Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt Game Review
"Battle Royales" in the world is a great variety. There are realistic and fairy-tale ones, with no difference between characters and with unique heroes, with cold weapons and firearms, graphically simple and those that require a powerful video card. But even with this diversity, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt still stands out. On the one hand, the game has taken the best of the genre - it is beautiful, dynamic, available for free, offers a rich choice of heroes and vertical gameplay, when the battle unfolds not only on a flat field, but also on the roofs of buildings. On the other hand, the project is unique, as gamers take on the role of vampires and act within the iconic universe of the World of Darkness.
From World of Darkness to Bloodhunt
How did the developers from Sharkmob Studios come up with the idea of a multiplayer vampire action game? It all started with White Wolf Publishing, a board game publishing company that had been part of the famous CCP Games for a long time - today we know this team from Iceland thanks to EVE Online. In 1991 WWP released the board game Vampire: The Masquerade, where the description of the "World of Darkness" appeared for the first time. It is a universe similar to ours, but with one nuance - behind the usual scenery of everyday life there is a hidden underside, inhabited by demons, ghosts, werewolves and other monsters. They hide from ordinary people by observing the rules of the Masquerade, but they can fight among themselves in a big way.
Shakespearean passions simmer even within individual species. Vampires, for example, are divided into clans and different factions. Members of the "Camarilla" consider observance of the Masquerade a prerequisite for eternal life, while members of the "Coven" treat the ancient laws with contempt - they demonstrate their power in the presence of mortals without a backward glance. The former include the anarchists of the Bruha clan, the aristocrats of Ventrue, the Nosferatu who live in the shadows because of their ugliness, the Toreadors and other bloodsucking families.
Masquerade's opponents include warriors from Lasombra, Tzimiskhi with werewolf skills, and the Arimain and Kaesids. There are also clans in "World of Darkness" without any ideology. In general, the authors of the game have an interesting structure of ghoul society, their customs and history. So Vampire: The Masquerade quickly gained popularity and even won the Origins Awards for the best RPG rules in 1992. Thanks to such thoughtfulness and gloomy surroundings, the board game has a club of loyal fans.
Based on "Masquerade" there were books, comics and the TV series "Clan", shown on FOX in 1996. Of course, sooner or later video games had to appear. In 2000, Activision released Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, which garnered good reviews but has aged poorly. The second RPG, subtitled Bloodlines, was not as successful, but much more ambitious. The studio Troika Games took on a really large-scale project, where the plot depended on the chosen clan and the actions of the player. Now the game has a cult status.
Masquerade's opponents include warriors from Lasombra, Tzimiskhi with werewolf skills, and the Arimain and Kaesids. There are also clans in "World of Darkness" without any ideology. In general, the authors of the game have an interesting structure of ghoul society, their customs and history. So Vampire: The Masquerade quickly gained popularity and even won the Origins Awards for the best RPG rules in 1992. Thanks to such thoughtfulness and gloomy surroundings, the board game has a club of loyal fans.
Based on "Masquerade" there were books, comics and the TV series "Clan", shown on FOX in 1996. Of course, sooner or later video games had to appear. In 2000, Activision released Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, which garnered good reviews but has aged poorly. The second RPG, subtitled Bloodlines, was not as successful, but much more ambitious. The studio Troika Games took on a really large-scale project, where the plot depended on the chosen clan and the actions of the player. Now the game has a cult status.
CCP Games employees also did not stay aside and decided to make two MMORPGs at once - the familiar EVE Online and the little known World of Darkness. The first one, as we know, became a hit, and the second one could not be launched despite several years of development. In 2015, Swedish company Paradox Interactive bought the rights to World of Darkness to release a sequel to Bloodlines. The announcement caused a stir among fans, who appreciated the graphics and characters, and the showdown of bloodsuckers in virtual Seattle. But the sequel suddenly got bogged down in problems, so the question of its release is still open.
In general, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt appeared in 2022 not on an empty place. It was preceded by a series of successes and failures, the development of a fictional world and even MMORPG, which has fallen into oblivion. The importance of the vampire battle royale is also in the fact that it is the first truly completed project on the "World of Darkness" - unlike the original Bloodlines, which was released in raw form, and its sequel, which was stuck halfway through.
