I don’t know why this took me so long. I knew the game was a classic in one of my favorite genres (messy ambitious action CRPG) and I knew I’d probably love it. I’m a casual VtM fan- never played the TTRPG but I do own a VHS boxset of Kindred: The Embraced (and more recently I’ve really enjoyed the New York visual novels and the comic series from Vault).
I’m a CRPG-loving Elder Goth, what did it take for me to finally play Bloodlines? A one-click mod. I knew unmodded Bloodlines was a nightmare on modern (or vintage) hardware, but I had never done the proper research to get the right mod(s). Then along come GOG with their ultra simple curated mods, which are (literally) game-changing for a kinda dumb and very lazy retro PC gaming enthusiast like myself.
So! I’m playing Bloodlines. Four hours in and unsurprisingly, I adore it.
Even with 20+ years of intensive patches and mods since release, the game is still buggy, broken, and the combat is laughingly bad. But honestly none of that matters to me because this game scores a 6-out-of-5 for vibes. From rainy streets to a goth dance club to a Santa Monica pier, Bloodlines captures a Lost Boys + The Hunger aesthetic and mood that no other game has given me.
The game has authentic subculture energy and some instantly memorable characters. It’s a Knights of the Old Republic moment in the way the game so perfectly captures the source material. While there haven’t been any hugely significant choices in the opening hours, I do feel like I’m role-playing and my moment to moment choices have some impact on the characters and story.
While I expected some supernatural elements and plenty of Vampire faction plotting, I was pleasantly surprised when the game made a full pivot to horror during an early mission. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t played, but the mission was legitimately tense, and seemed to be an homage to an all-time classic.
I’ve adored my first few hours with Bloodlines, and can’t wait to continue to sink my teeth into this beautiful, broken world.
Leave a comment