Right this moment, the very best battle royale sport dies. A lot to my lamentations, September 26 marks the ultimate day of formal service for Vampire The Masquerade Bloodhunt, with developer Sharkmob shuttering the sport’s doorways to Elysium one final time, ending its improvement. As I wave goodbye to my beloved Toreador Muse and Nosferatu Saboteur, it’s price asking why Bloodhunt – and battle royales as an entire – arguably aren’t working like they used to.
Now don’t get me improper: Bloodhunt wasn’t flawless. It launched with the Nosferatu ruling the roost (fairly the switch-up for the World of Darkness’ most hated clan) and nerfs merely got here in too late. The delayed launch of duos mode was usually disappointing, and the seemingly endless queue instances that ensued killed the motion useless earlier than it even actually started. Even the suave, blue-blooded Ventrue and mysterious Tremere witches couldn’t save the battle royale sport from its destiny, so once I noticed the announcement that it will be getting into its ultimate stretch following an replace rolling out at the moment, part of me wasn’t stunned.
However that doesn’t imply I wasn’t completely gutted. I plowed hours into this sport, selecting up the unique founder’s cross and every part. I compelled my companion to play it through the early levels of our relationship, and my love for the sport launched me to the VTM tabletop world, the attract of which is tantalizing. I even created my first-ever male customized character in a videogame – and he was sizzling as hell. After all he was, he was a Toreador; step apart, Astarion, my Muse is an actual vampire.
Private emotions (and infatuations) apart, although, Bloodhunt really had some neat mechanics. Stacking totally different buffs by consuming Blood Resonances was enjoyable and added a little bit of technique to the gameplay. In the event you’re operating Nosferatu, Melancholic blood is at all times an incredible name, whereas Brujah will need to snatch up Choleric to boost their melee harm; it provides a little bit of technique to a style that’s usually diminished to simply ‘pop heads and take names.’
I additionally liked the little side-quests that the varied Primogens would ship you on. Whereas they had been brief, they gave the world an additional little bit of lore, making it really feel extra actual. And, actually, Sharkmob’s Prague remains to be considered one of my favourite maps to this point: I may spend literal hours simply sitting on the prime of the cranes as a stealthed Saboteur or Prowler, trying down over the town streets. Or, alternatively, hand around in the Divine Disco and simply vibe. With the flickering lights of the Burning Church gently illuminating each road nook, Sharkmob’s Prague is considered one of my all-time favourite videogame maps.
In reality, Bloodhunt itself is simply modern. The character cosmetics are attractive and make you need to grind by way of the battle cross to get there. There wasn’t a single ‘dangerous’ merchandise there – particularly since you may get Mia’s outfit and develop into the literal embodiment of Toreador superiority. The customization was limitless, and the character designs really channel the essence of VTM. Bloodhunt nailed the idea however failed to stay the touchdown in what’s a very overcrowded style.
In any case, whether or not you like them, hate them, or are solely ambivalent about them, it’s no secret that Apex Legends, Warzone, and Fortnite have develop into the pillars of the battle royale style – in actual fact, I’d go as far as to say they’re the battle royale style on PC. It’s the identical with League of Legends and Dota 2 on the subject of MOBAs, and World of Warcraft with MMORPGs – what number of LoL and WoW killers have there been now? Do you keep in mind their names? I don’t.
When Fortnite exploded, everybody tried to get on that bandwagon (or battle bus), but it surely was by no means going to work out. Fortnite outlined a style whereas concurrently interesting to each adults and youngsters. It has partnerships with a number of the largest manufacturers on the planet, transcends boundaries, and has carved out its personal devoted cultural house. Whereas it will not be as talked-about because it as soon as was, Fortnite largely owns the BR style – everybody else simply lives there.
Apex Legends is the outlier, after all. Whereas a few of us nonetheless lose sleep over the lack of a possible Titanfall 3 (responsible, as charged), the stagnation of Name of Obligation: Warzone and the totally ‘meh’ response to Warzone 2 left a spot out there. Apex is well-balanced, its characterization is slick, and it’s merely one of many best-playing video games available on the market.
Bloodhunt was at all times going to wrestle towards two well-established behemoths. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines is not any Titanfall when it comes to its modern-day recognition, and whereas Bloodhunt was conceptually nice, it couldn’t hope to amass the identical insta-following generated by the likes of Apex Legends’ stealth launch.
Because the solar rises on Prague’s World of Darkness, it’s a disgrace to see the sport lastly attain what appears to be its curtain name. Whereas the servers will keep up and also you’ll be capable of hold taking part in and preying for now, I’ll by no means see what a Malkavian would seem like in Bloodhunt. With the Bloodlines 2 launch date again on the playing cards and a brand new save already began within the authentic Bloodlines, I’m holding out hope that VTM sees the renaissance it deserves. Right this moment, it’s the start of the tip for Bloodhunt, however who is aware of what our everlasting unlife will deliver tomorrow.