There's really not much to say about this one. This game is immaculately polished, difficult, and mechanically engaging. I really enjoyed the story and the characters, aside from a few stilted VA performances, and there are many boss fights that blow FromSoft encounters out of the water with how technically sound they are. I think the hybridization of Sekiro and Bloodborne's combat systems works insanely well, and while playing the main Soulsborne titles I find myself really missing a lot of the mechanics from this game. There are some encounters that I think are weaker than the others (both encounters with the Brotherhood, Door Guardian, some of the human fights) and the last dungeon definitely outwears its welcome by the end, but aside from that it's insane just how phenomenal this game turned out considering it's the studio's first attempt at this type of game.

Stoked to see the DLC and whatever else comes out by these developers in the future- one of the best games of last year for sure.

While Sekiro may be the most polished game put out by FromSoft (and is still incredible), my heart will always belong to Bloodborne. This isn't some comprehensive write-up, but more a collection of disjointed thoughts and feelings about the game.

This game has an immaculate atmosphere not found in any other game (or even piece of media that I've consumed, even including the stories of H.P. Lovecraft) and features challenging, yet for the most part fair and rewarding gameplay.

For this most recent playthrough, I finally committed to getting the platinum and all achievements in the DLC, and unlike many other games in this series, it was a rewarding and genuinely enjoyable experience... aside from a single part (people who have completed the Defiled Loran Chalice know what's up). Now I have a New Game+ file that has every weapon, firearm, and 'spell' that I can use to run through the game with different builds for more brisk subsequent playthroughs.

The rally mechanic and trick weapon system encourages a style of play that I personally really jive with over the more relatively limited melee builds in the Souls games. Complementing this, the enemies feel particularly well balanced, where even elite enemies feel more appropriately tuned to the areas they're in, providing a decent challenge without having egregious amounts of health or obnoxious attack patterns.

Although I think all of the endings fall a bit flat besides the worst one (which is really thematically interesting but makes you miss 1-2 bosses so I never go for it), the story of the game, that is, the NPC questlines and the lore drip-fed throughout the game, is really interesting. I find myself feeling much more attached to the NPC's in Bloodborne than many other Souls' games, and it's the only game where I have a majority of the side-quest routes seared into the folds of my brain (Eileen the Crow my beloved). There's also a mid-game "shit's fucked" hard tonal shift which I'm always a huge fan of, and yeah... Shit is most certainly fucked by the end of the game.

Speaking of, I've always loved the gradual shift the game has from the Victorian werewolves and beasts that devolves steadily into an all-out Eldritch nightmare by the time the credits roll. The enemy variety supports this greatly and it never feels like you're stuck in one place or fighting the same groups of enemies for too long.

There's really no closing statement here. The game is both fun to blitz through on a mechanical level, and satisfying to slowly comb through and drink in its sights, sounds, and characters. It's not very long if you're just going down the main route, but has plenty of side content to chew on if you need an extra power boost or just want to see everything the game has to offer (the chalice dungeons, for the most part, are actually pretty fun and have some neat secrets and exclusive bosses if you're willing to put in the effort). The DLC, as well, is one of, if not the best that FromSoft has put out to date, well worth the purchase.

Bloodborne is a modern classic (well, is it modern if it's nearly 9 years old?) and if you have the ability to play it, you're absolutely in for a treat if you decide to do so. I've beaten it probably 5-6 times and I will certainly be playing it several times more in the future.


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But for real the Defiled Loran Chalice is a nightmare, who thought that slashing your HP by half and putting you up against a boss with questionable hitboxes that can one-shot you at level 140 with half of its attacks was a good idea. Literally one of the hardest challenges I've completed in this series and not for any good reasons. At least it's optional for normal game completion but goddamn... makes it really rough to want to re-fight the optional final boss of the chalices.

Might write more later, for now:

Good not great. Glad to see the series going in a new direction, game has high highs but mostly meanders in being 'alright' for most of its runtime.

I had fun, but haven't felt the desire to come back since getting the platinum. Hope the free DLC is good. Play it if you want, especially since the price seems to be dropping lately.