THIRTEEN FOR HALLOWEEN: VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – BLOODLINES

Thirteen for Halloween: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

24/6/2021

Arguably the most interesting of all are the Malkavians, in which the vampiric curse results in insanity – accompanied by the gift of sight into different worlds.

Thirteen for Halloween: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

Vampires are some of the most famous and influential creatures in the history of the horror genre. You can see this in the latest movies, series, and games that are being released to the mainstream market.

As the antagonist for the game Resident Evil Village, the gargantuan vampire Lady Dimitrescu has become one of the most celebrated computer generated characters on the planet. Her combination of bloodlust, beauty, and power is representative of what makes the vampire mythos so attractive and easily adaptable to games.

Even online casinos have been bitten by the vampire bug. The aforementioned elements in next-gen vampire games are also present in Gala Bingo titles such as Vampire Desire and Immortal Romance, which also use the vampiric mystique to attract more players. From online games to next-gen horror titles, it cannot be denied that the gaming world has fallen under a deep and potent vampiric spell.

This collective obsession with vampires is nothing new in gaming. Castlevania started it all in the late ‘80s with its iconic side-scrolling, whip-wielding, and vampire-hunting protagonist. The games in the series kept vampires in the collective psyche until the late ‘90s at which point a number of bloodthirsty intellectual properties started gaining mainstream appeal as well. Among these different vampiric universes, World of Darkness (WOD) became the most influential. WOD is basically a ready-made gothic setting for home tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs), which at the time catered to a highly niche market of dedicated players. In 2000, they released their first video game, Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption. As a game that let players experience the centuries-long cursed life of a vampire, Redemption was a revolutionary computer RPG that fueled WOD’s mainstream success.

These were the conditions that let to the development and release of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines in 2004. Bloodlines forever changed not just how vampires are depicted in video games, but how RPGs are designed. In a way, it’s an insane but successful attempt at merging a horror film with a video game, similar to several classic, Ginger Nuts of Horror-reviewed titles such as Night Trap and SCP-087-B. While the gameplay is great, it is the world-building in Bloodlines that makes it a masterpiece.

Set in real locations in the city of Los Angeles, Bloodlines thrusts players into the role of a neonate for one of the seven vampire clans under the banner of the Camarilla. From the greenest neonates to the primogen or leaders of each clan, every kindred in the Camarilla must uphold the Masquerade – an ancient agreement to hide vampire society from humans for the sake of peace. Violating the Masquerade brings the Sheriff, who is tasked with containing or destroying erring kindred.

Each of the seven clans in the Camarilla represents historic vampire tropes throughout horror history. With their own unique manifestations of the curse, these clans use their gifts to serve the Camarilla along with their own agendas. The closest to humans are the Toreador, whose supernatural charm and beauty allows them to easily manipulate and live among mortals. On the opposite end are the Nosferatu, whose horrific vampiric mutations keep them in the shadows as the Camarilla’s spies. Arguably the most interesting of all are the Malkavians, in which the vampiric curse results in insanity – accompanied by the gift of sight into different worlds.

These are just some of the clans that you can join in the game. And each clan comes with its own set of vampiric abilities to unlock as you progress throughout Bloodlines. To this day, the controls for these abilities, melee weapons, and guns still make the game’s combat system feel smooth. This makes it easy to explore Bloodlines’ gothic streets, a version of LA where the shadows hide deep and disturbing secrets.

In short, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is very much worth playing. Despite a few hiccups – that can be attributed to its age – it more than holds up as a playable RPG. And as the earliest release date for Bloodlines 2 has moved to early 2022, now would be the perfect time to revisit where it all began.

IMAGE CREDIT: WeI-chieh Chiu under CC BY-SA 2.0 License – No changes were made to the image.