I think this might be the coolest game i've ever played? Fromsoft totally knock it out of the park with this one and I can't believe it took me so long to see this game for just how insanely good it really is.
I've gone from dark souls to elden ring to this and the difference in tone & gameplay feels really apparent having now done so - I tried this game before playing other fromsoft titles but hit a brick wall with Father Gascoigne and put it down. Eventually I picked it up again and it very quickly clicked, my approach was just all wrong.
Bloodborne's rally and visceral attack mechanics work so well to craft an aggressive combat system that balances risk and reward and encourages players to get in rather than back out, which is a tough habit to kick after other souls games. Hit & run is still a worthwhile method a lot of the time but can be overall less reliable with many encounters than just getting in and tearing shit up, baiting out attacks and being ballsy with parries. This was my experience anyway, but bloodborne absolutely encourages it. This game made me feel bloodthirsty (in game lol), and if we're judging games by how well they execute what they set out to do, well, I guess that's an A+.
Dark Souls, Elden Ring and this are all clear masterpieces but in bloodborne's case the positives extend even further in its favour and I will think on it but i'm feeling like this is my favourite one for those reasons.
Bloodborne doesn't change the wheel in terms of fromsoft's game design and philosophy but it doesn't have to, its an incredibly strong formula from the get go, but it transforms it into something simultaneously new and fresh. There's still the fascinating interconnected world-building, brutal boss fights & hands off, vague storytelling that fromsoft games' are famous for but each facet just lend themselves so brilliantly to bloodborne's aesthetic and dark, twisted universe. One of the things that make this game so strong in particular is how plainly focused it feels as an overall experience. Rpg elements are there but they're simplified and streamlined to make something quickly gratifying, you can choose a weapon and chances are that will be your weapon for most if not all of the game. Then there's the lore and world building, which, while it can get very deep and complicated, on the surface and as a first time casual player is pretty straightforward (at least for a fromsoft game). Your apparent purpose is quickly made clear and there's only one thing for it - get hunting and rid the streets of beasts, hell yeah. I also love the trick weapons and how versatile they can feel, parrying and landing visceral attacks is fucking sweet and replacing locked on rolling with quickstepping is just a fantastic change to speed up bloodborne's combat over typical souls combat and allow you to get in and out for attacks with ease. As the game progresses, the aforementioned 'focus' lifts somewhat as you're presented with the weird and wonderful dark secrets of yharnam, but this is very welcome, because bloodborne takes what it teaches you and the lore that it has drip fed you and serves up a meal, constantly giving you more, but i'm never full. I even think this game could serve with maybe one or two more areas! I just want more and more of this, please fromsoft give us more.
With only a few exceptions (Rom, Witch of Hemwick, Micolash, Living Failures) bloodborne's bosses all absolutely slap and do away with things like silly gimmicks or poor balancing. They really feel like a test of qualities like skill, patience, awareness and how much you're willing to commit to a risk, which is what the best soulsborne bosses do, but that's almost all of the bosses here. Frankly, even the more gimmicky bosses in this game are pretty fun to fight owing to bloodborne's fantastic combat system and jaw dropping setpieces.
But yes many bosses in bloodborne feel very much on your level and like a fair fight - my personal favourite fights in the game are against fellow hunters like maria and gascoigne and just the general hunter minibosses that you find out in the world. These fights feel almost like you're fighting a mirror of yourself, but your opponent has exciting hidden talents and abilities that are like a goosebump lifting surprise. Many of bloodborne's bosses have tricks up their sleeve and shocking 'oh shit' moments when they come out with a new phase or transformation or crazy attack, but its basically always clearly telegraphed and some of these made me stare in disbelief and joy at how insane they get.
