Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt Review

Ali Hasan May 16, 2022

Battle Royale games have only surged in popularity over the last five years. From Fortnite, PUBG, Apex Legends, and Warzone it’s clear the genre is here to stay but has grown tired over the years with developers churning out new games every year trying to cash in on the formula that was made popular in 2017. Sharkmob tries to iterate on the same boring formula by putting a fresh spin on the battle royale genre with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt but in the end, it doesn’t quite manage to achieve what it’s trying to accomplish.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is a free-to-play battle royale game developed and published by sharkmob it was released on April 27th, 2022 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The battle royale game is a spin-off of the Vampire: The Masquerade RPG series and set in the gothic streets of Prague as you fight your way through other enemies to remain the last player standing.

Classes

Players can choose a number of characters from four different classes including Brute and Vandal from the Brujah class. Saboteur and Prowler from the Nosferatu class. Siren and Muse from the Toreador class and Enforcer from the Ventrue class. Each class offers its own unique playstyle. The Brujah class is built for hand-to-hand combat while the Nosferatu class appeals to those who prefer a stealthier approach. The Toreador class has an emphasis on ability usage including healing allies and charming civilians to easily drink their blood (more on this later!) the Ventrue class is all about tanking damage to give your team the upper hand

Classes in battle royale games aren’t something new. Games like Apex Legends have had them since the start but what I do appreciate about the implementation in this game is the use of lore from the Vampire: the Masquerade series to make each class and subsequent characters unique. The different classes appeal to the playstyles of many players. it’s not groundbreaking by any means but it is well implemented.

The setting

The setting is something that immediately jumps out to me and is what sets the game apart from every other battle royale game on the market right now. The high-rise gothic buildings of Prague lend themselves very well to the genre. They add a sense of verticality (since you can scale them effortlessly) that is absent in many battle royale games, while in games like PUBG you’re (mostly) relegated to a flat piece of land, in Bloodhunt you can take the fight to the roofs or to the streets. This also provides cover and can help you manage fights by letting you escape from tough situations fast.

The nighttime aesthetic works very well as it adds a sense of mysticism, right in line with the vampire-centric theme of the game. Visibility isn’t hindered in the slightest and the game flows wonderfully.

The loot

In Bloodhunt you can pick weapons up off the ground or by defeating Entity soldiers (PvE enemies) that you find dotted around the city. Like most games of this genre, there is a rarity system in place. Common (green), rare (blue), epic (purple) and legendary (gold).

The loot system is fairly standard and so are the weapons. It would have been nice to see some mythic weapons in keeping with the theme of the game. When compared to the aesthetic the weapons end up feeling extremely lackluster, the standard ARs, pistols, SMGs and swords just don’t cut it. The game doesn’t offer any groundbreaking way to play the game, however, the different abilities offered by the four classes do add a little in the name of variety.

Bloodlust

In the game, you are able to consume the blood of civilians to gain health and a number of different stat buffs. Drinking the blood of some civilians offers you melee damage burst while some provide a reduction in ability cooldowns. Consuming a civilian’s blood completely, however, pings you on the map and lets other players discover where you are. This can be good for players looking for high kill gameplay or a challenge but it can be equally as bad for inexperienced players.

This single mechanic is one of the few things that makes this game enjoyable, and ups the stakes if you’re looking for a challenge. The buffs act like perks, essentially. They are very reminiscent of how perks were handled in Blackout, with the added risk of being discoverable which truly sets it apart from other games.

Verdict

Apart from the verticality and the blood consumption mechanic, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt offers little in the way of innovation. While the aesthetic is pleasing and fresh, the loot system feels flat in comparison. Classes offer a nice way to change up the gameplay but at the end of the day, the game ends up feeling like a run-of-the-mill gimmicky battle royale. There isn’t too much going on that sets this game apart from other similar games. The Dev team will have to continually update the game with content to make sure it remains relevant.

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