As a fairly casual gamer I have always been curious about the Demon Souls and Dark Souls series. The difficulty and perception that accompanies such a title has been a debate topic since the first launch. Is it too hard? Is it too long? Is it boring just dying repeatedly? These are all pretty valid questions, and I honestly don't have the capacity or the knowledge to really answer them fully. So, with the next spiritual sequel to the franchise just on the horizon, I thought I would give it my best shot and make a final verdict for myself. Keep in mind that I haven't played any of the previous games, and I won't be judging the entire series based on this one title. I'm just going to check it out and see if I can try to explain it further to people who are in my similar shoes on their opinions about these types of games. And what better way than to play,
Bloodborne, the most recent PS4 exclusive.
The first thing you're going to notice about this game is the
style. Holy crap is this game OOZING with it! I am a huge fan of Gothic architecture and design. Especially Gothic literature. It always makes for a dark and interesting perspective of natural things. That combined with the horror atmosphere of a game like Evil Within or Silent Hill, and you've got the start to a pretty exciting game. The amount of detail in the buildings, enemies, weapons, and environments is almost inspiring. It's obvious that the developers put a ton of passion into their work here, and we get to reap the benefits of it.
THE STORY
You awaken strapped to a bed with an old man in a wheelchair stalking over you. Already terrifying as hell! He then warns you of your quest while injecting you with what appears to be blood. He asks you if you're ready to make a contract which directs you to a character customization menu. You can use the fairly detailed gauges to recreate almost any look you'd like for your character model, which was a very welcomed touch. Just after you get injected you experience incredibly vivid hallucinations of monsters consuming you. After which you wake up again. In the same bed, but this time no terrifying creatures trying to get to you. You flee the room and you're immediately greeted by an enormous wolf that's devouring a corpse. With only fists to defend with you strike a few blows to its head just before he rips into you. Then those familiar words that you're going to see a lot of appear on the screen.
YOU DIED
Upon dying you arrive at an old church in the middle of nowhere. Laid out on the steps are your beginning weapons, of which you can only choose two. I went with the
Pistol and the
Ax. This is where the game starts to get really exciting. Now you have the means to defend yourself and progress through the world. A surprise I came across was that you can adjust your weapon settings at will. I could hit a button and my character would pull the handle of my ax and turn it into a two-handed great ax that dealt more blunt damage and stunned. This is incredibly cool and can make for some impressive combos in fights.
Once you've returned and dealt with the wolf who killed you before, a path opens and you venture into the gloomy European city. Here creatures of the night have run rampant and virtually taken over everything. Someone within the city has sent out help from people known as
Hunters, or people like you. It's your job to rid the streets of these horrors and help people where you can.
GAMEPLAY
My only complaint about the game is its lack of direction, but that is also one of its strong points too. Right from the git go you're just kinda thrust into this world with no narrative or development. You get your weapons, you get abilities, and you get going. That's pretty much it? To quote the game itself, "That's just what hunters do! You'll get use to it..."
Even though you have no idea where to go, this creates for some pretty awesome exploration. Not having an objective or a map lets you search and seek out new things to find and do.
The combat itself is very intense and fast paced. You have to be ready at any time for an enemy to attack. Especially the big ones! There are so many different enemy types and locations for them to sneak up on you from. And they are all dangerous. Crippling hits, paralyzing thrusts, toxic spews. They all seem to behave very naturally as well. Marching through the streets, hunting, eating recent victims, and causing general panic and unease. I have never been so on my toes during a game in my life. Even some of my past favorite horror titles!
Leveling in this game doesn't really take place in the traditional sense. To improve your abilities you must obtain as many
Blood Echoes as you can. These are found by defeating enemies or through various items located in the locations. When you feel like you have enough you must make a trip to your closest Dream Refuge Lantern. These little lights teleport you to the Hunter's Dream, a protective area where you can speak with a woman who takes Echoes for experience, repair weapons, and purchase new gear. However, you need to be extremely careful during your trips back to the lanterns. Because if your character dies you lose ALL of your Echoes. It is possibly to recover them, but you must retrace your steps to where you think you died, and defeat the random enemy who may have picked them up after you demise.
Every item you find or use has an important purpose, making random drops very exciting. Whether it's a
Hunter's Mark which lets you escape from overwhelming fights to a safe zone, or
Coldblood Dews that provide you with extra Blood Echoes to level up your traits, or
Molotov Cocktails that light up enemies in a single throw. Everything has meaning and must be watched constantly. For they could be the only thing that saves you from death in a tight situation.
COOPERATIVE PLAY
If the difficulty proves too much, or the solo gameplay starts to get lonely, you also have the option of co-op! I was surprised to see this in a game of this type, but I love that they included it. Though it's not as easy as you might think. To initiate co-op you must first gather a list of materials and get your character to a specific level. I believe you need two types of bells, one purchased with a rare currency, of which you can only obtain by defeating bosses and finding rare items. This will take you some time, even with a walk-through. So don't expect to hop in immediately with your friends at your side.
OVERVIEW
In closing, Bloodborne is aggrivating, fun, well designed, and an excellent PS4 exclusive. Very few developers would take such a risk on this type of game in the current generation of consoles, but to me it's a welcomed addition. Bloodborne breaks through the breezy first-person shooters and simplistic RPG's with flying colors and a realm of reality. Though the lack of direction can be incredibly frustrating at times, the amazing gameplay and style encourage you to investigate and progress further. This is absolutely not a game for everyone by any means! If you're prone to stress and angry rages then you will NOT have a good time. But for those who want a beautifully designed game and an intense combat experience, this is perfect for you.
Score: "
8 out of 10"
A Must Try!!!
-Otaku Anonymous
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