VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE – BLOODLINES 2

Brian Mitsoda and Cara Ellison on Bloodlines 2’s seasonal bite

‘Tis the season to argue ad infinitum whether Die Hard is a ‘Christmas movie’ (as opposed to just a film that happens to take place during the festive period). Alas, our beloved medium isn’t safe from the debate. Who would have thought a game in which you can glide around like a bat saying “I AM THE NIGHT!” could be classed as a Christmas game?

At Paradox Con in Berlin we speak to Hardsuit Labs’ narrative lead, Brian Mitsoda, and senior narrative designer, Cara Ellison, about

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2’s December nights and festive undead frolics.

“So Christmas is important in this game because the game is set in December,” Mitsoda begins. “[…] The reason we set it in December is because it’s the darkest time in Seattle. So of course the nights are much longer and so it just so happens that it’s Christmas.” As every vampire – from your freshly made Thinblood to power-hungry elder vamps wanting to snack on ancient Antediluvians – is bound to uphold the Masquerade and conceal their existence from humans, darkness is perhaps the only true ally a vampire has. But the season was chosen for more than practical reasons. Ellison tells us she and Mitsoda drew on a wealth of sources when crafting the narrative, from Hannibal (“[the way he’s] so manipulative but so suave”) to The Americans (“Soviet agents that are pretending to be Americans [is] really helpful for writing about vampires […] pretending to be normal human beings”).

SLAY BELLS

She later goes on to discuss film director Shane Black’s penchant for setting his action comedies at Christmas as it’s such a distinctive and familiar part of the year for audiences. She continues, “To me personally, there’s something jarring about something awful happening at Christmas. It’s, like, such a festive, nice time.”

“It is good to have that kind of setting as a backdrop because you’re doing horrible things and there’s a Christmas tree over there.” Mitsoda agrees, “It’s definitely one of

IT’S A GOOD CONTRAST. […] I THINK IT MAKES IT DARKER.

those things that I think just kind of helps contrast the darker aspects, like, yes, you just fed on someone in an alley and left them unconscious and then you go out and, you know, there’s like a wreath on the door and like Christmas lights and everything is very cheery downtown. It’s a good contrast. It’s pretty dark; I think it makes it darker.”

While Bloodlines 2 isn’t a proper Christmas Game, then, it can’t be denied how important the festive holiday period will be in it. The brooding, monstrous experience of the vampire contrasting vividly with a holiday that celebrates generosity, community, and some of humanity’s better traits is a fascinating aspect that we can’t wait to unspool further when we play the full game.

Bloodlines 2 has been delayed from March 2020 to later in the year.