Bloodborne is already a fantastic game. So any incarnation of it is destined to have a strong foundation to jump off of. But Bloodborne PSX does more than simply iterate. At first it serves as just a homage to Bloodborne and the Playstation. And it does this excellently, the models and the sound design stand out as incredibly well done. The models have the charm of early Playstation games like Resident Evil. I'd even argue that many of the designs of the monsters are scarier in this version than in the original as your mind fills in the blanks of what these things could be. And the sound design is beautifully compressed and visceral at the same time.

However, after the fight with Father Gascoigne, Bloodborne PSX decides to do its own thing. Taking after classic Playstation puzzle games, there is a mysterious new locale to explore using a series of keys and secret passages. This all feels nostalgic to an era I never grew up in but cherish nonetheless. The new areas fit into Bloodborne in such a way that someone who hadn't played the original could be forgiven for mistaking them as derived from it. The final encounter to the selection of new content is a wholly unique bossfight with an original score to accompany it. Out of the three included boss fights I think it the best. Which is a feat to be certain when you compare the years of design from a creative team on the original to a single dev's own mind in Bloodborne PSX. Gilbert, the Outsider is an expansion on the story of an NPC met early in Bloodborne. His boss fight is a cinematic marvel given the artistic limitations on the game.

Bloodborne PSX is a remarkable little game. It's independent developer, Lilith Walther, has made something striking. This is the sort of project that gets people attached to a developer. I know I am keeping an eye out for whatever her next project will be.