Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt Review – Risk/Reward Battle Royale

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt Review – Risk/Reward Battle Royale

Bloodhunt is a free-to-play game, with its paid aspects being tied to cosmetics, all of which wouldn’t look amiss in The Matrix or Underworld franchises. The player in Bloodhunt can choose from one of seven different archetypes, each of which is based on Vampire: The Masquerade‘s clans. There are the Brujah Brute and Vandal, who specialize in close combat and leaping across the battlefield; the Toreador Siren and Muse, who have healing and teleportation moves; the Nosferatu Saboteur and Prowler, who have invisibility and trap-based moves; and the new Ventrue Enforcer, who is incredibly durable. There are also build differences, as leveling up an archetype can unlock different starting buffs, allowing players to customize both the appearance and passives of their character.
The other major aspect of the game that players need to keep track of are the mortals. There are regular humans around Prague that can be fed on, which fully heal the player and grant a buff. The problem is that the Masquerade is enforced, so if another mortal spots the player feeding, or if the player kills a mortal, then a Blood Hunt will be called on them, and enemies can see them from anywhere on the map for one minute. This means mortals are incredibly valuable, but there is a risk involved, as feeding on them leaves the player defenseless, and accidentally causing a Blood Hunt will bring every nearby foe running to their position.

There is a lot to keep track of in Bloodhunt, as the player must juggle enemy players, the mortals, and a PVE element, in the form of powerful Second Inquisition soldiers that guard high-tier loot around the map. It all works together beautifully, offering one of the most engaging battle royale experiences in the genre. While games like Fortnite can have long periods of tedium while players get set up around the map, the smaller Prague map means that there are always engagements happening and ways for the player to strengthen their position, while risking their neck in the process.
By far the best aspect of Bloodhunt is its respawn system. The regular Bloodhunt mode gives the player an extra life, allowing them to respawn ten seconds later at a new position with a mid-tier weapon. It’s also possible to feed on mortals with a red aura to replenish this extra life, but they can only have one spare at any time. This keeps players in the game longer and gives them a chance to get revenge on players who might have wronged them. Bloodhunt has a lot less time spent waiting in queues, as it’s possible to stay in games for longer, and trying to keep ahead of the curve and looking for a mortal who can grant an extra life adds an extra dimension of difficulty to the game.

Bloodhunt’s real star is Prague itself. The map is gorgeous and offers lots of gameplay variety, with rooftops to scale, underground areas to hide in, and streets full of gear waiting to be plundered. The most impressive aspect of Bloodhunt‘s gameplay is its verticality, with the player able to run up walls and leap huge bounds. This makes for a game that rewards agility and accuracy. Enemy attacks can come from any angle and the gothic architecture can easily hide a sniper. Bloodhunt is a game of high risk and high reward, as the streets of Prague are full of powerful weapons and mortals to feed on, but every action could leave the player open to being gunned down, as enemies can hide in every shadow.
Bloodhunt has some issues at launch, with PC players reporting random crashes. One recurring issue on the PS5 version of the game involves mortals spawning halfway through the pavement, preventing the player from feeding on them. The biggest issue at the moment is game balance, as Bloodhunt‘s melee weapons/builds are far too strong and need to be toned down. Ironically, the melee-based vampire powers are also too weak, with the Brujah/Ventrue disciples being far too slow to activate in a game of lightning-fast vampires.
There was some reticence from the Vampire: The Masquerade fanbase when Bloodhunt was announced, due to how incompatible the setting of the tabletop RPG is with a battle royale. Is Bloodhunt accurate to the world of Vampire: The Masquerade? Absolutely not, but that doesn’t stop it from being a blast to play. Bloodhunt is a super-powered gothic vampire battle royale that offers a more adult tone and faster-paced action than its contemporaries.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is available now on PC and PS5 as a free-to-play title.

