I wasn’t really planning to play this game. Could have just skipped it and played something else, but one of my best friends who is alos in video games like me decided to recommend it. I was a little skeptical at first, but I’m glad I took the time to play through it. Let’s start from the very beginning. In 1986, a development team known as FromSoftware was founded in Tokyo, Japan. Their dream was to make games for many others to enjoy for countless years. The goal of any ordinary video game developer. Although this dream would take awhile since most of the games they developed were either exclusively published in Japan or they weren’t a massive hit in the market. In 2009, FromSoftware published a game known as Demon’s Souls, a hardcore action role playing game released exclusively to the Playstation 3 due to a partnership with Sony. FromSoftware wasn’t expecting this game to perform so well, but those expectations would come back around to slap them in the face.
Demon’s Souls was praised for its compelling world building, complex progression system, and it’s steep learning curve. The reason why people loved Demon’s Souls so much was not just because it was hard. It was because it made the player adapt to the world around them and made the story centered around where they were rather than on the player character. During the time Demon’s Souls came out, other developers were beginning to hold players by the hand and remove the engagement from gaming experience. Demon’s Souls popped up and showed what video games should be: challenging and fun. Seeing how this new action RPG was a success, FromSoftware then released a spiritual successor named Dark Souls in 2011, which took the elements that made Demon’s Souls great and refined them. With an incredibly put together world with deep history, dark toned atmosphere filled with wonder and amazement, an interconnected world that looped back into itself, an dreary question of whether a corrupted world should carry on, and ball to walls learning curve; Dark Souls immediately became a massive success. Receiving countless awards, selling millions of copies, and now being considered one of the best games of all time.
Three years later FromSoftware released Dark Souls 2 and just like the first Dark Souls it immediately became an instant success….kinda. Development for Dark Souls 2 was all over the place and failed to understandment what made the first game great. While FromSoftware soon went off to work on Dark Souls 3, they grew somewhat bland of the fantasy-like setting and wanted to try something new. In 2015 they partnered up with Sony again to help create an entirely new franchise. One for a new console generation to love. Combining the gothic cosmic horror elements inspired by the works of H.P Lovecraft and adding new mechanics to improve upon what they originally did right with Dark Souls, FromSoftware created Bloodborne a fast paced hardcore action packed role playing game that modernized the Dark Souls formula in a way that was more accessible. Even though Bloodborne was a PS4 exclusive it became an immediate success. It sold more than a million copies worldwide, gained near perfect praise, was possibly better than Dark Souls, and is even considered not only one of the best games on the PS4, but another one of the best games of all time made by FromSoftware.
Bloodborne really is an amazing game and even though it’s hard I have to admit this is one of the best games I have played in awhile. Hell, I would love to consider it one of my most favorite games of all time now. Originally I started off slow, I’m not very used to the way games like Bloodborne or Hollow Knight teach the player, but over time I became used to the games combat and began to love the compelling world I dumped into. Bloodborne is one of those games that makes you work towards victory and rewards players for taking the time to learn and grow stronger. So today I’m here to talk to you about why I absolutely love Bloodborne and why it deserves you attention! So sharpen your Saw Cleaver, load your Hunter’s Pistol, and prepare for a hunt in the streets of Yharnam. You see, I’m gonna cut you down.
Story
Might as well explain to you the lore of Bloodborne, because to fully appreciate the cryptic world you have to understand it’s history. Unlike the Kingdom of Lordran from Dark Souls which is a place of hope, Bloodborne takes place in the Kingdom of Yharnam which is a place of healing. Buried beneath the kingdom are ancient tombs containing mystical blood capable of curing anything. Harvested from the corpses of powerful beings known as the Ancient Ones. The blood can cure the blind, heal crippled wounds, and eradicate any disease out there. Maybe even STDs, but we don’t know and want to think that hard. A group known as The Healing Church is formed to administer the blood to the people of Yharnam. Civilians from all around the land come to Yharnam for the ancient blood and it’s healing properties. After a few weeks something goes horribly wrong. The ancient blood begins making the residents of Yharnam go insane and transforms them into bloodthirsty beasts.
