Bloodborne

 PlayStation 4
  • Publisher: SCEA
  • Release Date: Mar 24, 2015
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12749 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11,320 out of 12749
  2. Mixed: 496 out of 12749
  3. Negative: 933 out of 12749
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  1. futashark
    Mar 24, 2015
    7
    I got this game early because of that fiasco with Target. I have to give it a 7. Here's the pros and cons:

    + Gets bonus points from me for not being casual **** like most modern games. + The atmosphere is very cool and level design is intricate. + There's a solid amount of weapons, armor and items. + Great soundtrack, always the best part about FromSoft games. + Backstabs are much    I got this game early because of that fiasco with Target. I have to give it a 7. Here's the pros and cons:

    + Gets bonus points from me for not being casual **** like most modern games.
    + The atmosphere is very cool and level design is intricate.
    + There's a solid amount of weapons, armor and items.
    + Great soundtrack, always the best part about FromSoft games.
    + Backstabs are much harder to pull off and only worthwhile in PvE.
    = Enemy and boss design is unique at first, but becomes tiring as the game progresses.
    - Nothing was learned of the improvements in Dark Souls 2: no respecs, can't use more than 1 item at a time, dual wielding, etc.
    - Miyazaki still does not know how to design stats at all. Arcane is only effective in PvE and Bloodtinge is worthless.
    - NPCs are as shallow as they were in Dark Souls 2, they literally have no stories at all.
    - Chalice dungeons are needlessly grindy and will be what causes this game to have DLC.
    - All this creativity went into weapon design, but you still riposte with your fist.
    - Other minor **** that bugged me: stair ripostes are still impossible and your character can't be left-handed.

    Hopefully this is a helpful review for anyone considering purchasing this game.    … Expand
  2. purplelamplight
    Mar 24, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted to like this game, I really really really did. The graphics were obviously downgraded from the trailers shown at events, and while the story was definitely not a major part of the game it was still very lacking. I was absolutely disgusted with the ending, it really was a cop-out with it just being all a dream. I loved that they tried making it lovecraftian, but it feels like the main idea of lovecraftian horror went right over FROM's head. The gameplay is identical to previous games in the Souls series, but much much easier. The overabundance of healing items makes the game far to easy when you consider the fact that it takes about an eighth of a second to actually heal. The easy healing makes the game much less punishing, and your healthbar essentially becomes your Healthbar+(Amount of Blood Vials * Amount healed by Blood Vials). The lack of content in the chalice dungeons is also very disappointing, and more often than not you'll find yourself walking down hallways that look and feel exactly the same over and over again, but I guess there's not really much you can do with randomly generated content.

    Overall I'd give the game a 5/10. It's a step back from its predecessors, and while it touches upon some interesting concepts the fundamentals of those concepts went right over FROMs head.    … Expand
  3. ToneSilvis
    Feb 27, 2016
    7
    Pros: the atmosphere, the visuals, the challenging but rewarding gameplay, the enemy design, and the stunning environments

    Cons: the extended load times, the story and the disconnected game world

    7/10
  4. RuffKnight
    Feb 28, 2017
    7
    You will die. About 1 million times. I dont know how people enjoy that. I dont. The graphics are good, the environment and engagement into this game is great. But they really need to add an easy mode for those who dont enjoy playing every game on the most difficult level. It reminds me of megaman. You basically need to memorize each level and what's coming next.
  5. MuF_AsA
    Mar 8, 2019
    7
    What does not kill makes us stronger. I give this assessment to the game because there is a hardcore and there is idiocy. And unfortunately, in this game it is enough both.
  6. PranjalGG
    Jun 14, 2022
    6
    Bloodborne is a good game, for people who have patience. The game relys on grinding and farming a lot. which i don't like. you can just grind out echoes, level up and defeat the boss. I was looking for a game which would give more importance to skill , and it does but you can still just grind a win. If you do not have a problem with grinding tho I highly suggest you check it out
  7. Avodeskorm
    Mar 31, 2015
    6
    When I play Bloodborne, it feels like exploring I'm Dol Guldor or facing the Nazgul in Middle-Earth. It feels like the Bloodborne community is alive as well, new things being discovered, people working together to solve mysteries, etc. This truly is as much if not, even more of an experience and experiment than the original Dark Souls was. It feels as if they mashed a whole bunch ofWhen I play Bloodborne, it feels like exploring I'm Dol Guldor or facing the Nazgul in Middle-Earth. It feels like the Bloodborne community is alive as well, new things being discovered, people working together to solve mysteries, etc. This truly is as much if not, even more of an experience and experiment than the original Dark Souls was. It feels as if they mashed a whole bunch of influences and put them in a blender. I thought that some parts reminded me of Resident Evil to Princess Mononoke to H. P. Lovecraft to Lord of the Rings. My friend however who's less of a geek, says that he can't nail down only one influence, it minds him of everything from Neverending Story to a bunch of other things. This game will start off pretty slow, but soon you get to set the pace and go on your own adventure. With paths that will sometimes lead you to nowhere. (Or so you think)… Expand
  8. SuperMe
    Feb 24, 2017
    7
    Bloodborne is an excellent game however it has a brutal learning curve which requires perseverance to overcome. You will die and replay the initial section of the game so many times you'll lose count and your commitment will be tested. You are punished for dying by what feels like a long re-spawn loading time and having to fight your way back through the same enemies you struggled toBloodborne is an excellent game however it has a brutal learning curve which requires perseverance to overcome. You will die and replay the initial section of the game so many times you'll lose count and your commitment will be tested. You are punished for dying by what feels like a long re-spawn loading time and having to fight your way back through the same enemies you struggled to defeat the last time round. There is no quick save and re-spawn points are few and far between. Rather like Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow you get a little better each iteration until eventually you succeed. Like a plane climbing through bad weather you punch through and into brilliant sunshine. The game remains hard but now you are competent in the mechanics it's a joy to play. You may chose to revisit the early section that caused so much frustration but this time your foe fall with consummate ease. It feels like redemption as you carve your way through the same enemies you previous struggled against now barely taking a scratch. Don't give up on this game and the reward will be many hours of fun.

    Update
    Shortly after writing my review I got bored with the repetitive nature of the game and had a few days off. I never went back. It's feels like a chore playing the game and a stressful grind. I play games for fun and when they stop being fun I stop playing.    … Expand
  9. SDMF
    Aug 20, 2015
    7
    Don't get the wrong idea,this is a really good title,Myazaki and his team did a cool job,but c'mon,why so many high scores in those reviews? It's one of the most overrated games I have ever played.

    This will be a somewhat long review,so you will need some patience Before listing the pros and cons I found while playing the game until its final moments of the true ending i'll tell my    Don't get the wrong idea,this is a really good title,Myazaki and his team did a cool job,but c'mon,why so many high scores in those reviews? It's one of the most overrated games I have ever played.

    This will be a somewhat long review,so you will need some patience

    Before listing the pros and cons I found while playing the game until its final moments of the true ending i'll tell my experience.

    I really dedicated myself to this game,I searched everything in the wiki,I'm kind of a RPG maniac,I got Demon's Souls three months after it was released looking for a really interesting RPG on Ps3 that would hold me like good old titles since NES and Ps1 did.

    And like I did in all the Soul Games I wasted a lot of time of my life looking into the game mechanics and infos about builds,armors,weapons,stats and all those stuffs.
    And while looking into the wiki I realized that I found the first problem: I finished my build in more or less 2 hours...is that a good thing? Maybe.
    Of course it's nice I don't need to spend 1000+ hours in a game until I finally create my true desired build(like happened in Dark Souls 2,holy **** From,wtf is your problem putting 9999999999 equipments in a game? I really wished that Dark Souls 1 could have some more equipments,but it was just too extreme in Dark Souls 2 with all those useless millions swords and greatswords and few twinblades/curved greatswords/greatbows/fists/whips...a middle term between the two games would make it nice,but anyway...)

    But then I realized that finishing my build in two hours was bad and not good,because there wasn't too much things to see,to search,to look into it...because the game lacks diversity!
    IN EVERY **** WAY, making fun and the variety of builds really limited and everybody using the same weapons in 90% of the time. And this sucks, because this is something that can't happen in a RPG.The game is more of a hack 'n slash than a RPG.They didn't polish the details of the game.Everything is so simple,so superficial,so "we will not work too much in these features,so let's just say to them we wanted to keep it simple,so they don't have too much to worry and this will be fun"

    IT IS FUN,but after some time it's just repetitive.

    *******Cons:

    -Very few stats,only six.
    -Very small number of weapons,even with it's trick mechanic
    -Very small number of secondary weapons
    -Very small number of equipments
    -A lot of equipments are variations of the default hunter armor
    -Only true difference between armors is it's appearance,the changes in the stats are minimal,and so you can't really change the damage that you take,if you want to survive more hits the only way is investing in your HP or levelling.
    -Where are the rings that all of us RPG fans love? The few Runes were a great improvement but it would be nice to have both runes and rings,each one with its own utilities or at least more Runes.
    -Very small number of "magics"
    -Talking about magic,why the **** does magic uses QSB? You can only carry 20 QSB without Odeon Runes, and you need to use a lot of them for the magics, and ALL secondary weapons uses it too,so you basically use magic one or two times before you run low of QSB.If you want to use both magic and secondary weapons you're screwed.
    -Only one form of defending yourself from attacks: evading.There's no shields,no protective magics the name of this game should be "attack&evade" because it's just about that or trying to parry with your gun,but the system for parry isn't the same to all enemies and some can't even be parried(even hack and slash games have more ways of defending yourself apart of evading ,for example guarding,counter or instant counter),and because of that comes the main con:
    -The game is very repetitive,from the beginning to the end it's just the same gameplay,with some little improvements that are so small that it don't feel interesting at all,it becomes lame, being saved basically by the boss encounters.
    -Few npc's.This wouldn't be a problem if they at least had some use or role in the game but 95% of them are absolute useless,or are in the game just to teach you some gestures.No tutors,very few merchants(only the two at Hunter's Dream),very few quest lines and rewards.
    -Enemy NPC Hunters are ridiculous powerful,they have infinite bullets and they will spam their magics and secondary weapons making direct combat with them kind of inviable and unbalanced,and it's even worse if there's more than one,you need to use bugs or map limits that they don't transpass because when they come near this map limit they turnback to their original spot with the AI combat absolutely messed up and ignoring your existence(they just walk away giving their back for you to hit them hard)
    -History is kind poor,it isn't all bad,but again,it's too simple.
    -Chalice Dungeons / Random Dungeons are boring as hell, I don't know who had that idea but it don't work,at least not for me.It's pretty boring to stay in a dungeon that every floor and room looks almost the same as others,doing the same **** over and over again.And all the strongest items and runes are in there,so it's kind sad...
    -No secrets, no hidden walls,almost nothing to look or search for,almost no discovery.
    -It's not fun to replay it at all,it's repetitive even in the first playtrough(there was a point I nearly stopped playing because I was bored,but i was at 70% of the game so I keep up),I can't imagine how boring it can be in a NG+ doing the same things over and over again one more time.
    -Too few covenants
    -True Ending and last battle was kind of disappointing,kind of "...it's just that?".
    -Because of all of this the PvP is boring

    Ok after this speech and saying just bad things,comes the Pros:

    *******Pros:

    -Pretty cool graphics
    -Hard and challenging maps,I dare to say it's harder then the Souls Games in some aspects
    -One of the best atmospheres I ever saw in a game,it's really really nice you know? It's darker and heavier than any Souls Game with it's "gothic-postapocalyptical-madness-world" elements and It makes you feel immersed and sometimes tense of what comes next,scared of losing your 100,000 Blood Echos in a map that enemies can appear out of the blue basically from everywhere,and if you're not on your guard: YOU.WILL.DIE.
    -Excellent soundtrack
    -Really cool and well designed enemies
    -Boss battles are freaking awesome,the cutscenes are nice,they are cool looking,gruesome,ugly,strong,fast,they scream and makes you piss your pants when they are raged and all the Boss Themes only make it better!
    -Beautiful armors and equipments -Cool looking Weapons,every weapon has a unique and nice moveset -Trick system of the weapons are one of the coolest and interesting inovations i ever saw,the combos you can make with them are satisfying -Well designed maps -Interesting Blood Gem Feature -Interesting Rune Feature -Creative and cool magics And that's it...the game basically takes one step foward and two back... I always dreamed about something like the runes and the blood gems feature on a Souls Game,and more intimidating bosses(the majority of dark Souls 2 bosses are a joke) and an atmosphere more "Dark Age" to make you feel like you were on a Tolkien LotR's book(Demons Souls was the one that got closest to this Medieval Dark Age Fantasy atmosphere in my opinion) and when a game does have something like these elements...it lacks A LOT in other elements... It's a nice game,but guys...it's not a top tier game...    … Expand
  10. Firehalk_
    Oct 15, 2017
    7
    Nice game with very polished combat mechanics. For those that are looking for a merciless kind of game, this is it. That said, I really don't like the balance between how your character levels up and how difficult enemies get as you make progress towards the end of the game. I understand that some people like this kind of challenge - so in that sense I can say that this game is definitelyNice game with very polished combat mechanics. For those that are looking for a merciless kind of game, this is it. That said, I really don't like the balance between how your character levels up and how difficult enemies get as you make progress towards the end of the game. I understand that some people like this kind of challenge - so in that sense I can say that this game is definitely not for everyone out there. For the more casual gamer like me, some of the game design decisions don't make sense at all. It's a bit too much and there is simply no way around that.… Expand
  11. Headcrusher
    Jun 2, 2015
    5
    I'm updating my review which originally gave this game a 10 - the game itself is pretty good however if you enjoy the co-op and pvp aspects of the souls games you will likely be disappointed by the constant network dropouts and "cannot connect to network" and "lost network connection" warnings - every time this happens you will be booted back to the opening title sequence and have to tryI'm updating my review which originally gave this game a 10 - the game itself is pretty good however if you enjoy the co-op and pvp aspects of the souls games you will likely be disappointed by the constant network dropouts and "cannot connect to network" and "lost network connection" warnings - every time this happens you will be booted back to the opening title sequence and have to try again. Even though souls games tend to be crowded years after their release - this game is quickly dying out because of this problem. The frustration should come from the difficulty of the game not the crappy network scheme. These days many companies either don't do enough beta testing or release games before they're fully operational - it's sad. If you want to play offline you'll be fine.… Expand
  12. gwizzzile
    May 4, 2015
    7
    Bloodbourne is not a bad game, it just had big shoes to fill. The Focus was meant to be more on face paced combat than the rpg elements, but when trimming the game down it lost some of what made dark souls great. The great thing about a souls game was that if you rushed into an area with little to no preparation then yo would get destroyed, but if you took the time to upgrade the correctBloodbourne is not a bad game, it just had big shoes to fill. The Focus was meant to be more on face paced combat than the rpg elements, but when trimming the game down it lost some of what made dark souls great. The great thing about a souls game was that if you rushed into an area with little to no preparation then yo would get destroyed, but if you took the time to upgrade the correct weapons and armor, the game was much more manageable. This element is lost a little in Bloodbourne. All the souls games are difficult and bloodbourne is no exception. It does do something wrong though. Think about the most fun you have had playing a difficult game.flappy bird on your phone, or super hexagon. What made those games fun was the fact that it was difficult, but as soon as you failed, you started with a clean slate quickly so you didn't have to dwell on your failures. Dark souls struck a good balance of punishment and ease of death. Bloodbourne not so much. I found myself dying on a boss battle, and instead of thinking of what I would do differently next time, all I did was groan because I would have to farm more bullets and bloodvials before the next encounter. And I would have to plenty of time to contemplate this on the atrociously long loading screens that are inexcusable on next gen hardware. Bloodbourne at its core is just okay, and it couldn't possibly have lived up to the hype.… Expand
  13. Inhanzt
    Apr 2, 2015
    6
    Bloodborne can be a pretty fun game. However, I think it's the weakest of the "soul's games". My favorite things about the game are how surreal it got towards the end and how fluid trick weapons are. My least favorite part about it was that gun counters were simply not worth the risk involved; it was generally better to use iframes.

    I don't really understand all of the gushing praise    Bloodborne can be a pretty fun game. However, I think it's the weakest of the "soul's games". My favorite things about the game are how surreal it got towards the end and how fluid trick weapons are. My least favorite part about it was that gun counters were simply not worth the risk involved; it was generally better to use iframes.

    I don't really understand all of the gushing praise for this game. Bloodborne has several flaws that fans and critics are ignoring, the most egregious of which is the lack of build variety. Previous games allowed parry counters as a potential play-style. Now that and two hand are the only options. Bows, spells, miracles, pyromancy, dual wield, heavy armor, and shields are all gone, and replayability has definitely suffered.

