I SAID HEY! YOU'RE COMIN' ALL THE WAY, I'VE GOT SOME HELL TO PAY, I'M DIGGIN' ALL THE WAY ALL THE WAY DOWN, I SAID HEY!
i'm happy to say that this game is still just as amazing as it was all the way back in 2004, i got the spark to do a playthrough of this game after the disappointment that is Bloodlines 2, while yes, Bloodlines 1 is flawed, i don't think any of it's flaws drag down just how stellar of a game this masterpiece is, can the combat be janky sometimes? yes, but i've found it's way more manageable and pretty decent when you invest some experience into the combat traits. It's standard Source Engine gameplay, so if you're used to any of the valve titles, this is more of the same, it's decent enough to still be fun even if it can be frustrating at times. Stealth is the one unique thing this game has gameplay wise that is actually extremely fun especially with the way the powers and traits compliment it, as well as the extreme amount of choice depth that basically every major interaction in a quest will have, this game is absolutely insane in terms of choice depth and overall little details and outcomes ontop of overall dialogue variety, it is impossible to see all this game's dialogue in one playthrough because your traits and chosen clan do actually have a major effect on what you can say and do in conversations, it is so freeing to be able to put points in on the character sheet and it actually matter in game to the point of some outcomes and interactions entirely changing and getting completely new scenes because i had something like high charisma, intimidation or seduction, this game has enough variation for a ton of playthroughs back to back without it getting stale, even going back to the little details, there was an interaction that made me laugh because i had an npc react to me spamming dialogue a few times, it's great. other than that, this game's writing is still top of the line in every way. whether it be serious moments or comedy, there's moments like the Voerman's or Heather's questline that genuinely pulls at the heart strings, but then there's also moments in this game that make me actually laugh out loud, every character in this game is highly charismatic or believably "real" feeling in some way shape or form due to the expertly written dialogue by the great Brian Mitsoda, whether they're a complete ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like LaCroix, the seductive and lovable VV, the earlier mentioned Jeanette, the cool and smooth Nines, the old and hilarious Jack, the beloved ice queen in Therese, or my goat being Gary Golden and his amazing dialogue, and many, many more. this game has at least one character that everyone who plays it will love, and it's awesome.
i think this game's strongest trait other than it's amazing writing is it's atmosphere and overall vibe, everything about this game from the art direction, character designs, and the general overall tone just drips with this raunchy, grim, sexy and edgy aesthetic that you will literally never find anywhere else and especially not in modern gaming, the sultry and regal swagger that every Vampire in this game has is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ cool that i could talk about it for hours, honestly? doing a playthrough of this game after playing Bloodlines 2 through "other methods" cause i had heard from a good friend it was bad made me realize that the overall tone shift from how it is here was one of the worst examples of something that is missing from that game, literally almost all of the edginess and grit feels like it was removed from bloodlines 2, it's what i like to call "safe edgy." one of my favorite aspects of this game is just how unapologetically raunchy and grim this game gets without pulling any of it's punches, they don't hide anything from you, they show you everything they can about just how dirty and depraved the city of LA is in the World of Darkness, i didn't get that feeling once all throughout Bloodlines 2, in fact the drastic tone shift to this almost modern day comic book esc setting was one of the most jarring things about it, it feels like a cop story with Vampires shoe horned in instead of a story based around the violent and lustful nature of Vampires like it is here, they constantly reference characters from the original bloodlines in notes or small dialogue pieces, but i'm never lead to feel like any of them could ever exist in the world of Bloodlines 2, if you took a character like VV, Jack or Jeanette or hell even Nines for that matter, and then shoved them into Bloodlines 2, they would feel EXTREMELY out of place because that game's tone and overall writing and aesthetics have nothing in common with the game it's supposed to be a sequel of, hell, even Damsel in her short appearance in VTMB2 not only is out of place but she feels and acts nothing like the Damsel in Bloodlines 1. this game's world through it's unapologetically grim nature feels far more grounded and believable because you go from places like these big glass towers where the rich thrive to areas like the Downtown LA slums or The Last Round, where it feels like an entirely different world from how it looked to someone like LaCroix at the top, Nines and the Anarchs as a whole especially are the most awesome group of complete as$holes in the game lmao, they depict outrage and rebellion in a way that feels extremely authentic and believable, and that constant committance to depicting each any every facet of this game's world exactly how it is regardless of how dark and explicit it might get is what makes this game's setting so immersive, believable and beloved. this game is early 2000's edge personified, and it's still just as cool as it was back then.
another thing i have to mention is the sound design, my god this game's sound design is phenomenal, everything from the flat out just amazing music and atmospheric sounds, to the super exaggerated and loud umph that every weapon has when it's swung or fired, they nailed everything about this game's sound, every single place in the game has an immediate vibe to it, the best examples being the haunted hotel, grout's mansion, or any of the clubs. each club in this game has it's own unique aesthetic to it and it's so cool and immersive, going from The Asylum, to The Last Round and Confession, and then Vesuvius, none of it feels the same, and that's for the best and it permeates throughout every level in this game, all of them are diverse with their own extremely strong tone and overall vibe, and half of that is in part to the music and atmospheric sounds that compliment all of them very VERY well.
so it is janky, yes, the ending is rushed due to time and Troika being almost bankrupt midway through development, some quests feel like they should be more fleshed out because this game is, at the end of the day, an unfinished masterpiece or diamond in the rough as people put it. against all odds, it released in 2004 and i think most things have aged well and Bloodlines is ahead of it's time even now, the jank can be annoying, but all of it is usually an easy fix and you have a quicksave key to abuse, so it's all pretty easy to ignore. the only real problem this game has is if it worked out of the box and you didn't have to go out of your way to use the fan patch because Activision sucks then so many more people would be able to experience it more easily.
but i think it's time i wrap this up, i've been gushing over this game for too long, i love it to death. it's a 10/10 no matter how much time passes, and i wish that Mitsoda had gotten another chance to truly expand on it, sadly that's not what happened, but maybe one day we'll get a remake or something, god i really really REALLY hope so, and i hope it's faithful, Bloodlines is a masterpiece, play it. if you haven't, you're missing out on something special.
shoutout Jeanette and VV, love them. peak character design