In general, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt appeared in 2022 not on an empty place. It was preceded by a series of successes and failures, the development of a fictional world and even MMORPG, which has fallen into oblivion. The importance of the vampire battle royale is also in the fact that it is the first truly completed project on the "World of Darkness" - unlike the original Bloodlines, which was released in raw form, and its sequel, which was stuck halfway through.
What is this game about?
Although Bloodhunt is available for free, you still need to register and activate the client with the code sent to your e-mail. Then you listen to a brief briefing and get to Elysium - a peaceful place where vampires from different clans, even warring ones, can calmly communicate with each other. Elysium is a very large location with halls, floors and caves. Nothing prevents you from going down to the shooting range level and try out any gun or baton, and on different stands - with moving and stationary targets, distant and close. There are also characters who give out tasks. We are talking about the guardian Kustos and the primogenes, i.e. the heads of clans.
It is from Elysium that the way to the streets of night Prague opens up, where the "battle royale" takes place. It is organized in the manner of other games of the genre, offers to choose a hero and fight to the last on a gradually narrowing battlefield, but there are some peculiarities. Here, for example, there is no landing - you just specify a point on the map where you want to appear, and immediately debut there.
The area of action is not a circle, but an arbitrary figure. Deadly gas for ghouls fills the city block by block. First aid kits, again, are peculiar - blood packets instead. And bonuses like regeneration and damage amplification are given to bloodsuckers from biting ordinary passers-by. But you should keep in mind that when attacking a victim, the vampire becomes vulnerable, and you should also observe the Masquerade and avoid witnesses, otherwise your figure will be highlighted for everyone on the map.
Right from the start of the match you are given a weapon - a pistol. There's not much use for it, but you can stand up for yourself when landing in the same spot as your opponent. As you run around the streets and rooftops, you'll find other guns, including assault rifles, machine guns, shotguns, sniper and Marksman rifles, as well as ammo and armor. Those who prefer close combat are free to use a knife, sword, bat or axe. Together with the unique skills of the heroes, this arsenal gives a great tactical variation.
The area of action is not a circle, but an arbitrary figure. Deadly gas for ghouls fills the city block by block. First aid kits, again, are peculiar - blood packets instead. And bonuses like regeneration and damage amplification are given to bloodsuckers from biting ordinary passers-by. But you should keep in mind that when attacking a victim, the vampire becomes vulnerable, and you should also observe the Masquerade and avoid witnesses, otherwise your figure will be highlighted for everyone on the map.
Right from the start of the match you are given a weapon - a pistol. There's not much use for it, but you can stand up for yourself when landing in the same spot as your opponent. As you run around the streets and rooftops, you'll find other guns, including assault rifles, machine guns, shotguns, sniper and Marksman rifles, as well as ammo and armor. Those who prefer close combat are free to use a knife, sword, bat or axe. Together with the unique skills of the heroes, this arsenal gives a great tactical variation.
The architecture of the location also adds freedom of action. If you want, you can move through the streets like in any other "battle royale". But here vampires are the main players - they can easily jump from any height or climb to the roof of the building to see the battlefield and assess the situation. Upstairs, by the way, there's a lot of loot - if everything valuable is dismantled downstairs, there's always a chance to find a good barrel on one of the houses. So the gameplay here, as it is commonly said, is vertical. And very dynamic: you must constantly move to avoid enemy bullets, but at the same time to inflict maximum damage to your opponents. This is influenced not only by shooting, but also by special blows and acrobatic tricks.
With such dynamics, killing an opponent becomes a difficult task. Firstly, all forty-five participants of the match are very thick-skinned, especially if they put on armor. Secondly, a wounded enemy who has fallen on all fours must be finished off. Or perform a diablerie ritual - an execution that gives bonuses to the winner. If this is not done, the wounded will come out of the knockout and return to the ranks. In other similar action movies, the grievous wound timer counts down the seconds to final death, but here it counts down to revival. But that's not all. Even a completely killed hero has the right to a second chance, that is, to return to battle with the weapon he had at the time of death. You won't have to look for your favorite Kalashnikov in the back alleys again.
With such dynamics, killing an opponent becomes a difficult task. Firstly, all forty-five participants of the match are very thick-skinned, especially if they put on armor. Secondly, a wounded enemy who has fallen on all fours must be finished off. Or perform a diablerie ritual - an execution that gives bonuses to the winner. If this is not done, the wounded will come out of the knockout and return to the ranks. In other similar action movies, the grievous wound timer counts down the seconds to final death, but here it counts down to revival. But that's not all. Even a completely killed hero has the right to a second chance, that is, to return to battle with the weapon he had at the time of death. You won't have to look for your favorite Kalashnikov in the back alleys again.
