In early 2009, Japanese developers From
Software released a new game called "Demon's Souls." When the game
was originally tested by Sony, they were unimpressed with the game and decided
to only release it in Asia. After very positive reviews from Japanese game
critics, the game was eventually released in the US. It was quickly met with
wide critical acclaim, and was named one of the best games of the years by many
publications. Noted for its unforgiving difficulty and fantastic sword and
shield combat, it garnered a dedicated following that passed on to future games
in the series. Two years later, From Software released a spiritual successor to
"Demon's Souls" entitled "Dark Souls." Improving on its
predecessor in just about every way, the game was met with near universal
critical acclaim and managed to garner many game of the year awards in one of
the more competitive years in recent times. In 2014 the sequel "Dark Souls
2" was released, and like the games that came before it, was met acclaim
from critics and audiences. After "Dark Souls 2" many fans were left
wondering what would be next; another "Dark Souls" game, the sequel
to "Demon's Souls," or a new game in the franchise. It turns out that
From Software wanted to start something new. Announced at E3 2014,
"Bloodborne" acts as a spiritual success to the other games in the
series; having similar gameplay and mechanics, but in a new atmosphere with
some new toys (most notably guns). Fans of the series have been excited since
the announcement of the game, clamoring to get their hands on a PS4 controller;
some were skeptical though. Fans were afraid that changes to the combat (like
an emphasis on offense over defense and being able to recover health after
losing it by quickly attacking enemies) as well as the addition of guns would
compromise the series’ integrity and alter the difficulty. Fortunately though,
after playing it, I can confirm that "Bloodborne" is just as
unforgiving as the rest of the game in the series.
The story of
"Bloodborne" takes place in the Gothic city of Yharnam, a once great
city of medicine where people would travel to in the hopes of a cure for
whatever ails them. You play a nameless traveler heading to the city, only to
arrive and find out that some sort of disease has infected most of the
inhabitants; either turning them into gratuitous monsters, or warping their
minds and compelling them to kill whatever they see. After arriving you find
yourself receiving a blood transfusion of tainted blood, transforming you; you
keep your mind unlike the residents of the series, but you become something
more than humans. You then set out to discover the origins of the disease and
what happened to this city, while simultaneously killing any monster you come
upon.
"Bloodborne"
had a lot to live up to upon its release, being the spiritual successor to one
of the best game series of the past few years. The "Souls" series has
made a name for itself for its difficult gameplay, and has garnered a devout following.
When the first gameplay of "Bloodborne" came out, any were hesitant
about the changes, most notably the inclusion of guns and whether or not the
game would be as difficult as those who came before it. Well after playing the
game extensively I can say with good confidence that the game is absolutely
outstanding. It's not just a worthy successor to the "Souls" games,
it might actually top them. Like its predecessors "Bloodborne" gets
the combat absolutely perfect, it even includes some new elements that work
great. The combat of the series always comes down to timing; it is important to
study your enemy and learn how they move and attack. You need to be careful
about when to attack, when to dodge, when to use items, when to heal yourself,
and what type of weapon should be used for what enemy. You also need to take
where you are into consideration. If you're fighting several enemies in an open
area you might want to a slashing weapon with a long range to hit multiple
enemies. If you’re in a narrow corridor facing one enemy, it's better to use a
piercing weapon. The main changes that "Bloodborne" introduces to the
combat would be the inclusion of guns, unique weapons, and a faster pace of
fighting. There are a variety of guns in the game and each is a bit different;
some use one bullet while others use multiple, some are short range while
others are long range, and some like the shotgun have a wide spread that can
hit multiple enemies. The guns don’t do a lot of damage, and are meant more to
stun your enemies. While useful they never make the game feel unfair. One
problem I had with the previous "Souls" games were the weapons, most
felt too similar. One sword was just like another except it did more damage or
took longer to swing there wasn't enough variation. "Bloodborne"
fixes that problem with the concept of quality over quantity. There aren't as
many weapons in "Bloodborne" as there are in the previous games, but
each weapon feels completely different; and that is because each weapon has two
forms. The first weapon I got when playing the game was called the threaded
cane. In its base form it was a just a simple cane that you could use like a
club, but when transformed it turns into a whip covered in razor sharp spikes.
