How did "Bloodhunt" Fix Battle Royale (Sort Of)
If you have been a fan of the genre, you surely have seen the latest release by Sharkmob Studios (one of the newest family members of Tencent) called: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt, or simply Bloodhunt. You may think "Another BR game, really?" and you are absolutely right about it. Because when you look into the current trend of competitive gaming, it is nearly impossible to reach a massive player base without the "royale" word in your game. There are many reasons behind this but today's article is not about that. It is mostly about why Bloodhunt is special and what does it differently compare to others?
Is Battle Royale Dead?
Short answer: no. Here is the long answer.
When you look into the industry leads, you are going to realize that each game brings something unique to the table, like:
While these features may separate each game's community from the other, Battle Royale fan expectations are mostly the same. That's why the core loop of this genre hasn't changed in years.
"Match with lots of players > spawn in a map > loot items to get stronger > run away from the danger zone > fight others to win"
Studios tried to keep the "Randomness" aspect of their game's design while introducing their own flavor, which has been working pretty well so far for the games above. Hyperspace, Radical Heights and games like Darwin Project also proved that the genre itself is not enough to stay alive.
But of course, to keep the engine rolling, the unique features are not enough.
So basically it is a living, breathing genre and it is not easy to be a part of it for a long time. But what about Bloodhunt?
It is Vampires Baby!
Vampire: The Masquerade, since its debut as a board game, has been a part of the gaming world in different styles, but mostly as RPGs. This time, Sharkmob decided to keep the theme as it is while introducing an alternative timeline that works with Battle Royale very well. Yes, they would call it "Vampire Royale" but The Masquerade carries this genre on its shoulders very well with its deep lore and the world itself.
But of course, the theme itself is not enough to open a new window into the BR genre. Let's have a look at what they offer and what are the outcomes.
Replayability
One of the major issues for the genre (for me) is the lack of replayability. Yes, the Randomness is the key factor of any BR game to play more but, as time goes by it gets boring and you start to feel like you are doing the same thing. What Bloodhunt does here is actually very similar to Apex Legends, introducing classes.
There are 7 different classes in Bloodhunt, each comes with 2 active and 1 passive skill. These skills can be a game-changer if you can use them at the right place and at the right time. Because the game is quite new, there are some balance issues here and there but this itself is enough for me to stick more days than a regular BR game.
Not only you can change the class you play at each game, you as a player level up each class to unlock Perks, which grant different passive abilities. So the game encourages you to play each class and find something that fits your playstyle.
Due to the nature of playing with a different class, this opens new ways to combine weapons with the skills you have. While many BR games choose to focus on ranged combat, here you can build a pure melee character. Or just choose a class that is good at range skills and support it with range weapons. A good way to push players to try and experience different weapons.
Survivability
The other issue that I'm facing in similar games is the mechanics that help me to stay alive for longer times. In most games, the main rule of surviving is to use consumable items for HP or Armor. Here, things are a bit different.
The very first thing is having two lives in Solo mode instead of one. Warzone did a similar thing with Gulag but that also tied with your shooting skill. Here, the rule is simple: for the majority of the game (until the last 1-2 circles I believe), you can resurrect yourself. The game respawns you somewhere safe and gives you some time to run to a place you want. So Bloodhunt not only increases your playtime and extends the fun, but also gives you a comfort zone to run to safety before the fight. Very clever.
The second and probably the most interesting one is to act as a true vampire. On the map, you may encounter friendly and hostile NPCs. These friendly NPCs are acting as a source of HP and stat. If you attempt to suck their blood, they fill your HP bar and give you a stat upgrade, which stays active until the end of the game. The best thing is that there are still different types of consumables to regenerate your HP. These NPCs create more ways to survive and let you keep fighting. (Oh, and you can do the same thing to your fallen enemies as well.
One thing also supports survivability is the ability to choose where you will respawn and see other players' locations. This is a very clever way to let users know who is close and where the high-tier loot is. Oh and thank god we are not jumping from a plane or a chopper...
And the last mechanic which is simple yet very effective is the ability to scan your surroundings. In BR games, you need to search every corner of the game to find weapons and equipment, without -mostly- indicators or help. Here in Bloodhunt, you can scan the area around you to reveal things you can loot and NPCs you can interact with. This may look like a very "anti" Battle Royale mechanic but in the nature of this game, it works pretty well and prevents players to get lost.
Diversity
Apex Legends, thanks to its class-based gameplay and fast-paced movement requirement with clever map designs, offers a strong Diversity in its gameplay. Here, Bloodhunt follows the same steps but with more additional features.
The first thing is you can climb literally "anywhere" and there is no fall damage. Ubisoft's failed BR game Hyperspace tried the same thing but not as good as this one. The game has only one level but thanks to its vertical movement options, you are free to go anywhere, anytime. This creates very unexpected gameplay moments, especially while running from the circle.
Of course, this feature allows players to shoot out while in the air, which requires you to carefully observe your surroundings, not just the floor ahead.
The other thing is the rules of the game. Bloodhunt offers a common BR experience but also introduces a new game mechanic each time you play a game. This can be something like: a faster danger zone, a lack of hostile NPCs, or something that will make the gameplay more interesting.
Conclusion
As I have stated in the title, Bloodhunt doesn't fix anything really but instead, it has some balls to try new ideas, instead of focusing on a simpler and maybe safer route. Currently, the game's PC CCU numbers are steadily growing and probably performing better on PS5. Bloodhunt is a very good example of approaching hard-coded game genres with clever ideas that may give you the recognition you are looking for. It may not be big as other big boys but it is surely a memorable experience.
Thanks for reading.