    I look forward to all of the 10/10 reviews when Starcraft 3 removes the Protoss, Dota 3 removes items, and CS removes all rifles.    … Expand
  14. Azlinthelich
    Apr 10, 2015
    6
    Let me start by saying I am FAR from being a casual gamer. I have played video games for 30+ years and spend 30+ hours a week gaming. I have played every genre of game created and enjoy active combat RPG's. Having said all that Bloodborne is simply not the game for me. It's not overly difficult as much as it's overly repetitive. The storyline is weak for an RPG as is the characterLet me start by saying I am FAR from being a casual gamer. I have played video games for 30+ years and spend 30+ hours a week gaming. I have played every genre of game created and enjoy active combat RPG's. Having said all that Bloodborne is simply not the game for me. It's not overly difficult as much as it's overly repetitive. The storyline is weak for an RPG as is the character development (I found no reason to care about the protagonist). I found it to be nothing more than hack, hack, die, revive then repeat. There are virtually no payoffs for defeating enemies. The visuals are great and it plays very well and I get that many people love this game and I don't discount their opinions, I simply find this game lacking for me. If you do not mind long repetitive grinds for mediocre loot then this game is great.… Expand
  15. tdebug
    Apr 14, 2015
    5
    The story is unclear and uneven so the whole game covered in some kind of mist. You will like it if you like the Demon Souls / Dark Souls series anyway, which I thought I was too, but really a bit tired now of all this "greatness and myst" developers put in those games. It seems just like a lack of a really good story, so they put whatever they got and then covered with a lot of mysteryThe story is unclear and uneven so the whole game covered in some kind of mist. You will like it if you like the Demon Souls / Dark Souls series anyway, which I thought I was too, but really a bit tired now of all this "greatness and myst" developers put in those games. It seems just like a lack of a really good story, so they put whatever they got and then covered with a lot of mystery so your imagination will do the rest, but you won't even get answers to all questions, as storytellers don't know them too.… Expand
  16. Sky-Line___
    May 15, 2015
    6
    Bloodborne is beautiful, has its own genre, BUT.
    For me, the excessive difficulty covers a lack of content: only 14 weapons, 14 secondaries, the environnements are not so big and might be repetitive, there is no real scenario and the ennemies always have the same movements (farming can become really annoying after a while)
    Also, my biggest deception was the online mode: it is so so so    Bloodborne is beautiful, has its own genre, BUT.
    For me, the excessive difficulty covers a lack of content: only 14 weapons, 14 secondaries, the environnements are not so big and might be repetitive, there is no real scenario and the ennemies always have the same movements (farming can become really annoying after a while)
    Also, my biggest deception was the online mode: it is so so so bad, 5 minutes to join a friend, and make it as many Times as you die.

    Maybe i just don't like the type of this game, but i cannot understand those 9/10 scores

    So,
    LENGHT: 2.5/5
    GRAPHICS & SOUNDS: 4/5
    GAMEPLAY: 2.5/5
    CONTENT: 2.5/5    … Expand
  17. STROKESs1997
    Sep 2, 2015
    5
    In its current state, it feels like it caters too much to the twitch experts, and doesn't bend for the rest of us. A challenge that feels like a learning experience is welcome, but Bloodborne too often felt like it was kicking me in the balls and leaving me helpless to do anything about it.
  18. robinzvak
    May 20, 2015
    7
    Advantage of this title is hard difficulty, also is his big weakness. Not for casuals players. Very good level desing and monsters. Good boss fights. Game without good story. Not for me, for you? you must play and answer is on you.
  19. emmie
    Aug 7, 2015
    5
    My experience playing this game for around about 40 hours is that the majority of the time I ran around killing enemies for blood echoes in order to acquire items that will give me a fighting chance against a boss. This very quickly became a boring repetitive lengthy cycle prior to facing a boss. I tended to get 2 or 3 goes at a boss before being forced to collect blood echoes again. IMy experience playing this game for around about 40 hours is that the majority of the time I ran around killing enemies for blood echoes in order to acquire items that will give me a fighting chance against a boss. This very quickly became a boring repetitive lengthy cycle prior to facing a boss. I tended to get 2 or 3 goes at a boss before being forced to collect blood echoes again. I have no problem that the game is difficult, but don't make me do boring repetitive things! This is by far the most frustrating game I have ever played!… Expand
  20. RPGaymer
    Nov 26, 2015
    5
    I know a score of 5 doesn't go with the mainstream oppinion but hey - thats what user reviews are for.

    First of all I have to say that I am new to the dark souls games and Bloodborne is the first game of this series. Lets start out with what I like +++ The world and the setting is superb - that Lovecraft meets Walking Dead meets Groundhog Day creates a dense atmosphere, fantastic    I know a score of 5 doesn't go with the mainstream oppinion but hey - thats what user reviews are for.

    First of all I have to say that I am new to the dark souls games and Bloodborne is the first game of this series.

    Lets start out with what I like

    +++ The world and the setting is superb - that Lovecraft meets Walking Dead meets Groundhog Day creates a dense atmosphere, fantastic surroundings and an eerie feel to it. That was mostly the reason I kept playing this game for so long, it just feels great to travel the streets of Yarnam.
    ++ The narration - I love it. This game really makes you feel with your character as you are thrown into a weird scenario having no more of a clue than your character does, and the story isn't simply told, you have to uncover it, discovering little clues at every corner, forcing you to put the whole picture together yourself. Very interesting
    + The Enemies are fantastic, I dont know what the game creators were taking when they came up with those monsters, but it definitely worked. Those weird enemies really make the game worthwile

    But there are many negative points that finally made me quit playing this game, leaving me very dissapointed, as I would have loved to see more of the game.

    --- I am lost. I mean - I know that being lost is part of the game and part of the fun, but when it comes to a point where I either have to spend hours upon hours, trying to every combination of "now I toppled a flower pot - now i have to visit everything again, maybe something changed somewhere" or having to rely on wikis to spare me that waste of time this really is a buzz-kill for me.

    --- The difficulty. I spend hours roaming the the streets after the first lamp. The game doesnt tell you "get one insight, find a skull, bash it against your head and you will be allowed to level up" no. Either you stumble over it, or you dont and you cant even begin the game because of that. But once you got that figured out (thanks to wiki) there comes a time when it actually makes fun to play. Then the first bosses come. I know that it is part of the fun to learn the combat mechanics and I daresay I mastered them sufficently, putting a lot of time into it. I also managed to beat a lot of bosses and aways felt kinda proud afterwards because they really are tough SOBs. But at some point I met a boss that I couldn't beat at all. And I dont wanna spend another 10 hours farming previous areas, just to level up a little so I increase my chance to survive the first half of the bossfight. I just dont have the time for that.
    So after all: If you have time on your hands, if you can adapt to the playing style easily, and if you dont mind spending hours upon hours farming the same surroundings untill you can proceed and to train your use of game mechanics - buy that game.

    I am however finally sick of a game, that in my opinion isn't playable without a wiki page. There are no explanations whatsoever, the game mechanics are complex and yet not explained at all and in the end I have to say: I paid good money for it. If i want to make this game easier - add easier difficulty levels - and leave the decision up to me!!! I am pretty certain the game will become very interesting later one, but that doesn't do me any good if I cant get there, withouth putting another 16 hours of mindless farming into it. Some people have a life in the real world, game difficulty should be adjustable to players who wanna see the whole game without having to spend hours upon hours in farming and training.

    With adjustable difficulty settings this game would have been a superb 10/10. The way it is it's just an unplayable piece of something that might have been great, but I'll never know. And a score of 5/10 is generous for a game that is so hard, it might as well be bugged or broken. When will software developers realize to give more power to the players. If i want the fights to be easier, add a darned difficulty slider, or live with this score. I couldn't recommend this game to anyone who has a real life, because it the ratio between "it eats up your time" and "you actually proceed in this game" is as unbalanced as it can be.    … Expand
  21. robomartion
    Mar 24, 2020
    6
    Bloodbornes combat feels floaty and too spammy, far way from the typical gameplay that put Fromsoftware's mark on the map. The environments are grey and samey and world-building and storytelling is all but nonexistant. The hub level is an unnecessary dilution to an already overwhelmingly un-grounded, directionless experience. Bosses and monsters all blur together in this hazy, gloomyBloodbornes combat feels floaty and too spammy, far way from the typical gameplay that put Fromsoftware's mark on the map. The environments are grey and samey and world-building and storytelling is all but nonexistant. The hub level is an unnecessary dilution to an already overwhelmingly un-grounded, directionless experience. Bosses and monsters all blur together in this hazy, gloomy gothic nightmare one from which you might just wish you'd wake up.… Expand
  22. 3Potatoteers
    Dec 6, 2015
    6
    This is a very good game, if it was not made by FromSoftware, I will give it 8 or 9, but the more time I spent with it, the more I missed Dark Souls, the more I hate Bloodborne and the more I am worried about Dark Souls 3, it just makes me sad, because I know what I used to love has gone permanently. Now you all know how good the game is, I will just focus on the part I don't like.

    1.    This is a very good game, if it was not made by FromSoftware, I will give it 8 or 9, but the more time I spent with it, the more I missed Dark Souls, the more I hate Bloodborne and the more I am worried about Dark Souls 3, it just makes me sad, because I know what I used to love has gone permanently. Now you all know how good the game is, I will just focus on the part I don't like.

    1. Healing. Healing is fast and you have 20 blood vials at the beginning, and you can regain health for a short period of time after you get hit by fight back. It sounds cool at first, but soon I find the Dark Souls approach is superior. Why? First in Dark Souls you don't have to farm healing stuff when you get stuck, which is annoying and not fun at all; Second, in order to keep the difficulty of the game since you can heal fast, they either one shot you or gank you or attack non-stop like rampage, unlike Dark Souls where enemies are brutal but not crazy, and you have a shield to learn their attacks. The more you played Dark Souls, you get more confident, because enemies attack with a rhythm, you are rewarded by spending more time with the game, but in Bloodborne? The enemies are very hard to predict, and since you can regain, you can just trade with them with a strong weapon like Holy Blade.

    2. Attire. Attires in Bloodborne are all about fashion and nothing else. They may have different stats, but really don't matter that much. There is nothing excitement about finding new attires in Bloodborne. Does it look ugly? Yes, then throw it away. This is so not RPG but FashionPG.

    3. Weapon. Yeah I know lots of you love Bloodborne for the intricate weapon attacks, R1 combos, transforming attacks etc. But what is the best attack? Holy Blade charged R2. Hand Axe charged R2. Chikage transformed R1. Action game doesn't have to be intricate, it should be simple and elegant, it is more about timing and strategy, and know your enemies well.

    4. Weapon upgrade. So little materials to upgrade the weapons. In Dark Souls you have alternatives like boss weapon, fire weapon, black knight weapon, dragon weapon. In Bloodborne? One blood rock per game, and no alternatives, that is...good.

    5. Gem system. You wanna PvP? No you can't, because you don't have the best gems so they can one shot you with 50% V.attack and 3*27% gems. Go back and farm like a farmer! Thank you FromSoftware.

    6. Chalice Dungeon. Could it be more boring? And instead of showing brilliant level design, they decide to deploy crazy hard enemies but no rewards for you, is that supposed to be funny and I supposed to admire that?

    7. Cheap battle design. Most hunter NPCs have large health pool, they can heal, and they hit you with two or three hits, and they gank you. It is so cheap I just don't bother fighting with them.

    8. Horrible camera. When you encounter a large enemy, man, the camera is **** you can only see its dick covering you monitor.

    9. Poise. Anything staggers you. And you can't tell if an enemy has poise since there is no heavy armor in this game. So you better use Holy Blade charged R2... What is worse, when you get hit, even by a large boss, you are not knocked down, so you get some i-frame to reposition yourself, no you get staggered so they can combo you to death, and what is even more worse, you DON'T have i-frame when knocked down! It is annoying, I think they design it like this because of the fast healing.

    10. Sound effect. Lots of bosses in this game roar or scream, they just ruin the boss music. It is torture to the ears. **** what is the point of making boss music when all you can hear is beast screaming?

    11. Way too short NPC quest lines, some of them just ended. There is no one touches you deeply like Solaire. They are just too short.

    12. Cheap boss fight. Boss fight should be hard, yet fast. When you die, you know you make a mistake, you know you can make it next time. There is nothing fun when you have to fight a boss for more than 10 min but make a small mistake and get one shot killed. There is nothing fun when you quickstep like crazy and drink blood vials like an alcoholic. Seriously, Bloodborne bosses have too much health and it takes too long to kill them, it just makes don't want to fight them twice. I fight Four Kings for god knows how many times and still enjoy it, but I will never fight defiled watchdog, defiled amygdala, or loran dark beast ever again.

    It seems to me FromSoftware is trying hard to create hard games instead of fun yet challenging games. They use RGN and crazy bosses to make the game longer to hide the fact that they don't have as much to offer as Dark Souls. The DLC for instance, the content is little yet the bosses are crazy, but you know what? People love it, they praise how beautiful the bosses are designed, but to me, it is just a prove they don't put much effort on lore and NPCs and new maps and cool level designs. They simply deploy some **** boss and people love it.    … Expand
  23. hlyro
    Sep 23, 2015
    7
    More action game / less RPG .The game is great and all but DS is far better because of the weapons and customization it offers . Low amount of weapons and no magic is a big minus for me.
  24. kwstas
    Nov 20, 2015
    7
    this is an pretty ineresting game but is extremely defficult . you must play like a true proffesional because if you dont you will never go further that the second boss . he is no giving even a second to breath .he run like a devil
  25. Bjorneo
    Apr 27, 2016
    6
    Bloodborne, the kids rave about it. I got quite far into the game. At first I died every 2 minutes and it took me a while to "get it", and then it became quite exciting. The world is very coherent and artful. I would say it is a very cohesive product. But then, it does feel a little monotonous in the long run, I wished for a little more diversity in the world and gameplay, in the end IBloodborne, the kids rave about it. I got quite far into the game. At first I died every 2 minutes and it took me a while to "get it", and then it became quite exciting. The world is very coherent and artful. I would say it is a very cohesive product. But then, it does feel a little monotonous in the long run, I wished for a little more diversity in the world and gameplay, in the end I stopped caring and stopped playing. Overall good effort though for a certain type of gamer. Thanks.… Expand
  26. Maurenos
    May 18, 2020
    7
    What should be said about this game for the first place is the fact that it's not offering completely new gameplay - it's not so much different from the Dark Souls series. To put it simple, instead of a shield you have a gun that is used to stun enemies. The game is a little bit faster than Dark Souls, too.

    However, if you don't like melee combat then it might not be the title for you -    What should be said about this game for the first place is the fact that it's not offering completely new gameplay - it's not so much different from the Dark Souls series. To put it simple, instead of a shield you have a gun that is used to stun enemies. The game is a little bit faster than Dark Souls, too.

    However, if you don't like melee combat then it might not be the title for you - there is simply little of no choice when it comes to ranged weapons, apart from the gun that is used to stun enemies rather than deal damage.

    The plot is okay for this kind of a game, the boss fights are not overly demanding which is good, so if you are a Souls veteran it won't be that hard for you.    … Expand
  27. notlaw
    Apr 7, 2015
    7
    Wow what a total over hype of a game, I mean lets be honest bloodborne is a just a re-skin of dark souls minus alot of things that made dark souls great. Its not a bad game i just dont see how people are making out like its a masterpiece revolutionary lol, they took the same games they've made previous gave it a pretty new setting changed up the combat and took away basically everythingWow what a total over hype of a game, I mean lets be honest bloodborne is a just a re-skin of dark souls minus alot of things that made dark souls great. Its not a bad game i just dont see how people are making out like its a masterpiece revolutionary lol, they took the same games they've made previous gave it a pretty new setting changed up the combat and took away basically everything else what geniuses haha.… Expand
  28. alasdair333
    Apr 4, 2015
    7
    Having never played Dark souls but everyone I know raving about it. I decided to give Bloodborne a shot. As expected I've not made it very far but already there are a couple of things that are annoying even at this early stage of the game.

    1) Loading screen: When I die (alot) I'm greeted with the loading screen, and it lasts longer than the bits inbetween so 90% of my experience so far    Having never played Dark souls but everyone I know raving about it. I decided to give Bloodborne a shot. As expected I've not made it very far but already there are a couple of things that are annoying even at this early stage of the game.

    1) Loading screen: When I die (alot) I'm greeted with the loading screen, and it lasts longer than the bits inbetween so 90% of my experience so far is a black screen with the "Bloodborne" text and what feels like an eternity. Oh look all the enemies have respawned yay! ... dead.

    2) Collision Detection: I was fighting a big dude and ran off to hide around a corner. Suddenly his axe bent the laws of physics and passed through the building like it wasn't there hitting me and the boxes. Oh look dead again. Back to complaint #1

    it maybe the case that I've just started my adventure into this style of game and I'll eventually get used to these annoyances.
    I've read they are looking into the loading times too, so hopefully they are cut dramatically soon.

