Bloodborne lacks in a few areas that are maybe up for debate (character variety,) but one in which I feel there is just a massive step backwards is NPCs. Bloodborne has no Solaire of Astora. It doesn't even have a Stockpile Thomas.
Bloodborne is jammed with content. I'm shocked at how many maps and enemies and bosses are present. But the NPC stuff feels halfbaked. Maybe that's the direction Based Miyazaki felt appropriate. Maybe it was low on the list of priorities. But the NPCs mostly have no quest. If they have any quest, it's two steps long and doesn't involve much except talking to the NPC then going right into a fight. If Eileen the Crow and Alfred represent the apex of Bloodborne NPC interactions, then NPC interactions are not a highpoint of Bloodborne.