Ah, Bloodborne, From Software's most creative and hauntingly beautiful universe. In this review, we shall take a dive into the creepy, the unknown, and the eldritch that is Bloodborne.
INTRO:
Holy mother of God, I love this game! Bloodborne is like a nightmare that you wander into and never want to leave, as crazy as that sounds. From Software began development on Bloodborne back in 2012 under the name Project Beast. Hidetaka Miyazki, From Software President, wanted to create a new IP (intellectual property) instead of making another souls game at the time, and actually, PlayStation wanted an exclusive, new IP for the system and asked him to make one. With his inspiration stemming from H.P. Lovecraft and Dracula and even architectural designs of Romania and the Czech Republic: Bloodborne was...born. All right, enough jokes. Let's get into this.
GAMEPLAY:
Fast-paced, brutal, and ever-so aggressive: the combat system of Bloodborne is quick, sharp, and precise! Don't expect to be defensive or to turtle your way through tough enemies or unrelenting bosses. In this game, fast, fast, fast, is all that flies. There's a mechanic in the game where you can restore whatever portion of health was just lost so long as you attack an enemy with haste. This encourages lightning-speed combat. And if you're wondering about not taking damage--well--you simply have to dodge, or rather, skirt around your enemies.
If you lock on to an enemy, you dart around them, but when you're unlocked your character will roll. A lot of the mechanics in the game are akin to a Dark Souls game, but that doesn't mean the game feels familiar at all. To be quite frank, the game feels fast, responsive, and fresh. There are boss fights where you'll constantly be bolting around their attacks while dishing out your own. For a final touch on the awesome gameplay that Bloodborne sports, once you get into the fast-paced tempo, you'll never let the rhythm die down. Category Rating: 9/10
ENVIRONMENT:
Gothic, Victorian-style architecture. Castle-like structures, towers, and chapels. Haunting, bricked streets, trees with sinister limbs trying to reach out and grab you. Dark corridors and a beautifully haunting and foreboding atmosphere. Bloodborne's environments, setting, and atmosphere are where it shines the absolute most. The levels are interconnected much like the case was in Dark Souls I, and the level-design is memorable, creative, and masterful.
The game's stunning areas are so well-designed and aesthetically pleasing that they're seriously top-notch, and some of the best in video-games I've ever seen. Not to mention, the levels and amount of scenery are beyond detailed and consistent through and through. One might not like Bloodborne, but you have to admit: the game's world and levels are tough to beat. Category Rating: You kidding? 10/10
BOSSES:
This game harbors many bosses. Some are great and then some, to be honest with you--and I'm looking at this objectively--are not so great. There are amazing, intense, heart-pounding boss fights with phenomenal, live-orchestrated-recorded music, and then some fights are just simply decent at best. Don't get me wrong, the bosses that are good are so good that it takes your mind off the less great ones. Overall, the boss fights are awesome and coupled with the epic music makes it even better.
Category Rating: 8.75/10
Category Rating: 8.75/10
DIFFICULTY:
Some may find Bloodborne to be even harder than Dark Souls I. This can be true, it just depends on the person playing. Veterans, who are used to From Software's formula may find the game not as challenging, whereas new-comers to the game will surely be punished brutally. This game is not so forgiving. In Dark Souls, when you die by a boss or an enemy you lose your souls and have to retrieve them, and if you don't and you die again, your hard-earned "experience points" are lost forever. The same goes for Bloodborne, only the souls this time are called blood echoes.
In Dark Souls you have a limited number of estus (healing juice) that will not deplete forever. You just have to backtrack to the starting bonfire to replenish them. In Bloodborne, your healing juices are called blood vials, and they are finite. Should you face a boss and die a numerous amount of times, then your blood vials will deplete. And if you waste them all, you'll have to go and farm for more. This encourages not only the development of "skill" but it also breeds a sense of punishment and frustration.
Bloodborne forces you to, as they say in the gaming realm, "git gud". You're not gonna breeze through this game solely on button-mashing nor luck. Come prepared, face the ritual of trial-and-error, and overcome your fears. Category Rating: 8/10
DLC:
The Old Hunters, the DLC for Bloodborne, is a two-in-one add-on to the main game. It features 5 bosses, 1 of which is optional, new locations, and tough challenges. Let me preface this by saying, the DLC is amazing! It fixes two issues with the game: length and the number of weapons. I don't want to spoil the DLC for you, but just know, it is extremely punishing and difficult. It's harder than anything found in the base game, and in fact, the leap of difficulty in the DLC from the base game is ridiculous. So come with a high-leveled character wielding a +10 weapon and expect phenomenal battles and an unforgettable soundtrack. Also, just letting you know now, the Old Hunters houses probably the hardest boss I've ever faced in a video-game. DLC Rating: 9/10 (A must buy)
THE NEGATIVES:
- Lack of weapons or build variety despite it being an RPG (Though, that's not to say some of the weapons aren't downright wicked and awesome)
- The game really doesn't feel like an RPG, more of a hack-and-slash with interesting play-styles
- Length: without the DLC, the game feels considerably short. Seriously, the DLC is a must purchase
- Some bad and rather disappointing bosses. Much more could've been done
- Chalice dungeons require much material-farming and are a pain to complete (not actually because of difficulty, it's just such a long boring grind to complete everything). Sorry, I just do not like the chalice dungeons. I like to pretend they don't exist. Also, they're very repetitive
- Having to farm for blood vials
- Minor frame-rate drops
- Having to use the lamps to return to the central hub so then you can actually warp to another lamp rather than jumping from lamp-to-lamp freely. It's somewhat a waste of time
THE POSITIVES:
- Phenomenal level designs; areas that loop back in on themselves.
- Minimal use of lamp posts (save points or "bonfires"), which encourages exploration
- An epic, unforgettable, atmospheric, and masterful soundtrack
- Beautiful graphics and detail
- Amazing atmosphere; really pulls you in
- Unique and memorable story and lore
- Interesting enemy designs
- Fast-paced, fun and brutal combat
- Great dodging system
- Weapons in the game have a lot of character, making every single weapon unique and giving them all their own personality
- Extremely challenging and satisfying to beat
- Fun gameplay and has high replay value
THE FINAL VERDICT:
Bloodborne is a fantastic and eerily wonderful experience with great lore and a memorable story. What I love about the story of the game is: it begins with traditional monster horror and transitions into something more cosmic and eldritch. The game is fun and satisfying, despite some of the bland and dull bosses, the short length, the lack of build and weapon variety, and the stupid chalice dungeons. The game is truly unique and stands high above many others for what it is and what it does. Surely, Bloodborne is one of my favorite games of all-time, and without the DLC I give it an 8/10. However, with the DLC, it's a 9.5/10. If you're deciding whether to buy it or not and you own a PS4, I'll tell you this: it's the best exclusive I've ever played. Thanks, From Software!
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