Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt Season 1 Overview: This Bloodsucker Doesn’t Suck

Once you consider Vampire: The Masquerade, you in all probability image eerie vampires quietly making their approach by way of excessive society with out their powers, not wall-running gunfights within the streets of Prague. Bloodhunt is right here to alter that.

Bloodhunt is now in the midst of its first season and whereas it’s actually a singular tackle the style it’s additionally very respectful of its supply materials. The most important teething issues will not be with the vampires themselves, however the truth its fast-paced and intense motion can typically make for worrying play.

Associated: “We Can Have Each” – Bloodhunt’s Producer David Sirland On Graphics Over Gameplay

At the moment, there’s no story of word in Bloodhunt, though I think it’ll comply with different live-service video games and develop one because the seasons keep it up. This lack of a story means it will possibly slot neatly into the collection canon, as the sport makes good use the property’s emblems – most notably the Masquerade itself, which sees gamers keep away from utilizing their powers in public or endure the implications of the titular bloodhunt, their icon flashing for everybody to see on the map. The shortage of a narrative is a little bit of a disgrace contemplating the collection’ wealthy historical past, however it seems like one thing that may be expanded sooner or later.

Whereas the story won’t draw you in, the world itself envelops you in its leathery wings. Rain drips from the rooftops, blood is sucked from necks with a scrumptious squelch, nightclubs reverberate with romantic basslines, and whereas the combating takes place on the streets, extra buildings have the familiarly decadent inside design of contemporary vampire lore than you’d anticipate. Prague, the sport’s solely map thus far, is full of element and defines Bloodhunt’s distinctive playstyle with its deal with verticality and tight areas. It’s rather more cramped and intimate than Fortnite’s open island. Specializing in smaller areas over expansive areas to roam in is totally different from every part else within the style, and it’s a threat that has paid off.

That could be a little bit of a double-edged sword, nevertheless. With clothes, gadgets, and the town itself all being so detailed, a product of Sharkmob scanning in particular person items of clothes to make them look as life like as potential, the prospect of extra content material coming in a well timed method feels unsure. We all know that extra cities are deliberate for the sport, however we have now no phrase on when that is likely to be or the place we would go, and Prague doesn’t appear more likely to be modified over the season because the maps in different battle royales are. As spectacular as Prague is, there are the explanation why different video games within the style go for wider maps with smaller landmarks that may be edited and swapped out with ease, serving to to maintain the sport contemporary. Should you’ve been enjoying the sport often, you would possibly already be a bit sick of its one and solely map. Solely time will inform, however it appears.

Nonetheless, it’s very clear that Bloodhunt will not be making an attempt to be like these different video games, so maybe we shouldn’t anticipate it to. For starters, gamers get to decide on between seven totally different lessons from 4 totally different clans once they spawn (there’s additionally no dropping in), and every one has totally different vampiric skills that work on a cooldown. These skills, starting from highly effective leaps or vanishing right into a flurry of bats that help you see by way of partitions and flash-bang grenades, the category skills are important instruments in Bloodhunt.

One other important device is motion. All characters can climb just about any floor and take no fall injury, which means firefights can swap immediately between shotgun skirmishes in tight alleys to all of a sudden changing into long-ranged rifle volleys atop clock towers. This selection is aided by pink fuel that closes in on the map, forcing gamers away from the perimeters. In one other break from BRR custom, this fuel doesn’t shut in a predictable circle, as a substitute providing totally different shapes that create new chokepoints and hold gamers on their toes. This verticality and freedom of motion is the sport’s largest energy.

Fortunately, irrespective of the place you’re combating, fight feels responsive and crunchy. Nearly all weapons pack a punch (besides crossbows which deal with like a whoopie cushion on a stick) and the vary of melee weapons are nice enjoyable to make use of, particularly with the tanky Enforcer class. Bloodhunt is such a surprisingly good shooter that it usually finally ends up feeling far more intense than the historically cartoonish and arcadey BRs like Fortnite. Add in a particularly quick TTK and each encounter makes you sweat.

There are methods to make issues simpler on your self, like sucking NPC blood to achieve buffs, however Bloodhunt is rarely the stress-free time the remainder of the style is usually regarded as and would possibly find yourself placing some gamers off. Or perhaps I’m simply terrible at it.

As terrible as I could also be at Bloodhunt, I nonetheless discovered myself enjoying to work by way of the surprisingly first rate battle go. From Blade-inspired outfits to extra punk rock vampire apparel, there are numerous cool unlockables right here that really feel well worth the money and time. The non-premium model of the go is a bit empty and the merchandise store is a bit on the costly facet, however that’s simply half and parcel with free-to-play video games nowadays.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt manages the inconceivable and makes the battle royale style really feel contemporary once more, with sensible modifications to the components and motion that fully change the sport. Its fast-paced motion isn’t for the faint of coronary heart and Prague would possibly get a bit outdated after hours of enjoying, however it’s effectively price sinking your tooth into simply to see what the heck a vampire battle royale even seems like.

Subsequent: Interview: Sharkmob Co-Founder Martin Hultberg And Bloodhunt Advertising and marketing Director André Persson