In its cane form it did a bit more damage and could be swung quicker, as a whip
it had a much longer range and was useful at hitting multiple enemies who were
standing close to each other. So while there are less weapons than some might
have hoped for, each feels unique and varied. Arguably the most notable change
to the combat would be that it is much faster paced. There is an emphasis on
dodging enemy attacks and quickly attacking yourself. It's much more in your
face and personal than what we've seen before. In the previous games, a common
play style would be to put on a heavy set of armor, and have a shield in your
left hand and a sword in your right. When you come in contact with an enemy you
put your shield up and wait, after they attack your shield they are temporarily
stunned and that is when you do your damage. After they recover you rinse and
repeat. You can't do that in "Bloodborne," you have to be aggressive;
fortunately this new style of combat works beautifully. The problem is that
with this new fast combat style, the game would have really benefited from
being able to run at 60 frames per second. "Bloodborne" is locked at
thirty frames per second, and compared to 60 it can look a little sluggish.
When a game has a frame rate of around 60fps or higher, the game just looks
more fluid; while running at 30fps doesn't ruin “Bloodborne's" combat by
any stretch of the imagination, it would have looked and played better running
at 60fps. And just like the previous games in the series,
"Bloodborne" is still ridiculously difficult; if you play it there
will be several moments when you have to stop yourself from throwing your
controller against the wall. Unfortunately though, one of the biggest drawbacks
of the game would be the long loading times. Whenever you fast travel or
getting ready to respawn, the load times are about thirty to forty seconds;
this does take you out of the game, but at least it lets you calm down after
you just got destroyed. Like the previous games there is a heavy emphasis on
cooperative play. Summoning other players to come help you can be mutually
beneficial and works even better than in previous ways when summoning a
specific person. When you invite other players into your game you can set a
password, meaning only the people you want to play with can play with you. The
games in "Souls" series has never been known for being graphical
powerhouses, to be honest "Dark Souls 2" actually looked somewhat subpar
compared to many games that came out in 2014. "Bloodborne" on the
other hand is drop dead gorgeous. It is a huge step up in graphical quality, it
features beautiful aesthetics and some of the best level design we've seen in
quite a while. One thing to note would be the Victorian Gothic style; it may
feature some of the most beautiful levels I've ever seen in a game, and they
are very creepy and unsettling. This game can be borderline survival horror
sometimes. You also see some truly great designs in the enemies you face. There
are some many different types of monsters and each one unique. Some of the best
creature design I've ever seen in a game is featured in "Bloodborne"
it also has some of the most difficult and memorable boss battles ever put into
a game. You can tell that the developers really put their all into creating
these monsters, and it really shows. One of my biggest problems with the all of
the "Souls" games was that I never really cared about the story. It
was just the backdrop for what was truly amazing gameplay, but I can't say the
same thing about "Bloodborne." The story is rather interesting and
engaging, it is also much simpler to follow compared to the complex and lore
heavy stories of "Dark Souls" and its sequel. If you ask me the story
could have been nonexistent, but the plot of this game just makes it that much
better. From the moment I heard about this game I knew it was going to be good,
and after playing it "Bloodborne" is even better than I thought it
was. It's not just another "Souls" game; it makes a real effort to
distinguish itself from the games that came before it. "Bloodborne"
is a PS4 exclusive, and it is a must own for anyone who has the system. It
might just be the first game for the eighth console generation that can be
called "next-gen." As the end of the year begins to roll around, this
is a game that will surely be on most every list of the best games of the year;
that's because "Bloodborne" isn't just a great game, it's a
borderline masterpiece.
Pros: Phenomenal combat, beautiful aesthetic, huge step up in
graphical quality, just as
difficult as predecessors, unique and varied weapons, fantastic creature designs,
several noteworthy boss battles, great multiplayer, faster gameplay than
previous games, phenomenal level design, interesting story, creepy and unsettling.
Cons: Runs at only 30 frames per second, long
load times.
5/5 Stars
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