The kingdom sends out hunters, specialized fighters from a strange mystical plain made to purge the beasts. The hunters worked for a while, but they too slowly fell victim to the best transforming plague. The kingdom is now left deserted with only the blood hungry beasts roaming the streets. This is where you come along. You are an unknown individual who volunteered for a blood administration at Iosefka’s Clinic and are knocked out during the kingdom’s fall. You wake up to find the kingdom filled with beasts and are immediately exiting the clinic to then be killed by a sharp clawed wolf.
You wake up to find yourself in the Hunter’s Dream, the mystical plain where skilled hunters come from. A crippled old man named Gherman states you are now a hunter and since you are bound to the dream you can’t truly die. Your duty is to slay any beasts that stumbles in your path and follow the commands given to you. Afterwards you pick up a set of weapons and are transported back to Yharnam using a paranormal tombstone. Your task is to not only cleanse Yharnam of the beasts, but also figure out what in sam hell is going on. What are the origins of the Hunter’s Dream, who could possibly still be alive in Yharnam, and what was the Healing Church planning all along? Your questions will soon be answered through time, insight, and discovery.
Gameplay
As you journey through each area of the game you encounter many creatures that will lock onto you once they spot you and beat you down until you're nothing more than a pile of flesh. How do you prevent yourself from being killed is what you ask? Well, by using the many weapons and guns you can unlock along your journey. The weapons of Bloodborne are unique in that they each have two forms. One form is usually lighter, makes dodging easier, and attacks in rapid succession. The second form is heavier, staggers enemies easily, and does a tremendous amount of damage with each hit. When I say the weapons of Bloodborne are unique, I mean they are the trickiest (in a positive way) weapons I have used in an action game. You can use a short saw that extends into a long blade. A straight sword that snaps into a greatsword or hammer depending which one you use. An axe that extends into a polearm. A mace that electrifies itself. A katana that coats itself with blood. Dual blades that snap together and split apart. Even a sharp pointed cane that transforms into a whip.
Unlike Dark Souls where the player will mainly use shields in their left hand and weapon in the right, Bloodborne trades them in for guns. Guns can be used to cancel enemy attacks and when timed right they can stun enemies and open them up for a visceral attack which does a tremendous amount of damage. You can upgrade the attack damage of your trick weapons using various upgrade materials and you can also buff them using Blood Gems that pick up throughout the game off of corpses. Some Blood Gems give your weapons status ailments, buffs, or elemental damage types which certain enemies are weak to. Although you have a badass arsenal you can't just keep hitting the enemy. No matter what the size they will kill you within seconds. So you have to learn when to evade and counter their attacks. Don’t get too carried away, because you have a stamina meter. Whenever you attack, dodge, or run you use up a bit of the stamina meter. Don’t use up too much of it either, because when it’s empty you have to wait for it to fill back up leaving you exposed. Not only that, but once you press the button to perform a certain action you can’t cancel out. You have to learn how to conserve stamina, but also learn when to do specific actions at the right time.
Look, nobody is perfect at playing Bloodborne or Dark Souls and you will get hit a few times during combat or while exploring the world. This is where Blood Vials come into play. You can carry up to twenty blood vials at a time and unlike Dark Souls where you have to travel back to the bonfire to refill your health items, Bloodborne allows you to loot Blood Vials off enemies if they drop some. Speaking of items, they are littered throughout the game. By exploring the corners of each area and venturing into deeper territories, you can pick up items that can aid you along your journey including upgrades and weapons. Blood vials will restore a majority of your health, but are finite. Meaning once you use one it’s gone for good. There’s also another way of retaining health you lost. If you immediately attack an enemy after getting hit you will quickly retain a fraction of your health. This system is known as rallying and the more you attack an enemy after getting hit the more health you gain back. It’s a way of telling the player they aren’t totally screwed if they mess up, but encourages them to play risky.