    The atmosphere is great though, and apart from having no idea what buttons do what. Hopefully I'll begin to really enjoy it.    … Expand
  29. gfunk0311
    Apr 15, 2015
    5
    Bought this game due to the amazing reviews it got all across the board. I went into this not previously playing any of the souls games so I wasnt sure what to expect. I have stopped playing this game entirely only 2 days in. I cannot keep wasting my hours away playing the same damn enemies over and over and over and over again. There comes a point where it becomes more painful thanBought this game due to the amazing reviews it got all across the board. I went into this not previously playing any of the souls games so I wasnt sure what to expect. I have stopped playing this game entirely only 2 days in. I cannot keep wasting my hours away playing the same damn enemies over and over and over and over again. There comes a point where it becomes more painful than fun and thats when I turn the game off. I can understand a difficult game and can appreciate the grind it takes to level up, but this is way too much for even an avid video game player who is just new to the genre.… Expand
  30. ghitopia
    May 14, 2015
    5
    There is no reason to punish players to such an extent as in Bloodborne. It is mostly repetitive gameplay without much of a story line. Video games are meant for entertaining. This game arouses anger. Why do I have to level up 10 levels just to see a difference in my powers and defense? Why do I have to lose all my experiences every time I die? It doesn't take much to die either. No matterThere is no reason to punish players to such an extent as in Bloodborne. It is mostly repetitive gameplay without much of a story line. Video games are meant for entertaining. This game arouses anger. Why do I have to level up 10 levels just to see a difference in my powers and defense? Why do I have to lose all my experiences every time I die? It doesn't take much to die either. No matter how high of a level you get an enemy will kill you with 2-3 hits. It's so frustrating to play. Takes a lot of patience to play Bloodborne.… Expand
  31. Ozard
    Apr 3, 2015
    6
    Don't believe the hype. A slightly above average game which was only made to sell PS4s. Visually very nice but PvE is a repetitive hack'n'slash fest which quickly becomes tiresome, especially when you are facing the artificial difficulty of hunter NPCs and some bosses. Very limited variety of weapons and a bullet to the head only stuns you? Sometimes? Stupid. Yeah some of the bosses andDon't believe the hype. A slightly above average game which was only made to sell PS4s. Visually very nice but PvE is a repetitive hack'n'slash fest which quickly becomes tiresome, especially when you are facing the artificial difficulty of hunter NPCs and some bosses. Very limited variety of weapons and a bullet to the head only stuns you? Sometimes? Stupid. Yeah some of the bosses and areas are quite tough which is good but I stopped caring why I was slashing away at stuff pretty quickly. As for PvP it's just broken.Tthe little I saw of it doesn't make me think it will get much better either.
    Ignore these people on twitch who are obviously paid to hype up this game to the max. If you believe them, a useless new gesture is a quantum leap in the whole gaming experience. If you like slashing things to death over and over again then this is the game for you. But surely you've done that already.    … Expand
  32. joaopontesvaz
    May 11, 2015
    7
    Graphics: 7.8 Sound: 8.5 Gameplay: 6.5 Fun/Story: 7.0

    Perhaps the most difficult review i do. First, i´m not a huge fan of this type of game (Action RPG) but my favorite game is a Action RPG (Ocarina of Time). So, that should´t be an apology. Second, the graphics... I read in the most sites they are fantastic. And i don´t see it like that. I see a really nice artwork with many technical    Graphics: 7.8 Sound: 8.5 Gameplay: 6.5 Fun/Story: 7.0

    Perhaps the most difficult review i do. First, i´m not a huge fan of this type of game (Action RPG) but my favorite game is a Action RPG (Ocarina of Time). So, that should´t be an apology. Second, the graphics... I read in the most sites they are fantastic. And i don´t see it like that. I see a really nice artwork with many technical failures (unstable framerate, colision problems and some blurry textures with low resolution). Third and the most important: gameplay. I like difficult games but i don´t like stupid difficulty such as far and far save points and must restart an entire part of the game. Honestly, this game has lack of lanterns (save points) taken into account the number of times we die. And to worsen the situation the loading times are long too. So this game is about repetition of dies and nothing bad about that but it carries the same time of wait and playing again and again some areas. The best way to describe the feeling of playing it is: the half time i play it i like, the other half i hate.    … Expand
  33. Silentprotagoni
    Apr 10, 2015
    7
    Bloodborne has a lot of issues. Like the 2,7gb day one patch or the ridiculous long loading times. The game is frustrating but not realy challenging..For example you need for bosses 3-5 tries..thats pretty normal for most of the games, but since the checkpoints in this game are pretty rare you have to take a really long way to reach the boss. This isnt even hard most enemys are pretty slowBloodborne has a lot of issues. Like the 2,7gb day one patch or the ridiculous long loading times. The game is frustrating but not realy challenging..For example you need for bosses 3-5 tries..thats pretty normal for most of the games, but since the checkpoints in this game are pretty rare you have to take a really long way to reach the boss. This isnt even hard most enemys are pretty slow and you can walk around them without any effort, but paired with long loading times its very annoying. It doesnt make the game more challenging...it makes it more frustrating. You dont realy have the feeling of being challenged by the game, it feels like you get stopped by the game. But then again, its such an intresting game..It looks so beautiful..and I dont talk about next gen graphics..no thats realy not the case...I talk about dark fantasy athmosphere and beautiful gothic buildings.
    The gameplay is well...a taste thing...Its different from the souls games and since there is no shield it loses some diversity. However the fighting style is stil nice and weapon transformation allow you to make devastating combos.

    TLDR;:The game is nice...but it has issues.. solid 7    … Expand
  34. WaffleFox
    Jun 4, 2015
    6
    I've played all the Souls games before this one. However I'm an offline gamer, please keep that in mind, I only play the games in offline mode. Bloodborne is much like the previous games. Create a character, grind a bit, die, and repeat. I was not very pleased with this game though. The previous games in the series were more about strategy. Should I block this type of enemy? MaybeI've played all the Souls games before this one. However I'm an offline gamer, please keep that in mind, I only play the games in offline mode. Bloodborne is much like the previous games. Create a character, grind a bit, die, and repeat. I was not very pleased with this game though. The previous games in the series were more about strategy. Should I block this type of enemy? Maybe cast a damaging spell? Perhaps a heavy weapon would be better. Bloodborne strips away most of the strategy that I enjoyed.

    Now in this game you have a gun in one hand and a melee weapon in the other. These are basically the only weapons you will have and the selection of weapons in the game is quite limited. Despite lacking a wide selection of weapons, your character is more nimble in this game. Making this game more about speedy combat.

    The gun is useful for stunning enemies if fired at the correct moment, such as an enemy lifting their blade to swing. Hitting them at the right moment causes them to become stunned and vulnerable. This is basically the only thing the gun is good for, as it does very little damage. What makes things worse is about half the enemies cannot be stunned in this manner.

    The melee weapon is pretty cool in this game though. Each weapon can switch modes. Usually they switch between one handed and two handed modes to give a little variety. This gives the options of quicker yet weaker attacks or slower yet stronger attacks.

    Spells are non existent, at least for the player. Enemies are still able to cast spells at you from a distance while you cannot. Instead you must attack them head on, trying to dodge their spells and hoping that you don't get hit. Being unable to cast spells gets rid of the ranged strategy. (even though you have a gun the bullets don't travel far at all)

    Shields have been removed from the game except for a wooden shield. However this shield is useless and should never be used. Strangely enough, enemies are still able to use shields. But for the most part it's just as useless for them. Lack of shields removes a defensive strategy from the game.

    Bosses are interesting in design but that's all. Combat with them is basically the same. A giant lumbering monstrosity that never stops swinging, all because you have to be near them to inflict damage.

    Controls are just as bad as all the other souls games. Push a button to dodge or attack, it's going to take half a second before your character actually begins the animation. Doesn't sound bad but when timing is strict, this just ruins it.

    Graphics are actually quite nice. The game looks beautiful and it's obvious there was more attention to the scenery than anything else.

    Hit boxes are still an issue. You can be behind an enemy when they swing forward and you'll get knocked on your back. Or even roll to the side of a downward hammer swing, only to be flattened onto the ground by nothing.

    Story is pretty much non existent, very much like the previous games. Pretty much the same story too. Everyone's got some curse or disease and now they hurt people for whatever reason. Kill them and stuff.

    Overall the game is just meh to me. Clunky controls, broken hit boxes, limited strategy are things that ruin it for me. Killing things is satisfying and the game looks wonderful. Difficulty is close to the same as the previous games. Challenging, but for the wrong reasons.

    Also, I have beaten this game so I didn't just play this for 5 minutes and stop.    … Expand
  35. EscapetoGame
    May 23, 2015
    6
    Very controversial to give bloodborne a bad rating but while I find the game to be quite well designed in terms of enemies and level design, it's in its gameplay where it just did too much to take me out of the experience without doing enough with its story and content to keep me involved. The best thing about it is some epic boss fights but the stuff inbetween don't feel purposeful.Very controversial to give bloodborne a bad rating but while I find the game to be quite well designed in terms of enemies and level design, it's in its gameplay where it just did too much to take me out of the experience without doing enough with its story and content to keep me involved. The best thing about it is some epic boss fights but the stuff inbetween don't feel purposeful.
    Having to kill the same enemies over and over again is a good recipe for those who like a "learning through repetition" game but for someone who looks for much more variation and story, it fails and becomes a repetitive bore. I finished this game hoping each step of the way would bring something new and different but was disappointed at having been left feeling empty and just glad it's over.    … Expand
  36. uglyNobody
    Apr 8, 2015
    6
    After checking metacritic for reviews for so long now, I finally decided to become a part of the community as well and to serve with honest and maybe good reviews.

    Bloodborne is the first game to review for me and I strongly felt the need to do so. I can just describe how I felt over the journey of 9-10 days after purchasing this game. First I got to say I never really played any    After checking metacritic for reviews for so long now, I finally decided to become a part of the community as well and to serve with honest and maybe good reviews.

    Bloodborne is the first game to review for me and I strongly felt the need to do so.

    I can just describe how I felt over the journey of 9-10 days after purchasing this game.
    First I got to say I never really played any game of From, I just had a litte session of Demon Souls but not enough to have a real opinion since that is ages ago also. I am not an excessive gamer playing for hours and hours in one session - I play occasionally when I got the time.

    When I started Bloodborne I was hooked - it was just fun to progress through this dark, gloomy and brutal looking environment while learning the game's mechanics the hard way - trail and error. I got the first boss and was eager to proceed and excited what comes next - fine so far. Then I realized I got to grind the games currency by clearing the same streets and hallways again and a again - still fine because it was fun to improve my fighting skills while gathering the points to improve my toon and his stuff.
    This system worked until the first boss of the second "chapter" of the game - the Hemwick Witches - I got to quit after two tries because I had personal matters to attend to and then I had an odd feeling or better said - the lack of a feeling. My desire to continue was simply gone, because I realized the next morning I rather wanted to play another game I started before Bloodborne (Witcher 1, since 3 is incoming).

    What happened to me all of a sudden? I try to explain what it was.

    I realized I was playing a sneaky repetitive kind of game with beautiful optics. So the fever of love was gone and I realized what flaws this game has in my opinion. Which leads to the following pros and cons:

    pros:
    - fresh setting and beautiful design, you can see the love of the devs for optics here.
    - well crafted sound design fitting the scene
    - easy controls although many people give negative feedback here

    cons:
    - failed to keep me hooked, I do not feel the need to go on, maybe just to see how the later level and enemy designs are
    - limited tactics available, when you get it how do fight after some time, it becomes too easy and too repetitive even when trying to overcome hard mobs or bosses 6-7 times.
    - somehow useless itmes, maybe I did it wrong, but I never felt the need to use more than 1/3 of the items
    - NO REAL STORY, I made the mistake of reading a little spoiler. I was interested in the how and why but as you progress you never really get to know what the **** is going on

    conclusion:
    A beautiful looking game offering a solid 10-15 hours of enjoyable gameplay until the fire goes out.

    I do not feel guilty about spending the full price but I'd recommend to wait for an offsale if you
    really want to give it a shot.

    Cheers!    … Expand
  37. WizardVReaper
    Apr 10, 2015
    6
    Bloodborne is a beautiful looking game with great combat enemies and voice acting but difficulty i found to hard dying and having to start from the beginning becomes tedious and takes the shine off it after a while and it becomes more of a grind and more of a relief when finally defeating a boss, I put in a few hours into the game with little reward and thought i wish i had spent the timeBloodborne is a beautiful looking game with great combat enemies and voice acting but difficulty i found to hard dying and having to start from the beginning becomes tedious and takes the shine off it after a while and it becomes more of a grind and more of a relief when finally defeating a boss, I put in a few hours into the game with little reward and thought i wish i had spent the time in a game i really enjoy so if your free time is short i wouldnt recommend this game.… Expand
  38. S3R6i0
    Mar 27, 2015
    7
    I'm giving this game a 7 based on the assumption that you enjoy incredibly difficult games.

    I'll put it this way: If you're the spontaneous type and you like figuring out problems in the moment, this game is for you. Otherwise, STAY AWAY! This game uses death to punish you - I even think the long loading times are intentional for this purpose. Bloodborne encourages an aggressive    I'm giving this game a 7 based on the assumption that you enjoy incredibly difficult games.

    I'll put it this way: If you're the spontaneous type and you like figuring out problems in the moment, this game is for you. Otherwise, STAY AWAY! This game uses death to punish you - I even think the long loading times are intentional for this purpose. Bloodborne encourages an aggressive playstyle and forces you to pick up on the game quickly. The checkpoints are really distant from each other and very often you'll be bombarded with hoards of enemies, some armed with guns. If you're familiar with the Souls' series you most likely already know what you're getting yourself into. For newcomers, if you lack patience and difficult games this isn't for you.    … Expand
  39. suhojjang1
    Apr 10, 2015
    7
    I know ima get hate for this but I personally think this game is very overrated and it doesnt deserve to get this high of a score. Yes the game is beautiful and it's another "souls" like game from software has created. But this game doesn't deserve this much love. Demon souls and Dark souls 1 do. They were never loved on their initial release. They started to get love after a year and aI know ima get hate for this but I personally think this game is very overrated and it doesnt deserve to get this high of a score. Yes the game is beautiful and it's another "souls" like game from software has created. But this game doesn't deserve this much love. Demon souls and Dark souls 1 do. They were never loved on their initial release. They started to get love after a year and a half of dark souls. Personally i hate the trick weapons. At first i was amazed like everyone who has seen it for the first time. But the lack of weapon disappointed me. Also you are not able to dual wield any more(which was my favorit thing about demon/dark souls. Using moonlight butterfly spea on left and moonlight sword on right). After about 50 matches online every opponent feel the same due to the lack of weapon. if they put in about 20 more weapons and some different options for the off hand it would half solve the problem. And i personally dont understand whythey didnt put a twin blade/dual wield sword. Am i the only one who think that could have been an obviouse weapon to put in the game? And also the lack of covenant really turned me off. What happend to all those fun covenant ;-; The game felt very incomplete for me. Compared to the other souls game. But on the other hand. I fricking love the story of this game. I found it really interesting.The atmosphere was on point. I was on the edge of my seat when i was playing this game anticipating an attack. I also like how this game is really fast pace. But i personally didnt feel that this game was challenging as the other souls game. But overall this game is wayy too overrated. I think that the older souls game deserve so much more love. I kinda got bored of this game already because the pvp just gets really boring compared to the other souls game. I just ordered scholar *-* and im going to be looking foward to that tehehe… Expand
  40. joeblade
    Apr 2, 2015
    7
    A more simplified version of Dark Souls II with it's own lore. The focus is much more on aggressive play (no hiding behind shields). As always the trick is in finding the right rhythm and moves. The real challenge comes from pvp. Also, less gear and no magic

    the plus: a new demon souls-like game. Can't have too many of those Gorgeous environments difficult game hats! ... for your    A more simplified version of Dark Souls II with it's own lore. The focus is much more on aggressive play (no hiding behind shields). As always the trick is in finding the right rhythm and moves. The real challenge comes from pvp. Also, less gear and no magic

    the plus:

    a new demon souls-like game. Can't have too many of those
    Gorgeous environments
    difficult game
    hats! ... for your messengers
    coop and pvp work differently, close to demon souls where you open yourself up for assist and pvp. (where in demon souls you had humanity which would do this, here you have insight... and a bell to ring)

    the minus:
    not a lot of weapons/choice in builds
    not a lot of outfits / items
    Instead of parrying to stagger, you shoot with your gun to parry? strange dynamic.

    Overall a really fun game, though after I finish it I think i'll go back to playing dark souls II    … Expand
  41. Prais1980
    Apr 2, 2015
    7
    Why 7 Score? (I sadly use the digital version)
    Because this game isn't perfect and waaaaay to far from good.
    BUGS EVERYWHERE: - Bugs, tons of them, bodies (AND THEIR LOOT) fall through Stairs/the world - Tombstones don't really work, sometimes they do, like in 2 of 10 cases they show you the red phantom. - Gamebreaking bugs, you can dupe items and get unlimited items or souls...WITH    Why 7 Score? (I sadly use the digital version)
    Because this game isn't perfect and waaaaay to far from good.
    BUGS EVERYWHERE:
    - Bugs, tons of them, bodies (AND THEIR LOOT) fall through Stairs/the world
    - Tombstones don't really work, sometimes they do, like in 2 of 10 cases they show you the red phantom.
    - Gamebreaking bugs, you can dupe items and get unlimited items or souls...WITH RETAIL, which means everyone can "cheat"...with the retail version.
    - The camera, specially with the first boss, your hardest enemy will be the camera...i died so many times, because the camera flips like crazy also in later games it will happend many, many times...you have to disable the auto camera in the options before every boss, that could help a bit...
    - Using the Host Bell to summon people, did not work, since the first day and still don't work after 2 patches, worst it break the game, if you using the Beckoning Bell, which is the host bell to summon people and you die, they game will not notice that you died and you will sit there with the camera but you can not do anything, the only option to get free, is to close the game with the PS-Button.
    The only working thing using the Beckoning Bell, i see clouds on the door and i can not move into new or old areas, so i have to wait or use the other item to prevent the bell to work.
    - Getting summoned works, no problem here...but it has also problems, the animations of the enemies are not always synchronised, which means parry an enemy is impossible, also bosses are totaly out of controll, sometimes you see then sliding on the ground, in one second they are 10 yards away in the next second they aim for you and you are dead...specially the big bosses, some bosses works great some not...which is weird.
    - Peformence, THIS IS HORRIBLE the game has like 20 frames all day and in coop you play like with 10 fps all time. the ragdolls make weird noises and go crazy, i think this is the problem why the FPS drops so much in Coop.
    Good thing in coop, you can loot enemies, the only good in multiplayer.
    - Messages hides other messages...after 3 big games you should think From software should know how to draw HUD-Elements, but in Bloodborne it happend many times, you can not see the messages like the item you picked up, because another message overlays it...but you automaticly press the X button after you pick an item...
    - Loadtimes...really, they are so annyoing, with the second patch, they decreased from 30 seconds to about ~21 seconds, a bit better..
    - Another Thing is the recycling...you will see EVERY Enemy everywhere in every level like 10 times, for example one enemy at the beginning, you will see in every level, which totaly destroys the feeling of the game, because you think like "oh yeah...great the same enemy on and on".
    - weapons, there not many weapons and you see every people in late and early games, with the same 3 weapons.
    - Armor doesn't mean many, no matter what you wear, also you can not upgrade them
    - no rings
    - not much items you can read about the story
    - not much items at all

    The Good things are the gameplay, the graphics and the sound.    … Expand
  42. cylentstorm
    Apr 4, 2015
    7
    Bloodborene is likely the most accessible Souls game, but it doesn't improve upon its clunky predecessors in any meaningful way. Think of it as Demon/Dark Souls Gaiden, if you will. It's fun for a few nights of mindless hack and slash, but the awesomely grimy gothic atmosphere carries the tired clunk-o-matic mechanics only so far.