Tying to bloodborne's dark and twisted world, the boss and enemy designs are brilliant, ranging from crazed yharnamites and blood drunk hunters, to corrupted creatures of the night and eventually, horrific abominations and terrors from another world. The H.P. Lovecraft influences are so clear in this world and these monster designs, but these things also feel entirely unique and endlessly surprising. Especially when put in context and when you've read up on the lore, Bloodborne's world across Yharnam, the Hunters Nightmare and all of its other iconic locations just feels so visceral and real. The horror aspects of bloodborne really got under my skin at times in a way only the video game medium can properly achieve. The grey, gross, decaying environment filled with unholy sounds and fearsome enemies hiding around just about any corner just made me feel vulnerable and anxious, but at the same time, I also felt capable and ready to take everything on. This mixed feeling is the epitome of why games can be so great as a medium, experiences like bloodborne don't come around often but when they do, you can just feel the developers intentions and what they want to achieve, and as far as i'm concerned they did 100% knock it out of the park.
Oh yeah and the pre-industrial weapon, costume and architectural designs are just the coolest shit ever, I feel like such a badass walking around these old england-like locations with my vampire hunter looking cloak swaying in the wind, treading through murky puddles and thick mist & fog, getting absolutely soaked in blood. Man, that shit is just glorious isn't it? Bloodborne makes edge cool again.
Blimey then there's the dlc, just a perfect way of adding extra content to a game that feels relevant and necessary. The areas and bosses are some of the strongest in the entire game, particularly maria who embodies everything great about this game's combat, presenting a fair but challenging fight complete with a wonderfully dramatic setpiece, banger music and three phases that go absolutely wild. Orphan of Kos kicked my ass for hours but its definitely a really good fight, that second phase is such a nightmare, I think its maybe the hardest boss i've ever beaten in a game. Those screams will forever echo in my head, fuck they gave me such a headache, but beating that son of a bitch felt like such a triumph man.
All in all, a total work of art and a joy to play from start to finish. Playing it feels so effortless now, I can just do it over and over again and still manage to capture this same sense of thrill and captivation every time. Nothing is redundant in bloodborne, nothing is just padding and nothing is unnecessary. There's tiny little complaints here and there like chalice dungeons being repetitive and boring, they might be the only exception to that rule (they are totally optional though to be fair), farming vials and bullets can potentially also be quite tedious (you really need them for boss fights or it can feel like a death sentence) and there is an only slight lack of variety in build types and personalisation options, but most of these just feel like personal nitpicking. This is pretty much a flawless game experience and I really hope that this isn't the last we've seen of the hunters, i'm holding out hope!!
I've gone from dark souls to elden ring to this and the difference in tone & gameplay feels really apparent having now done so - I tried this game before playing other fromsoft titles but hit a brick wall with Father Gascoigne and put it down. Eventually I picked it up again and it very quickly clicked, my approach was just all wrong.
Bloodborne's rally and visceral attack mechanics work so well to craft an aggressive combat system that balances risk and reward and encourages players to get in rather than back out, which is a tough habit to kick after other souls games. Hit & run is still a worthwhile method a lot of the time but can be overall less reliable with many encounters than just getting in and tearing shit up, baiting out attacks and being ballsy with parries. This was my experience anyway, but bloodborne absolutely encourages it. This game made me feel bloodthirsty (in game lol), and if we're judging games by how well they execute what they set out to do, well, I guess that's an A+.
Dark Souls, Elden Ring and this are all clear masterpieces but in bloodborne's case the positives extend even further in its favour and I will think on it but i'm feeling like this is my favourite one for those reasons.
Bloodborne doesn't change the wheel in terms of fromsoft's game design and philosophy but it doesn't have to, its an incredibly strong formula from the get go, but it transforms it into something simultaneously new and fresh. There's still the fascinating interconnected world-building, brutal boss fights & hands off, vague storytelling that fromsoft games' are famous for but each facet just lend themselves so brilliantly to bloodborne's aesthetic and dark, twisted universe. One of the things that make this game so strong in particular is how plainly focused it feels as an overall experience. Rpg elements are there but they're simplified and streamlined to make something quickly gratifying, you can choose a weapon and chances are that will be your weapon for most if not all of the game. Then there's the lore and world building, which, while it can get very deep and complicated, on the surface and as a first time casual player is pretty straightforward (at least for a fromsoft game). Your apparent purpose is quickly made clear and there's only one thing for it - get hunting and rid the streets of beasts, hell yeah. I also love the trick weapons and how versatile they can feel, parrying and landing visceral attacks is fucking sweet and replacing locked on rolling with quickstepping is just a fantastic change to speed up bloodborne's combat over typical souls combat and allow you to get in and out for attacks with ease. As the game progresses, the aforementioned 'focus' lifts somewhat as you're presented with the weird and wonderful dark secrets of yharnam, but this is very welcome, because bloodborne takes what it teaches you and the lore that it has drip fed you and serves up a meal, constantly giving you more, but i'm never full. I even think this game could serve with maybe one or two more areas! I just want more and more of this, please fromsoft give us more.