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 (Excellent)

#Vampire #Masquerade #Bloodhunt #Review #RiskReward #Battle #Royale

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt Review – Risk/Reward Battle Royale

Bloodhunt is a free-to-play game, with its paid aspects being tied to cosmetics, all of which wouldn’t look amiss in The Matrix or Underworld franchises. The player in Bloodhunt can choose from one of seven different archetypes, each of which is based on Vampire: The Masquerade‘s clans. There are the Brujah Brute and Vandal, who specialize in close combat and leaping across the battlefield; the Toreador Siren and Muse, who have healing and teleportation moves; the Nosferatu Saboteur and Prowler, who have invisibility and trap-based moves; and the new Ventrue Enforcer, who is incredibly durable. There are also build differences, as leveling up an archetype can unlock different starting buffs, allowing players to customize both the appearance and passives of their character.
The other major aspect of the game that players need to keep track of are the mortals. There are regular humans around Prague that can be fed on, which fully heal the player and grant a buff. The problem is that the Masquerade is enforced, so if another mortal spots the player feeding, or if the player kills a mortal, then a Blood Hunt will be called on them, and enemies can see them from anywhere on the map for one minute. This means mortals are incredibly valuable, but there is a risk involved, as feeding on them leaves the player defenseless, and accidentally causing a Blood Hunt will bring every nearby foe running to their position.

There is a lot to keep track of in Bloodhunt, as the player must juggle enemy players, the mortals, and a PVE element, in the form of powerful Second Inquisition soldiers that guard high-tier loot around the map. It all works together beautifully, offering one of the most engaging battle royale experiences in the genre. While games like Fortnite can have long periods of tedium while players get set up around the map, the smaller Prague map means that there are always engagements happening and ways for the player to strengthen their position, while risking their neck in the process.
By far the best aspect of Bloodhunt is its respawn system. The regular Bloodhunt mode gives the player an extra life, allowing them to respawn ten seconds later at a new position with a mid-tier weapon. It’s also possible to feed on mortals with a red aura to replenish this extra life, but they can only have one spare at any time. This keeps players in the game longer and gives them a chance to get revenge on players who might have wronged them. Bloodhunt has a lot less time spent waiting in queues, as it’s possible to stay in games for longer, and trying to keep ahead of the curve and looking for a mortal who can grant an extra life adds an extra dimension of difficulty to the game.

Bloodhunt’s real star is Prague itself. The map is gorgeous and offers lots of gameplay variety, with rooftops to scale, underground areas to hide in, and streets full of gear waiting to be plundered. The most impressive aspect of Bloodhunt‘s gameplay is its verticality, with the player able to run up walls and leap huge bounds. This makes for a game that rewards agility and accuracy. Enemy attacks can come from any angle and the gothic architecture can easily hide a sniper. Bloodhunt is a game of high risk and high reward, as the streets of Prague are full of powerful weapons and mortals to feed on, but every action could leave the player open to being gunned down, as enemies can hide in every shadow.
Bloodhunt has some issues at launch, with PC players reporting random crashes. One recurring issue on the PS5 version of the game involves mortals spawning halfway through the pavement, preventing the player from feeding on them. The biggest issue at the moment is game balance, as Bloodhunt‘s melee weapons/builds are far too strong and need to be toned down. Ironically, the melee-based vampire powers are also too weak, with the Brujah/Ventrue disciples being far too slow to activate in a game of lightning-fast vampires.
There was some reticence from the Vampire: The Masquerade fanbase when Bloodhunt was announced, due to how incompatible the setting of the tabletop RPG is with a battle royale. Is Bloodhunt accurate to the world of Vampire: The Masquerade? Absolutely not, but that doesn’t stop it from being a blast to play. Bloodhunt is a super-powered gothic vampire battle royale that offers a more adult tone and faster-paced action than its contemporaries.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt is available now on PC and PS5 as a free-to-play title.

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 (Excellent)

#Vampire #Masquerade #Bloodhunt #Review #RiskReward #Battle #Royale