The Chinese Room outlines Bloodlines 2's "visceral immersive combat"

It's been five months since Paradox Interactive's surprise announcement Everybody's Gone to the Rapture developer The Chinese Room had taken the reins of its troubled Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2; in that time, the studio has been openly discussing its approach to the sequel, with its latest update now focusing on what it's calling «visceral immersive combat».

In a newly shared blog post, creative director Alex Skidmore outlines three main gameplay styles the studio wants accommodate on release, each emphasising or de-emphasising combat in different ways. The first is what it calls the Strategic Stalker, a take on the «vampire predator fantasy» where the focus is on staying hidden and using the element of surprise.

This stealth-focused approach to combat, says Skidmore, is all about sneaking up on an enemy, causing a distraction, then feeding on them quickly before a fight can occur. That's in stark contrast to combat style number two — the Action Brawler — which is for players that want to get stuck straight into a fight using «fast reflexes and combat skills».

Bloodlines 2 — Official Announcement Trailer Bloodlines 2's 2023 announcement trailer,

This more aggressive style of play (particularly suited to Brujah clan players) is about «being in the centre of the brawl and using your abilities to control the crowd so you can deliver as much damage as possible.» However, Skidmore acknowledges most players will likely land somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, switching between stealth and violence as the need arises. Additionally, though, the studio wants to accommodate a third type of player, the Narrative Adventurer, who prefers to «focus on the fantasy, narrative and exploration elements of the game».

In order to cater to these three different playstyles, Skidmore says Bloodlines 2 will prioritise «immersion over complexity». At the heart of this approach is a «streamlined control scheme» featuring an accessible set of core actions the studio