Bloodborne Is the Best Souls Game, and Even Souls Creator Knows It

Just started playing this, but have absolutely no clue what the hell I am doing. Will be interesting to see where I go... Not really played any of the other games with the exception of Dark Souls where I am not that far in at all.

Thinking back, it doesn't have many parts that feel rushed, incomplete, or cheap, so I can tell a lot of heart went into it. An absolute (and intimidating!) masterpiece.

I have a copy of the game on my shelf, but have yet to play it.

One day.

Nah... Dark Souls is better even with the rushed as heck areas

I find Dark Souls 3 better too. Maybe even the second & Demon's souls or at least they're on par with it.

The scaled back number of weapons, useless magical items & no magic at all make it very hard to revisit and feel fresh (Or at least fresher) with there not really being any build variety at all

Trick weapons are a good feature though and I loved the Victorian setting The lovecraftian horror was a neat surprise too

Everybody should play this game. It's accessible once you learn the mechanics. And a masterpiece of gothic horror environments and characters. Just finished my umpteenth play through after platinum'ing the main campaign 2 years ago. This time my "rules" were to go to DLC ASAP, but Chalice Dungeons acceptable to play for leveling up. Beat Orphan of Kos for the first time last night; my only serious attempt at doing so. His reputation proceeds him rightfully so, but I find some of the later Chalice Dungeon bosses and the environments they're placed in far more crushingly challenging. Fave game of generation by far. If you're new, my best advice is to practice your viscerals-- you get a firearm for a reason!

I really enjoy the souls series but there is just something special about bloodborne that got me hooked from the get go

Hmm, it’s really not my favourite by a country mile. I dunno, I’d go as far to say it’s a ‘bad’ Souls game but that’s comparing it to DS 1 and 3 which set a pretty high bar. I just hated too many mechanics to really consider it good such as the weird chalice dungeons, the fact Saw Cleaver is completely OP for the entire game and you’d have to force yourself to change, and quite a few boss battles were just wack. Still, the DLC is pretty amazing so hopefully if there’s a sequel it would build on The Old Hunters.

It’s time for bloodborne 2 on ps5

I remember moments while I was playing it thinking that it might be the best thing I played or close to that but I can't say that I enjoyed it the most, the gothic nightmare turned cosmic horror aspect just freaked me out, that game still freaks me out, and it's not even a horror game and while it's a testament of how well it blended these different kinds of scares together for me personally Yarnham is not a place I want to revisit.

P.S

Bloodborne is a great game Blooborne + Old Hunters is a masterpiece (still don't want anything to do with it again).

I would agree that Bloodborne is the best, but Dark Souls 1 is a close 2nd. Admittedly I've not properly played Demon's Souls, hopefully a remake is in the works as rumoured.

Possibly the most disappointing exclusive I've played on PS4.

But I really just can't get into the Soulsborne formula in general.

@Ralizah how did you get disappointed by a game that you hadn't gotten any expectations?

"That's like asking me to name a favorite child.

"It's Cindy."

@vhsodre Not entirely sure what you're attempting to ask, but reviews for the game were glowing and, until that point, I'd heard nothing but praise for From Software's Souls games.

Is buying a highly critically praised game and discovering you don't like it not something that would evoke feelings of disappointment in you?

I still dont get it when people say 2015 wasnt good on ps4. What an amazing year. Great memories 😍

I got the base game Plat. I bought the dlc few years ago. I will go back to it when ps5 release. The loading time is bit too long.. And xcom 2 as well waiting on that SSD. Next gen.. Then I willl play agian

@MS7000 You're in for a hell of a ragefest

@Ralizah What was disappointing about it for you?

@Broosh I think the only time it ever felt rushed or tacked in was the Chalice Dungeons but even that was pretty fun ngl.

@taylorsparks294 Frame pacing was a bit choppy. I struggle not to get lost in big, interconnected 3D environments if I don't have some sort of map to help orient myself. A lot of the gothic environments looked very samey to me. The plot is practically non-existent, and what I do understand of it was only gleaned from lore videos on youtube. The weird, cryptic stats and, in general, the game's unwillingness to clearly explain itself to the player. Mostly, though, it was the fact that the entire game consisted of me running around dark streets (and eventually nightmarish otherworlds) killing monsters over and over. Little in the way of plot progression, character development, side-quests, gameplay diversity, etc. The battle system is GREAT, but it doesn't feel like it's enough to sustain a 40+ hour experience.

