Bloodborne First Impressions (PS4)
It's the first night Bloodborne is out, my head is killing me, and I know I will be in for some frustration. Not the way to begin a game that delights in kicking you when you're down, then sweeping your legs out from under you when you move to stand up. But my excitement overwhelmed me and I eased into Bloodborne. And let me tell you, it's the best decision I made in a long time.
I am an avid Dark Souls fan, although not as avid as one of my friends would like. I have played though the original masterpiece several times, both alone and with partners. When the sequel, Dark Souls 2 came out, it never surpassed the first one in my mind. It was fun, and a great game, worthy of any best games list – that excluded the first one. I worried that no game would ever surpass Dark Souls in unique design and elegant combat and crafting mechanics. Now, several hours, several bosses and countless deaths into it's spiritual successor Bloodborne, Dark Souls has a run for it's money.
In some ways, it's like coming home, stepping into Yharnam. Controls are close to the old games, the engine moves and feels similar. Surely I can kill this one wearwolf thing you see upon the games open. He even has low health. It's just like the first Goomba in Super Mario Brothers. Jump and you got him. Well, I didn't get him. He shredded me in about 15 seconds. I was treated to the first loading screen. It was black, with only one world on it, in large white letters.
Get used to seeing it, because each area is learned, each step paid for in your own health and patience. It's not an easy game, and it relishes in punishing the complacent and the cocky. Sure you've fought that guy 6 times, once after each death on the part just past him. On run 7, you try to run past him, only to have him come up behind you and bash your head in with a brick. There goes 75% of your life in one combo and rips you back to a loading screen.
Combat is visceral, and rewards taking the fight to enemies that just hit you, through the regain system. Think red health in a fighting game, except you gain it back by landing hits, rather than swapping out. It's always heavy, and each decision you make can end in either your death or the enemies. Even the basic creatures can catch you off guard and combo you right to death. Dead again?
I do have one gripe this early. That's the health recovery system. You heal through consumable items called Blood Vials. Each does a measly 25% or so of your health bar, and when you use one, it's gone. you need to buy more, or farm enemies to get them. Did I mention that you lose all your money (Blood Echoes) each time you die? There is also supposedly a lower chance to get vials from enemies you've killed several times, which makes running a boss hard once you run out of vials. They do not refill on death, and at this point, I can only carry 20 with me. So after 3 runs against a boss that was killing me (Trust me, this is the early stages of learning a boss' pattern for this game) I found myself out of Blood Vials, and was forced to farm the level for more. It's a momentum taking oversight that I hope is corrected later game.
It's not an easy game, but it's the game that keeps bringing me back again, even after every salty run. I can't rage quit you, Bloodborne. No matter how many times you kill me with a lucky shot from a low level enemy, or creepy barking nightmare crows.
