I am kind of in love, so I wrote this review.
Bloodborne is a game that assumes the player is a normal, thinking and learning human being. One that does not need excessive hand holding and guidance through the mundane elements often presented in games. It shoves the player into the deep end of the pool and lets you learn as you play. The enemies hit hard so you need to hit back harder. With this mechanic you have a chance to gain some of the lost health back, which creates an approach opposite of Demon's Souls. It doesn't mean you can be careless, just that you cannot rely totally on previous ways to play a From Software game blocking with a shield. The variety of the enemy characters, be they man or beast, is extensive and they all have unique fighting style that forces the player to learn and adapt. This does not mean that Bloodborne is overtly difficult, only that the player is expected to think a bit more than normal. Playing tired e.g. leads to cheap deaths as one cannot think straight and play becomes sloppy.
Level design is layered and multiple paths open up as you walk along Yharnam. The way this mechanic is designed is genious as the more you play and the more you die, the more you learn the layout of the game. And you have to learn as there is no map to guide you. Only you. As there is plenty to explore, you might miss a place here and there, but the game keeps you somewhat contained in the areas you need to explore. Boss fights usually opening up new areas to explore further. And what a delightful bunch they are. Each boss has their on way of fighting which either is clear at the first sight or takes a lot of tries to learn. But the same theme of learning lets you beat each and every one of them eventually through trial and error if necessary. The bosses scale slightly to your level so if you lose, and you will lose often, it is your approach that needs tweaking, not the stats that of your character has. You might yell at the screen a few times, but once you get the boss, the feeling of accomplishment is present. Learning is an clear and essential theme in the game. This design decision is ever present and given to you as tiny tips by the game. You never know what a weapon or items do unless you test and try. Nothing is explicitly stated. That is one of the charms of the game as you progress. The player starts to discuss with friends of the experiences and items. "What do they do? did you do that?" type is evident on forum topics regarding the games. And I do recommend skipping them and experiencing everything yourself first hand and asking questions when you get stuck.
Bloodborne is a long game, clocking in around 50 hours for the first play through depending on your style, so the variety of places and enemies is essential. This is where the game shines. Even though the setting is a overall the same Victorian style nightmare, it still changes in style multiple times. Every new setting will be memorable and connects in some way to others. And the variety of the enemies is the same as they change accordingly. As an interesting element, there is the Insight factor, a point system accumulated by discovering and defeating bosses or gulping potions, which will affect the games difficulty and other elements by scaling up or down. Enemies in the visibly changed world become stronger, look and act differently or might change spots or disappear totally. This makes experiencing the game a bit different for each player, so you might not encounter as easy enemies or bosses as you friend might have.
The weapons in the game are what defines you style from heavy to fast. Most have both with a click of a button to change your style, but some weapons are more effective for certain enemies. Upgrading and implementing gems in the weapons or runes for one the character is what enhances and improves your chance of survival. A sidearm in the form of a pistol is offered which often staggers enemies enough to create a devastating blow. For this reason, experimenting with your weapon attacks in addition to your sidearm as well as movement is key. You find and learn new ways to defeat even strong enemies with a quick combo.
On a technical level it looks the part. There is clearly love spent on creating the game aesthetics. There is a micro-stutter from time to time with a distinct accompanying buzz from your speakers which should be fixed, but overall the game runs and feels great. As of note I have not tried and co-operative play and there should be strong drops with many friends, so lets hope From Software fixes those mistakes.
As I've only played Demon's Souls a long time ago, I was excited to try a similar game. I wanted a game that entertains me for a long period of time and what I got from Bloodborne is a game that is exciting, atmospheric, riveting, engaging, smart, creepy and satisfying. I truly believe any gamer should give it a try as this will be a classic people talk about years later. 2015 is still early but I expect this game to be GOTY for many.