    That being said, I know why many people dig these games,    Bloodborene is likely the most accessible Souls game, but it doesn't improve upon its clunky predecessors in any meaningful way. Think of it as Demon/Dark Souls Gaiden, if you will. It's fun for a few nights of mindless hack and slash, but the awesomely grimy gothic atmosphere carries the tired clunk-o-matic mechanics only so far.

    That being said, I know why many people dig these games, and I get it. Masochism aside, when you step back and look at the game as a whole, you may see it for what it truly is: the latest version of a game (with many names) that FROM has been developing since the mid-90s. Maybe one day, they'll update the "soul" of their endlessly mutating creation to match the beauty of its aesthetics. Fingers crossed.

    Until then, Bloodborne is a solid, if uninspired, action game with stat-building and darkly quirky style. Give it a shot--especially if you love the Souls series or have never dared to subject yourself to the many gruesome deaths that await you when stepping into their worlds.    … Expand
  43. Ersinet
    Apr 6, 2015
    7
    Totally overrated. The atmosphere is nice, and collision detection very precise. But that's not enough for a very good game. Loading Times, Bugs, no proper story, levelling is no fun, etc etc. U r doing the same thing over and over again..
  44. Bossuk
    Aug 17, 2015
    6
    This game has some positives and negatives, but I'm most disapponnted that Miyazaki has not changed the bits that needed changed from the souls series and most importantly left in the bits that should be left in:-
    Pros:-
    - Trick weapons, giving one weapon 2 playstyles - Atmosphere - as always with Souls games, the atmosphere is very good. - Challenging opponents - at least until you    This game has some positives and negatives, but I'm most disapponnted that Miyazaki has not changed the bits that needed changed from the souls series and most importantly left in the bits that should be left in:-
    Pros:-
    - Trick weapons, giving one weapon 2 playstyles
    - Atmosphere - as always with Souls games, the atmosphere is very good.
    - Challenging opponents - at least until you learn their patterns
    - Fast paced action - as the game encourages offensive play, it all happens quick.
    Negatives:-
    - Boss styles - they all look different but for the most the tactics to kill are identical. Get behind them swing/dodge/swing or Shoot/Counter/Visceral. Rinse and repeat these 2 styles and that's all bosses done. A couple of variations, but for the most that's it.
    - Lack of weapon choice - to take one weapon and just give you 3 variations on a theme is just lame. and the variations are not enough to call them different. Bsically you get 3 * the same weapon
    - Guns - Pretty much these have one use. Stunning. They do little damage, and have no use but to initiate visceral attacks. This means you can leave a gun at level one and play the entire game. The only gun that does decent dame is the cannon and you only get 3 shots before you run out of ammo.
    - Armor - Pretty much all the same with some small variatons. but for the most the only reason to change your amour is fashion sense.
    - Chalice Dungeons - An interesting idea, but overall do not fit in with the game at all. My issue with Chalice Dungeons are, you need to do them in order to get the good runes/gems. but the high level dungeons give so much Blood(Souls) that in one visit to a high level dungoen you will earn more blood than you will in the entire game. This means that before I had even started NG+, I was lvl 200+, making the difficulty of NG+ useless. In souls games after you had finished the games, you either pvp'd or went NG+. instead I felt the subsequent playthroughs were trivial. So either you let yourself lose millions of blood or you spend it.
    PVP - my biggest issue with this game. During my first playthrough I was invaded only once. And even when I tried to invade it took ages. There are no PvP hubs, no summon glyphs, nowhere to go. I fancy some PvP, I'll go xxx and play for a bit. There is literally no PvP or at least not enough to warrant a mention. No NPC summons for bosses, which for the most while not needed, are fun to include. When you consider things like the Cairnhurst Storyline and the queen, Annalise was ripe for a bit of NPC's player team action with Alfred, and instead it all happens behind the scenes.
    What little PvP there is is also hampered in build variations. Lack of weapon types and armor is the same across the board, all builds and playstyles for builds are near enough identical.

    This game had huge potential and while some parts really tick boxes, the items i list here will hurt its longevity a lot. I played DS/DS2 for months but I can see me losing interest in this a lot quicker. As soon as I hit platinum, it's going back in the box.    … Expand
  45. Anvilapse
    Mar 27, 2015
    7
    Por comodidad, mi review estará en español:
    ¿Por qué un 7? Ya es sabido que en Metacritic hay muchos 0 y 10, y mis motivos para poner tal nota son:
    - Una inexplicable exclusividad a la consola PS4. - Otra vez sufrimos un downgrade. No sé por qué FromSoftware hace esto, si lo que menos nos importa en estos títulos es el apartado gráfico. - Un combate más rápido, más fácil y más    Por comodidad, mi review estará en español:
    ¿Por qué un 7? Ya es sabido que en Metacritic hay muchos 0 y 10, y mis motivos para poner tal nota son:
    - Una inexplicable exclusividad a la consola PS4.
    - Otra vez sufrimos un downgrade. No sé por qué FromSoftware hace esto, si lo que menos nos importa en estos títulos es el apartado gráfico.
    - Un combate más rápido, más fácil y más limitado.
    - Menos características al subir de nivel. En Dark Souls esto hacía que hubiese más diversidad a la hora de enfrentarnos al PVE o PVP.
    - Al estar tanto el PVE como el PVP así de limitados, hace que resulte aburrido.
    - 30fps en la "nueva" generación y peores bajadas en ciertas áreas.
    - Es un puto vendeconsolas, como Pokémon con la 3DS.
    - Una ambientación menos atractiva.
    - Las armas pueden cambiar su forma y utilidad (un punto a favor), pero hay muchas menos (como las "armaduras").
    - Me parece que después del primer Dark Souls los fans espérabamos algo que innovase nuevamente, pero llegó Dark Souls 2 y resultó ser una copia falsa de su antecesor. Y con Bloodborne me preocupa que empiecen a prostituir la "saga" y repitan fórmulas.    … Expand
  46. reardelt
    Apr 3, 2015
    6
    i really enjoyed playing this for the first coupl hours the combat and environments r really awsome but wen u r dying over and over again and gettin all the way to boss dying and startn frm beginning its no longer enjoyable jst pure fustration and time wasting traded this one back.
  47. Iberian_Buffalo
    Jun 3, 2015
    6
    oh good. This game is so annoying. Terrible camera, expecially in chalice dungeons. Targeting system with big monsters is joke - Amygdala. Boring weapons - everyone play with ludwig sword or hunter axe, rest weapons are terrible in pve. So why game is build around long weapons only? First time I completed game with Stake Driver and it was super hard but 2nd game I completed with ludwigoh good. This game is so annoying. Terrible camera, expecially in chalice dungeons. Targeting system with big monsters is joke - Amygdala. Boring weapons - everyone play with ludwig sword or hunter axe, rest weapons are terrible in pve. So why game is build around long weapons only? First time I completed game with Stake Driver and it was super hard but 2nd game I completed with ludwig sword - autowin.
    Some minor performance drops but well, ok.
    I dont get those high scores, dame is decent but 6/10 - history is said in Destiny way - some minor descriptions on items and almost no history in game - in destiny we had game cards that were describing story. So destiny story was **** and bloodborne is great? For me it is the same week narration.
    Actuallly there is no big selection between characters - there is one solid build - quality build and 1 arcane/ 1 blood that are simply weaker so at end there is only 1 solid build and 1-2 solid weapons in pve.
    Well locations are the same - all time grey walls, only interesting part is sky and moon, but city is boring(design itself is really nice but from start to end it is like the same location style - only caste is different due to snow).

    Chalice dungeons are super boring.

    Most chalice fights are borring and if you die in most cases is stupid camera( oh god, what a week positioning), targeting system,

    Only chalanging part is defiled chalice - due to stupid modifier. Another "great" game design.

    I was able to complete including chalices but I wonder why devs ignored all those casual fathers that want to enjoy time when kid go sleep.

    ps. I achieved platinium.    … Expand
  48. AttentiveCritic
    Apr 16, 2015
    7
    So I couldn't input my full review up on here because of the 5000 max characters **** along with the lack of editing feature up on Metacritic so I'll just say that I enjoyed Bloodborne but it's nowhere near a a 9 or an 8. The game is far too repetitive and the combat is too simple and stoic to be fully enjoyable but it's still a good game no less. Metacritic, you guys seriously need to cutSo I couldn't input my full review up on here because of the 5000 max characters **** along with the lack of editing feature up on Metacritic so I'll just say that I enjoyed Bloodborne but it's nowhere near a a 9 or an 8. The game is far too repetitive and the combat is too simple and stoic to be fully enjoyable but it's still a good game no less. Metacritic, you guys seriously need to cut this 5000 max characters crap and make it so that users can edit their review without having to copy/paste the original.

    **** ridiculous, that I took half an hour and typed over 8 pages on Microsoft word for my review on this game with sections spaced out for things such as "Presentation", "Gameplay", and "Music" and when I paste it on the site, the formatting is all **** up. You can't be as expressive on Amazon but at least you can **** get all of what you want to say out on any given product.

    Oh and now this site is automatically sensoring F bombs, great. Perhaps I should just start a blog or something. Between this and Amazon, this lack of expressive freedom is killing me. **** you Metacritic, **** you Amazon.    … Expand
  49. KouyaAotsuki
    May 15, 2015
    7
    For me this game wasn't all that good. The enemies are a bit more horrific than in most of the Souls series. Which leads to a higher focus on graphics which are great. They're crisp and dark. I just think they could've done the fur textures better. The audio's above par; everything has a nice sound effect that stands out. The voice acting is also equally great. The sounds of peopleFor me this game wasn't all that good. The enemies are a bit more horrific than in most of the Souls series. Which leads to a higher focus on graphics which are great. They're crisp and dark. I just think they could've done the fur textures better. The audio's above par; everything has a nice sound effect that stands out. The voice acting is also equally great. The sounds of people screaming, bells ringing and more horror based sounds are a new welcome to make this game pops with more flair audio-wise. Now gameplay wise this game is a bit disappointing. The camera is more of a problem because of the tighter areas you'll be fighting in. The game is not as hard as any of the prior Souls games, but the gameplay is still there. But I feel that this game is dumbed down from previous souls games, but I guess that's okay. Oh! And enemies like to jump at you from corners which is childish. The story's okay, but a bit boring. The bosses are sub-par though.… Expand
  50. robh404
    May 12, 2015
    5
    This game is totally overhyped and it's flaws are the very thing many claim are its assets. For one, the controls suck. Your character reacts slow to commands while your opposition does not. Your viewing angles are often problematic at the worst times possible, and the game is built on a repetitive rinse and repeat formula that gets annoying fast. That being said, the world and in gameThis game is totally overhyped and it's flaws are the very thing many claim are its assets. For one, the controls suck. Your character reacts slow to commands while your opposition does not. Your viewing angles are often problematic at the worst times possible, and the game is built on a repetitive rinse and repeat formula that gets annoying fast. That being said, the world and in game characters are pretty good but the gameplay fails as it becomes more of a chore rather than fun. I love a good challenge but when half the challenge is overcoming control and design flaws it takes away from the experience.… Expand
  51. JoshLuck1995
    Mar 29, 2015
    6
    I was SO looking forward to this game in fact I went to GAME and got my ps4 with order and bloodborne, I've been trying with this game for two days now and ive just given up and stopped trying to tell myself it's this amazin GOTY second coming type of game. It really isn't, it's not actually THAT difficult in terms of the combat and moving, my biggest criticism is the unfair checkpointsI was SO looking forward to this game in fact I went to GAME and got my ps4 with order and bloodborne, I've been trying with this game for two days now and ive just given up and stopped trying to tell myself it's this amazin GOTY second coming type of game. It really isn't, it's not actually THAT difficult in terms of the combat and moving, my biggest criticism is the unfair checkpoints and level design, it's not a touch on the Dark Souls series. Not at all. It's also a pretty boring setting, yes it's dark and a bell goes off once in a while that's it. Truly disappointed, I will now just look forward to the Dark Souls remaster for the current gen consoles. Oh and also don't accuse me of being a " casual gamer" I've been gaming for over 20 years.… Expand
  52. demichelismcfc
    Mar 29, 2015
    5
    What a dissapointment this game is, i got it alongside The Order 1886 with my PS4 bundle, i have been following this game since its announcement and i am truly dissapointed, the gameplay is repetitive and very limited in what it does. My main criticism is the checkpoint system, i appreciate that this game is designed to be for "hardcore" gamers but the checkpoint system is just unfair toWhat a dissapointment this game is, i got it alongside The Order 1886 with my PS4 bundle, i have been following this game since its announcement and i am truly dissapointed, the gameplay is repetitive and very limited in what it does. My main criticism is the checkpoint system, i appreciate that this game is designed to be for "hardcore" gamers but the checkpoint system is just unfair to any type of player. the AI is far too over powered considering they are so thick and predictable in the way they move, but if they get a hit on you it will either be a one hit kill or they will hit you with the force of a 1 year old.… Expand
  53. TheLegGodt
    Mar 29, 2015
    5
    Very disappointing game and very much over-hyped, by gamers and reviewers alike. What now follows is my ramble, so impatient people of PS4 fanboys stay clear. No need to continue reading.

    To start off: I own an Xbox One (Forza, Halo, GTA V), PS4 (Last of Us, Shadow Of Mordor) and Wii U (Bayonetta, Mario Kart, Smash, Super Mario World). Just that you get some sense of my platform    Very disappointing game and very much over-hyped, by gamers and reviewers alike. What now follows is my ramble, so impatient people of PS4 fanboys stay clear. No need to continue reading.

    To start off: I own an Xbox One (Forza, Halo, GTA V), PS4 (Last of Us, Shadow Of Mordor) and Wii U (Bayonetta, Mario Kart, Smash, Super Mario World). Just that you get some sense of my platform independence and favourite games. Sort of mix of Action and Adventure, don't enjoy too much hassling about with detailed RPGs (just simply don't have the time to mess around with all that character building) although I love Elder Scrolls.

    Back to Bloodborne. My PS4 is starved for games so I decided if it got a 9 I would buy it whatever and figure the world can't be wrong about this one. So I bought it, played it for 8 hours and ABSOLUTELY HATED it. I have sold my copy now, felt almost guilty about it. The last time I sold a game was Destiny. Another one of those overhyped and very disappointing titles.

    I agree with the people who write here that it is simply too hard and painstakingly annoying to have to keep retracing your steps until you fully memorise how a scene plays out (i.e. simply memorise computer algorithms). Apparently there are people out there who like to do that but I don't know them in my direct community. I think Bloodborne must be a niche game so I am amazed that it is getting so much airtime and hype. And such a high score and some people saying GOTY. Unbelievable.

    Also I think a very inconsistent treatment from the reviewers. Lack of story and not knowing what you are doing? Destiny did that too and got completely slagged off for it. And justly so! Endless grinding to kill a boss? Again Destiny lost top marks for this. And so it should. (In fact, Bloodborne offers endless grinding just to get to the boss, let alone the grinding it takes to kill it). If I was Bungie I would be scratching my (by now bald head) and thinking 'what the hell?'

    If only From Software had been a bit more forgiving and allowed for an easy mode (which means normal in most games) with more save locations and less grinding, it would be a great game. Not a 9, but an 8.

    This game is also overhyped on the graphics department. From an art point of view, it is very pleasing. I love the Victorian setting and grim atmosphere. I would say it almost reached the Nintendo level of art design in games. But from a technical point of view it is very disappointing: there is very little 'life' in the game. Why not have bats flying around or other things that make you feel this is a 'living dead' environment? Also, the game moves very jerkingly and the frame rate suffers badly. This should be the selling point of the PS4 so I think it is even more of an embarrassment that it does not deliver on this point. It also makes the characters animations choppy - both your own and that of the players. Any who has played Bayonetta 2 on the Wii U will understand how important it is to have 60 frames per second. It may be 720p but it shoots Bloodborne right out of the water.

    The character is also sometimes unresponsive and punches or slashes in the wrong direction of what you intend to do. And in a game so relentless as Bloodborne that 'mistake' usually means death. And starting all over again.

    I would say: avoid this game unless you really love an abnormal challenge or are simply a real fan of the Dark Souls games. This is not a 9, it is a 5. This is not GOTY, this is Sony's marketing doing it's job very well. This is not a reason to buy the PS4, this is yet another failure of an exclusive game (after Little Big Planet 3 and The Order: 1886). Luckily, some good mutiplats are coming soon. But if you own an XBOX One only, no need to feel that you are missing out this year ont the PS4. And if you only own a PS4, I think you might be regretting choosing a slightly better technical quality over quality content. And for everyone: pick a Wii U - that really is without a doubt one of the most overlooked machines with best games ever.    … Expand
  54. Captain_Apollo
    Apr 3, 2015
    7
    Pros:
    Acceptable graphics and sounds, beautiful design;
    Good replayability. Cons: Insanely hard, practically unplayable for an average gamer; Almost no storyline; Technical issues, especially ridiculously long loading times. For such a game it's completely unacceptable. If you are not Souls geek, I do not recommend to buy this game. At least before loading times issue will be    Pros:
    Acceptable graphics and sounds, beautiful design;
    Good replayability.

    Cons:
    Insanely hard, practically unplayable for an average gamer;
    Almost no storyline;
    Technical issues, especially ridiculously long loading times. For such a game it's completely unacceptable.