The vitality of ghouls and second chances give an unusual effect for fans of the genre. If in any other "battle royale" by the middle of the match half of the participants are eliminated, in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt everything is just beginning. When the battlefield is already small, and many heroes are still in formation, it increases the heat of the battle. You can, of course, choose the "Trio" or "Duo" format instead of "Solo" - and then your friends will look after you while you drink someone's blood or collect loot from your defeated opponent. But even then, no one is safe from a surprise attack.
And without searching dead people in the game, because the equipment is divided by levels of rarity - the same guns are gray, green, purple. The higher the level of the item, the more effective it is. And if you have, for example, an ordinary assault rifle, it is always useful to replace it with a legendary one. In addition, armor is damaged in battles - you should also take it as a trophy.
And without searching dead people in the game, because the equipment is divided by levels of rarity - the same guns are gray, green, purple. The higher the level of the item, the more effective it is. And if you have, for example, an ordinary assault rifle, it is always useful to replace it with a legendary one. In addition, armor is damaged in battles - you should also take it as a trophy.
Learn more about the map and character classes
Prague at night is depicted in the game with attention to detail. There are old streets, modern shopping centers, and sights like the Memorial Cemetery or Rudolfinum Concert Hall. But the main feature of the map is that it shows everything at a glance. Places with high level loot, pharmacies where you can get blood, stores with weapons are marked in advance. Also red crosses are placed on the headquarters of the Office - this is an organization that hunts vampires, and its departments are guarded by soldiers under the control of artificial intelligence. There are no surprises: you plan ahead of time where to start and where to move when the hero starts to be crowded by gas.
Everything is also clear in advance with the characters. You choose your embodiment in the game world twice: the first time - for Elysium, and the second time - for battle. You can decorate your avatar for the peaceful location as you like, investing in the design of the appearance of level points received for victories over enemies. But in a fight, combat skills are more important than the beauty of the costume. Now in Bloodhunt there are nine heroes from five clans: Bruha, Ventrue, Nosferatu, Toreador and Tremere. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but there are enough options for any style of combat.
The Bruha are skilled at jumping, which makes controlling them feel like flying. But as special skills, the Thunderer uses health regeneration and "Wave Strike" to repel bullets and enemies, while the Vandal dampens pain and Earthquake stuns everyone around him. The Nosferatu become stealthy invisible for a while, with Saboteur setting toxic traps and Weasel scouting with bats and using his sense of smell to track down wounded enemies. The Scribe, the only member of the Tremere clan, can fly, throw a spear through obstacles, and chase enemies you hit at least once.
The Bruha are skilled at jumping, which makes controlling them feel like flying. But as special skills, the Thunderer uses health regeneration and "Wave Strike" to repel bullets and enemies, while the Vandal dampens pain and Earthquake stuns everyone around him. The Nosferatu become stealthy invisible for a while, with Saboteur setting toxic traps and Weasel scouting with bats and using his sense of smell to track down wounded enemies. The Scribe, the only member of the Tremere clan, can fly, throw a spear through obstacles, and chase enemies you hit at least once.
Toreadors can teleport a short distance, but there is a difference between the classes here as well. The Tempter blinds and charms enemies, while the Muse heals herself and allies, and when knocked out she is capable of another decisive action. Both archetypes from the Ventrue Clan have the Marble Flesh skill. Its use makes the hero temporarily invulnerable, but you can't use weapons. That is, the enemy will not damage you, but you will not hurt your opponent, so the skill is good for retreat. Peacekeeper pushes and slows down all those who interfere with him, and Guardian paralyzes the chosen victim and repairs the armor at the expense of blood. All heroes are available at once - you don't need to perform any tasks to unlock them.
Conclusion
With the release of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt, the genre seems to have a second breath. Rare, but respectable entourage is combined here with high-quality elaboration of the basic mechanics. Controlling characters and shooting in the game is very pleasant, the scenery is beautiful enough not to get bored, and the difference between classes is enough to choose the style of combat that you prefer. In addition, original solutions, like replacing the circle with a randomly shaped battlefield and getting bonuses from attacking NPCs, give the game a special flavor. If you are a Battle Royale fan, you should definitely take part in vampire fights on the streets of Prague.
Zarium. November 2023
Zarium. November 2023