Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 “Blood Resonance” detailed
In the latest developer diary, The Chinese Room has detailed what “blood resonance” does in Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.
The Chinese Room’s Lead Game Designer, Gavin Hood, Senior Game Designer, Max Bottomley, Senior Concept Artist, Jordan Grimmer, and Senior Narrative Designer, Arone LeBray are all on hand to talk about the blood resonance, and “how the emotionally charged blood affects gameplay”. Check it out in full, here.
Here’s the details:
Blood Resonance is an important part of your journey when exploring the city. It feeds (pun intended) into how you tailor Phyre’s abilities to match your vampiric playstyle and fantasy.
When exploring Seattle you can find pedestrians with one of three potential blood resonances: Melancholic (feeling anxious or afraid), Sanguine (feeling aroused/sexual attraction), and Choleric (feeling annoyed or angry). This is something only a vampire can know so you need to use your Heightened Senses to identify these pedestrians. Once found, you need to “turn” these pedestrians fully resonated. This is done through conversations, in which you will attempt to manipulate your victim’s emotions as needed.
With this feature, it was important to us that roleplaying affected the outcomes of these conversations, so the way you act throughout the game determines what conversation options are available. Also, your appearance is an important factor in these conversations, so choose your wardrobe wisely!
Lead Game Designer Gavin Hood says: “If you manage to “turn” the pedestrians, they will become fully resonated and react accordingly. This means they might start a fight with you, run from you in terror, or even find you irresistibly attractive, all of which increases the resonant blood of that type gained from feeding on them.”
Senior Concept Artist, Jordan Grimmer adds: “Following our previous post, in which we explored Phyre’s heightened senses, the next step was all about how we could differentiate what we see to easily show the player what kind of prey they’re dealing with. We called this part of Phyre’s senses “Blood Resonance,” where we visualise the type of person we’re hunting based on the scent of the blood pumping through their veins.”
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is coming in 2025.
