Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt is the official name of the previously announced battle royale set in the World of Darkness. At first glance, the idea of a Vampire: The Masquerade battle royale seems like a mismatch, with many fans being surprised at the concept when Bloodhunt was first revealed.
Vampire: The Masquerade is a tabletop RPG about vampires hiding their existence from humanity, while battle royales involve players converging on a location and fighting each other to the death. There have been some fantastic Vampire: The Masquerade video games in the past, with Bloodlines considered by many to be one of the best RPGs ever made, but even Bloodlines managed to match the tone of the tabletop game. It was possible to go on a biting spree in Bloodlines, but the player would quickly be hunted down by the police, followed by other vampires. The Masquerade is core to the experience (which is why it's in the title), so how would it function in a battle royale?
Bloodhunt is being produced by Sharkmob and the game is still in an early stage of development. Screen Rant had the chance to play a pre-alpha version of Bloodhunt alongside (and against) the devs, to see if it has what it takes to keep up with the big names in the battle royale genre.
The Battle In Prague
Bloodhunt is set in Prague, but the game starts out in a hub, set in an underground Elysium - a political neutral ground in the lore of the tabletop game. There were six character types available in the pre-alpha, broken down into three clans. Brujah players could be Brutes or Vandals, which specialize in combat; Nosferatu players could be Saboteurs and Prowlers, which specialize in stealth and traps; and Toreador players could be Sirens or Muses, which specialize in speed/healing. The player also has access to a number of cosmetic items, which will be the primary way the game will be monetized, as it's intended to be free-to-play. The character models evoke the style seen in the original Bloodlines, while still maintaining a level of polish that keeps then in line with the gritty world they inhabit.
Once the match begins, the player can choose where they spawn in Prague. There was no Battle Bus equivalent in Bloodhunt, as the player just appears in the city. The match then begins, with the goal of wiping out every enemy or every enemy team on the map. As the match continues, a deadly red fog starts to close in on the battlefield, forcing players to move closer together and battle in the middle of the city. The player can find item caches around the city, which include guns, armor, healing items (blood packs), and melee weapons, all of which drop when they are killed.
Protecting The Masquerade
If all of this sounds a lot like Fortnite, it is. What makes Bloodhunt different from its contemporaries will be a major selling point as a result. For one thing, there are mortals strewn around the map that serve a few different functions. The player can feed on a mortal in order to gain a temporary stat boost, such as increasing their melee damage. If the mortals spot the player feeding on someone or using a power, then that player becomes visible to all of their opponents for one minute. This means that players need to be selective about how and when they act like vampires, especially if they are hiding from well-equipped foes.
The player's vampiric nature allows them to quickly scale walls and leap from building to building. They can also perform a slide in order to build some speed before launching even further. This increased feeling of verticality is one of the best aspects of Bloodhunt and it really makes the player feel like a vampire, stalking their prey from the rooftops. The vampires each have their own abilities with cooldown timers, such as the Brute being able to send out a shockwave, or the Saboteur being able to vanish from sight for a few seconds. These special abilities are a lot more fun to use than the standard battle royale weaponry seen in the game, even with their timers. The game might be improved by bringing back the blood meter from Bloodlines and tying the special abilities to them, in order to give more incentive for feeding on mortals and potentially breaking the Masquerade.
The Enemy Of The Undead
Vampires might fancy themselves as the rulers of the night, but they are also hunted in Bloodhunt. There is a powerful creature called the Entity that can appear on the map who is an anti-vampire killing machine, wearing heavy armor and brandishing a gun that can tear an undead to shreds. It's possible to take down the Entity with concentrated fire, but it takes a lot to put it down, and players might be better off trying to hide from the creature, rather than risk it slaying them or revealing their position.
The city of Prague makes for an exciting battleground, with its looming rooftops, rows of cars, and dark allies all offering ample places to hide. The player constantly has to be on the lookout for enemies, as well as nearby mortals who might be too nosy for their own good. Bloodhunt is still in a very rough state graphics/performance-wise, but the game is a lot of fun. The added verticality and the special powers make the battle royale formula feel fresh and give it an almost superhero-style feel.
There is still room for improvement outside of the technical issues, as the mortals/Masquerade aspect needs to be more prominent in the gameplay. There were some matches that just felt like regular battle royale games with Spider-Man climbing, especially during the later moments of a game. There needs to be more of a price for acting like a vampire in front of mortals, as this will help give the game its own identity and prevent it from being perceived as a battle royale clone. Bloodhunt has a ton of potential and it could offer a fun alternative to the big names in the battle royale genre in the future, giving players the chance to live out their vampiric fantasies on the battlefield.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt is currently in development for PC and consoles, with a Q3/Q4 2021 release window.