Posted in: Games, Paradox Interactive, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, Video Games | Tagged: the chinese room, Vampire the Masquerade

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Talks Art Style In Dev Diary

Check out the latest developer diary for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, as the team discusses the Neo-Noir art style.

Paradox Interactive and developer The Chinese Room have released their third developer diary, going over the art of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The team goes over a new style they have made for the game called neo-Noir, which meshes a few different styles into one overall look to give this version of Seattle its entire vibe. This is a city where evil resides but doesn't really rule over everything. Instead, it creeps in the shadows and uses the constant cloud cover and rain to make it a perfect nesting ground for vampires. We have a few snippets of the blog for you below.

What is Neo-Noir

Neo-Noir is a revival movement of Film Noir from the mid-20th century. Artists focus on modern-day cities, painting them in bright neon lights and deep shadows. It's very moody and evokes places that harbor sinister characters. Think Blade Runner or John Wick. Subversive, Dark, and Threatening, are all Neo-Noir conventions we're focusing on for our game. VtM is all of these tones, and so naturally, it worked hand in hand when it came to creating the seedy underbelly of our Seattle. From Locations to Characters our vision is about showing a side of Seattle at night that goes deeper than what you see on the surface. Whether it's dark-cornered alleyways to roam or interiors that host Machiavellian politics behind closed doors. Neo-Noir puts atmosphere and contrast at the center of its palette, and that's something that works perfectly with our Vampire fantasy and, ultimately, Bloodlines 2.

Seattle By Night

It's not a 1:1 scale replica, but we've created our Seattle by spending a lot of time researching with Google Earth, maps, and real-life visits. We haven't taken things verbatim, but we have tried to capture the soul of the city and give it a Vampire Skew. The focus is on creating a world that lives in between the living world. Dark places just outside of the streets and high rises of the living world. We also looked at other American cities like New York and San Francisco. References on alleyways, pipes, and fire escapes have helped us make it feel lived-in. Snow is a big feature of the city's look. It organically changes the shapes and feel of streets, rooftops, and buildings. It fills the air around you to create a beautiful mood. Noir is famous for its rain, but we love the look of how it covers everything.

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