Bloodborne is Definitely Not for Everyone
This isn’t necessarily a review of Bloodborne for the Playstation 4. If you haven’t heard of it by now or never played Dark Souls or Demon’s Souls from “From Software” before it, there is a good chance that this game isn’t for you. This is a brutally difficult game. You will be tested, taunted, and you will have moments where you will lose all hope of ever getting past many areas. You will get extremely frustrated and angry at many points. Still interested? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I am not completely new to the “Souls” franchise, but it has been a while. To be perfectly honest, I have only played Demon’s Souls. However, I played Demon’s Souls to the very end and completed the “New Game Plus” mode. It was a very hard and brutal game. I remember fighting a boss that took away your experience level when it hit you with a certain attack. What kind of cheap nonsense is that? The game developers at From Software must love to hear you scream. If you aren’t screaming in terror, you will definitely be yelling in anger at your television, resisting the urge to throw your controller. So what made me pick up Bloodborne?
Well, for one reason, as much as Demon’s Souls made me angry beyond belief, it also made me want to jump up and down in pure happiness. It’s one of those kind of games that are extremely punishing to the point where it feels unfair. When you finally conquer an enemy that you felt was going to completely destroy you, it gives you an awesome feeling of accomplishment. There is also a lot at stake when you die. If you die, it makes you feel like you wasted the last 30 minutes of your time collecting the in-game currency called “Blood Echoes” to level up. You also have to start from the last checkpoint, which are very few and far between. There is a “chance” to pick up your lost currency if you can make it to the last spot you died, but if you die again before getting there, it is gone for good. There is only a couple of ways you might react when this happens, depending on what type of gamer you are.
If you are the type of personality that wants to play videogames to relax, this is definitely not for you. You will probably push the power button on your Playstation 4 as soon as you see the “You Died” screen for the umpteenth time. If you are the type of person that likes to take unnecessary risks while feeling a nervous sense of panic the majority of the time, this might be the game you are looking for.
Bloodborne is one of those games that will take you on an emotional roller coaster of fear, excitement, joy, and anger. There usually isn’t much middle ground. You will lose your temper when you get stuck at a certain spot. Once you get past that seemingly impossible area, you will want to jump up from your seat and cheer. There are many moments that feel almost feel impossible. Luckily though, there is a leveling system. Sometimes you just have to kick back avoid the tougher areas and backtrack so you can make your character and your weapons stronger. That really tough boss might have kicked your ass earlier, but once you train and leveled up a bit more, you will develop a new sense of confidence. It’s very likely that you will lose again though, and that’s when you have to avoid that feeling of rage.
This is a game that requires perseverance with a dash of humility. You will die and lose often, and that’s ok. This is a game that trains you to focus. There were times where I died and I immediately started playing in an extremely angry and sloppy way just to try to blow some steam. That didn’t work. I pretty much got ambushed and died instantly. Keeping a cool head is the most important part of winning this game. If you think about it though, you will probably end up being a much more patient person in general once you are completely finished.
