In 2004, Troika Games released Bloodlines, an RPG set in the universe of the tabletop Vampire: The Masquerade games. Bloodlines takes place in a fictitious version of Los Angeles, where vampires secretly walk among humans. Vampire “life” relies on upholding the Masquerade, a set of laws that aim to guard the secrecy of vampiric society from mortals.
I recently played Bloodlines for the first time, and I’m still amazed by how much fun I had. So much so that I’m immediately playing through it a second time (much to the Internet’s recommendation, I chose Malkavian as my clan).
I want to highlight some of the things I love about Bloodlines, and why it’s one of the best games I’ve played in the last few years:
1. Storytelling and Setting
Most of the RPGs I play are set in either medieval fantasy or futuristic sci-fi universes. Both settings allow for the player to find themselves in unique worlds that are disconnected from our own. Bloodlines doesn’t have this same advantage; it has to rely solely on making the player – who is a newly turned vampire – feel like they are detached from 2004 Los Angeles, without breaking immersion.
One of my favourite examples of this happens as your character walks along the Hollywood strip. A woman will approach the player, immediately recognize them, and ask where they’ve been. She begs you to let everyone know you’re okay. It becomes clear that she’s a friend or family member from before the player was turned and forced to leave their old life behind. This is a very minor event in the game, but it’s a pivotal moment that makes the player feel grounded. It’s a haunting reminder that you’ve been plunged into a world of isolation and mystery.
Of course, providing any sort of comfort or sympathy to this friend from a previous life will lead to a violation of the Masquerade. These small interactions add an incredible amount of depth.
It’s also worth pointing out the comedy in the fact that the head vampire emails you quests now and again. Bloodlines is dark and ominous, but also sheds light on the question of “how would vampires actually act in the modern age?”.
2. Customization
Bloodlines is given a lot of praise for its “replayability”. The seven playable clans each have their respective strengths and weaknesses, but I especially love how drastic these differences make each playthrough.
The obvious highlights include the Nosferatu, who can’t even be seen by humans without causing a Masquerade violation due to their disfigured appearances, and the Malkavians, whose insanity causes them to have completely unique dialogue options from any other clan.
It’s these types of mechanics that bring customization beyond numerical differences in character stats. Depending on your character’s clan, the core experience of the game and how you approach every interaction can be wildly different.
3. Soundtrack
A great deal of the gothic atmosphere Bloodlines so perfectly captures is thanks to Rik Schaffer’s music. While the “Unofficial Plus Patch” restores many of the cut tracks I would consider to be the most iconic, all of Schaffer’s music in Bloodlines is great. His composition heavily features guitar work, ranging from reverb-heavy electric riffs to acoustic ballads. The song “Poinsettia” is perhaps the most memorable.
The soundtrack hits many of the same tones as Silent Hill 2’s, where we have heavy rock anthems colliding with the dark setting of the gameplay. It worked great there, and it’s just as effective here.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is one of the most unique and captivating video games I’ve ever played. It features so many ideas and themes that make it wholly one-of-a-kind. Troika Games succeeded in creating something so unwaveringly fun that you can hop into it over two decades after its initial release and still be awestruck.