Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Amazing game that is somewhat held back by its lackluster combat system. Still well worth the time and money investment. Highly recommend if you are a fan of classic RPGs.

Very fun game. It's immersive, and takes my mind off work. Download the patch to play.

I have no clue why I never played this before. What a fun little RPG from back in the day, and thanks to an active fanbase it's still very runnable and works great on modern hardware and resolutions. I wish more games from this era got the same level of love. I liked that it wasn't a uber serious dramatic moody RPG about Vampires but something more fun, goofy, and the like depending on how you act. I picked Malkavian's cause being a psycho sounded funny and sure enough your character is a psycho 24/7 with how they speak and act, I love that everyone reacts to you being a Malkavian psycho in the game as well.

From what I've seen the second game is not a sequel which is such a bummer. I would have really enjoyed a modern version of this game

One of the greatest soundtracks ever and quite a cool game, especially if you are a V:tM fan. Probably the best computer RPG for the genre ever.

Fantastic game. Quality tapers off a bit towards the end, but truly a pleasure to play and explore this world. I just finished my first play-through (with the unofficial patch) and am already planning my next character. Truly as others have called it, a "flawed masterpiece." I plan to use the "Clans Quests" mod for my next run to further flesh out the world and add more content. I can easily see putting a couple hundred hours into this game to experience everything it has to offer.

Edit: After watching some videos on the game it looks like I missed at *least* 4 quests along the way, maybe even more. Great to know that even without mods this game is so rich!

Was going into this game completely blind having only heard that it’s a masterpiece a few times. I agree to some extent. The atmosphere, writing and overall feel of the game is just remarkable and gives off the impression that it was made with love. The game’s as old as me and it does feel that way mechanics-wise (the gunplay and combat overall is pretty bad ngl) but the story and dialogues even it out. Can’t say the main story is perfect and sometimes the dialogues may be corny but all in all It’s gotta be one of the better RPGs I’ve played. The replayability aspect adds the icing to the cake, but I’ve yet to explore every aspect of the game, which also speaks for it’s value and enjoyability.

Very nice 8.5/10

really really good game, unfortunately I wouldn't recommend purchasing on steam instead opt for the GOG games version as it allows you to download the Unofficial Patch with one download making the process more streamlined. also in my experience the GOG version feels easier to mod

This is one of the best games that most people will never play but they definitely should. Troika Games made something truly magical when they made this, even if it was kind of unfinished and full of bugs when it first came out back in the day. Despite the technical problems there are patches (official and unofficial) that can fix the issues that players might have while running this on modern hardware but if you need to fix something in order to play this I promise you it is truly worth it.

The graphics are not as high tech by modern standards as they once were but if you can look past that then you will have one of the best RPG experiences on PC even compared to what modern games offer.

TLDR: this grandpa of a game still has a sharp bite and I think this grandpa is immortal.

The game is definitely from golden classics of PC games. An atmospheric RPG game with immersive, fun and deep (enough) gameplay.

You might not know, but this actually a Source engine game, and it was released on the same day as Half-Life 2

One of the greatest RPGs of all time and still a top 10 all-timer for me. Just such a lot of fun sneaking about in a well-realised world. Thank God for Wesp5, who has spent the last couple of decades fixing bugs and adding extra content!

I couldn't get out of the starting zone and started to question if I needed the unofficial patch to make it out or if there was some kind of secret I was missing... I probably just need to use blood to trigger an event or something. I was in a really bad mood tho so I refunded LOL super cool game anyways

Without a doubt, the best vampire rpg ever made. Absolutely oozing with gritty early 2000's gothic charm. The game blends immersive sim, and RPG elements to create something special. The combat is lackluster and it needs a fan patch to run but It's still one of my all time favorites. Pick it up if you appreciate janky old games with more personality than anything released this year.

I wouldn't expect the sequel to be anywhere near as good as this one. Seems like they're just using the name to sell a completely different kind of game.

it's my emotional support extremely atmospheric vampire rpg. i love running around and hacking computers and being forced to do the horrible fussy little prince's bidding and going to goth clubs and talking to beautiful women who want to kill me and drinking blood and the nagaraja in the basement of the abandoned hospital and fucking the guy who watches the cemetery so the zombies don't get out and going to a tense family dinner. everything about this game is great except for the fact that it doesn't work. luckily this problem is easily fixed by getting the unofficial patch. you should really play it.

