Recent reviews by Brian

As a tabletop veteran who treats the original Bloodlines as an annual pilgrimage, I wanted this to be a masterpiece. I held my pre-order through every delay and developer swap, hoping for a miracle. This is way far from it.

The Good:
To give credit where it's due, what we got isn't a disaster—it’s just not Bloodlines.
The Chinese Room nailed the "Final Nights" aesthetic. The atmosphere is thick, the power VFX are slick, and the writing for Fabien—specifically his bizarre, clever interactions with inanimate objects—is a genuine highlight. If this were a mid-budget spin-off called VTM: Nomad, it would be a solid, "Mostly Positive" action game.

The Bad:
I don't think anyone at the decision committee had any love for the IP. This wouldn't have been green lighted otherwise. There is a lot, and I do mean a lot, bad with the game, but let's take it step by step.

The Clans are irrelevant: This is the most painful point for me. In the original, playing a Malkavian or a Nosferatu fundamentally altered and rebuilt the game. Here, your Clan is essentially a "starting perk" button. There are no Clan-specific questlines, no unique social consequences, and no personality shifts. Whether you’re Ventrue or Brujah, you’re still just "Phyre," a generic action lead with a different color palette for your cooldowns.

Lorewise:  Phyre is a real Original the Character Donut Steel. It's a mess to say the least. Regardless of your clan, Phyre is like an OP-Diablerist who exists outside the rules. In any VTM chronicle, a neonate (or even an Elder) acting this stupidly would be Blood Hunted into ash within the first hour. The Masquerade and the Camarilla—the very pillars of the setting—feel like optional suggestions rather than the "do-or-die" oppressive forces they should be. 

Hollow Choices & Railroading: The RPG element is non-existent. Whether you lean Camarilla or Anarch, you are pushed down a linear path. The reactivity that made the first game a masterpiece—where a single conversation could alter your fate—has been replaced by "illusion of choice" bland dialogue that leads to the same scripted beat-em-up arenas. In this aspect, Swansong feels like a masterpiece by comparison.

Combat: The removal of a weapons system is a massive step backward. Combat is a clunky, repetitive loop of "punch, power, bite, potion." It feels like a watered-down Doom Eternal for dummies, lacking any sort of tactical commitment.

Longevity: This is a linear beat em up with a fully voiced hard coded protagonist. I don't foresee a future for the game community with massive mods and overhauls that will bring diversity and amazing content to the table like the original Bloodlines has. The original VTM:B had an awful lot of issues, most of the carefully and lovely ironed out by the gaming mod community. This won't happen here. This game base is so rigid that no love can save it.

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Overall:
If you love the World of Darkness for its mechanical depth and the crushing weight of Kindred politics, this will feel like a spat in the eye. Do not buy this at full price. I’ve been waiting since the original announcement, and the sting of this "Frankenstein" sequel is real, many different creative forces crushed behind a delayed schedule and an oversold promise.
Grab it on a deep sale (under $10) for the atmosphere, but keep your expectations in the dirt.