Stop me if you've heard this one before. You awaken in what seems to be an abandoned hospital, unsure of how you got here and your memory is missing. The beds next to you are empty and the place is cluttered with medical tools. Unable to come to any conclusions you grab your belongings and head to find an exit. Ok, you’ve heard that before. Well give me just a minute longer. On your way out the door you're confronted with an oversized wolf-like creature. Unbeknownst to you he is but the first step on your way to destiny. However, to get the strength to defeat him you must die, the first of many deaths on your journey. Don't worry though it doesn't take long for the creature’s mighty claws to cut you down and you're sent to the dream place of former chosen hunters.
These are but the opening moments of Bloodborne. If you're like me and this was your first dance with a Soulsborne game then you have absolutely no idea what's going on. You learn very quickly that there isn't a guiding hand to help you navigate the treacherous streets of Yharnam and beyond. You're given a weapon of your choosing (even that isn’t explicitly explained) and off you go. To some the relentless punishment bestowed upon you might be a turn off, and it was for me at first.
I spent a lot of time trying and failing to fist fight the hairy beast thinking, “if this is only the first fight I'm doomed.” I eventually made my way out of the deserted clinic, and tried my best to figure out where to go. Instantly, I knew the aesthetic and setting were right up my alley, but eventually, that wasn't enough to keep me going. I got tired of the constant failures with seemingly no progress made. I sold my copy of Bloodborne and washed my hands of it. That is until Sony gifted me with a second chance. On a whim I re-downloaded the game, as it was on PlayStation Plus, and like most Plus games it sat on my hard drive collecting digital dust.
Months later, an accomplished hunter came over to my house, gave me the controller, and the helping hand I needed. The success of that session led me down a slippery slope. It was maybe five or six futile attempts at taking down the colossal Cleric Beast before I saw “PREY SLAUGHTERED” pop up on my screen. That accomplishment was a peak moment in recent gaming sessions. It also made me realize I had to keep going. It set me down a road of chasing the high I got from toppling the beast. After taking Father Gascoigne out (on my second try) the need for more continued.
Video games have been a constant in my life ever since we had a SEGA in the household. I have many pleasant memories of losing myself in the many wonderful worlds of Super Mario 64, spending hours upon hours raising my Pokemon to defeat the Elite Four, and chatting up with friends while mowing down endless zombie hordes in Left 4 Dead. No game has caused me to lose as much free time while away from the controller quite like Bloodborne.
Constantly, I was looking at the lore of each enemy, boss, and NPC. I played a decent amount of the game cooperatively so I couldn't venture to far on my own. However, the loop of clear an area and read about it made for much more enjoyable breaks between sessions. I quickly learned the placement of each item wasn't an accident and was meticulously set to guide the hunter to a conclusion. The puzzle pieces were all in play, but finding them and putting them together was not that simple. Sure, you could shave off some pieces and get a rough understanding of what happened, but for me that wasn't good enough. I wanted to know more. I'd even type up predictions and thoughts of what was going on. I figured I had an idea, but as I traveled further down I found out I was way off.
I think what appealed to me the most wasn't just the fantastic character design or the grotesque gothic inspired environments, it was the mystery. Like I said, everything in Bloodborne has it's part to play and nothing is put in it’s spot just because. The few cutscenes led to more questions instead of answers. I trudged ahead to see what the lays ahead waiting to ruin my day. Personally, I feel the best part of Bloodborne is working to solve the unknown and between the moments where I got the slightest glimpse of clarity the insanely satisfying gameplay easily kept me chugging along.
Seriously though this game feels very good. Planning out runs that lead to demise are still worth while. When you die the progress is still there. Taking the time learning the layout and enemy placement, or not, can make or break the Hunt. Giddiness ensued when I'd finally reach that long desired lantern (Bloodborne's checkpoint system) after many “one more runs” and close calls.
Making my way through Yharnam and surrounding nightmares, led to many frustrating moments that in most games I would have called it quits. The aura of Bloodborne held me in it's cold grasps and before the end of the Hunt I couldn't stop, again. Among these unforgiving moments laid the big bads and yet another motivation to keep going. The bosses of Bloodborne come in many different forms from small hermit witches to giant slugs hidden away in the caverns of a cathedral. I did my best to keep these a secret while doing my research as nothing beats the feeling of unknowingly walking into a boss’ lair while your target waits in the shadows.
The rewarding feeling I got from soloing a couple of the tougher bosses is unmatched in all the time I've spent gaming. The mechanics of the boss fights aren't exactly new, but are flawlessly designed. It's about learning the patterns, executing timely hits, and sometimes it just comes down to luck. The tight controls and challenging combat led to moments of this is impossible. I had no one to get down on buy myself. Ok, some of my anger may have been at the game, but one key aspect of Bloodborne is its ability to be tough yet fair. If I was killed it was because I didn't pick up on a sign an enemy that would have keyed to me an attack was inbound or I got too aggressive or greedy. As my hunter continuously got stronger and my skills honed, I was still challenged and nothing was a handout.
If I may brag humbly for a minute. I slayed the Orphan of Kos by myself with no blood vials and very little health. After all the pain and agony, the close calls, the no ways, and about 50 tries his box was checked off. As soon as this happened I took a deep breath of relief, followed by a scream of joy, all while taking a screenshot to show off my accomplishment. It was for me a moment showing how far I had come in this game. I started off unable to defeat measly enemies in the very beginning and now I had defeated what some call the hardest boss by myself. Sure, I didn't defeat all of the bosses by myself but I'm proud of what I accomplished. No game since then has given me the feeling of I did this.
I'm glad I gave this game a real second chance. I constantly think of starting a new game plus run so that I can visit the crypts, that I avoided because I REALLY wanted to see the ending. My wish is I could be the like the hunter having lost the memory of playing this game, so I can venture through the dangerous perils of Bloodborne's great unknown all over again.
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