Bloodborne is a mesmerizing action RPG developed by FromSoftware, renowned for their masterful creations in the genre. Set in the gothic city of Yharnam, players are thrust into a nightmarish world plagued by eldritch horrors, where they must unravel the mysteries of the city's curse and uncover its dark secrets.

At the core of Bloodborne lies its hauntingly atmospheric world design. Yharnam is a labyrinthine metropolis filled with twisted streets, towering spires, and labyrinthine alleyways, all cloaked in an eerie fog and bathed in the glow of a blood-red moon. From the decrepit halls of the Healing Church to the forbidden depths of the Chalice Dungeons, each location is meticulously crafted to evoke a sense of dread and foreboding, drawing players deeper into the game's nightmarish embrace.

The game's narrative unfolds gradually, through cryptic item descriptions, enigmatic NPC dialogue, and environmental storytelling. Players assume the role of a Hunter, drawn to Yharnam in search of a cure for an unspecified ailment. As they delve deeper into the city's dark heart, they uncover a web of conspiracy, madness, and cosmic horror that threatens to consume them whole.

Gameplay in Bloodborne is fast-paced and unforgiving, emphasizing quick reflexes, precise timing, and strategic thinking. Combat is visceral and frenetic, with players wielding an arsenal of melee weapons, firearms, and supernatural abilities to dispatch the city's twisted inhabitants. Each encounter is a test of skill and endurance, with enemies ranging from deranged townsfolk and grotesque beasts to towering monstrosities and eldritch abominations.

Exploration is also a key aspect of the gameplay, with hidden shortcuts, secret passages, and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered around every corner. The world of Yharnam is filled with lore and backstory, with players piecing together the city's history and unraveling its mysteries through exploration and observation.

Visually, Bloodborne is a marvel of artistic design, with stunning graphics that bring its dark and brooding world to life in vivid detail. The character and creature designs are grotesque and otherworldly, with every grotesque figure and twisted monstrosity oozing with malevolent intent. The environments are equally impressive, with intricate architecture, atmospheric lighting, and dynamic weather effects that enhance the game's sense of immersion and dread.

In conclusion, Bloodborne is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling and game design, offering players a dark and atmospheric journey through a nightmarish world of cosmic horror and eldritch abominations. With its hauntingly beautiful world design, intense combat mechanics, and deep lore, it stands as a shining example of the artistic potential of video games and a must-play experience for fans of the genre.

I can certainly see why so many people love this game. It's quick, it feels brutal and visceral and snappy and it looks great and sounds amazing. My single gripe is the frame rate, which I definitely got over when this became the only game I was playing for a month. I was reluctant the first time I tried to play it, and the second and third time too, I just couldn't get used to how it felt. And then I had to restart the game on my roommate's PS4 because I never uploaded my save data, and that was finally the playthrough to take me to the end. The truest ending too, I went all the way with Bloodborne and I recommend other people do too. My personal favorite weapon was the saw spear, I loved the gargoyle halberd in DS1 and when I saw a spear in this game it was love at first sight, even if I barely ever used the full spear form. If you own a PS4 or above, go buy and play this game. If Sony ever puts it on PC, I'll buy it in a heartbeat and do the DLC too, I couldn't buy the complete edition when it was on sale because I already had the base game through PS Plus unfortunately.

I bought Bloodborne back in 2019. I had heard so many great things about it and wanted to use Bloodborne as my entry point to the souls-like genre.

5 years later I finally beat it.

Now having several other souls games under my belt, I knew I wanted to come back to this. My first attempt all those years ago was horrible, I truly didn't know what I was in for. The blood vial system, the lamps, the horribly british Yharnamites, the RPG character creation and builds systems, it was all so new to me. Thankfully after returning to it in the last few days, it instantly hooked me and I lost the track of time. I essentially went through the entire game (minus cleric beast) in the span of two days.

Bloodborne is an all time classic playstation game and definitely my favorite game that Fromsoftware has put out. The Lovecraftian, Victoran era art direction and world kept me engaged in what the story had to offer, even if a lot of it flew over my head.

I could go on and on about the amazing combat system (with weapons splitting into two types) and the incredibly satisfying parrying and engaging enemy AI, but it has already been talked to death. I want to focus in on something more specific.

Something I've noticed throughout many souls games and especially Bloodborne is how the game presents itself to the player. Many gameplay moments have you coming across enemies and bosses with little to no fanfare; and I think this is what makes the worldbuilding so enveloping. If every enemy was given a brief tale before I fought them, or I learned about them through a text box, I seriously don't think the world would be as effective. Enemies will just appear in this game and you're learning more about the world through these enemies. What happened to these people? Why are there random little alien dudes? What's up with the birds who just chill on the ground? Why do I fight a big dumb spider in the same arena that Demise from Skyward Sword is fought in? All joking aside, you just come to accept the world and the beings that live within it. Every character design is appealing or at least interesting to look at. Every part of this world feels realized, and the level design emphasizes this. Every area weaves into and loops around each other in such a cramped but intriguing way that I feel is so unique compared to a lot of game maps.

The bosses in this game are incredibly fun and almost none of them felt cheap to me. I went for the true ending of the game, and fighting Gehrman truly felt like a battle I had to learn. Every time I died against him I knew it was my own fault. And what an epic battle! Moon Presence was a good battle, like a bonus for defeating probably the hardest boss in the game. But Moon Presence was kinda easy.

The music is also so good. I really need more classic, orchestral arrangements in my games. Like seriously a lot of these tracks sound so wonderfully haunting and fit the game atmosphere so well.

Already I'm finding myself starting up a New game plus. With the amount of incredibly fun weapons you can find in this game, I'm sure I'll do another playthrough sometime.