If this is your first playthrough, you can pick any clan you want...

...But you should totally pick Malkavian.

Seriously, ignore anyone who's ever said to save Malkavian for your 2nd playthrough. No, you won't have the game spoil itself. I haven't laughed at a game in years until I read Malkavian dialogue, and while this game does have good/funny dialogue overall, playing Malkavian enhances that experience further and will by far give you most unique first playthrough.

I'll say no more, so just trust me: Do it. I'm a sane and reasonable person and you will be too. Listen to the voices and have a conversation with your other personalities every once in a while. And maybe while you're at it, bring home a delicious fish to feast on. Oh, and be wary of the stop signs - they'll try to stop you.

If you are reading this: Make sure you get the unofficial community patch. It is unplayable without it

Timeless Cult Classic that holds up to this day. If you want to hang out with a bunch of the cannon characters causing mayhem, this is the one for you. It truly holds the spirit of an TTRPG.

I like it but it need the Unofficial Patch to run on modern hardware (also unlock the modern resolution like 1080p or 1440p...).
No controller support.

Great story.
Amazing atmosphere.
Well written characters and impressive voice acting.

Remember to download and install the Unofficial Patch before playing.

One of the best written RPGs of all time, cursed with being rushed beyond comprehension. Amazing voice acting, soundtrack, lighting and tone. Never will be any other game like it, because sadly VTMB 2 was thrown into the trash, and replaced with an imposter.

It's the modding community that keeps this cult classic fresh and alive. Thanks guys! 👍
Happy 20th, Bloodlines!

**PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT**
BEFORE you buy, consider installing the Unnofficial Patch on ModDB, or buying the game on GoG, which has the patch included.

**REVIEW**
This game; despite it's relatively poor graphical fidelity, at times frustrating combat, and relatively dated systems... IS LIFE-ALTERING.

If you are in the mood for a dark but fun story, I highly recommend you pick this game up.
The characters in both writing and performance are some of the best in the RPG Genre on any platform and any time. They drip with personality and style.

Don't open it.

Please play this. It's fun. Sure, it's old. Sure, there are bugs. But it's so much fun fighting, seducing, convincing, exploring, solving, blackmailing, and of course, sucking.

There's an unofficial patch that fixes a lot of bugs and restores some content that was unfinished at launch and not normally available. I can't wait to play through this again with a completely different build, choices, and ending.

Game doesn't run. Just spits out "Available memory is less than 15mb". Buy the game on GOG instead.

My Steam time says 5 minutes but I played with the Unofficial Patch which does not log playtime. I would say my first play through was around 30-40 hours.

Every quest in this game is memorable. The hub environments allows for more contained storytelling than most open world games. You meet some freaking freaks in this game. Customization and item options are lacking but it makes up with deep build variety and strong quests. You meet a 7/11 cashier who sells you weapons. Also this is the only game where you will probably be happy finding rats in a sewer.

The game has a well known development cycle that did not go well but this game's vision shines through its faults. Worth playing around Halloween time especially.

it's funny you gotta install a mod just to run the game, but it's EASILY one of the best written western rpg and it's so tightly paced too. gonna play more, just don't know when :/

Really surprised how good this game is really! Honestly, this game is a GD good RPG. The main quest is excellent, very well done and the characters are well developed for a game of the time. If you want to play a game in the VTM universe, this is the one that is the most faithful. There is a goth punk atmosphere which gives a nostalgic tone of the 2000s which in my opinion makes the game better. I laughed and was surprised several times while playing. It's true that the combat mechanics have aged, but remain very playable. Dark wave and industrial music truly embrace the vampire universe. It's truly better than our music on the radio today.
Hoping that Bloodline 2 will be at the same level, but I'd be surprised.

Cult and classic

P.S I strongly recommend playing this game with up-to-date patches.

One of the most unique and aesthetic settings in a videogame, it's pretty janky by today's standards but is worth playing just to immerse yourself in a world unlike any other.

