Today, The Chinese Room has released a new Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 developer diary dedicated to the game's mortal non-player characters (NPCs). As the World of Darkness Head of Creative Management Karim Muammar puts it, vampires can only be striking if they have a mortal backdrop. Bloodlines 2 will feature several human NPCs who are, however, either knowingly or unknowingly, still entangled with the vampires of Seattle.
For example, Pandora Graves is a young girl that protagonist Phyre will meet in a bar. She knows quite a bit about the Kindred, and yet doesn't appear to realize the danger she's in by putting herself so close to vampires. Then there's Verona De Lancey, the offspring of wealthy parents who decided to come to the big city to search for more excitement. Apparently, she got more than she bargained for, having received a death threat in her handbag after a single night in Seattle.
Dale Beecher, on the other hand, is aware that Kindred society exists but only occasionally crosses paths with them, even though, from the description, he sounds like some kind of alchemist vendor. Biker Guru says he's able to sense ghosts, but seems unfazed by that fact. He can usually be found close to the rest of his biker friends near The Dutchman bar.
Carla was a dedicated paramedic, but she parted ways with her employers after something went wrong in their work relationship. However, she still looks out for the people of Seattle, dispensing medicine on the city's streets. Then there's Reggie, a bum with a philosophical view of the city, how it works, and where he can make a difference. He haunts Pioneer Square and usually has a good idea of what's going on in the streets nearby.
Marigold is a familiar figure on the streets near Atrium. She's been conducting her trade with passers-by for a long time and now also offers fortune-telling through astrology. Shelby was a trader in a major financial organization until six months ago when she received a revelation. Now, she walks the streets of uptown Seattle, making sure everyone is well aware of the coming rapture, although, according to her, there's nothing to fear.
Wheeler is a trustworthy officer of the Seattle Police Department. However, he has problems with his memory from time to time and is aware that things aren't quite the way they should be. Lastly, Mr. Lemon is a drunkard who has been in the Seattle Police Department's drunk-tank for a few days now and still hasn’t sobered up.
According to The Chinese Room, players will influence the lives of all these mortal NPCs (and more) in one way or another when going through Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2. The next developer diary is scheduled in two weeks and will focus on Hunters. The game is still slated to launch this year on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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