This review contains spoilers
The first review of 2023 and also the first game I finished will go to Bloodborne.
I will start by saying the things I didn't like in this game - because it is a game almost perfect enough for me to not even dislike anything about it. From Software is indeed famous for making hard games - as everyone is aware - and Bloodborne is no different. However! In my own personal opinion, the limited amount of Health Flasks (and even bullets) is somewhat a bad design. "But you can just farm them very easily in many parts of the game!" And while that is true, I do not like to do so. It reminds me of Demon's Souls, where you also had a limited amount of health items - and let me tell you, it was a PAIN. Limited health items paired with hard bosses AND difficult sessions are bad design. I have to praise the Estus Flasks from Dark Souls (and now Elden Ring), because they definitely saved us a lot of time farming souls just to try and kill the boss again.
Another thing I did not like is the lack of items. I did not have enough time to explore the game fully, because I was playing at someone's else house and I had like 2 weeks to finish it - but throughout the game, I did not find many weapons nor many outfits. You can easily finish the game using the initial weapons and outfits, and while this is not a flaw - it is in the aspect that I liked the game's design so much that I wanted to see more clothes, more weapons, and more guns! :)
With that out of the way, I am 100% able to say that, in my experience with From Software, this is their best game. I am very biased toward Lovecraft and Victorian Era, so bear that in mind.
The aesthetic of this game hits the spot immediately after you exit the clinic at the beginning of the game, you walk through this nightmarish city, filled with beasts and unimaginable horrors - and you, as a hunter, need to hunt. You become stronger with the help of a creepy but comforting doll, and a strange old man helps you in your journey. Those are, mostly, your only friends - with few exceptions of NPCs you can find around the game. Some are friendly, others are not.
I don't think I need to praise more the design, so let's go over the combat. I have NOT played Dark Souls 3, but I WANT to say this is by far the most aggressive game (I will not include Sekiro on this) - because of the mechanic where you can regain health by hitting enemies when you get hit, and also shooting them just before they attack. This alone makes this game much, much more entertaining. Beasts and even humans are vulnerable to this, and you can quickly end a fight that you were having a shit ton of trouble just with two to three of these (with exception of bosses, I guess). The trick weapons are also a great addition, and while I did not do any of the PVP content, I want to say that the hunters you find around are quite troublesome because of this. But once you get the hang of it, my boy, it's amazing.
There is a good mixture of humanoid bosses and beast bosses, so if you like to fight with enemies of the same size instead of giant abominations, you will find a few of them. Though there are like 3 or 4, the fights are very memorable, a hunter is a hunter even in a dream, after all.
This a nitpick of mine, but the Forbidden Forest is by far the worst section of the game - but From Software seems to love forests filled with poison, so I will let them pass. But even then, the forest itself has a very nice ambiance, enough to give you the creeps.
And when you think you saw enough, you kill Rom, and the game you knew is changed drastically - the illusion of the world is broken and you see Bloodborne for what it truly is. An eldritch horror. This will be the only spoiler - so fret not. But if you're reading this, I assume you've already finished this 2015 game a couple of times.
Anyway. There is a lot more I'd like to add to this review, but unfortunately I don't think I will be able to - since exploration for me was quite short and I COULDN'T finish everything I wanted. I have not played the DLCs either, but alas... it happens. The game is shrouded with mystery, so I will not comment much on the lore either - but from the little bits I saw, I can say it is very inspired by Lovecraft and From Software did a good job with it. This is one of the games I forgive for not telling you much and leaving a lot of questions - just because it is heavily inspired by the works of H.P.
Never explain anything.
Thank you, good hunters, for reading this. And I hope this review can remind you of how good this game is, or bring new hunters to the night. Farewell.
I will start by saying the things I didn't like in this game - because it is a game almost perfect enough for me to not even dislike anything about it. From Software is indeed famous for making hard games - as everyone is aware - and Bloodborne is no different. However! In my own personal opinion, the limited amount of Health Flasks (and even bullets) is somewhat a bad design. "But you can just farm them very easily in many parts of the game!" And while that is true, I do not like to do so. It reminds me of Demon's Souls, where you also had a limited amount of health items - and let me tell you, it was a PAIN. Limited health items paired with hard bosses AND difficult sessions are bad design. I have to praise the Estus Flasks from Dark Souls (and now Elden Ring), because they definitely saved us a lot of time farming souls just to try and kill the boss again.
Another thing I did not like is the lack of items. I did not have enough time to explore the game fully, because I was playing at someone's else house and I had like 2 weeks to finish it - but throughout the game, I did not find many weapons nor many outfits. You can easily finish the game using the initial weapons and outfits, and while this is not a flaw - it is in the aspect that I liked the game's design so much that I wanted to see more clothes, more weapons, and more guns! :)
With that out of the way, I am 100% able to say that, in my experience with From Software, this is their best game. I am very biased toward Lovecraft and Victorian Era, so bear that in mind.
The aesthetic of this game hits the spot immediately after you exit the clinic at the beginning of the game, you walk through this nightmarish city, filled with beasts and unimaginable horrors - and you, as a hunter, need to hunt. You become stronger with the help of a creepy but comforting doll, and a strange old man helps you in your journey. Those are, mostly, your only friends - with few exceptions of NPCs you can find around the game. Some are friendly, others are not.
I don't think I need to praise more the design, so let's go over the combat. I have NOT played Dark Souls 3, but I WANT to say this is by far the most aggressive game (I will not include Sekiro on this) - because of the mechanic where you can regain health by hitting enemies when you get hit, and also shooting them just before they attack. This alone makes this game much, much more entertaining. Beasts and even humans are vulnerable to this, and you can quickly end a fight that you were having a shit ton of trouble just with two to three of these (with exception of bosses, I guess). The trick weapons are also a great addition, and while I did not do any of the PVP content, I want to say that the hunters you find around are quite troublesome because of this. But once you get the hang of it, my boy, it's amazing.
There is a good mixture of humanoid bosses and beast bosses, so if you like to fight with enemies of the same size instead of giant abominations, you will find a few of them. Though there are like 3 or 4, the fights are very memorable, a hunter is a hunter even in a dream, after all.
This a nitpick of mine, but the Forbidden Forest is by far the worst section of the game - but From Software seems to love forests filled with poison, so I will let them pass. But even then, the forest itself has a very nice ambiance, enough to give you the creeps.
And when you think you saw enough, you kill Rom, and the game you knew is changed drastically - the illusion of the world is broken and you see Bloodborne for what it truly is. An eldritch horror. This will be the only spoiler - so fret not. But if you're reading this, I assume you've already finished this 2015 game a couple of times.
Anyway. There is a lot more I'd like to add to this review, but unfortunately I don't think I will be able to - since exploration for me was quite short and I COULDN'T finish everything I wanted. I have not played the DLCs either, but alas... it happens. The game is shrouded with mystery, so I will not comment much on the lore either - but from the little bits I saw, I can say it is very inspired by Lovecraft and From Software did a good job with it. This is one of the games I forgive for not telling you much and leaving a lot of questions - just because it is heavily inspired by the works of H.P.
Never explain anything.
Thank you, good hunters, for reading this. And I hope this review can remind you of how good this game is, or bring new hunters to the night. Farewell.
medbottle
1 year ago
Thanks From Software.