É um rpg top demais, ele não é mundo aberto e você vai de zona a zona nova através de fast travel. É muito leve, porém, o jogo é uma bagunça e requer o patch não oficial pra jogar. Se quer mais conteúdo, o melhor mod é o Clan quest mod, que da uma zona nova e a opção de se juntar aos Sabbat, que é basicamente uma dlc.

Great story but horrendous combat and not playable without a patch from the community

This game is just beautiful to me. You can feel the passion and love that was put in to this game because of the immersion it offers. I love it and wish I could personally commend the developers for their work.

This game is fucking excellent. Absolute must play. Just shit that the steam version doesn'tt work. Do not waste your money on the steam version.

Don't let my playtime fool you, I have a good 150 hours on this, the restoration mods just make it not show up. Speaking of, look up a guide to modding this game. It's a bit of a pain, but getting it to run at 1920x1080 fullscreen, having cut content being put back in, among other features elevates this from being one of the best 2000s RPGs to one of the best RPGs ever. It's fantastic and more than worth the price, doubly so if you can grab it on sale and put up with modding it.

I would really like to rate this game higher (7.5/10); I love its story, its aesthetic, its characters, factions, quests.. But it has several big problems:

The combat system is, in one simple word, horrible, which causes boss-fights not only being boring af but also really unbalanced (most combat related quests also share this aspect). Another aspect with I'm really pissed off is the stealth system, which is just garbage, something that ALL players would agree with.

I have to say that I'm aware of the terrible development this game had and not because of the laziness of the dev team but for unrealistic deadlines and using a brand new engine, Source, which had not yet been field-tested.

Despite all of these negative aspects its still a great game and considering the problems it had during its development its admirable it was even released.

This game is like that friend that lives alone. Every time you visit, it feels awkward, looks clunky and starts clunky.

But past that, the conversation is eloquent and amazing.
Turns out their house has all sorts of neat things to see and discover.

And you keep coming back, because there is this mood that you can't get enough.
And you always find more.

With its perfectly well-crafted environments and intriguing immersive quests, which lose a little bit of their appeal towards the end, Bloodlines' fangs clang around your neck and suck the blood out of your veins like a kindred, leaving you dead. And then Bloodlines shines upon your undead life by piqueing your interest with its magnificent gothic world structure, never letting you peek outside the window, always keeping you in the range of the death parade, making you care for the masquerade or convulge the beast in a free state.

There is only one kind of people that won't like VTMB after it is properly patched with the Unofficial Patch: people who skip all the dialogues in games and just want to fight. If that's your case, sure. This is not for you, play Bayonetta, Devil May Cry or a more modern RPG instead.

If you're not that person, however... oh, boy, are you in for a treat! The story, the characters, the ambiance, the music, the choices, Bloodlines is simply amazing at storytelling. You'll feel there and feel that the you're interacting with believable and complex people with all the NPCs. Most missions can also be completed by multiple means, be it fighting, sneaking, or talking your way through, which gives it a lot of flexibility, and the few ones that didn't give you much choice at launch have alternative fan-made shortcuts if you go for the "Plus" version of the patch that work perfectly well.

That also gives the game A LOT of replay value. After completing it and falling in love with it with your first vampire clan, you'll be curious about how things could've been if you made different choices and played in a different style and you'll certainly want to go for another run with a different clan. Malkavian and Nosferatu clans also make the game completely different by themselves, giving you fresh and unique experiences. Just to give you an example of all that, I have played VTMB for 130 hours and there's STILL things I haven't done in it.

To put it simply, then, this game is awesome and you SHOULD give it a try. Just make sure you use the Unofficial Patch. It's free, very easy to install and the only thing you really need to get to be able to experience this so called "flawed masterpiece". Enjoy!

A great game in general.

A tip for those interested: DON'T OPEN IT.

VTMB is the definition of a cult classic. this game is a diamond in the rough released before it was properly finished. dedicated fans fixed and kept alive for 20 years. the combat can be a bit bad. the game is definitely front loaded with its best bits and the end parts are weak.the closest cousin is probably the original Deus Ex. VTMB leans more on the roleplaying aspects than Deus Ex. those 2 games just nail the city block sized RPG. smaller but more detailed worlds. this game is one of a kind and will always be a flawed masterpiece.

also the version on GOG has the unofficial patch and runs easier without having to mess with it. if you have problems with the Steam version, try the GOG version.