With only a few exceptions (Rom, Witch of Hemwick, Micolash, Living Failures) bloodborne's bosses all absolutely slap and do away with things like silly gimmicks or poor balancing. They really feel like a test of qualities like skill, patience, awareness and how much you're willing to commit to a risk, which is what the best soulsborne bosses do, but that's almost all of the bosses here. Frankly, even the more gimmicky bosses in this game are pretty fun to fight owing to bloodborne's fantastic combat system and jaw dropping setpieces.
But yes many bosses in bloodborne feel very much on your level and like a fair fight - my personal favourite fights in the game are against fellow hunters like maria and gascoigne and just the general hunter minibosses that you find out in the world. These fights feel almost like you're fighting a mirror of yourself, but your opponent has exciting hidden talents and abilities that are like a goosebump lifting surprise. Many of bloodborne's bosses have tricks up their sleeve and shocking 'oh shit' moments when they come out with a new phase or transformation or crazy attack, but its basically always clearly telegraphed and some of these made me stare in disbelief and joy at how insane they get.
Tying to bloodborne's dark and twisted world, the boss and enemy designs are brilliant, ranging from crazed yharnamites and blood drunk hunters, to corrupted creatures of the night and eventually, horrific abominations and terrors from another world. The H.P. Lovecraft influences are so clear in this world and these monster designs, but these things also feel entirely unique and endlessly surprising. Especially when put in context and when you've read up on the lore, Bloodborne's world across Yharnam, the Hunters Nightmare and all of its other iconic locations just feels so visceral and real. The horror aspects of bloodborne really got under my skin at times in a way only the video game medium can properly achieve. The grey, gross, decaying environment filled with unholy sounds and fearsome enemies hiding around just about any corner just made me feel vulnerable and anxious, but at the same time, I also felt capable and ready to take everything on. This mixed feeling is the epitome of why games can be so great as a medium, experiences like bloodborne don't come around often but when they do, you can just feel the developers intentions and what they want to achieve, and as far as i'm concerned they did 100% knock it out of the park.
Oh yeah and the pre-industrial weapon, costume and architectural designs are just the coolest shit ever, I feel like such a badass walking around these old england-like locations with my vampire hunter looking cloak swaying in the wind, treading through murky puddles and thick mist & fog, getting absolutely soaked in blood. Man, that shit is just glorious isn't it? Bloodborne makes edge cool again.
Blimey then there's the dlc, just a perfect way of adding extra content to a game that feels relevant and necessary. The areas and bosses are some of the strongest in the entire game, particularly maria who embodies everything great about this game's combat, presenting a fair but challenging fight complete with a wonderfully dramatic setpiece, banger music and three phases that go absolutely wild. Orphan of Kos kicked my ass for hours but its definitely a really good fight, that second phase is such a nightmare, I think its maybe the hardest boss i've ever beaten in a game. Those screams will forever echo in my head, fuck they gave me such a headache, but beating that son of a bitch felt like such a triumph man.
All in all, a total work of art and a joy to play from start to finish. Playing it feels so effortless now, I can just do it over and over again and still manage to capture this same sense of thrill and captivation every time. Nothing is redundant in bloodborne, nothing is just padding and nothing is unnecessary. There's tiny little complaints here and there like chalice dungeons being repetitive and boring, they might be the only exception to that rule (they are totally optional though to be fair), farming vials and bullets can potentially also be quite tedious (you really need them for boss fights or it can feel like a death sentence) and there is an only slight lack of variety in build types and personalisation options, but most of these just feel like personal nitpicking. This is pretty much a flawless game experience and I really hope that this isn't the last we've seen of the hunters, i'm holding out hope!!