Bloodborne: A bloody good adrenaline rush

Genre: Action RPG
Available platforms: PS4
Suggested for: Dark Souls fans, Action RPG fans, gamers who want a challenge

From Software’s latest creation, Bloodborne, promises to be a difficult game to overcome. As someone who is not inclined to play frustrating and rage-inducing video games, I expected myself to throw in the towel after the first couple of hours. After several nights of trying, fighting, and dying, I now remain hooked to this monstrosity of a game.

If you haven’t played a From Software game, then I suggest you start blocking large chunks of your schedule to fully enjoy Bloodborne. Take it from someone who has no experience in incredibly tough video games. You will need a lot of time, patience, and practice to see this game to the end.

If you have played the Dark Souls series, you may still have a difficult time despite your respectable experience. While it may feel familiar to Dark Souls, Bloodborne has more than a few twists to throw you off.

With that fairly obvious warning out of the way, let’s begin.

In-depth character creation

Before you venture into the game, Bloodborne lets you create and customize your character according to your preferences. As expected, Bloodborne has an in-depth character creation menu that allows you to play with both the physical attributes and the base stats of your character.

Interestingly enough, instead of the typical “race” or “type” categories that popular RPGs present to players, Bloodborne’s base stats are chosen through your “origin.” These origins have their own little stories to give your character some background. You may be a military veteran, or a noble scion. You may also be what the game calls, “a waste of skin,” the weakest of all origins. These little descriptions may not mean much at the end of the game in terms of the narrative, but they are a good starting point if you love roleplaying.

Once you are satisfied with your character, the game’s introduction gives you a clear idea of your mission. You seek to gain a specific type of blood for your own reason in a place called Yharnam. To do so, you must first enter a blood contract. As you slip in to unconsciousness, you see hallucinations of bony creatures crowding around your body.

Upon awakening, you find that the city has turned into a bloody nightmare with rampant beasts and creatures roaming about.

Welcome to the hunt.

No hand holding here
No, there are no tutorials when you first wake up in Bloodborne. Save for a few hints on the controls and mechanics, the game will not teach you where to go and what to do next.

The game does not have a map or other materials for reference either. You should prepare yourself for moments of confusion and frustration.

Bask in the haunting atmosphere

The environment you are thrust in to is both visually stunning and disturbing. As soon as you step out, it becomes perfectly clear to you that this victorian-esque city will give you no respite, as each area is home to ghastly sights.

As you progress through the game, you will find that the atmosphere takes a turn for the worse. The beasts, creatures, and bosses you meet in the game increasingly become grotesque and bizarre. The areas you traverse through gradually turn darker and seem more haunted.

Adding to the sinister environment of Bloodborne is its Insight mechanic. One of the features of this mechanic is that the more you gain Insight points, the more you expose yourself to terrifying images. So if you are easily shaken by horror movies, I suggest you do not play this game before you go to sleep.

An equally disturbing story told subtly

Bloodborne has a grand and terrifying story accompanying its ominous setting. To escape the seemingly neverending nightmare, you have to destroy its source. But you soon discover that the blood you initially sought out for, and the source of the horrendous beasts are interconnected. At the core of it all is the church of Yharnam and the religion it practices.

The cutscenes give you just enough to grasp the main story. However, the characters you meet in the game, the environment, and the descriptions of items you find, give enough information to weave the details of the story without drowning you in blocks of text.

By taking the roads less travelled, you not only discover shortcuts, but also possible side missions to uncover stories branching out from the main tale.

Bloodborne invites you to engage and immerse yourself in the game to fully understand its rich narrative.

Hunter be nimble, hunter be quick

As you go on your journey you will notice a recurring pattern in the way beasts and bosses move. While their attacks and abilities vary, most of them move fast and deal powerful damage should you get caught in their range. In most games, the fool-proof tactic of a player having to face agile and powerful enemies is to attack with caution, hide behind a shield, and retreat to a safe distance when they are hit to chug a health potion.

This is not the case with Bloodborne. Shields will not help you, and long-range weapons do not deal as much damage as you would expect. There is only one playstyle to use to put yourself in equal footing with your foes. Act fast, be aggressive, and play smart.

In short, this game will push you to your limits, testing and developing your combat skill and reflexes as you go along.

Do not fret though. The game rewards you well when you adapt this style. For instance, when you are hit by an enemy, the game gives you a short amount of time to regain your health by striking back. And while your gun may not be powerful, timing your shots right can stagger your opponent, allowing you to deal great damage to them.

Aiding you in your bloody battles are flexible weapons that each have two forms. Each transformation has a different set of moves and combos you can play with. They move fluidly allowing you to dance, dodge, and damage quickly enough in the battlefield.

Additionally, upgrading and modifying these weapons are easy by attaching Blood Gems. These gems can be taken out and placed in different weapons, so you don’t need to worry about choosing the wrong gem for your weapon and getting stuck with it forever.

Scaling difficulty

As if the present challenges were not enough, Bloodborne’s Insight feature also makes the game more difficult depending on the number of points you gained.

A set number of Insight points gained will tweak the abilities of specific enemies, making them more of a nuisance.

Otherworldly beasts will also make themselves known to you when you collect more points.

A hunter is not alone

If you find yourself stuck in a rut, do not despair. You can always rely on your fellow hunters for help, provided that you play the game online.

Playing Bloodborne’s online mode will reveal messages dropped by other players. They contain tips, warnings, or ideas on how to get through the hordes of beasts and bosses. Meanwhile, spectres will show you the last moments of a hunter before they drop dead, giving you an idea of what to do and what not to do in different situations.

You can also summon hunters if you are finding a boss fight or an area particularly tough. Simply ring the right bell, and a fellow player can join you in your hunt.

An adrenaline rush to a gratifying victory

Overall, what makes Bloodborne enjoyable, even for gamers averse to overwhelmingly challenging games like I am, is the seemingly unending adrenaline rush you get as you place yourself in the middle of these fast-paced battles.

Your progress may be excruciatingly slow, but almost every aspect of Bloodborne – the deadly rapid action, the dreaded atmosphere, the disturbing boss designs, and even the haunting soundtrack – brings together an experience that makes it well worth the struggle.

From the moment you step into the boss arena, until you conquer the insurmountable task of slaughtering your prey, Bloodborne’s elements will always build you up to a sweet, satisfying and triumphant victory.

Having said that, each battle has left me shaken and exhausted at the end… but ultimately wanting more. – Rappler.com