Bloodlines 2 Dialogues Are Designed Like Mazes to Prevent Players from Beelining for “Good Choices”

With Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 now firmly scheduled for an October 2025 release, new developer The Chinese Room, which took over the project from Hardsuit Labs, is gradually revealing more about the long-anticipated sequel. In a new exclusive interview featured in the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine, the studio shared key insights into the narrative and gameplay design philosophy behind the upcoming role-playing game.

One of the standout points from the interview was the team's approach to dialogue design. According to the developers, dialogue trees in Bloodlines 2 have been structured like "mazes" rather than straightforward choice trees. The goal is to discourage players from simply scanning options for the most obviously "good" or "Paragon" response and defaulting to it.

"We ultimately want narrative exploration, so each of those dialogue trees is a kind of maze," the developers explained. "We didn’t want people to switch off and go, ‘I’m looking for the good choice, or the Paragon choice.’ Because the moment you do that, you’re always going to press top right or whatever."

This maze-like dialogue system emphasizes a more immersive narrative experience where players are encouraged to explore the complexities of their interactions rather than min-max moral decisions.

While the sequel shifts the player’s role from a fledgling Thinblood (originally planned by Hardsuit Labs) to an Elder vampire named Phyre, The Chinese Room is making sure that players still have considerable freedom to shape the character. Narrative Director Ian Thomas elaborated:

"We’re deliberately leaving space for the player. If we went, ‘Here is your character, they’re like this, they have done this,’ actually, it’s not important that they know all that backstory — at least to start with, because we are dumping them into a new and unfamiliar situation."

Instead of delivering extensive backstory dumps, Bloodlines 2 will use the reactions of NPCs to convey Phyre’s legendary status, creating an organic narrative where the character’s reputation is built dynamically rather than being told outright. Players will sense Phyre’s true power not just through story moments, but also through the game’s mechanics and sound design.

Lead Sound Designer Tessa Verplancke noted that Phyre’s power is audibly apparent even when their abilities are suppressed:

"Their foley doesn’t make as much noise because even without their powers, even when they’re nerfed, they’re way more silent than all the rest of them. Even in their movements, they’ve been made to be more powerful audibly, and you can subtly tell that nothing is really difficult for you."

In the game’s opening, players will experience Phyre awakening from a long slumber, weakened but still formidable. The game design ensures that Phyre’s strength is communicated not through exposition but through player actions—such as effortlessly flinging enemies across rooms or climbing with superhuman ease—setting a tone of subtle but undeniable dominance from the start.

With just about five months remaining before launch, expectations for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 are higher than ever. The Chinese Room appears committed to balancing faithful homage to the original with bold, modern innovations. Fans can expect more details to be revealed as the release date approaches.

How do you feel about the new maze-like dialogue system in Bloodlines 2? Do you prefer exploring dialogue organically rather than looking for clear "good" or "bad" choices?