Mar 052021
Bloodborne is a beautiful game.
Maybe that’s not the term you might expect to come up first when talking about FromSoftware’s nightmarish action RPG, set in the monster-filled city of Yharnam, but it’s a thought I couldn’t escape as I played.
I love Bloodborne’s architecture and overall aesthetic. There were so many times during the game where I’d stop to admire the breathtaking view I’d discovered, and one point in particular when I stopped what I was doing to just take a walk through the then-familiar streets of Yharnam to see how things had changed.
You might have guessed this, but I love gothic horror.
You know what I love even more than gothic horror? Cosmic horror.
So Bloodborne, with its gothic horror setting that spirals into increasingly cosmic horror themes as it progresses, is a game after my own heart.
I’d been interested in Bloodborne for quite a while, but I was wary of it since it leans toward faster-paced, more aggressive combat than Dark Souls (which I played slowly and methodically, with great reliance on my shield). It took some getting used to, but once I got into it, I fell in love.
Like with Dark Souls, death became an expected part of the experience for my in Bloodborne, and it wasn’t long before I knew a boss fight meant that would be my Bloodborne focus for quite a while. And once again, it became addicting, a situation where I always felt like I either was getting better at the fight or was so close that surely I’d win next time.
Partway through my playthrough, the DLC went on sale, so I picked up The Old Hunters and played through that fantastic experience as well.
Bloodborne is dark and creepy, sinister and ominous, and yet also beautiful and wondrous if you’re into that style of horror that I am. While the moment-to-moment story felt more in the background and the NPCs didn’t leave a big impact on me, I latched onto every shred of lore and backstory I could find and delighted in the dark picture it presented.
Some of the boss music is amazing, too.
I also just love the way the scope expands so much from those early hours of the game. Similar to how a JRPG might have you start out in a little village with tiny quests and go on a world-spanning adventure, the situations I was dealing with by the end of the game made me look back at the start and shake my head at how much simpler everything seemed back then.
Anyway, 80 hours later I finished my Bloodborne playthrough, and I can see myself returning to it for a second playthrough someday.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to taking a break from constant death but then eventually moving on to another FromSoftware game (which will probably be either Sekiro or Dark Souls II, or a Souls-like such as Code Vein)! How do you feel about Bloodborne?
I really enjoyed Bloodborne, I’m very fond of souls games and that dark Victorian look so it was great for me. It was weird how easy the end boss was after everything else though. Couldn’t believe it was really the last boss when I beat it, it was probably the easiest one, haha.
Dark Souls 2 was my favorite of the Dark Souls, but it’s most people’s least favourite. I liked Sekiro well enough to finish it twice, but something about it stopped me from really loving it. I think I’ll always just be too salty that it wasn’t a new Tenchu game, the original teaser had strong Tenchu vibes which was never the case with the game they released.
The DLC made the final few bosses in the main game feel not nearly as bad in comparison. Some of those DLC bosses were rough!
I’ve heard a lot of different things about Dark Souls 2. Some people love it, while others hate it. When it comes to Sekiro, I’m interested because of the setting and stronger focus on story, but I also know it’s not an RPG like the others, which could make it more challenging.
At least most people will agree that Dark Souls 2 had the best PvP, I loved Dark Souls 2 PvP. Especially on my second playthrough where I found what looked like a jousting lance that just seemed to destroy everyone, haha.
It was a while since I played it last, but I seem to remember Sekiro combat feeling a lot like the Souls games but just with a stronger emphasis on counter attacks/parry than on defense. If you can get through souls and bloodborne you’ll be able to get through Sekiro imo.
I don’t have much interest in pvp, so I always play offline.
Right, I mentioned the RPG part because if I got stuck in Dark Souls or Bloodborne, I could go level up to get a little stronger before trying again.
I could be remembering wrong, but I think there were things you could upgrade to help yourself out. Been at least a year since last time I played it though.
Well, I’ll get there eventually and find out. 😀