    If you are not Souls geek, I do not recommend to buy this game. At least before loading times issue will be fixed. Anyway, it's very "special" and, IMO, very overhyped game, so be warned and think twice.    … Expand
  55. Xiang
    May 3, 2015
    7
    I think this is a decent game. I've never really been a fan of the Dark Souls style of gameplay and mechanics, but this felt like they sped it up a little bit, so it made it more bearable. The world is as gorgeous as it is Lovecraftian. Even though I can't say I overly enjoyed my experience with it, I don't at all feel cheated for buying it at full price, I just have to be honest and sayI think this is a decent game. I've never really been a fan of the Dark Souls style of gameplay and mechanics, but this felt like they sped it up a little bit, so it made it more bearable. The world is as gorgeous as it is Lovecraftian. Even though I can't say I overly enjoyed my experience with it, I don't at all feel cheated for buying it at full price, I just have to be honest and say it's not my style of game. And if you're on the fence about whether you'd like it or not, I think the risk/reward is in your favor if you opt to buy it.… Expand
  56. leaveit
    Mar 9, 2016
    5
    It's like Dark Souls, but set in Die andere Seite by Alfred Kubin, the parry mechanics make no logical sense even from a game design standpoint, there's practically no blocking anymore, and the entire thing takes place in some mixture of the Undead Burg and Anor Londo. Everyone is talking about blood, which is to say souls, insight, which is to say humanity, and beasts, which is to sayIt's like Dark Souls, but set in Die andere Seite by Alfred Kubin, the parry mechanics make no logical sense even from a game design standpoint, there's practically no blocking anymore, and the entire thing takes place in some mixture of the Undead Burg and Anor Londo. Everyone is talking about blood, which is to say souls, insight, which is to say humanity, and beasts, which is to say hollows, all the time. This is the unspoken fourth game in the Souls series, and it would be an exaggeration to say that the series has ever learned any lessons from its past.

    The combat is more or less identical to Souls games of the past, with a few caveats. Turtling is no longer an option so everyone is rolling everywhere all the time, especially since there is an expendable (i.e. less renewable than stamina) resource used to parry. The armor is all essentially worthless and doesn't contribute significantly to poise or resists, much like in Dark Souls 2. There is dual wielding, but your offhand weapon actually has less functionality than a shield, so this is a step backward resulting in "timing battles" of either roll-slashing or standing slightly out of every single character's swing radius, moving forward 1 millimeter, and then attacking, rinse wash repeat, or else actually using the parry system which revolves around trial-and-error exploration of every attack animation in the game, because it is only at a certain point that a bullet to the face will actually stun someone, and that point is when they are 1 inch from hitting you. "Just like real life."

    Other than this the combat is straight out of last decade, playing something like God of War but where you can only take a hit or two before being presented with a 45 second load screen and then retreading your steps like every Souls game.

    The setting is lauded by fans as being deep and unique but in fact is just Dark Souls in an, "oops we dabbled with magic now ancient gods are dreaming a hell world for us" setting, not unlike various other popular titles like Dragon Age or Grim Dawn, both of which had releases numerous years before this game even began development. The fans will call the setting "Lovecraftian" as a buzz word, even though the concept of elder and forgotten gods feeding off of human existence predates Lovecraft (for example People of the Pit, published 1918), and they probably haven't read any Lovecraft to begin with. I guess it's supposed to be a favorable change to the more traditional sword-and-sorcery appearance of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, but this is at least the 10th game I've played chronologically that is set in a Steampunk Victorian-esque setting (most of the Castlevania series, Final Fantasy 6, Thief series, Amnesia, Dishonored, Grim Dawn, off the top of my head) and the 6th game featuring Lovecraftian monsters (Alone in the Dark, Quake, Eternal Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, Grim Dawn), so it's not exactly the path least tread for me. Even Pathways Into Darkness by Bungie features a "dreaming god" aspect without resorting to story elements reminiscent of all of the developer's other games. Not impressed.

    Multiplayer is no surprise, and operates almost precisely as it always has in these games. Fans will talk about how PvP isn't played up as much in this game, even though it's practically the same thing as always, just with fewer griefers coming in and ruining your game for you. In my opinion this is something of an improvement, though I still prefer hitch-free co-op and not performing arcane rituals inside and outside of the game to have any semblance of multiplayer.

    I have awarded this game 5 points to represent the utter banality and mediocrity I perceive; the re-use almost verbatim of all gameplay mechanics from the Souls series to date, the extensive art assets without inventing anything, and various technical annoyances - wildly varying framerates, connectivity problems, long load times - endemic to the series that have not and probably never will be resolved.    … Expand
  57. deettis
    Aug 28, 2015
    7
    Even though Bloodborne is not part of the Souls series, It is so closely related to it that you have to compare it to both DS and DS2. Bloodborne isn't bad by any means, but it feels like a stripped and Simplified Souls game to me. Maybe this is because they wanted it to be even more accessible to major audiences (PS4 marketing). The game is beautiful, but its just boring without SoulsEven though Bloodborne is not part of the Souls series, It is so closely related to it that you have to compare it to both DS and DS2. Bloodborne isn't bad by any means, but it feels like a stripped and Simplified Souls game to me. Maybe this is because they wanted it to be even more accessible to major audiences (PS4 marketing). The game is beautiful, but its just boring without Souls series like character progression and weapon/armor choises and upgrade paths. You start with an axe and a sunday jacket and you might very well finish the game wearing that very same gear. If you add this to the fact that NG+ doesn't have any interesting changes, there's really no reason to play the game twice.

    If you think this game deserves 10 points, I really suggest you play DS/DS2. Especially DS is a pure masterpiece.    … Expand
  58. Grigann
    Apr 23, 2015
    6
    The atmosphere is still incredible, the overall aesthetics still stunning, the game just as hard as its predecessors, but somehow I didn't enjoy this trip that much. Loading times were a bit too long for my taste (things are a little better now) but mostly I find Bloodborne too linear compared to the Souls, and I'm not at all convinced by the focus on the the dodge. Their camera system isThe atmosphere is still incredible, the overall aesthetics still stunning, the game just as hard as its predecessors, but somehow I didn't enjoy this trip that much. Loading times were a bit too long for my taste (things are a little better now) but mostly I find Bloodborne too linear compared to the Souls, and I'm not at all convinced by the focus on the the dodge. Their camera system is not just up to the task. It's still worth a try though.… Expand
  59. fukinaye23
    Mar 31, 2015
    5
    This game is a 7 at best.
    It is just like the "Souls" series in terms of combat. With an upgraded storage system. Weapons can be upgraded, found, bought just like previous series.
    The problem I have with the game is that compared to the "Souls" series, the amount of weapons you can get is hilarious. (I'd say roughly 1/2) Which means everyone online are running the same weapons. Whats    This game is a 7 at best.
    It is just like the "Souls" series in terms of combat. With an upgraded storage system. Weapons can be upgraded, found, bought just like previous series.
    The problem I have with the game is that compared to the "Souls" series, the amount of weapons you can get is hilarious. (I'd say roughly 1/2) Which means everyone online are running the same weapons. Whats nice is the strongest weapons are not to much stronger then starting weapons. So your not too nerfed by your choice in weapons, but can still be a disadvantage later on.
    They pretty much took out blocking in this game. There is one shield (that I'm aware of at least) and it consumes a lot of stamina to block. Only really useful on enemies wielding smaller weapons. You HAVE to dodge everything. Another announce is the amount of time you have to heal. And also how easy it if to find health *items*.
    There is a lot i can comment on, but if you take anything from this, !!!!RENT!!!! the game before you buy it out right. Almost all my friends, including me returned it or sold it to some other unfortunate soul. (pun intended)    … Expand
  60. Malcolmreyn0lds
    Mar 31, 2015
    7
    A frustrating game that has very long load times. The hype-train that follows From Software games is unbelievably enormous.
    Graphics wise it is very dark, depressing, and sorta pretty in some way. The game bogs down in the frame rate department when in large encounters.
    Gameplay wise? Well, it's frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. The game has some WTF moments, but the    A frustrating game that has very long load times. The hype-train that follows From Software games is unbelievably enormous.
    Graphics wise it is very dark, depressing, and sorta pretty in some way. The game bogs down in the frame rate department when in large encounters.
    Gameplay wise? Well, it's frustrating and rewarding all at the same time. The game has some WTF moments, but the risk/reward is there and some enjoy the reward more than hate the risks. The controls are clunky, and at times it is better not to lock on to enemies when facing a crowd of 2 or more. Dodging and dipping with multiple combatants will put you in another enemies range and will take swipes at you and damage you (have died countless times due to this).

    Overall the game is enjoyable at times. I went on a run where I unlocked a lot of shortcuts and made it all the way back to my starting point. I got a large sense of accomplishment over that, even when I did nothing but open 2 gates that gives me an expressway to death. Clunky controls, cool enemies, oddly beautiful environments, difficulty and overall lack of a narrative (yes, I know there is a story, but there is no narrative. Something that is common practice in video games today) makes me give this game a 7/10. Pick it up if you like a challenge.    … Expand
  61. Vilesoul
    Apr 5, 2015
    7
    Pros
    - Great aesthetics and inspiring concepts invokes a sense of horror and fright in the player.
    - The sound further enriches the immersive atmosphere of the environment. - New middleware like the SSS (Separable Subsurface Scattering) engine allows for the unique blood-spattering effect. - The Chalice dungeons adds hours of exploration to the experience. - The weapons and armor    Pros
    - Great aesthetics and inspiring concepts invokes a sense of horror and fright in the player.
    - The sound further enriches the immersive atmosphere of the environment.
    - New middleware like the SSS (Separable Subsurface Scattering) engine allows for the unique blood-spattering effect.
    - The Chalice dungeons adds hours of exploration to the experience.
    - The weapons and armor pieces are incredibly well designed.
    - The Blood Gems allows for detailed customization of weapons, making it the best upgrade system in the series.
    - The bosses are incredible dynamic despite the fact that many of them tower over you.
    - No Soul Memory.

    Cons
    - The frame-rate. It's absolutely unbearable to go from one game running at 60 fps back to Bloodborne's 30 fps, it makes it look clunky and feel laggy, and the frame rate does occasionally dip to the single digits.
    - The lighting FX. What happened to the shadows you cast in Dark Souls 2? Why throw away shadows in a game that centers around the eldritch and esoteric?
    - The 30-40 second load screens.
    - The lack of customization: 6 stats to level? You either go Arcane, Bloodtinge or physical.
    - The lack of magic: The "magic" exists as Hunters Tool and work as reusable consumables (that consumes bullets) and there are only a handful "spells" available.
    - The lack of weapons. Out of the 15 weapons very few are viable, and everyone and their mother uses the same 2 weapons (The Chikage or Ludwig's Holy Blade) in PvP.
    - The lack of firearms. Same story, really, the Evelyn is the only one that deals good damage at an efficient bullet cost.
    - No PvP arena.
    - The 5 - 10 minute wait for invasions in an invasion-popular area.
    - The obligatory 10 minute farming in-between matches because you've exhausted your Blood Vials and bullets in PvP (because everyone uses them).

    Verdict
    - It's definitely worth the $60 for the 30+ hours of enjoyment you'll get out of the PvE, but it's definitely not a system seller. And the lack of customization and a functional PvP experience definitely ruined the game for me, so I'll go back to Dark Souls 2 when Scholar of the First Sin drops.    … Expand
  62. BaconMage
    Mar 24, 2015
    5
    I'm not saying this is a bad game. It really seems like it simply isn't polished enough to call finished. The mechanics do need some tweaking, case in point the pistol counter and the 1 hit by any enemy stuns you long enough for them kill you. I also can't stand the lack of story in this, even Dark Souls had a more in depth story, I can't remember the last time I played a game with soI'm not saying this is a bad game. It really seems like it simply isn't polished enough to call finished. The mechanics do need some tweaking, case in point the pistol counter and the 1 hit by any enemy stuns you long enough for them kill you. I also can't stand the lack of story in this, even Dark Souls had a more in depth story, I can't remember the last time I played a game with so little story. There's no direction either so your left wandering most of the time. For people that have never played Dark Souls before are left in the dark when it comes to leveling, there's little tutorial aside from the mechanics of combat. This is literally a 50/50 love/hate this game.… Expand
  63. Dark_D3s7r0y3r
    Mar 28, 2015
    7
    After updating this game, it is much more enjoyable. Co-op is a blast, and downing those bosses you're having the most trouble with alongside your friends would be some of the most fun experiences you'll have in quite some time... if you can get it to work. Perhaps there was something wrong on my end, but my friend and I set up passwords to play some co-op together and we sat in the sameAfter updating this game, it is much more enjoyable. Co-op is a blast, and downing those bosses you're having the most trouble with alongside your friends would be some of the most fun experiences you'll have in quite some time... if you can get it to work. Perhaps there was something wrong on my end, but my friend and I set up passwords to play some co-op together and we sat in the same spot for hours and we were never placed together. We switched from Local to Worlwide, we switched back from Worldwide to Local, we changed our matching passwords multiple times, we both leveled to the exact same level, we restarted the game and tried again... and nothing. Eventually, he found someone else and beat the boss with them instead. It was quite disappointing.

    As far as gameplay goes, the mechanics are quite innovative. If enemies didn't have so many attacks capable of hitting you near-instantly with too short of an attack animation to react, I daresay it might even be the perfect high-risk high-reward system. As things stand, it's basically just high-risk, and said risk rarely pays off, especially in higher-level areas. Along with this, most enemies, bosses included, feel fairly cheap and unrewarding to kill. The few satisfying encounters you do have, however, do a great job of driving you on to finish the game to see what else it might hold. The guns in this game are very interesting to use, but not much more than just that - interesting. They don't do very much damage at all, though for good reason. For gameplay purposes, every gun you get basically just shoots bean bag rounds. Having to pull off a charge attack to get a backstab is a VEEERY welcome tweak from the Souls games.

    Overall, this is a solid title worth picking up, though you may want to wait for the price to lower. It's extremely frustrating and consistently wastes your time with pointless deaths and much too infrequent checkpoints, but the atmosphere, gameplay, and character customization are all quite fun and addicting.    … Expand
  64. HarryManback
    Mar 25, 2015
    7
    I will keep this short. The controls work admirably. When you get hit you know it was your miscalculation. The world design is gorgeous. This game is a refined, fun, challenge. I love the game.
    With that said, I will elaborate on why I gave it a 7.
    1) From Software makes solid games. My qualm with them is that they are starting to look like a one trick pony. Essentially, they have    I will keep this short. The controls work admirably. When you get hit you know it was your miscalculation. The world design is gorgeous. This game is a refined, fun, challenge. I love the game.
    With that said, I will elaborate on why I gave it a 7.

    1) From Software makes solid games. My qualm with them is that they are starting to look like a one trick pony. Essentially, they have reskinned Demons' Souls three times now.
    2) When I fired up the game, the character creation screen uses a very low res model. It's not a big deal but the rest of the game is so gorgeous that it was jarring.
    3) It bothers me a little bit that other developers get flack for rehashing the same formula time and again while From Software gets a pass. The formula is starting to feel repetitive to me.

    There, that is my opinion. Take it for what it's worth and have fun gaming.    … Expand
  65. Sky-Moondrift
    Apr 6, 2015
    6
    Simply put this game lacks Soul and souls, but it is essentially a Dark souls game with far less items, far less lore and far "more" detachment from the game world.

    Instead of filling the void and thirst to interact more intimately with the obscure worlds and possibly more obscure characters, FromSoftware just widened the void even further to make the experience even more linear and    Simply put this game lacks Soul and souls, but it is essentially a Dark souls game with far less items, far less lore and far "more" detachment from the game world.

    Instead of filling the void and thirst to interact more intimately with the obscure worlds and possibly more obscure characters, FromSoftware just widened the void even further to make the experience even more linear and just focused on combat alone.

    Gone is the fun and excitement of finding all types of fun weapons and discovering their unique move-sets and special abilities- gone is the prospect of finding cool hidden treasures and armors- gone are the choices and forks that could lead you into multiple new areas- gone is the dynamic that let you stumble upon foes out of your league to risk all for great treasure, making the whole affair more like a on-rails action game, rather than a deep and interesting interactive world.

    Without items, lore or interesting personalities, my drive to continue this journey wanes, as I feel like another ant following the same one-directional crumb trail everyone else is, that will inevitably see my doing the same mundane thing.

    My complaint is not what the game is, but rather what it is not, or more accurately what it could have been. I just feel like From could have done much more with this and skimped on a lot of goodies that made their other games great. Fighting and dying is great when you have a skill based combat system, but the lack of soul and depth of the game world doesn't interest me, there's no gravity at all.

    Probably won't see many similar reviews as this one and if all you want to do is bash demons and werewolves in the face all day I can understand why.    … Expand
  66. WoshJills
    Jun 10, 2015
    6
    I bought Demon's Souls. I bought 3D Dot Game Heroes. I bought Bloodborne. I fully support From Software and know they make great games. I get it: Bloodborne is supposed to be challenging. That said, the game -- simply put -- has too high of a learning curve for new players and is designed to be too frustrating.

    At one point in the game, I had to ask myself, "Am I having FUN?" and the    I bought Demon's Souls. I bought 3D Dot Game Heroes. I bought Bloodborne. I fully support From Software and know they make great games. I get it: Bloodborne is supposed to be challenging. That said, the game -- simply put -- has too high of a learning curve for new players and is designed to be too frustrating.

    At one point in the game, I had to ask myself, "Am I having FUN?" and the answer was an absolute, "no."
    I don't know about you, but I play games to have fun. Bloodborne is a great game, but it is not a fun game. I respectfully disagree with From Software's choice of purposely making their games more difficult for players. There are people out there who enjoy challenging gameplay -- and From Software is definitely catering to that demographic -- but I would not recommend this game for the average person.

    From Software would probably argue that they breed frustration into their players to give them a sense of accomplishment once they beat a part of the game, but I would say there are other ways of giving people those emotions. I wish they added different difficulty modes to the game -- or have a dynamically adjusting difficulty -- so players can find themselves "in the flow" (that is, their skill matching the challenge difficulty at hand) more often. (See: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow.)

