Developer The Chinese Room and publisher Paradox Interactive have published a developer commentary video that aims to give players more insight into the protagonist of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, Phyre.
The footage shows in-development footage of the character, whom narrative director Ian Thomas describes as an Elder Kindred who has been asleep for around 100 years. He says that, while many other RPGs might start players as a newbie protagonist with little knowledge of the world, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s Phyre is different. Although the lead will need to learn how the world has changed, she’s an established killer with experience as a vampire. While some of these elements are set in stone, The Chinese Room says players will have the freedom to customize things such as gender, clan, outfits, and behavior.
“Bloodlines 2 comes to life with Phyre as they wake an Elder vampire in a very different world than they remember. They have a certain edge to every encounter, whether combat or social – a few hundred years’ practice makes for an advantage,” Paradox’s executive vice president of World of Darkness Sean Greaney said. “Seattle adapts and changes to the choices and dialogue options players choose, resulting in a different story experience.”
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Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 takes place in modern Seattle and aims to take full advantage of that setting with a narrative that features branching dialogue and choice-based gameplay. Through Phyre, players will also meet Fabien, another entity who is trapped in the protagonist’s head.
“Creating a character that resonates with players in the World of Darkness, yet shakes up what they know about Seattle, is a core pillar of our storytelling,” Thomas said. “We maintain Vampire: The Masquerade’s essence and leverage its dark undertones to weave Phyre’s intricate narrative. Leveraging a protagonist adds weight to the narrative choices with room for players to customize Phyre’s background throughout the story. All these elements combine to create a deeply immersive experience that players expect from a Bloodlines game while maintaining our signature Chinese Room flair.”
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 has seen some delays but is currently scheduled to launch in fall 2024. Paradox and The Chinese Room promise to reveal more information about the four vampiric clans in the next few weeks. Until there is more to share, you can check out today’s developer commentary video below.
