There was such a game as Prototype, and there was a sequel to it. They never added multiplayer to the first part, though they wanted to, and then they planned to implement it in the second part - but it didn't appear there either. And it would have been a lot of fun - at least thanks to the running on the walls, which would have made the battles very dynamic. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt gives a rough idea of what such an online mode would look like - the Sharkmob team has an entertainment that has something to offer against the competition.
While Bloodhunt is a battle royale, a lot of it is done differently than similar games. You don't fall out of the sky onto the map - you just pick a point and show up in roughly the right place. Poisonous red gas is looming over the city from all sides, but there is no division into zones-circles - the boundaries of the next safe area are formed as if at random. They don't let you hunt with your bare hands, but give you a gun right away. But there are also the usual elements: dozens of players in a match (up to 45) and the announcement of victory only if you are the last survivor. Or if your squad survives - there are "Solo" and "Trio" modes.
The main difference has to do with the characters, each of which is a representative of one of the clans of the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. World of Darkness fans were outraged by the game's announcement, seeing the release of Battle Royale based on the much-revered Vampire Masquerade as an abuse, but the quality of the game was not affected by the choice of universe. On the one hand, using a big name brand might seem parasitic, but on the other hand, why not use it since you're making a game about vampires?
Everyone's extra abilities are different. The Gromila, for example, creates a shockwave, a kind of small shield that temporarily saves you from bullets. And saboteur can put bombs, which emit poisonous gas when enemies approach. Passive skills are also different for everyone: some partially restore health, some reduce the movement speed of enemies near him. Another "passive" can be changed if one or another character reaches the desired level, and the options are different for different heroes: you can speed up reloading, increase the movement speed in crouching, and so on.
But the main thing that unites all the characters is the ability to climb walls. Even if you climb the car or the tallest tower, there is no stamina or other limitations. Regardless of the chosen building it does not take much time, so you can change tactics on the fly: walk the streets, then jump on the rooftops.
Part of the game is reminiscent of the deceased Hyper Scape, where verticality was one of the "chips" of gameplay. But if that made it hard to defeat someone there, in Bloodhunt the balance is better. Characters don't have much health, and if they're trying to escape quickly, you also have options in your arsenal to catch up with them.
The approach to combat depends on the hero you choose. For example, the bullet-proof Gromila is good in medium-range shootings. And Peacemaker, invulnerable when using the skill, not bad in close combat. Find the right weapon quickly - the heroes can scan the area and see where to lay items of equipment, among which there are guns and medkits. First aid kits here, of course, are syringes and blood bags. And guns are not that special: pistols, machine guns, machine guns, and so on. Crossbows stand out, but they are more difficult to shoot accurately than standard weapons.
Fans of the single-player Vampire: The Masquerade will probably continue to wrinkle their noses and resent the existence of such a game, but I would recommend trying Bloodhunt if multiplayer entertainment is even close to you. There are no significant innovations that will affect future games in the popular genre, but the ideas are there and implemented quite well. Upgrading in the course of the match, running on the walls, revivals and a small map where something almost always happens - all this refreshes the usual gameplay and makes Bloodhunt a worthy player in the arena of royal battles.
Pros: a stylish universe with equally good city design and character costumes (though, mostly paid); interesting ideas that are rare in the genre, such as revivals and upgrade during a match; running through the walls of buildings is fun; exciting match endings; all classes have useful skills, prompting a different approach to each battle.
Cons: revivals sometimes happen outside of the safe zone; picking up weapons from dead bodies can be problematic; it's hard to quickly understand which class the opponent is playing.
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