    Simply put, Bloodborne is a good game. However, it's not "fun." It's more like having to read Shakespeare or Henry David Thoreau while in middle school -- painful at first, but an acquired taste.    … Expand
  67. RodrigoFD99
    May 9, 2015
    7
    Bloodborne is a beautiful game, but I think it is too much since the beginning. This game is for players with patience. This game sometimes makes you get angry.
  68. SaberEdge
    Mar 25, 2015
    6
    Like the Souls games, Bloodborne has great, challenging combat. There's something about it's balance and challenge that is addictive. However, the rest of the game is pretty weak, in my opinion. The narrative is garbage and the graphics are pretty average. This isn't really much of an RPG, in my opinion. It's more of an action game with a few RPG elements. For people that love the combatLike the Souls games, Bloodborne has great, challenging combat. There's something about it's balance and challenge that is addictive. However, the rest of the game is pretty weak, in my opinion. The narrative is garbage and the graphics are pretty average. This isn't really much of an RPG, in my opinion. It's more of an action game with a few RPG elements. For people that love the combat in the Souls games, Bloodborne is a little faster paced but still very much in the same vein. If you love the combat aspect enough you will love Bloodborne. But if you are looking for anything deeper than that, this is not the game for you.… Expand
  69. countzero90
    Mar 26, 2015
    5
    Frame rate issues from just panning the camera. The game play mechanics don't feel consistent--can defeat a boss and the same strategy doesn't work the 2nd time. Lots of love here from some very dedicated fans. That's always a good thing for games and for gaming, but as someone who is new to this series let me tell you that the difficulty is not for everyone. At some point it's ok to admitFrame rate issues from just panning the camera. The game play mechanics don't feel consistent--can defeat a boss and the same strategy doesn't work the 2nd time. Lots of love here from some very dedicated fans. That's always a good thing for games and for gaming, but as someone who is new to this series let me tell you that the difficulty is not for everyone. At some point it's ok to admit to yourself and others that not all of the levels are designed well.

    I like the idea of the atmosphere. It feels a bit like Alice: Madness returns but it seriously lacks the character from that title. I have a feeling this will drop in price quickly. I would recommend at $20 or so but tone down your expectations, see what patches they put out and you'll be a lot happier than I was with a release day purchase.    … Expand
  70. Jralph1993
    Mar 27, 2015
    5
    Let me start by saying I am a major fan of the Souls series, played the first and loved it, played the second and loved it even more. So, as you can guess, I was seriously excited for Bloodborne and followed it all the way up to release, eagerly awaiting the time I could get my hands on it.

    I started it, and was enjoying myself. I found it real hard which was great, I didn't want or    Let me start by saying I am a major fan of the Souls series, played the first and loved it, played the second and loved it even more. So, as you can guess, I was seriously excited for Bloodborne and followed it all the way up to release, eagerly awaiting the time I could get my hands on it.

    I started it, and was enjoying myself. I found it real hard which was great, I didn't want or expect it to be easy. But then a small issue appeared and pretty much turned the game into an awful experience. Health. So, the system is, buy or find health - which works fine until you're pitted against one of the bosses. I had around 16 healths at my disposal going into the boss fight and - obviously - used them all up fighting and died in the process. Okay, no problem, I thought. Boss isn't too far away, I don't mind fighting him again.

    However. I then realised the only way I can get back health is to farm blood to buy them, or farm enemies to collect them. Hm. That isn't really fun. Bare in mind I was used to farming (to a certain degree) in dark souls, but this is on another level. This also applies to bullets, which are pretty much key to boss fights in order to counter them.

    Honestly, am I expected to go out and repeatedly kill enemies in the same areas I've already been in just so I can get enough blood to be able to afford some health so I then can go and fight a boss and use up all my health, probably die, and then have to do it all over again? Again, I'm used to this kind of thing - dark souls 2 was relatively brutal. But it had the estus flask that refilled every time you sat at a bonfire. This worked, as the game itself was brutally hard - health was always close by and you needn't worry about having to farm to get some. This balanced perfectly.

    I'm struggling to understand why no one has complained about this, it's a major negative in my eyes and essentially forces you to farm to even be able to have health. This is quite honestly the ONLY negative I can think of - everything else is wonderful. BUT, for me, it's such a big negative that it makes the game horribly repetitive. And again, I was on NG+6 on dark souls 2 and was still loving it, despite the repeptivie nature. But this is a different kind of repeptivieness, one i cannot have fun with.

    I don't want to stop playing this game, because I AM having fun and want to explore more and fight more bosses. BUT, I simply can't stand farming for half hour in a place I've been in for ages just so I can scrape together enough blood to be able to afford some health. That just really isn't fun. If this was different, for example, an estus flask kind of system, then I would play for hours and adore it.

    But it's not, I can't possibly tolerate the farming just so i can progress. Serious shame.    … Expand
  71. lightyears
    Jul 13, 2015
    5
    I usually play other type of games. But because of the critical appraise I had to buy it. What became a frustrating experience.Staretd the game and it was to difficult for me.So expected a tutorial. Not found. Than at least expected a menu to be able to change difficulty settings. Also not found. After two days I was done with it. I didnt have the will to keep trying. Just wanted to haveI usually play other type of games. But because of the critical appraise I had to buy it. What became a frustrating experience.Staretd the game and it was to difficult for me.So expected a tutorial. Not found. Than at least expected a menu to be able to change difficulty settings. Also not found. After two days I was done with it. I didnt have the will to keep trying. Just wanted to have fun. Game failed to deliver. May have come further if i kept trying. But I hate that. A game needs to be fun. Not a frustrating annoying challenge. The game didnt seem worth it anyway. Graphics arent special at all. Sony try better next time if you release an exclusive. At least give several difficulties so that new games as well as experienced gamers enjoy it. For me Sony failed to deliver here.… Expand
  72. TimTeamTebow
    Apr 25, 2015
    6
    The game isn't bad, but it definitely falls short compared to dark souls 1/2. If you enjoy PvE content then bloodborne is great, but the PvP is lacking. PvP is very important to me, I don't see myself playing it much more in its current state.

    Graphics- The graphics are great. Its actually spooky at times, unlike dark souls 2. The only problem is that there is such little variety.    The game isn't bad, but it definitely falls short compared to dark souls 1/2. If you enjoy PvE content then bloodborne is great, but the PvP is lacking. PvP is very important to me, I don't see myself playing it much more in its current state.

    Graphics- The graphics are great. Its actually spooky at times, unlike dark souls 2. The only problem is that there is such little variety. Victorian era city, a forest, not really much else. The same goes for basic enemies, there just aren't that many different ones. It gets stale quickly. The design for bosses aren't that much better, although its a definite step up from dark souls 2 bosses.

    Solo PvE- Bloodborne definitely shines with this from a story perspective, but the gameplay falls a bit short. You have limited healing, but unlike previous souls games, they don't replenish after a bonfire/lamp visit. This means you are almost guaranteed to grind a bit on your first playthrough. Later on, you will get plenty of souls to buy them, so its not too bad. The same goes for the new bullets. The concept is great and very enjoyable, but you are likely to find yourself grinding for more bullets on your first playthrough. Blood echoes (the new souls) are in fairly limited supply early on. Early bosses only give a few thousand echoes.

    Coop PvE- Kinda a huge **** honestly. I don't know why nobody is pointing it out. In previous games, the boss would get a small buff to account for the extra player. Still, coop was helpful because it allowed you to swap aggro a bit, and sometimes speed up the fight. In bloodborne, your summon(s) get reduced health, but the bosses are left unchanged. Its very noticeable and I looked it up to be sure. What you get from this is every boss becomes a spanking. Just you and your pals run up and wail on the boss, which will stunlock most of them and take them down in 20-30 seconds. Not enjoyable.

    PvP- Another huge **** The invader has reduced health (30% less if I recall correctly). Aside from that, theres a lot of unbalanced stuff. Guns aren't really fun because they are no-risk parries that can also do a bit of damage. Theres not that much build variety, atleast not now and it could be because there are significantly less weapons. The new spells are terrible, they consume your limited bullets and are also just weak in general. As such, arcane is fairly weak. Most builds can just do vitality, endurance, and strength/skill.    … Expand
  73. Lukester3000
    May 3, 2015
    7
    Bloodborne got me quite disappointed, since it is too similar to Dark Souls, mainly because of the game's physics and character advancement system. The look of the game is also very similar to Dark Souls, only the theme and story-related contents are different. Instead of being a cursed undead, you are a beast hunter in a most likely cursed dimension ( I haven't played it enough yetBloodborne got me quite disappointed, since it is too similar to Dark Souls, mainly because of the game's physics and character advancement system. The look of the game is also very similar to Dark Souls, only the theme and story-related contents are different. Instead of being a cursed undead, you are a beast hunter in a most likely cursed dimension ( I haven't played it enough yet because each time I try to play it I end up being disappointed and I quit).

    The graphics engine seems pretty much the same. The targeting system is as problematic as the one in Dark Souls, what I mean by that is that if you target an enemy, all your moves will be centered upon the location of that enemy, which means you have to target and target off frequently if you do not want to do hectic moves and put yourself in danger from other enemies. And as they come frequently in fair numbers, you don't want to put yourself at risk. But the most frustrating I find about the targeting system is that if you have throwing objects you want to use (like the molotovs), then depending on the specific throwing item's motion pattern (e.g: daggers will fly in a straight pattern, but molotovs won't), you basically have no choice but to use the targeting option to hit your target, and if that target is moving away from you, you will be rather sure to miss and spoil your item, but if the target moves towards you, then, you'll hit them for sure. For the throwing, there is also the issue that the mechanics are slow at the wrong times somehow, so by the time your character actually throws that molotov you were aiming for that monster coming your way, you might as well calculate a good 3 seconds before he actually starts throwing the thing, by which time most monsters have enough time to come up right to your face and hit you, cancelling your move and leaving you vulnerable to attacks from other monsters.

    Which leads me to what I don't like about the combat mechanics, which can be quite frustrating sometimes, as you will most likely experiment. I got used to play without the targeting system because the targeting system just puts my character in danger most of the time, forcing me to retreat, heal, then go back towards the monsters. Just as much as you can get glitched by monsters sometimes, that you can get into some rather silly situations, all because of the game physics, which are basically the same as in Dark Souls (which by the way is the only game in which I've seen things like a boss jump down a bottomless pit because he just killed me next to it and the game physics detect my character as being close to the pit and the boss keeps behaving as if I were alive and jumps down the pit, which ended up with me never getting the unique item that boss would normally drop).

    Yeah, okay, people find the Souls games are hard and challenging. But are they hard and challenging because they are exquisitely well-made? I dare say no. I say they are challenging because they have serious game mechanic flaws that make them all look-alike and from one title to the other there is not that much innovation, which makes Bloodborne (in my opinion, which many probably won't care about) a game bred from a recycled, re-heated game concept we have seen before in the other Souls games. The graphics aren't that great either, they even slow down the framerate at times, which makes for laggy animation at times when you'd prefer to have a stable framerate (you know, these times when there are around 10 enemies in front of you, then it all becomes a bit laggy and then the framerate goes back to normal and leaves you trying to adjust?)

    You will also encounter the problem of having not too many pointers laid out for you (in fact, simply not enough pointers or info whatsoever), which will in turn leave you not to know what to chose at all concerning starting stats and / or weaponry. Seriously, I had to start three different games in order to try each weapon and compare the way they swing (because of the game's physics and how characters swing so slowly that you must calculate every move you do in a perfect way and hope that the enemies' AI won't do any hectic stuff in the meantime that you swing your weapon. So your weapon's swinging pattern is of the utmost importance, and once you chose a weapon (which you can't try beforehand or even see how the weapon swings or anything whatsoever except stats in numbers which can help give you an idea of the weapon's actual handling, but even then, this won't show you the actual moves), you are then stuck with that weapon and can't go back on your choice. Trial and errors takes its toll after a while. I truly regret having bought this online. I mean, it gives me even less satisfaction than the first Dark Souls and it costs 70$ CAN. Online gameplay is just as lacking and limited as Dark Souls', and by that I mean that it is annoying and doesn't bring anything new and exciting to Bloodborne. Anyways, very disappointed in the overall.    … Expand
  74. sealjo
    Mar 30, 2015
    6
    This game s not for everyone. The rave reviews can make it seem like a classic but if so it is only a classic for a certain type of players. This game is extremely punishing and not meant to be played by casual gamers. If you are a casual gamer and you just want to have fun, choose another game! If you like a hard challenge without a progressive level design that rewards you for passingThis game s not for everyone. The rave reviews can make it seem like a classic but if so it is only a classic for a certain type of players. This game is extremely punishing and not meant to be played by casual gamers. If you are a casual gamer and you just want to have fun, choose another game! If you like a hard challenge without a progressive level design that rewards you for passing hard checkpoints, this game is for you.

    When it comes to other games the scoring is often in the low 80ies when a game does one thing superb but is only for those who love the genre. For some reason Bloodborne only seems to be reviewed by those who loved Demon Souls, so they are very biased from the start. Like only letting 13 year old girls review a new twilight movie and then marvel at what an awesome movie it must be when the average rating easily beats out The Godfather..    … Expand
  75. jcarl663
    Dec 13, 2015
    7
    I tried really hard to like this game as much as Dark Souls. I really did. I just... don't care. I mean, it functions, and it's got some pretty cool stuff going for it, but I just don't care. The characters are boring, the world has no mystery and it takes a step back in most everything that made the world of Lordran feel like a real place.
  76. Lucifer_TheSon
    Mar 26, 2015
    5
    Okay before i start talking about the hype and how in the world does this..thing..gets 93 in here i need to comment on one thing..One of the reviewers who gave the game a 10 here said the game has humour in it?... humour?..i just..never mind there are no words to comment on that..and another mentioned story telling?..what story telling?..you get a cgi cut scene at the begining then a darkOkay before i start talking about the hype and how in the world does this..thing..gets 93 in here i need to comment on one thing..One of the reviewers who gave the game a 10 here said the game has humour in it?... humour?..i just..never mind there are no words to comment on that..and another mentioned story telling?..what story telling?..you get a cgi cut scene at the begining then a dark screen of "OH you found yourself a hunter" and THAT'S IT..enjoy getting killed over and over by cheap monsters for the rest of the game..and some people have the nerve to talk about story telling...and they call this rpg?..why?..you know that rpg has to include conversations, many choices to make, quests to do, etc. WHICH THERE ARE NONE HERE..NONE..skills points and leveling doesnt make this an rpg...This also tells you how some critics think when they dont even know what kind of game they are playing..Anyway..I have to say if you are a fan of dark souls series which means you are fond of cheap monsters, no story line or plot, running around with no purpose, big useless weapons because they make you slow then GO AHEAD AND BUY THIS GAME..seriously..it is a festival for the dark souls series lovers..The game does look good at least better than dark souls "because it is a ps4 exclusive for some reason". It is alittle smooth but i noticed some frame issues but eh this is the least of your cares..The game is a whole is dark souls as it should be without magic, they even used the same notes and menus..someone mentioned that the sound track is great which i have no idea how, maybe he was listening to a song while he was getting killed and all. Checkpoints and save points well you have to create "shortcuts" to lamps so you will get check points and level up????..Like it isnt enough to grind through the whole game for weapons and armor but you have to grind for check points???...Difficult? No it is cheap..and dark souls series fans dont get this..a monster that can kill you with one hit isnt difficult, no check points and one mistake or a glitch in the camera that makes you die make you repeat this pain for hours once more isnt difficult..IT IS CHEAP..Everygame has it's own fans for sure but to tell that the others cant play or prefer holding hands games because you have pain in your life and when you succeed at this type of games which make you feel alittle better isnt gaming..So let us sum this..It is Dark souls 3 with no magic and less save points..DONE..It is awful to see people throws 9 and 10 at the feet of these types of games..Honestly..if you got yourself a game that isnt the bastard child of dark souls one and two and all what you got is a mute characters, horrible character creation, rare save points which you have to grind for to get, cheap monsters, no story line or plot or even characters to interact with..Will you give it a 9 or a 10?..HELL NO but somehow Dark souls and their bastard children gets high scores from people with such pain in their lives who desperately need to accomplish something so he can walk proud among others and say..HA I FINISHED BLOODBORNE..what did you do?!!..Nope thank you..to the trash can with the order and Ori and the Blind Forest and dragon age inquisiton.Strange weird hype for no reason.… Expand
  77. Agrippa86
    Mar 25, 2015
    7
    It's just another dark souls game with better graphics. Sony pay reviewers for these high marks? I doubt it but makes me question these critics on a whole new level. Other people's opinions and humans are bias.
  78. PhoenixSn4ke
    Mar 28, 2015
    5
    Played Dark Souls 1&2 on PC and enjoyed both! I was so looking forward to Bloodborne! I Didn't pre-order however, I've kerbed that habbit!

    So I've read all the rave reviews from all the major gaming sites etc etc. And thinking I've done right by my research i.e. If you love the souls series you'll adore Bloodborne! So I decided to go and make the purchase! And Boy! Do I regret IT!    Played Dark Souls 1&2 on PC and enjoyed both! I was so looking forward to Bloodborne! I Didn't pre-order however, I've kerbed that habbit!

    So I've read all the rave reviews from all the major gaming sites etc etc. And thinking I've done right by my research i.e. If you love the souls series you'll adore Bloodborne! So I decided to go and make the purchase!

    And Boy! Do I regret IT!

    Having played and completed both DS 1 & 2! I wasnt going into this blind, I was up for a new challenge, in an entirely different setting, I was up for the game being difficult! Joypad smashingly so! I was looking forward to reaping the rewards of those trial and error traps, enemy engagements & boss fights. I was looking forward to learning from my mistakes, and sitting back with a huge grin on my face, when I'd finally progressed through the pain of the entire learning process!

    So what went wrong!?

    Are the graphics not great? Sure there brilliant!

    Are the combat mechanics, not tight! Nope, there just as great as DS 1 & 2!

    Is the level design poor! Nope! There's plenty to discover, little nooks & crannys! you name it! It's all there!