I'm glad I beat this game. When a game has a kind of flawed gem reputation I usually will only care about it if it's a CRPG or a Beat 'em Up and in this case it's very much the kind of CRPGs I like - which are the weird action hybrid ones. Turn based CRPGs tend to be more comprehensible but they also are some of the longest things known to man with dungeons that make my skin crawl. Here, I have an incredibly unique setting with writing and characterization that practically turns the game into a period piece on early 2000s edge, horror, and counterculture. Or at least what 30-40 year old dudes think that looks like in 2004.

So the game works like a typical CRPG formula in terms of builds but also with imsim stuff added on too. You can do combat focused classes (vampire clans), social focused classes and stealth focused. There's overlap but that's always the formula I see for this particular brand of "Fallout derived".

The combat is bad, I'll say that outright, but an interesting, fun, bad. Melee has a weird feel where you can literally air-juggle opponents and wall-splat and ground-bounce them but it feels so sluggish because every attack has a billion years of endlag with overly fancy animations. And the animations are also hitboxes, so you can not only whiff but low-profile many other attacks just by existing. It's anarchy. Guns are weird, it works like Deus Ex. You have to be standing still to get your aim better and if your gun points go up you aim better and hit harder. I didn't like guns in this game, I feel like they only get usable at a higher level but don't pack the same (literal) punch as whacking a dude.

There's also a lot of stealth in the early to mid game before it starts throwing forced combat at you. I hate that too! The game penalizes non-stealth builds in a big way by making so many rewards requiring stealth over combat or persuasion builds. Stealth works like a thief or deus ex, you duck, you try to take advantage of dark areas, try not to make line of sight. But since it's also a skill, you can just fail dicerolls and enemies will instantly look behind you and shoot you. Mission fail, no XP bonus.

The social gameplay is extremely flawed too. Persuasion triumphs heavily over the other two social skills Intimidate, Seduction and the soft 4th skill Dominate. Why? Because Int and Sed do the same outcomes as Persuasion usually, only there's less of them around. You have less opportunities to do it. There's a lot less chances to be social and solve a quest too. It feels great when it comes up but it's more rare than I'd like.

And yet I put up with forced combat and stealth sections with my persuasion build because the setting/writing is great. Character animations are weird but the voice acting is 110%. There's so many info dumps but it's really fun stuff. Which makes up for the fact a lot of the quests are just fed-ex delivery jobs. It's also annoying how getting points into stealth also is hampered by having lockpick and computer, since like I said there's Imsim stuff and you need those too. If you got XP from combat this wouldn't be so bad but they took it away likely because stealth/social people need a lot of XP to do things, and yet still need combat as a baseline.

Just, whoever says Bloodlines 1 wasn't a goofy tryhard mess writing-wise are just flat out wrong. There's tentacle hentai jokes, bad Chinese impressions, flippant murder, male-gaze female characterizations, leet-speak and on-the-nose commentary. It's what RPG nerds would write about at this time. It's no writing masterpiece but it has its moments.

Also buggy, I played without the patch, and I don't regret that but the patch-guy does know what he's doing even if he does change the game and thus all documentation on the game has been systematically altered historically. The game is beatable without it tho (but I lost out on one questline, gah).

I played this game back in 2004 when it first came out. I found it to be incredibly immersive (especially if you play it at night and with all lights off). Although it's not perfect (I found the combat easier to handle in 3rd person, and even then, it takes a little time to get used to); however, it has a great story which is paramount for an RPG.

Although I've played this game in its Vanilla state, I HIGHLY recommend getting the unofficial patch immediately after installing this game. The original game was buggy to the point where it was virtually impossible to finish the game. Along with fixing these bugs and restoring content originally cut out, it also provides a thorough walkthrough (which always matches the unofficial patch version you have).

As of writing this, the game is 50% off, but even if it wasn't, I would still recommend the game as $20 is a pretty decent price for this game, especially if you install the unofficial patch, which is easy to fine between a google search and Community Hub here as the patch is very popular and is still actively worked on by fans to this day.

