No longer will you be dreading the area ahead, instead you’ll sigh as you remember what’s coming up, even going so far as to try sprinting through. Unfortunately, when you’ve been waylaid by yet another group of enemies designed specifically to vex you, with snipers and extremely aggressive mobs that can damage you even as you’re hitting them, that oppressive atmosphere is lessened considerably. When you hear the sound of that creature type you fear, or a noise from something you haven’t yet seen, and you’re stuck in a cramped college building or a misty forest full of poisonous snakes, it taps into that side of your brain that tells you to run the fuck away. This, I feel, is Bloodborne’s biggest strength. It actually feels more like a survival horror than a roguelike. Its atmosphere helps to keep things feeling dangerous and oppressive too, with some stunning sound design to accompany its disgustingly gorgeous visage. It far outweighs the Dark Souls games in terms of deaths, thanks to its removal of a blocking ability and much more unpredictable enemy animations. Just when I thought I knew when to hit an enemy or stagger them, I’d get an axe in the face, or claws would turn me into a human sieve.ĭeath has always been par for the course in FromSoftware’s “Souls” games, but Bloodborne certainly takes it up a notch. I started to get a handle on the dodge timing, even going so far as to learn how to parry properly using my gun, though that part didn’t always end well. But here I am, 18 months later, looking at the game with fresh eyes and lower expectations, to find out if I can finally see the game that others see.ĭespite the boredom of Central Yarnham, I found myself beginning to enjoy the gameplay this time around. So why am I giving it a second chance? Well, I don’t know really, maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. I just didn’t enjoy my time with it and I eventually gave up. I quickly grew tired of the opening area of Central Yarnham, and the sheer number of giant werewolf bosses felt like lazy design – obviously plenty of work went into the quality of their visuals and animation, etc., but there was a definite lack of variety and imagination in many of the earlier bosses. When it finally arrived in March 2015 and I began playing properly, the magic just wasn’t there for me. Again, I got to play it early at a hands-on event, and although I struggled with the gameplay changes, it seemed like FromSoftware had another hit on its hands. When Bloodborne was announced at E3 2014, I was definitely interested. Unlike a certain unsavoury corner of the Dark Souls community, I loved Dark Souls II. And I did, finishing it just weeks before the second game arrived. With a bit of luck, it dropped to £3.74 during an Xbox Live sale, giving me the perfect opportunity to jump back in. It took several attempts for me to ‘get’ the game, but after having an early hands-on of Dark Souls II and enjoying it, I decided that it was time to try the original game one more time.
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