Finally there is the Hunter’s Dream, a place that can only be accessed by traveling there using the many lamps scattered throughout the game. Lamps are your checkpoints and you respawn at the last one you interact with if you die. Here you can upgrade your equipment, upgrade your skills, purchase items, and even fast travel to other lamps. A majority of this stuff can only be done with Blood Echoes which is basically the currency of the game. You gain Blood Echoes whenever you kill enemies, sell items, or consume finite items that give you Blood Echoes. Try not to carry so many at once because if you die you’ll lose all your Blood Echoes. There is a chance of getting them back by backtracking to the area you lost them in. If you die again before retrieving them they're gone for good. This system forces the player to learn and if they don’t they get punished even more. In the Hunter’s Dream there is the Doll and she can use Blood Echoes to upgrade your stats. These stats include strength, endurance, vitality, bloodtinge, arcane, and much more. By putting points into certain categories you can increase the efficiency of certain weapons and forge the playstyle you want. You can be a beefy warrior who hits hard with a hammer, have an arcane build which utilizes magic or buffs, or a bloodtinge which is made for weapons centered around blood or ripping enemies' guts apart. The choice is yours. No playstyle is bad as long as it works.
At the end of each area there is a boss. Each with different abilities that will test your skills, memorization, and reflexes. They are the hardest part of Bloodborne and require understandment and time to beat. Once you beat them you obtain a huge amount of Blood Echoes and can progress to the next area. There isn’t much else to say about Bloodborne. Everything is extremely well designed and keeps the player pushing forward. Hopefully you can learn more about Yharnam along your journey and fight your way through what has to be one of the worst nights in the kingdom.
Paleblood will guide your way, embrace the changes and be consumed.
Thoughts
Bloodborne truly is one of the best games ever made and possibly one of the best games made by FromSoftware. It may just be a better designed experience than Dark Souls due to how it approaches it’s mechanics. Dark Souls has more defensive combat while Bloodborne encourages the player to be aggressive by throwing them against ferocious foes that wail at them from every side, and due to no defensive options like shields or upgradable armor the player is forced to adapt and understand each enemy and their attack pattern. You know, to engage the player. Through “engaging” gameplay and systems. You’ll get it eventually if you actually use your brain. The weapons are really cool and all feel different. Dark Souls felt copy and pasted at times with it’s weapons. Oh look, a straight sword and another straight sword that both play identical to each other. Yeah, there are stats bonuses or traits for weapons, but they could have been a little more creative or given certain weapons special attacks or animations. Here with Bloodborne the trick weapons feel well thought out and satisfying to wield. You are even rewarded for investing into a specific playstyle and taking on new ones which is nice since most RPGs these days have problems that can all be solved using the same solution over and over. Never encouraging to go outside your personal space.
The world is beautiful, the gothic atmosphere providing a sense of dread and not knowing what may happen next. You’ll end up in one area and ask yourself how you even got there. Then stumble around for half an hour and let the pieces fall together into a nice little diorama. The story and history of Bloodborne is less focused on the player and more on the world and characters they come across. Nobody gives a sh*t about you, Yharnam is the main character and FromSoftware does a good job at reminding the player of that. The maze-like design of the world makes exploring it even more enjoyable. This is the game where you'll start in one area, progress through a bunch of others, and unlock a path that winds up back in an area you were in earlier.
I would like to mention again how Bloodborne builds it’s world. Item descriptions, character dialogue, events that change the world or showcase what happened, or just gazing into some scenery. Unlike the original Dark Souls which I believed followed a linear path for a while, Bloodborne feels more open within the first two hours. There are loads of extra areas to stumble upon in the game and the level design even tricks you into ending up in these optional areas. You can nab a few extra goodies and upgrades if you take the time to explore them. Personally I believe Bloodborne is a masterpiece and I don’t really have that many bad things to say about. Almost every aspect was perfected and even though it’s challenging at times it can be extremely rewarding.
At the end of the day one thing matters, games should be games. They shouldn't be movies you paid sixty dollars for; they should be challenging, engaging, and most importantly fun. Some of you may be turned down by how difficult Bloodborne is, but it’s a good example of how every video game should at least aim to be. The last time I encountered a game this good was probably Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight. I highly recommend Bloodborne and luckily it’s highly replayable thanks to its multitude of secrets, different endings, and a new games plus mode which I may go back to later. In the end I give Bloodborne a 10/10 for being incredible. Masterpiece!
Bleak bells will chime dismay and call the cries of the paleblood moon!
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