Easily one of the BEST games I ever played. I softlocked my self at the final boss by building my character based on melee, apart from that I never had any problems in the gameplay, enjoying every second of it. The atmosphere, graphics, characters, quests they were all so original and I couldnt find any other game that drove me in the way Vampire: Masquerade-Bloodlines did. İf anyone is up to recommending me games similiar, please do. I would love to play games especially Vampire games with similar vibes. The Asylum was my favorite place to visit so any game that has places similar to it also works. (I miss Jeanette so much)

manages to be one of the best games i've ever played despite completely falling apart towards the end
i'm in love with the best of it and what the rest of it could have been

So, this was my first ever game I bought on Steam and according to how old my Steam account is, that was real freaking long ago!

Before I began this recent playthrough, I already had a little over 2 hours of playtime on it, but that was well before I became more computer literate and had an understanding on seeking fan patches and various fixes to issues with older games. This game doesn't work on modern systems and is notoriously buggy which requires a fan patch to even get the game running as of writing this review.

There are two variants of the fan patch, one that just fixes the bugs and another that is called the "plus patch" that restores most of the cut content to the game but also apparently takes some creative liberty of making changes that may or may not really keep to the original vision of the game, supposedly anyway.

I opted to play the base patch so I could experience the game as it was as close as possible, and you can definitely tell there was a lot of cut stuff. Buildings that names and show up on the local map but is never made accessible. About half way though the game it stops having more alternative ways to finish quests and just relies on combat, so social characters end up suffering late game. Luckily I made sure to invest in melee and maxed out dodge on my social character and didn't end up having too much trouble.

I wasn't planning on returning for a second playthrough but after experiencing the game, I've decided to add this game back onto my backlog to return to later and play the plus patch. I just loved my time with it so much that I really want to return to it again.

The gameplay isn't great, particular the combat, and it became a major slog towards the end, I just wanted it to be over. But the world, the ambience, the characters was just such a great vampire experience. I really did feel like a vampire blending in with society and I loved having my own apartment that I could occasionally return to and check my emails, my mail in my own mailbox. I loved the reactivity of some quests telling me to leave items in my mailbox for it to be picked up later and replaced with rewards.

Now, all of that stuff is honestly a little half-baked. I wish there was a lot more to do with your apartment and checking the emails, you can get your own ghoul but you only get a few unique interactions with her every once in a while after finishing a main story beat. Then it's just over.

This game suffered from lack of time and funding to finish, and you can tell, but I'm happy with what I've played and experienced. I played a Toreador, but apparently you get more unique experiences with the Malkavian that has its own unique set of game text throughout all the dialogue.

After experiencing this game, I also now think that many fans are being a little too harsh with the Bloodlines 2 development, particularly The Chinese Room. I think they definitely have valid criticisms against them for certain design choices and mood conflicts with this game and what they've showed so far, but I also don't think they're doing as a terrible job as many people like to say they are.

I personally found the dialogue choices in this game to be very lacking. There wasn't very much consistency to them all and you'd usually get just three options that usually all amounted to the same thing.

Now, I want character customisation in Bloodlines 2, and people regularly complain about that but that is something this game does not have. But people use the lack of character customisation as some valid point against Bloodlines 2, which... it isn't.

Bloodlines 2 doesn't have to do too hard to beat the writing or dialogue options in this game in my opinion, especially for today's standards. Some of the options for this game came across quite silly a juvenile.

But I'm disgressing now, overall: I really enjoyed this game. I loved its atmosphere and being a seductive vampire. I have a more reasonable and somewhat level expectation for Bloodlines 2 now.

An old, jank, broken, crusty work of art with so much character and love baked into it. it's an IP notorious for liquidating any studio who dares touch it, so don't take this game's existence for granted.

HIGHLY recommend either the Unofficial Patch or CQM for the best experience :D

It's hard to put into words how much I love this game. The atmosphere, the characters, the dialogues, the humor, the completely unhinged, uncensored nature... Bloodlines is a truly special game. Yes, the gameplay hasn't aged particularly well; even back then, it was clunky. But if you can look past that, you'll find pure gold in this game. There’s no other game quite like it.

Make sure to install Wesp5's fan patch for a significantly better gaming experience.

