To many, Bloodborne is the moment FromSoft and the Souls genre stepped up to become legendary. This isn't my opinion at all, considering my favorites are the very first Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. But I will commend Bloodborne in that it was the most focused and confident game of the lot up to that point. Gone were many superfluous gameplay elements, and left in their place is the most refined combat system the series had seen. And in the moments that land, it's one of the most atmospherically memorable.

That said, Bloodborne is the most monotonous of its lineage as well. It has the smallest selection of weapons, most simplistic color palette, and the shortest campaign. I don't see it as the masterpiece many hold it up to be thanks to a host of boring and annoying bosses such as Amyglada, Rom, Ebrietas, and especially The One Reborn (who rivals the Bed of Chaos in awfulness). That said, the best bosses stand toe to toe with FromSoft greats like Artorias and Gael.

The trick weapon system gives a good variety to combat even if you only use a single weapon. That said, enemies don't end up as varied as earlier Souls games. Level design is very strong, with many winding paths stringing the convoluted streets and buildings together in branching paths and shortcuts.

This is actually my second review of this game, as the first comes off as strangely harsh given the high rating. Ultimately I think it's a very strong entry in the Souls series, just not one that deserves the title of "best" many give it. Demon's and Dark have better atmosphere and Souls weirdness, Sekiro and other action games have better combat, and it kind of half-heartedly wimps out of its RPG elements. Though, it's still the best entry point for Souls in my opinion.