KGfess's Bloodborne Review PlayStation 4
Imagine you've been battling, dodging, and calculating your opponent’s every move. You're sweating, scared, but determined. Your eyes shift to the boss's health and you're just a sliver away from victory. As you land the final blow, after countless tries...a flood of dopamine hits you like a shot of heroin. PREY SLAUGHTERED lights up the screen and you feel like a goddamn champion. A bit dramatic, yes, but for those of you who know these feels--it's unlike any other in gaming.
Bloodborne is one of my all-time favorite games that I've ever had a chance to get my paws on, but it wasn't always that way. I remember roaming the love-craftian, horror-filled streets of Central Yharnam for my first time, only to be beaten to dust by almost every enemy out there. I threw the controller down after a couple hours and said "Fuck this game, it's too hard." However, that feeling didn't last long. I went to my buddy's one day, and he was telling me how fucking fun and awesome the game was. He had 4 different character builds, all with these insanely badass weapons and gear. Meanwhile, I couldn't even down the Cleric Beast (first boss) on my own. Well, the craving for beast blood continued...and as they say....a hunter must hunt.
I threw that disc back in and eventually after many hours and deaths, somewhat felt comfortable. I was parrying, killing, and making my way through these horrifying yet beastly levels. It took time, but after a while, I myself had 5-6 character builds, and I Platinumed the game as well as the DLC. It just finds a way to pull you back in again and again after time. There's a reason people have specifically bought PS4s just to play this game and they're still blown away. Anyways, here's some review...
Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is very straightforward. It's more of a 'chaotic' and fast-paced souls -like game. Dodging is the main element of defense, but once you learn to parry, it opens up so much more. The true beauty lies in your offensive attacks. The weapons in this game are trick weapons which can transform into a modded version. Killing enemies yields Blood Echoes, which you can use to purchase weapons, gear, or level your character up.
Leveling: 9/10
I'm deducting one point just because for people new to these games, it may be a bit confusing. Typical RPGs allow you to level your class and stats based on general health/power. This works similar with health and stamina; however, you should try and level towards a certain weapon you want to use. The weapons have scaling in different stats which allow for greater damage output. Once you get the hang of it, its really straight-foward.
Lore/Story: 8/10
I am not too much of a lore-nerd (or whatever you wanna call it), but it runs deep here. The story isn't too direct, but FromSoftware specializes in the details found around the world in a way you can build your own background of the story. There are 3 different endings--the third which is probably the coolest one but also slightly harder to achieve...
Level Design/Horror Aspect: 10/10
What makes FromSoftware one of my favorite gaming companies is the way they interconnect their levels and designs. Maybe not as iconic as Dark Souls 1 level mapping, but the horror element really makes that up for me here.
THE DLC: 11/10
Honestly, the DLC gets so much praise from pretty much every single person to purchase it. It adds on a huge amount of content, and it's worth every single penny. New weapons, insane bosses, and new levels that absolutely don't disappoint.
The Soundtrack: 10/10
This is (I believe) the first game in which From had a full on orchestra compose the scores heard in various boss battles and levels. I actually have some of these in my Spotify playlist. The score for one of the DLC boss battles is absolutely iconic and for good reason.
The Multiplayer: 9/10
The PVP is SO fun. There are designated areas which are popular PVP spots, and I absolutely love PVP in games like this. The combat is intense, rewarding, and the community is generally very supportive.
The Graphics: 7/10
I'm giving the graphics a lower score due to the known framerate issues (when not played on a PS4 Pro at higher fps). Once in a while you'll dip below 30, but it never affected my gameplay much at all.
Well, I hope this review irked your curiosity a bit (and perhaps your fear, too). What are you waiting for? Yharnam awaits...
Bloodborne is one of my all-time favorite games that I've ever had a chance to get my paws on, but it wasn't always that way. I remember roaming the love-craftian, horror-filled streets of Central Yharnam for my first time, only to be beaten to dust by almost every enemy out there. I threw the controller down after a couple hours and said "Fuck this game, it's too hard." However, that feeling didn't last long. I went to my buddy's one day, and he was telling me how fucking fun and awesome the game was. He had 4 different character builds, all with these insanely badass weapons and gear. Meanwhile, I couldn't even down the Cleric Beast (first boss) on my own. Well, the craving for beast blood continued...and as they say....a hunter must hunt.
I threw that disc back in and eventually after many hours and deaths, somewhat felt comfortable. I was parrying, killing, and making my way through these horrifying yet beastly levels. It took time, but after a while, I myself had 5-6 character builds, and I Platinumed the game as well as the DLC. It just finds a way to pull you back in again and again after time. There's a reason people have specifically bought PS4s just to play this game and they're still blown away. Anyways, here's some review...
Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is very straightforward. It's more of a 'chaotic' and fast-paced souls -like game. Dodging is the main element of defense, but once you learn to parry, it opens up so much more. The true beauty lies in your offensive attacks. The weapons in this game are trick weapons which can transform into a modded version. Killing enemies yields Blood Echoes, which you can use to purchase weapons, gear, or level your character up.
Leveling: 9/10
I'm deducting one point just because for people new to these games, it may be a bit confusing. Typical RPGs allow you to level your class and stats based on general health/power. This works similar with health and stamina; however, you should try and level towards a certain weapon you want to use. The weapons have scaling in different stats which allow for greater damage output. Once you get the hang of it, its really straight-foward.
Lore/Story: 8/10
I am not too much of a lore-nerd (or whatever you wanna call it), but it runs deep here. The story isn't too direct, but FromSoftware specializes in the details found around the world in a way you can build your own background of the story. There are 3 different endings--the third which is probably the coolest one but also slightly harder to achieve...
Level Design/Horror Aspect: 10/10
What makes FromSoftware one of my favorite gaming companies is the way they interconnect their levels and designs. Maybe not as iconic as Dark Souls 1 level mapping, but the horror element really makes that up for me here.
THE DLC: 11/10
Honestly, the DLC gets so much praise from pretty much every single person to purchase it. It adds on a huge amount of content, and it's worth every single penny. New weapons, insane bosses, and new levels that absolutely don't disappoint.
The Soundtrack: 10/10
This is (I believe) the first game in which From had a full on orchestra compose the scores heard in various boss battles and levels. I actually have some of these in my Spotify playlist. The score for one of the DLC boss battles is absolutely iconic and for good reason.
The Multiplayer: 9/10
The PVP is SO fun. There are designated areas which are popular PVP spots, and I absolutely love PVP in games like this. The combat is intense, rewarding, and the community is generally very supportive.
The Graphics: 7/10
I'm giving the graphics a lower score due to the known framerate issues (when not played on a PS4 Pro at higher fps). Once in a while you'll dip below 30, but it never affected my gameplay much at all.
Well, I hope this review irked your curiosity a bit (and perhaps your fear, too). What are you waiting for? Yharnam awaits...
10/10