    So what did go wrong!

    IMHO!

    Terrible, terrible design decisions! In DS bonfires were used as check points, and although their was a certain amount of step retracing to recover your lost souls and progression. Their were very few occasions were it felt unfairly spaced out, distance wise! Often only taking a few minutes to get back to where you met your untimely demise & carry on the fight.

    Bloodborne uses a similar checkpoint method, and instead of bonfires, you now have lamps! These are used to access and travel to and from the safe hub area Hunters Dream! Where you can upgrade your character and purchase consumables etc etc. Think Majula of DS 2 for those with previous knowledge!

    Unfortunately, Bloodborne's first lamp positions are absolutely, unforgivingly, ludicrously positioned! Don't forget this game encourages exploration, and provides no mission pointers on your hud, no maps of the area at least not that I've encountered in the game so far.

    Yet it took me 5 hours to reach the first lamp from Central Yharnam (yeah the one across the bridge from the werewolves!) Hell I was traversing sewers, finding secret pathways and shortcuts to areas in the games starting area, but no goddam lamp! I was literally going round in circles! All the time dieing on many many occasions as I discovered new enemies & traps to deal with etc etc. And all the while after dying several times, being constantly returned to the Central Yharnam lamp! Then having to traverse the exact same terrain, fighting the exact same enemies, over and over again. Just! To make some slight progresssion over my last run, only to die again! Then I'd have to rinse and repeat!

    7 hours in! And finally reached the first boss! and a nifty shortcut to reach him after being killed by the Cleric beast around 20+ times! Here in lies the problem for me with Bloodborne! It was everything I expected from developers Fromsoft! Only this time! I began to view the game from a different perspective! That of a non prior DS player! A complete newbie if you will! And then it hit me! This game is so frustratingly unapproachable for a casual player, that it isnt even funny! I'm 3 bosses in currently and honestly! Even I've had enough! I dont want to continue! The games is so frustrating, confusing, ambigious, repetitive! I keep reading all these positive reviews "If you like DS You'll love this!" etc, etc! What if I was a new player? With no prior experience of the DS series whatsoever! Am I supposed to accept, that you made a game that just isnt for me! Fair enough I'm sure many people could accept that!

    As developers though! Shouldnt you accept!? That you made a game so incredibly, frustratingly, unapproachable! That has such a punishing obtuse & unforgiving, learning curve, that youre inadvertantly going to just disway many a player, from even wanting to play your future games!

    To me the difficulty in this game is a step to far! Not as a result of the gameplay, the game plays really well. The game mechanics however! The constant repetitive nature, the rinse and repeat, die until master approach, just makes the game feel! For lack of a better word CHEAP!

    Personaly as a DS fan, this is just too much! And not to mention the other small nuisances i.e. frame rate drops, clip hits through walls, reallllllllly long load times! I' mean seriously I downloded the nearly 30gb to my HD! Whats with the 3 min load times ppl! Yeah this game aint for casual for sure, I'm not sure its for new players either!

    If you haven't played the DS series prior! And dont want to be frustrated, by extreme difficulty through poor game mechanics! I'd wait for this to drop in sale or something! Before taking the dip! I really think the developers missed a genuine opportunity with this game! Oh well! Maybe next time! The hardcore DS'ers though, will probably LOVE IT!    … Expand
  79. ozorxoron
    Mar 28, 2015
    5
    Lack of diversity makes for a shallow experience. Dark Souls thrived on the amount of options available to you through weapons, spells and armour, Bloodborne however has an amazing lack of play style options given that the developers have made it so there's only one viable way to play this game.

    While this may make for a faster experience in battle, it also makes for a much more limited    Lack of diversity makes for a shallow experience. Dark Souls thrived on the amount of options available to you through weapons, spells and armour, Bloodborne however has an amazing lack of play style options given that the developers have made it so there's only one viable way to play this game.

    While this may make for a faster experience in battle, it also makes for a much more limited one. I can't see the PVP surviving in this game given that every battle is essentially the same with two players just dodging and swinging with no real varietybeyond that.

    The positives however are that the game is absolutely beautiful, with responsive controls and it provides a great challenge. I imagine the lore is just as interesting, if not more so, than that of Dark Souls but that will take time to unravel and piece together.

    This isn't a bad game by any means, just not what a Souls successor should be as it seems to be taking one step forward and two steps back when it comes to variety which ultimately effects gameplay.    … Expand
  80. Sh8de
    Mar 25, 2015
    5
    Game is exclusive to PS4 and can barely handle 30 fps, it constantly chops into the low 20's. From a technical standpoint this is crap. Game is just like Dark Souls 2 which I love but there is no excuse especially for a game that requires you to be on your A game at all times.
  81. Witchywoman212
    Mar 30, 2015
    5
    I forgot to mention in my earlier review about the insight system. If you use an insight, and can't connect to the server, disconnected by the server, or can't find help, the game uses this insight. Very punishing for a new player, and a game breaker.

    Blood vials have to be farmed. Very boring, but necessary. From needs to rethink this, and replenish resources at the lanterns.
  82. Kanivakil
    Jul 26, 2015
    5
    I've only played about a few hours into this game but it is impossible to enjoy it for longer periods of time because the game gives me a headache due to its frame rate. The game does not run smoothly. It appears to stutter. I'm a PC gamer who is accustomed to 60 FPS so if you are a life/exclusive console gamer then I believe the game would be excellent for you--ignorance is bliss. I'veI've only played about a few hours into this game but it is impossible to enjoy it for longer periods of time because the game gives me a headache due to its frame rate. The game does not run smoothly. It appears to stutter. I'm a PC gamer who is accustomed to 60 FPS so if you are a life/exclusive console gamer then I believe the game would be excellent for you--ignorance is bliss. I've deducted 5 points solely because of that reason. Otherwise the game is near perfect in terms of visuals and mood it presents.… Expand
  83. Ramiro1992
    Nov 24, 2019
    7
    The atmosphere of this game is really cool and creepy, set in the victorian era, with many well designed enemies and creatures, this game is a very good quality title that keeps players engaged into the action with a fairly hard challenge, and it is worth playing. I found the level design much better than dark souls series, and for many reasons this game reminds me of nightmare creatures,The atmosphere of this game is really cool and creepy, set in the victorian era, with many well designed enemies and creatures, this game is a very good quality title that keeps players engaged into the action with a fairly hard challenge, and it is worth playing. I found the level design much better than dark souls series, and for many reasons this game reminds me of nightmare creatures, for the psx and n64.
    The gameplay is good and you can use some sub weapons that are very effective, like the molotov cocktails. The graphics are amazing and there's no music during parts of the gameplay. This game is one of the best ps4 games so far, what a shame that it remained a ps4 exclusive.

    7/10    … Expand
  84. ReakingHavok
    Jul 8, 2015
    7
    decent story, one of the hardest games i have ever played...with that being said..just because its hard doesnt mean it goods it means it is hard. the game shouldnt be judged by how hard it is but by how good the mechanics and game play is along with the story. not as great as people make it seem and definatly not as bad as some people are rating it. just because you dont like how hard thedecent story, one of the hardest games i have ever played...with that being said..just because its hard doesnt mean it goods it means it is hard. the game shouldnt be judged by how hard it is but by how good the mechanics and game play is along with the story. not as great as people make it seem and definatly not as bad as some people are rating it. just because you dont like how hard the game is be respectful and rate on the other stuff like immersion, mechanics and story… Expand
  85. CoNn3r_B
    Jul 29, 2015
    6
    I found Bloodborne to be a hallow and overall boring experience and here is why.
    Level Design: The best thing about Dark Souls 1 and 2 is the level design, no matter what you say about DS2 Drangleic(I'm pretty sure I spelt that wrong) is a beautiful and varied place with dark castles to bright vibrant forests and the same goes double to DS1 but Bloodborne is just the same dark grey/blue    I found Bloodborne to be a hallow and overall boring experience and here is why.
    Level Design: The best thing about Dark Souls 1 and 2 is the level design, no matter what you say about DS2 Drangleic(I'm pretty sure I spelt that wrong) is a beautiful and varied place with dark castles to bright vibrant forests and the same goes double to DS1 but Bloodborne is just the same dark grey/blue world which is permanently miserable and has next to no variation in the colour pallet.
    Weapons: Yes they are cool with how they can switch changing your combat style mid fight and yes they look sexy but there are so few of them, I came across only 7 weapons in my play-through and 4 guns which is disappointing as hell, in DS1 and 2 you couldn't go five steps without tripping over a weapon useful or no. They need more weapons asap.
    Armour: You are restricted in what you can wear now whereas is DS you could wear light or medium or heavy or heavy-light...the world was your oyster but Bloodborne restricts you to coats and hats and like the weapons, they lack in variety.
    Combat: Combat is about the only redeeming thing in this game where it is fast paced and well laid out but it lacks the choice of DS, you could dual wield or use miracles or magic or sword and shield and so on so forth but in Bloodborne you are restricted to main hand and a gun, you can use both hands or torches and shields but they are so useless this time round, I went trough the entire game with the saw-cleaver and had no trouble which brings me to my next point...
    Difficulty: The main staple of the DS games is their difficulty, the hardest one to date is still DS1 and DS2 comes second, Bloodborne was easy in comparison, in my entire playthrough I died in combat 20 times rather than 150 in DS2 and over 200 in DS1. The enemies telegraphed their attacks from last week where most could be dodged by a quick back step anyway, the Bosses were so, so easy. Most were too big to actually hit you, you could just roll under them or step behind them and early on you become overpowered making the standard enemy nothing more than free xp.
    Story: To top it all off the story is god awful, this is a story where SPOILER ALERT the good ending has you turn into a **** squid...I'll let that swim around your head for a few moments SPOILER END the world tells you nothing about itself unlike DS1 and characters have no story what so ever, just showing up for nothing other than empty interactions or free items or you blow them or some menial crap like that.
    Overall: I didn't get a sense of accomplishment when I finished Bloodborne but instead I felt bored, I thought to myself what did I enjoy about this game and I found very few things to recall, I would mention the chalice dungeons but they can summed up in one word "Crap" I felt very disappointed in this game and opted to sell it and buy Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin instead which was way more interesting.
    6.5/10    … Expand
  86. olrion
    Sep 2, 2015
    7
    I was new to the Dark Souls/Bloodborne realm when one of my mates introduced me to Bloodborne on the PS4 recently and I was immediately hooked. Hacking and slashing our way through the beautifully dark world, we passed the controller back and forth with every death, for hours.

    My first impressions were that the game-play was incredibly intense, exciting and surprisingly rewarding    I was new to the Dark Souls/Bloodborne realm when one of my mates introduced me to Bloodborne on the PS4 recently and I was immediately hooked. Hacking and slashing our way through the beautifully dark world, we passed the controller back and forth with every death, for hours.

    My first impressions were that the game-play was incredibly intense, exciting and surprisingly rewarding (despite being brutally mauled every few seconds) but sadly, as reality set in I soon found it to be simply too punishing for a casual gamer like me and the 'appeal' of dying became unnecessary.

    I understand that the unforgiving nature of the series is exactly what appeals to most gamers and its difficulty has become a signature of the series, but I would have liked to see a difficulty system implemented to give more casual gamers a chance to enjoy and finish the game.

    I've been a gamer for over 25 years and I still get the buzz when playing a new game. I will always try and beat games that I buy and enjoy, whilst being realistic about how much time I can dedicate to an age-old hobby. However, after being exposed to Bloodborne for several hours on a friends save - despite all it's potential and mystique - I couldn't see myself tormenting myself and playing through the entire game.

    Bloodborne is a great looking game, challenging and strangely addictive, but it's relentlessly difficulty left me grinding hours away only to be felled once again by an enemy that is seemingly impossible to beat. The enjoyment ceased when I found the only way to progress through relatively small sections of the game, was to repeatedly swipe at re-spawned enemies in order to level up and build up potions to navigate the evil lurking around the next corner.

    This process quickly becomes a fruitless pursuit of what I am sure is a rewarding climax, but the endless hours and patience required to beat the first boss, let alone the entire game, is just too much for a gamer with other pursuits, responsibilities (and a job) to tackle.

    Bloodborne and games like it will not change their formula over a few cries from casual gamers who 'don't get it', but I can't help but feel excluded from being given a fair chance of truly appreciating a title with great potential simply because the developers want to keep hold of the brand of gaming that makes their games unique.

    If players want a challenge that befits the Dark Souls mould then they would take it upon themselves to ramp up the difficulty to a level that suits them/challenges them and given the chance I would have done the opposite and lowered the bar a little so that I could appreciate Bloodborne in the way that a casual gamer should be able to.

    If you enjoy a story driven game that is aesthetically pleasing, dark, challenging and ultimately rewarding then Bloodborne will be right up your street. Be warned however, there will be evil lurking at the end of that street and it WILL kill you. A LOT!    … Expand
  87. xvvolf4
    May 1, 2016
    6
    This was my first "souls" type game, and since I picked this up on sale I would say I got my money's worth...however I still have not finished the game because at around Rom, I just started to get bored and now I feel like playing the game has become a chore, rather than fun (which the entire first half was). While I will finish the game eventually I'm actually more interested in justThis was my first "souls" type game, and since I picked this up on sale I would say I got my money's worth...however I still have not finished the game because at around Rom, I just started to get bored and now I feel like playing the game has become a chore, rather than fun (which the entire first half was). While I will finish the game eventually I'm actually more interested in just starting over again.

    The difficulty of the game is quite fair. It's not an easy game that you'll just blow through, but it's also no where near as hard as what it's made out to be.

    If you can pick this game up on sale for $20 or less, don't hesitate. From the beginning to Rom it can easily give you $20 worth of entertainment.    … Expand
  88. fuky
    Apr 12, 2016
    7
    Bloodborne is a cool game, the dark setting and monsters look cool, but I think is a bit overrated.
    Although bosses can look cool, mobs become repetitive. Some people claim the game is hard, but is not.
    The little bit of story the game has, makes no sense and I hate the sometimes you are next to a wall or something similar and an enemy can hit you, but you can't. The hit detection can    Bloodborne is a cool game, the dark setting and monsters look cool, but I think is a bit overrated.
    Although bosses can look cool, mobs become repetitive. Some people claim the game is hard, but is not.
    The little bit of story the game has, makes no sense and I hate the sometimes you are next to a wall or something similar and an enemy can hit you, but you can't. The hit detection can be iffy.

    The game is fun as a hack n slash with some light rpg elements. overall is a 7.4    … Expand
  89. OberiousLocke
    Oct 3, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I know the souls games. I know their reputation. I finally got to play Bloodborne through PS Now, because forced exclusivity can and should really just die off, and while I have my nitpicks with Dark souls 1 and Dark Souls 2, I finally know why Dark Souls 3 is so **** terrible. While they were off letting the B Team make DkS 2, A Team was off with Miyazaki making Bloodborne, and in turn, the game they would later reskin and sell as Dark Souls 3.

    I thought people were exaggerating when they said that Dark Souls 3 was a shameless copy paste of Bloodborne. Dark Souls 2 might have been lackluster compared to Dark Souls 1, but they aren't stupid.

    I swear to Christ I have never been more wrong about anything else ever. In Dark Souls 3, dodging is overpowered and blocking is nigh on useless because of the mistake that are poise stabs. In Bloodborne, dodging is overpowered because blocking isn't the focus of the game.

    In Bloodborne, there are monsters that you'll encounter only a few hours into the game that can and will stunlock you to death without a chance to evade or counter attack. In Dark Souls 3, the same thing applies because of how they botched poise.

    I could go on, but I won't, because the key thing that makes Rolling good and blocking bad in Bloodborne was stripped from Dark Souls 3 with no compensation, and that is the rally system.

    In Bloodborne when you get smacked, if you smack back you recover health to a point, which incentives aggressive play and frequent dodging, while leaving blocking useless. This compensates for the fact that assuming you're not stunlocked into oblivion, enemies can knock off huge chunks of your health in a single hit.

    In Dark Souls 3, enemies can still stunlock you within an inch of your life, deal massive damage with each hit/homing grab attack, have seemingly endless combos sometimes, and there is **** all you can do except chug some estus. Out of estus? Time to retreat and start over or eat **** my friend!

    However what Bloodborne does well compared to Dark Souls 3 still doesn't make it all that great. The best example that most players would know from pretty early on is Henryk. In the Central Yharnam, you meet Eileen the Crow, who depending on choices will make another appearance in the Cathedral Ward, who tells you about an Old Hunter gone mad named Henryk, saying that she has some business with him, as she is the hunter of hunters.

    If you make the annoying run from the Central Yharnam/Great Bridge lamp back to the boss room of Father Gascoigne, you'll find Eileen fighting with Henryk. Of course you know it isn't going to be easy, you expect that, right?

    Instead of a decent challenge, you get what is essentially a boss fight with:

    *A boss with a massive amount of health
    *A boss who can knock off up to an entire half of your health in a single blow
    *Can (and does) spam the Hunters Pistol weapon up to 3-5 times in a row with no warning until you've been hit at least once, and can take out up to a third of your health in one hit.
    *Also never runs out of bullets

    Keep in mind, this is within the first few hours of the game if you're quick. I had a +3 Saw Cleaver and was Lv25-27.

    The kicker is, do you want the platinum trophy, or even the Caryll Oath rune you get for completing her questline? Then there is one thing I forgot to mention on those bullet points

    *Eileen, in the fight with Henryk, does practically no damage and is made of tissue paper.

    You know what that means? Make one slip up, and your chance at platinum is over for that entire playthrough, and you're stuck until NG+ or you restart the game.

    Now, TO BE FAIR, if you die against Henryk if Eileen is dead (and you will, unless you vastly outlevel him) she will drop the badge that allows you to get her gear from the Messengers. That's cold comfort of course, if like a normal person might, you form a bond with the few friendly beings you meet in the game and value helping them and completing their quest lines.

