that direction as well.”
However, it looks like you’ll want to evaluate all those interactions, alliances, and flirtations pretty carefully in the game, as you never know what your new-found pals’ motives might be: “the question you’ll have to answer for yourself is ‘how much of the people who call you friend, and how many of the people – particularly the vampires who are flirting with you – are doing that out of genuine care, or as a means to an end?’”
These questions and complexities around social interaction could throw up some interesting choices – and consequences – when the time comes to choose which Bloodlines 2 clan you’re going to align with or pick factions you might want to work for during the game’s plot.
It looks, then, like you might have to keep your cards held pretty close to your chest until you’ve sussed all your pals and passions when the game arrives in March, 2020. In the meantime, you can sink your teeth into the best vampire games on PC.