Werewolf: The Apocalypse is set in the same horror RPG setting, the World Of Darknessshock’. We create some spikes out of
the ground that end the two hoodies,
then proceed into The Jungle.
Down here there are tents, caravans
and braziers, around which some of
The Jungle’s residents huddle. Using
our senses to look around, we see
other humans as silhouettes with
highlighted red veins and organs. We
can also detect emotional resonance- this is how vampires feel things. This
resonance can be fed on and used to
fuel buffs for your character.
Drinking blood is, of course, vital
to your vampire. However, you will
need to do this, as well as exercise
any supernatural powers, in private
or it will lower your Masquerade; this
affects the city itself – how many
other humans are out and about, how
many cops are around – so it’s a good
idea to keep your true nature hidden.
We find Slugg but he does a runner,
and we have to follow him fast
through an underpass, transforming
into a swarm of bats to fly across
high ledges. As we head deeper into
The Jungle we come across a drug
deal going down in a warehouse, right
in the way of our progress. Here we
have a choice: we can bowl straight
in through the door, or sneak around.
We spy a first floor open window as
an alternative breaching point, and
decide that caution is the better part
of valour. However, it’s not long before
we’re discovered by a woman with an
assault rifle – luckily we have an iron
bar and manage to smack her with it
before we die of bullets. We attack
another armed criminal with our bats,
which is as fun as it sounds.
Mitsoda reveals that the first
game’s many super-fans have already
shaped the direction of Bloodlines 2,
which he’s determined to ensure also
improves upon the formula massively.
“In the first game you’ve got a guy
that shoots and kicks people but
occasionally drinks blood. We wanted
to make you feel more like a vampire in
this one. We’ve introduced verticality,
you can scale buildings. Your
character is a lot faster and more fluid
in its movements as a vampire. And,”
he laughs, “we have consciously tried
to stay away from the very, very long
sewer levels from the original game!”
Vampire: The Masquerade –
Bloodlines is slated for an early
2020 release, and we’re certainly
bloodthirsty for it. Q
we notice both with Elif and our rather
more grotesque next encounter,
Samuel. Samuel is a Nosferatu, but
despite his facial disfigurations, his
lip-syncing and unique animations
make the conversation we have both
convincing and compelling.
Mitsoda explains that while a lot of
the NPCs’ animations in the first game
were handled generically by a dialogue
animation system, this time the devs
have really invested in making the
characters realistic, paying particular
attention to the look and feel as well
as nuances such as a character’s
disposition towards the player.
“What people remember from the
first game is the story and character,”
explains Mitsoda. “This is a very
dialogue-focused game, it’s about
the characters you meet. From our
side it’s about making sure the
performance of the characters, the VO,
is spectacular and something above
what other people are delivering, the
interactions are fun, the characters
pop, that people enjoy just going
around talking to everyone you meet.”
Samuel tells us that Slugg is in
The Jungle, an actual area of Seattle
known for its homeless encampments:
a place that people go to if they want
to ‘disappear’. But here Samuel also
offers you an alternative to locating
Slugg for the faction; bring Slugg
to him and he promises to keep
him safe, even sending word to the
Nosferatu that he’s “met the business
end of a salt shaker”. It’s one of the
many branching moral choices you’ll
encounter in the game.Concrete jungle
The entrance to The Jungle is near
King’s Street station. There are a
couple of hooded characters hanging
around here, but this is a secluded
enough place to test out some
vampiric powers. One of our disciplines
as a vampire, accessible from the
Power Wheel, is Thaumaturgy, which
includes ‘dispersion’ and ‘blood boil’
powers. We also have two Potence
abilities, ‘collateral damage’ and ‘earth“This is a very dialogue-
focused game, it’s about
the characters you meet”
DINNER
TIME
During our gameplay
demo, our vampire
spots and eats a rat.
Yum, rodents are
succulent snacks in
Bloodlines 2, but
they’re far from a
glamorous meal. As a
Thinblood, your initial
struggle is just to
make it through the
night and many of
these ‘second class’
vampires don’t
survive very long. As
the lowest of the low
you will have to work
your way up, earning
the respect of the
vampire factions
before you can enjoy,
shall we say, more
refined dining.BELOW Sure
you’re a vampire
and all that,
but sometimes
you just need to
use a gun.More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 029
PREVIEW