    Overall, it's fun, if not the flavor of unfair that FromSoft has seemed to take to after Dark Souls 1. It's better than Dark Souls 3, which isn't say much, really, but still good.    … Expand
  90. AngryBanana
    Nov 11, 2016
    7
    Do you like difficulty? Do you like **** that you can't do anything about? Then yes this game is for you. Bloodborne is dark souls 3, and dark souls 3 is dark souls 4. This is a re-textured version of dark souls II, but who cares? It's a fun game! Let's start with the story, so you're this all powerful hunter that goes around yiffing the dicks of ugly-ass monsters. Most of the bosses areDo you like difficulty? Do you like **** that you can't do anything about? Then yes this game is for you. Bloodborne is dark souls 3, and dark souls 3 is dark souls 4. This is a re-textured version of dark souls II, but who cares? It's a fun game! Let's start with the story, so you're this all powerful hunter that goes around yiffing the dicks of ugly-ass monsters. Most of the bosses are clever and fun to fight against, some of them are just awful and will just frustrate you (like that jerk who wears a cage on his head... that guy made me throw my ps4 controller and now one of the grips is a little bent) Oh you better believe this game is hard, it'll piss you off. I started yelling at the game (especially the blood starved beast and Moon Presence) calling them words I will not repeat in this review, and I'd say 60 percent of the time, when you get hit or killed, it's your own fault. There are enemies with insta-kills and some craptastic frenzy ability, but usually once you defeat them, they're done forever. This game is not a walk in the part. Don't let the goofy looking weapons fool you, along with the relatively easy start. This game is about being the best guy ever, or getting your dick knocked off. The graphics and environment are gorgeous. Is this a perfect 10/10? Hell no, all the 10's are dick sucker "from software" fan boys that probably haven't played the game, and all the 0's are dick sucker "xbox" fan boys and every critic giving this game a 10 are lying to themselves. This is a good game and if you're really bored or want to have your blood pressure go through the room, then this is the game for you!… Expand
  91. hiltong55
    Jul 26, 2018
    7
    So let me start by saying that this is not generally the kind of game I usually enjoy playing so I guess my opinion is coming from an outsiders perspective to the genre. After getting through the initial learning curve I did find myself really getting into and enjoying many of the defining gameplay elements that make Bloodborne the highly regarded title that it has come to be.

    Let's    So let me start by saying that this is not generally the kind of game I usually enjoy playing so I guess my opinion is coming from an outsiders perspective to the genre. After getting through the initial learning curve I did find myself really getting into and enjoying many of the defining gameplay elements that make Bloodborne the highly regarded title that it has come to be.

    Let's start with the two things about the game I loved. First, the combat system. This is what melee style combat should be like in any game of this style. Difficult to master but feels very rewarding once you do. I liked how all the weapons felt unique (although my favorite was the ax because of its range). Your sidearm (if you used correctly) can be used to set up perry attacks which become vital later on in the game when you take on tougher enemies. Second, the enemies. There are so many different kinds of enemies and they all have unique combat styles. I found myself pausing every time I came across a new enemy solely due to the fact that I had no idea how they were going to attack me. In addition to the great grunt style enemies, the bosses are great as well. The art design of each boss is very unique and they all look terrifying. Also, not one of them is a pushover. They feel like actual bosses.

    Some other things that I would like to point out that are positives in my opinion. The atmosphere. It really has that gothic look and feel. The game's artwork looks great and if you are into this time early Victorian period (I am not) I could see how you could easily fall in love with this world. Also, I really liked how the game did not punish you by allowing you to pick up items even after you items on hand count was full. They just go into your stash in the hunter's dream (took me a while to figure that out because I'm an idiot). Lastly, I appreciated the fact that you could call on other players to get through a tough boss. Helps with the very sluggish pace that the game can present to players like me.

    Now let's get to the stuff that people like me who are not into this style and genre did not enjoy. Wholly crap is this game tough to figure out at first. Now I will be the first to complain if I feel like a game is holding your hand but boy does this game take that type of complaint to heart. If you new to this genre and style I highly suggest at least looking at some sort of tips for beginners guide on this game or you are going to be very lost and confused. I know many people who told me they couldn't figure out how to get past the first beast in the clinic (I did at least figure this out on my own). Just maybe a tad (no more though) of guidance would be helpful to new players. Next, despite what I have read in other reviews I found this game to have many bugs that (although many did help me) took away from the great combat action and allowed me to win via bs glitches. For example, the first fight or second in my case with Father Gascoigne he got stuck behind a dam railing in one of the corners and we could not attack each other via melee. I had to shoot him and thankfully I had enough ammo. This happened multiple time later in the game and allowed me to win and sometimes lose due to unpolished environments and enemy AI. Last and to me the most killer negative to me was the lack of a captivating story. Now I understand that a story is not really what this game is going for but for players like me, I need something more captivating than what this game gives us. You are just thrown into this world with little explanation and you finish with even less explanation as to why you did what you did.

    This game is definitely worth a try if you have never played a game like this but I do not see it bringing in a new audience of people like myself. It is definitely a love letter to the already established audience. I got through the main storyline and I think that is enough for me but I can easily see how someone who gets invested in this world could rate this game an 8 or 9. For me it is a 7. I liked it but did not fall in love with it. 7/10 good game for players like me.    … Expand
  92. morrise
    Mar 14, 2018
    5
    Tried this game cuz was free on PS+, it started quite interesting, dark Gothic atmosphere and fun combat gameplay , but after some hours playing it became tedious, the logic of the game revolves around grinding over and over through the same environment and enemies to get prepared for boss battles, Fortunately a souls-borne experienced friend of mine helped me to get through the bosses.Tried this game cuz was free on PS+, it started quite interesting, dark Gothic atmosphere and fun combat gameplay , but after some hours playing it became tedious, the logic of the game revolves around grinding over and over through the same environment and enemies to get prepared for boss battles, Fortunately a souls-borne experienced friend of mine helped me to get through the bosses. The story.. well not much to tell, just average, the biggest disappointing is how little content has to offer, if you're good you can speed-run it in one hour, that's ridiculous for a supposedly AAA game. Graphically is not impressive at all, the different areas of the game look almost the same except maybe the forbidden forest, what started as a dark and provocative atmosphere turned into a sequence of boring aisles ,stairways and town squares, in addition this constant stuttering or flickering, don't know how to explain it, it's really a headache. Best department would be the music it's amazing but it does not compensate the other flaws specially the lack of content, in summary this game is highly overrated to the point of being called a "master piece", what i really found was an average game with little content, great music and fun combat mechanic if you don't mind the grinding.… Expand
  93. SplitMind
    Oct 11, 2018
    6
    While there is much hype around Bloodborne, especially due to the difficulty, once the novelty wore off I found the game slightly tedious, repetitive and protracted.

    The graphics are pretty good and the gothic atmosphere is excellent. My issue is that it becomes one-dimensional without much variety in colour palettes other than the sky. I get that is supposed to be a dark, gothic game,    While there is much hype around Bloodborne, especially due to the difficulty, once the novelty wore off I found the game slightly tedious, repetitive and protracted.

    The graphics are pretty good and the gothic atmosphere is excellent. My issue is that it becomes one-dimensional without much variety in colour palettes other than the sky. I get that is supposed to be a dark, gothic game, but some variety could still have helped. The architecture of the buildings is fantastic, but the lack of colour literally tars them all with the same brush.

    The story here is odd. You can pretty much delve as deep as you like into the lore or ignore it for the gameplay. I did like this choice but even when you want to learn more about the story it's rather opaque and obfuscated.

    The gameplay is the heart of this game, and where I have the most mixed feelings. Yes, it CAN be hard, but not necessarily. A lot of it comes down to the usual observing patterns of attack, looking for an opening and exploiting a weakness. No matter how far I seemed to level up, my character could be killed in just a few hits, which whilst challenging was also counter-intuitive to the purpose of levelling up. I found myself looking up YouTube guides far too often when I should have been playing and enjoying the game. You can summon for help if you are online which is also a nice way to balance out the difficult but it detracts from the experience a bit.

    It's not often I say this but I think Bloodborne may actually be TOO long. After about 2/3 to 3/4 of the game I was sick of it and wanted it to be over. Everything had become patterned and the difficulty spikes became cheaper and more annoying rather than challenging. So called 'hardcore' players seem to adore this game, and for the first half of the game I'd agree, but as it progressed it became a subject of vanity and masochism.

    Don't be put off by difficulty. Just be prepared to invest time and learn how to play it properly. If that still appeals to you then you have a very decent game at a decent price these days.    … Expand
  94. cableguy3333
    Aug 2, 2021
    6
    As a fan of darksouls I got a ps5 for demonsouls and bloodborne, wow what a disappointment with both. Bloodborne is not in the same league as darksouls, sure the graphics are nice but as a challenge there isn't one, basically it's the same fight over and over again untill you get to Kos then its a change of tactics and its finished. This has been dumbed down for casuals hence the highAs a fan of darksouls I got a ps5 for demonsouls and bloodborne, wow what a disappointment with both. Bloodborne is not in the same league as darksouls, sure the graphics are nice but as a challenge there isn't one, basically it's the same fight over and over again untill you get to Kos then its a change of tactics and its finished. This has been dumbed down for casuals hence the high score, stats hmm such a vast array to choose from ( sarcasm ) , clothing items sure if you like black, you start with the saw weapon and there is no reason to change it, you also get a gun just chuck that in the bin it's useless and equip a torch it's more useful. Most of the enemies all look the same and that includes the bosses. As far as I know this is the only from soft game with noises a child would make, Kos please stop screaming but he's not the most anoying, the most anoying is the 2nd to last boss who shouts Bam every 10 seconds, just shut the **** up and one last one some dude just runs about a building talking about Kos, that boss was just plain anoying. Anyone who says this game is hard has clearly been using a summons while playing darksouls. Blind playthrough i died once by the time I had killed the 3rd boss, most bosses are either a first or 2nd attempt. If you want and easier challenge than dark souls then sure go for it but if you're looking for something of similar or harder then stear well clear. It's still an ok game, I just found it a bit boring by the end… Expand
  95. Zicoakg
    Mar 19, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. No map and nothing tells you what to do or where to go mostly you’ll keep searching online for what to do next. Gameplay is fun but everything jump scares you even the noise he makes while walking is too creepy. Bloodborne has platforming elements with the physics of balancing a spoon on a wooden match.
    A game for those who have much time and likes a challenge.    … Expand
  96. DzmitryBoston
    Jun 10, 2020
    6
    There is no particular reason to explain why developers of the game that could be beautiful and enjoyable made the game the way it is in reality. I did try but only defeated 3 bosses and all I felt all the way is pressure. This is not why I play video games. I like a challenge but not in this way. Sorry. But the video game developers should not try to prove that hardcore gaming is the wayThere is no particular reason to explain why developers of the game that could be beautiful and enjoyable made the game the way it is in reality. I did try but only defeated 3 bosses and all I felt all the way is pressure. This is not why I play video games. I like a challenge but not in this way. Sorry. But the video game developers should not try to prove that hardcore gaming is the way to go. They must provide options. Feel frustrated that I am not able to finish the game and enjoy the art of it. I really hope there is an update in the future.… Expand
  97. rainyday2
    Oct 25, 2020
    7
    Tremendous game all around but the disturbing Lovecraftian setting did nothing for me personally . Some scenes were a bit too much for little ol me and I have been playing many horror games since the PS1 (Silent Hill , Parasite Eve , Resident Evil , Clock Tower etc.)

    I haven't had a barfing sensation from a game in a long time (Probably SH3) but Bloodborne sure brought them back and    Tremendous game all around but the disturbing Lovecraftian setting did nothing for me personally . Some scenes were a bit too much for little ol me and I have been playing many horror games since the PS1 (Silent Hill , Parasite Eve , Resident Evil , Clock Tower etc.)

    I haven't had a barfing sensation from a game in a long time (Probably SH3) but Bloodborne sure brought them back and that's a big no-no from me . There's nihilistic torture porn and then there's this game    … Expand
  98. KOSYAVCHIK
    Nov 12, 2020
    6
    Имхо игра не очень, мне не сильно понравилась, не знаю почему, но у меня не вызвала эта игра таких эмоций как другие соулс лайки, но всё-таки рекомендую попробовать.
  99. TeamAlex
    Apr 7, 2021
    6
    Bloodborne
    is a pleasant alternative to Dark Souls. At least that's what I thought at first. After years I finally got this game to get an impression for myself. And my aversion was almost palpable.
    Bloodborne is comparable to Dark Souls 1 and 2 in terms of the speed of gameplay and the variety of fighting methods. The only thing worth mentioning are the "trick weapons" that bring in    Bloodborne
    is a pleasant alternative to Dark Souls. At least that's what I thought at first. After years I finally got this game to get an impression for myself. And my aversion was almost palpable.

    Bloodborne is comparable to Dark Souls 1 and 2 in terms of the speed of gameplay and the variety of fighting methods. The only thing worth mentioning are the "trick weapons" that bring in individuality. Otherwise, Bloodborne, like the Souls series, has a very bad level design, let alone world building. The maps puked us after the first NG, luckily you can rush them in a few minutes.

    Positive points.
    - Different weapons
    - Several possibilities to create your character build
    - Enormously large space for healing potions
    - Warehouse
    - Helpful community in terms of dungeons and messages.

    Negatives.
    - Most of the bosses
    - Bad FPS on some bosses (especially Loran the Darkbeast)
    - You often have to farm HP potions in NG 0 until they become meaningless at some point.
    - Map design is bad and monotonous

    There is also our personal boss ranking, which was created after several NG ++ processes depending on the strength of the opponent.
    -
    -
    30. Witch of Hemwick
    - Just a joke of a bad boss
    0.5 / 10
    29. Celestial Emissary
    - The same, what the hell is this? No ideas left?
    1/10
    28.Micolash, host of the Nightmare
    - Deserved place as the most hated boss.
    1.5 / 10
    27. Mergo's Wet Nurse
    - As soon as you stand behind her, the fight is practically over.
    1.5 / 10
    26. Moon Presence
    - Secret Boss? Who can do less than some normal monsters?
    2 / 10th
    25. Blood Starved Beast
    - Can't even hit. Best boss for a no-hit challenge
    2 / 10th
    24. Living failures
    - That's how I feel about their gameplay too.
    2 / 10th
    23. Cleric Beast
    - Tutorial Boss, nothing more.
    3/10
    22. Darkbeast Paarl
    - Blunt gun finishes it in seconds
    3/10
    21. Amygdala
    - At first I didn't notice that this was supposed to be a boss.
    3/10 20. Father Gascoigne - Second stage has something to offer, otherwise low PvP boss 3.5 / 10 19. Pthumerian Descendant - Weak PvP boss in the dungeon # - 3.5 / 10 18. Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen - Exceptionally pleasant boss, but weak. 4/10 17. Vicar Amelia - Way too much HP in the early game and terribly bad design and gameplay. Generally too easy. 4/10 16. Rome, the Vacuous Spider - Most creative Spider Boss in Souls Games so far. 5/10 15. Shadow of Yharnam - definition of a bad boss - 5/10 14. Undead Giant - Bad boss 5/10 13. Gehrman, The First Hunter - At first he looked impressive. If you look at it correctly, he is an unsuccessful PvP boss who can do nothing. 5/10 12. One reborn - Who makes such bosses? Seriously? Which trainee was that. 5/10 11. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos - Run around and hit your butt like always. 5.5 / 10 10. Headed Bloodletting Beast Nothing worth mentioning typical 0815 boss - 5.5 / 10 9. Martyr Logarius - Visually appealing. Not from difficulty. 5.5 / 10 8. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower - An excellent boss and, as it should be, they only learned something new in the DLC. - 6.5 / 10 7. Watchdog of the Old Lords - If you have no idea, you just take 50% HP off, so that the fight becomes harder. - 7/10 6. Loran Darkbeast - Who can hit this thing? Blunt gun is still the solution. 7/10 5. Ludwig, the Holy Blade - Very visually appealing. Gameplay only good in the second stage. 7/10 4. Laurence, the First Vicar - Pure garbage and copy & paste boss with fire - 7.5 / 10 3. Amygdala (chalice) - A monster as big as the whole room with endless range and only 50% maximum HP allowed. Another fall of no creativity. 8/10 2. Orphan of Kos - Best boss in gameplay, very well done. - 8/10 1. Abhorrent Beast - One of the strongest bosses and personal nemesis by speed and DMG. 8/10    … Expand
  100. Zski
    Aug 8, 2021
    5
    I don’t understand the Souls games. Never have, never will. I keep trying them, but I have the same experience each time. I can’t get into the combat, it’s the same as every other Souls game. It feels way too loose and imprecise. Every feels like it’s on ice and the hit detection is really poor. However unlike the other Souls games, I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this game,I don’t understand the Souls games. Never have, never will. I keep trying them, but I have the same experience each time. I can’t get into the combat, it’s the same as every other Souls game. It feels way too loose and imprecise. Every feels like it’s on ice and the hit detection is really poor. However unlike the other Souls games, I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this game, it was actually pretty well done. The graphics hold up pretty decently as well. But I will never understand the hype around these games. I like challenging games, but Souls games always feel challenging because the controls are so loose. Maybe it’s just not for me, but I’m officially done trying with them.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS4 Game of 2015
1
#1 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
9
#9 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 100 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 99 out of 100
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 100
  3. Negative: 0 out of 100
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 26, 2015
    90
    Visually striking, nerve-shredding and a fascinating streamlining of the Souls formula. Bloodborne is an exclusive jewel in the PS4 crown and you need to own it. [June 2015, p71]
  2. Games Master UK
    May 24, 2015
    90
    What a world. What a combat system. What a game. You don't want to miss this. [June 2015, p.56]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    May 20, 2015
    90
    It offers unparalleled player agency when dealing with From's wonderful third-person combat. [May 2015, p.79]
See all critic reviews »