Can't believe I waited 20 years to revisit this game

Definitely rough around the edges and virtually unplayable without fan patches, but once everything is working... 9/10

Very underrated. Probably top 10 rpgs ever made. Would have been the best one if they actually finished it. Bush-era satire is funny. Most other things pertaining to the time period have either aged badly or really badly. Lovingly kitsch. Buy it, patch it, play it. Just insanely good.

From my Backloggd:

This game is now 20 years old. This game is also fucked.

Janky / buggy all over. This game is a teenage boys edgy dream. This game is batshit crazy. It's so unfinished and broken, you absolutely need the unofficial patch to get through it. Hell, the plus patch that adds skips to sections that should absolutely have them based around the character you roleplay. It's a game that's just generally a mess.

...and it's in my top10 games ever made.

VTM:B brawls through every flaw. A game that is equally hilariously edgy and smart and also has some of the coolest horror set-pieces in the medium. I've played every one of the 7 playable clans and I enjoy each one for different reasons (I promise you, Tremere isn't the only clan worth playing lol). VTM:B is an RPG-Immersive Sim in the vein of Deus Ex/System Shock 2; There's a variety of ways to build a character and handle various situations with them. It's also a game that feels like a time capsule that dates it very much to a particular era of goth culture that I find myself just cracking up so much on re-plays because it's just so incredibly edgy and nostalgic for me. The soundtrack (which totally fucking RULES) contributes heavily to that too.

It's a game that's absolutely ready to burst and come apart at the seams. It's held together by duct tape and string. It also manages to be better than 'most' games I have ever played. For fuck sakes, you can talk to a god damn stop sign!

This is a classic, cult-status game. Multiple ways to finish the main storylines, and plenty of side-quests to gain more experience. Different clans mean completely different ways to play the game, from the stealth, hands-on Nosferatu who needs to always use the sewers, passing through the more noticeable, brute-force prone Brujah, up to the non-violent, manipulative Ventrue. And well, the Malchavians are an experience on its own.
Hours of fun in an intriguing, mysterious, highly replayable storyline, in which each decision can, and will, affect the game.

I played the game once back then and re-played now, and it's still pretty good and engaging, which is also helped by vampires being one of my favourite topics in media in general.

Graphically it looks OK, though obviously dated. What I really want to highlight is the overall aesthetic, which is superb. All the locations are moody, gloomy, and depressing (with the exceptions of night clubs, they rock).

This is further supported by the amazing soundtrack, especially the background themes for each hub, Downtown being my favourite out of them. The voice acting is top-notch as well, though I must mention the sound mixing itself can be a bit weird e.g. a specific sentence can be suddenly way louder within the same dialogue.
An honourable mention goes to the TV and radio. I don't know how to describe it, but they sound authentic and cozy in a way. They also change as the game progresses, at least the TV does.

When it comes to gameplay, there isn't anything outstanding, you wouldn't really play Vampire for its gameplay. There are a couple of tedious and repetitive levels, and some of the things you have to do are extremely unintuitive. Other than that, you mainly spam your blood powers and left click enemies to death.

Where the game truly shines is the narrative and quests. In addition to the main quest, the game offers dozens of side-quests with interesting stories and characters. What really elevates them is a myriad of different options you have when it comes to dialogue. You can persuade, intimidate, mind control, etc.
Moreover, the game keeps track of what your vampire clan is and offers clan-specific options. Malkavian is the favourite here, with hundreds and hundreds of changes in comparison to other clans, going as far as introducing entirely new side characters, such as a talking street sign. Nosferatu is an interesting one too, albeit with a less enjoyable gameplay.

All is not well, sadly, and the game's technical state is quite dismal. The unofficial patch is a must-have, and I still encountered a couple of glitches and a game-breaking crash I had to bypass with noclip in console. It's nothing terrible, just quite janky at times.

Overall, despite its flaws, I still recommend the game. I can definitely see some people not enjoying it and being thrown away by the lacklustre gameplay, but I personally really loved the atmosphere, the setting, and the vibe.

It would be a miracle to get a proper sequel with the same level of narrative quality, but with less issues and better gameplay, but I would not get my hopes high.

My steam account doesn't take into consideration the hundreds of hours I dumped into the game before I bought it on steam. One of the best RPG's of all time tbh. You NEED to install the unofficial patch if you want anything to work right, but once you do that it's one of the best games and it aged like wine.