Sticks And Stones--And Words- Can Hurt In Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I must admit that the innovative dialogue system in Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 has piqued my curiosity. Coming from a lineage of games like Telltale’s masterpieces and Baldur’s Gate 3, I’ve seen my fair share of branching dialogue trees. However, the approach taken by The Chinese Room in Bloodlines 2 seems to be a refreshing departure.


Branching dialogue systems aren’t novel in gaming; they’ve been used extensively by games like those from Telltale and RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate 3 for quite some time. However, The Chinese Room, developers of Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, are charting a different course with the sequel. In this game, your choice of words can do more than just aid or harm character relationships, and you might not always predict the same response twice.

In her latest blog post, Senior Narrative Designer and Writer Sarah Longthorne shares insights into how dialogues will be implemented in Bloodlines 2. According to Longthorne, discussions within the game aren’t separate from gameplay but rather, they represent it. If gameplay signifies a challenge of skill, dialogues serve as a test of one’s emotional intelligence.

Characters react to your dialogue decisions not only according to their individual tastes but also depending on their past interactions with your character, Phyre. Longthrone highlighted that it’s up to players to understand the NPCs’ inclinations to know what they favor. To illustrate this, she provided an example of a conversation between Phyre and a character called Lou Graham. The same dialogue from Phyre was perceived differently by Lou depending on how the player had previously interacted with her.

Sticks And Stones--And Words- Can Hurt In Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2

As a fellow gamer, let me share some wisdom: What might have worked before isn’t always a guarantee for future success. Avoid falling into the trap of mindless repetition, choosing options merely to tick off boxes or move some indicator along. Instead, immerse yourself in the game, think critically, and engage with every moment as if you were a Kindred, experiencing the world around you deeply and thoughtfully.

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 is set for release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC towards the end of the current year.

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2024-08-14 22:08