The pre-release story of Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 was one of conflict. With numerous delays, regular personnel changes, and even development studio changes, there were major questions about the game even before it was released. Worries were further compounded two months before release when it was announced that the game would lock both classes behind premium purchases. Naturally, an uproar ensued and the developers backed off, but it set a dangerous precedent.
As launch approaches, things don't get much better. It currently has a score of 64 on OpenCritic and 65 on Metacritic, much worse than the original's score of 80. It gets a 2.5/5 rating from us here at TheGamer. Even now that players are getting their hands on the game, the situation doesn't seem to be improving.
Less than 24 hours after release, the game received over 2,100 reviews on Steam and a “mixed” rating, with players warning that this was not a Bloodlines game.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 gets a lukewarm response on Steam.
Of the 2,131 reviews for Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2 on Steam, 1,216 were positive while 915 were negative, earning the platform a “mixed” rating.
While many reviews lament the lack of meaningful systems, including a basic skill tree and missing inventory, the biggest feeling from players is that it simply doesn't live up to the name Bloodlines.
One reviewer added, “This is not Bloodlines 2. This is Vampire: Seattle's take on the Bloodlines name Hardsuit Labs and Brian Mitsoda.” “They took a labor of love from several creators on the original Bloodlines team, handed it to a walking sim developer with absolutely no experience in RPG building, branching narrative, or combat systems, and delivered the exact opposite of what we sold.”
A second reviewer asked, “How can a sequel coming out almost 21 years later have less content and make everything worse in every way imaginable? There's very little substance to this game. Non-existent RPG elements, an extremely linear story, a dead world.”
The above was a sentiment shared by many reviewers, with words like “empty” and “empty” often being hurled around. Some people called this game “Vampire Dishonored”, which doesn't sound bad, but the problem is that it was marketed as a sequel to Bloodlines.
Considering the state in which the original game was released, Paradox Interactive somehow Fix Bloodlines 2. But for the time being, the rough critical start continues.
- released
-
October 21, 2025
- ESRB
-
Ages 17+ / Intense violence, blood and gore, sexual themes, nudity, drug references, strong language
- developer
-
Chinese Room
