Magic Mushroom
Member
Bloodborne is one of the finest games Ive ever played. Ive always enjoyed the Souls series, though it could be argued that the series style may have been wearing a bit thin since the release of Dark Souls II. Simply put, Bloodborne is the shot in the arm that I wanted from the series. Shields are traded for an improved dash mechanic, and enemies are generally more aggressive. This creates a new dynamic facilitating Miyazakis intention of truly perilous combat a phrase he noted at his PSX 2014 panel as a primary design goal. Every hit can feel like life or death, and the Souls series trademark damage increase when being struck during recovery for an action, such as dodging, forcing players to quickly but carefully plan and execute their moves in the face of often-unrelenting enemies. Dodging to weave in and out of a boss' attack range, while dealing damage that will inevitably bring them to their next, even more deadly phase (also a Souls first) feels both graceful and harrowing. Thrilling is an apt word to describe Bloodbornes combat experience, and that isnt a feeling I often receive from games.
Bloodborne also evolves the Souls games concept of weapons, with the implementation of two-in-one trick weapons. On a surface level, trick weapons already succeed at delighting the player with their snappy and satisfying transform animations that beg to be spammed during downtime the modern Halo: CE pistol draw animation, if you will. In combat, however, effectively having two distinct weapons to choose from at any time that can also combo into each other at the press of a button increases tactical depth and the possibility for player expression. Additionally, basic melee combat is greatly upgraded over past games with tremendous feedback. Blood gratuitously sprays from stricken enemies, and hit sounds are sharper and meatier than ever before. My favorite addition to Bloodbornes combat system is the visceral attack performed after parrying an enemy by interrupting their attack with an offhand firearm. After parrying the enemy, the player can perform a massive visceral attack, effectively ripping the enemys chest out with appropriate sound and blood effects for massive damage. Its digital crack, and as someone who never parried in previous Souls games, I can say with a high degree of certainty that this is my favorite new system in Bloodborne, and one of my favorite mechanics to use in any action game.
Level design has always been a strong aspect of the Souls series, and Bloodborne delivers what I consider to be some of the series best. The world, while mostly interconnected, doesnt emphasize that aspect with frequent backtracking like in Dark Souls. However, I would suggest that the individual area design is improved over Dark Souls, and stands alongside, or slightly above Demons Souls. Souls logic dictates that there will be shortcuts, and finding them feels like finding out Net Wrecker finished a video game in 2015 it just warms your heart. Central Yharnam might be my favorite 3D level since Metroid Prime 2s Sanctuary Fortress, with seemingly-endless secrets, shortcuts, and vistas of both previous areas and areas to come. Forbidden Woods is a forest that actually feels like a damn forest for once in a video game, with a very wide layout and multiple intersecting lanes that force the player to traverse and either re-traverse, or traverse backwards to find everything. Of course, the critical path is signposted with glowing lanterns, should the player feel lost. For the first time in the series since Demons Souls, I feel like I could make an argument for nearly every level in the game being a winner.
Many levels also feel distinct. Central Yharnam focuses on mob-like encounter design, often pitting the player against groups of villagers and occasionally their attack dogs. Forbidden Woods contains a number of traps for the player to avoid, including pressure-activated spiked logs, covered pits, and oil-throwing enemies. Yahargul encourages the player to quickly dispatch, or outright avoid infinitely-spawning minions in favor of killing the bell-ringing women that resurrect them. Nightmare of Mensis requires the player to move from cover to cover to avoid the gaze of an eldritch horror, while Upper Cathedral Ward contains a relatively-small number of enemies, but places those enemies in such a way that nearly every encounter is an ambush. Bloodbornes variation in both level and encounter design help keep the experience fresh over 20+ hours.
Aesthetically, Bloodborne is a stunning achievement. The unhinged laughter and screams of demented Yharnamites bring life, however twisted, to Central Yharnam. The roofs of Yharnams Gothic Victorian architecture point towards the sky, perhaps reflecting the worlds tendency to look to the cosmos above. Seemingly randomly-placed statues become more distorted and twisted in later game areas - mirroring the increasingly more bizarre horrors faced by the player...even if you don't consciously notice them, I'm sure your brain did.
An act as simple as pushing open an iron gate is made impactful through the use of heavy sound design. Simply picking up an item is met with a sharp, satisfying sound. Enemies verbally curse the player, suggesting that we may not be the hero in this world. Short, often ambiguous lines of dialogue from characters such as Micolash and Father Gascoigne are delivered in a memorable way. An enemy as laughable as a crow with its wings clipped turns into a startling foe once it begins barking like some kind of demonic hellhound. Additionally, The games aesthetics expertly convey the mood of each area, from the frozen wastes of Cainhurst Castle, to the gnarled trees, fog, and the Soothing Hymn of Upper Cathedral Ward, to the ominous moon watching over Byrgenwerth, and many areas in the game world past the halfway point are like nothing else Ive seen. The soundtrack also stands out; boss themes range from intensity of Father Gascoignes second form, to the creepiness of the Witch of Hemwick, to the finality of Gehrmans theme. I just cant get enough of how Bloodborne looks and sounds a murder of crows cawing and flying away past twisted trees after opening the gate to Hemwick, the chanting and droning as the player approaches The One Reborn Bloodbornes aesthetics are probably 90% of why I play it. A master class.
The games presentation of its story and lore, along with the other games in the series, has been contentious. I like to think of the series as having a sort of detective metagame, where the player is tasked with piecing together information from various scraps of written evidence. On this level, Bloodbornes lore, while more ambiguous than in past games, satisfied me on a similar level. However, I find the content of Bloodbornes tale to be the most gripping yet. The game successfully weaves together Van Helsing-style Gothic Victorian beast hunting with horrific Lovecraftian elements that raise both questions and tension. Elements such as the Madmans Knowledge item granting Insight, which in turn incites Frenzy is a wonderful blend of mechanics and storytelling. Bloodbornes lore is not conclusive, especially as it concerns the Great Ones, but it captivated me while playing, and I continue to think about it as time passes.
I should mention that the game isnt perfect. The chalice dungeons dont quite come into their own, though the lower depth dungeons contain some of the games toughest challenges, and can be enjoyable as a result. Load times were abysmal at launch, but have since been fixed to what I could consider an acceptable length. The blood vial system will punish players that neglect stocking up on them from the in-game store, and may require grinding for them as a result if the player runs out. Many NPC storylines also dont resolve in a satisfying way. Winter Lanterns can also lead to some cheap deaths if the player is packing a significant amount of Insight, though while the description for Insight on the character stat screen indicates that it induces Frenzy, most players probably wont notice this (I certainly didnt). Most of these flaws didnt take away from my overall experience, though they should be mentioned.
Regardless if its allowed to factor into my evaluation of the base game, I want to mention The Old Hunters expansion as an excellent piece of DLC. Five bosses are fought in the expansion, and I would say three of them are excellent, while the other two are above average. The level design across the three areas lives up to the main game, and the final area in particular contains a heavy sense of atmosphere that competes with the series best. It took me about six hours to see everything. The expansion should absolutely be required playing for anyone who owns and enjoys the base game.
Overall, I believe the game rises above these issues to present a masterful, perilous combat experience wrapped in expert art, sound, and level design. Its also one of my favorite games ever. I have about four and a half playthroughs completed, and Id love to go back and try a new trick weapon or a new stat allocation. Finally, I want to throw a quick shout-out to the games pacing - its fluid as hell and there are no forced walk sequences or unskippable cutscenes or any of that kind of thing. The game is just a joy to play and replay. And Im glad to have played it.
The sky and the cosmos are one
Whoah, Epic and wonderful post.
