Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 (PS5)

Schön verpackt, aber innerlich leer: Bloodlines 2 vergisst im Glanz seiner Fassade, was einst den Zauber der Reihe ausmachte: Spieltiefe und den Mut, Neues zu wagen.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a good game, but one that's held back by the expectations of being a sequel to an all-time classic. If you can step away from the baggage of the Bloodlines title, there is a lot here to enjoy in terms of narrative and atmosphere, though the combat is too repetitive.

The Chinese Room has managed to make something from a box of inherited parts, but this action RPG feels hollow and functional, and is only redeemed by some stellar performances from the characters and cast.

This more or less reflects Bloodlines 2 as a whole: sometimes charming, other times, not so much. There is a lot here that is great; I loved the narrative, the characters, the drama, and the sheer power fantasy of it all. At the same time, it's one of the more unpolished games I've reviewed, and definitely lacks the same level of ambition, scope, choice, and general tightness of other modern RPGs. Oftentimes, I found myself thinking that Bloodlines 2 is a great game in spite of itself--which really only makes it a pretty good game, ultimately.