Some of the music in the game is fantastic, and, like I said, the combat is a definite highlight, but the game almost feels unfinished to me.

I recognize that a lot of this is similar to Dark Souls and is just how From Software designs its action RPGs. It just really didn't resonate with me, which is a shame, because I love horror, exploration, and action-RPGs, so it should have been a match made in heaven.

@Ralizah Yeah you'll need a Pro at that point to fix it but it ain't too bad for me. The game is very linear in comparison to the first Dark Souls game where it should honestly feel like you're walking through a a big corridor. Once you get that feel for it it should be a cake walk to know where you're going. It's all about being gothic and lovecraftian which I love. I love that it never really changed much of that gothic feel and look to it. The plot is in the lore, Miyazaki made it cryptic and somewhat vague for the player to figure it out on their own which is why there are many, many theory videos that exist on topics of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. If you read the lore, pay attention to details on environments and characters themselves you'll find out that there's a lot to them such as Eileen the Crow, Maria the Doll, Gherman, Ludwig, and Yharnam(The city and the woman).

For me it’s simple: The gothic horror setting of Bloodborne is something I’m more into than the Fantasy settings of the Souls series, and I enjoyed having to predominantly dodge rather than hold up a shield. The faster pace in general makes Bloodborne superior to Dark Souls for me.

I also love the trick weapons mechanic.

I would just barely put Demon's Souls over Bloodborne, probably because I prefer a fantasy setting, and also possibly because it was my first Souls experience, and the novelty of it was magical. But the world tendency mechanics made that game really special (sadly not found in any of the sequels). Also, Bloodborne got a little too weird and weaker in its latter third or half, although the DLC made up for it.

I'd say DS1 is my least favorite, with several REALLY unappealing areas. DS2 and DS3 are about equal for me, but I was a little burned out on souls games by the time I got to DS3, and so I may have ranked it higher otherwise.

Hard to pick bb over ds or vice versa. Both are great, but if i had to i would pick bb because its the first one i played, and its what made soulslike games my favorite genre.

@doctommaso what areas in Dark Souls did u not like...i bet i can guess one...tomb of giants or whatever it was called, the dark cave place...absolute worst part of DS imo.

@ellsworth004 Darkroot Garden, Lost Izalith, Demon Ruins, Tomb of Giants, and somewhat Blighttown and the Catacombs.

Bloodborne is my favorite of the series. I liked the speed of the combat much better and the environments are amazing. BB just fits my play style better for sure.

@byteman Orphan of Kos is crazy and I am glad I completed all the DLC. One of the best out there.

A masterpiece, even if it isn’t my fav souls game. Nothing else captures the tone of the world quite like bloodborne. It’s creepy af.

I’ve only ever played Bloodborne and DS1 and I enjoyed BB so much more. But honestly, I think that’s mostly because of me, not the game. What I mean is — with these games you have to be in the right mindset and the right time in your gaming life to really enjoy them. When I played Dark Souls I wasn’t there and I gave up quickly, but when I played Bloodborne, I was committed to work through it and I eventually came to adore it.

@MS7000 I know what you mean but somehow i like it. 😁

Liked Demon Souls more though its my favorite Souls game so far.

@doctommaso Same here Demon Souls, Bloodborne. Dark Souls just didnt click with me somehow.

@taylorsparks294 Was doing okay until I met Father Gascoigne. He moves quite a bit faster than the others before him. Not sure if I suck or if there is a gimmick I am missing.

@Flaming_Kaiser I am liking it so far as well, it certainly controls better than what I have played of Dark Souls although I feel like I am looping around a lot when exploring.

If they were to ever remake Bloodborne, I hope they will make good use of wind, rain and ray traced shadows because this will really turn up the atmosphere to the max.

Demon's Souls will always have a soft spot in my heart. I had more fun in Demon's Souls than Bloodborne, but I'd probably agree it's bloodborne is better.

The one thing I didn't like...... the 3 NPC battle near the end. I always hated when these games make you fight multiple npc at once when the camera and controls just don't feel suited for it. Honestly, I think I stopped playing after that part because it was just annoying. Multiple boss/bad guys was done in other areas of the series so much better. That 3 npc fight just felt thrown in for the sake of it.

@MS7000 Father G is Visceral friendly. Aso, there is a consistent cheese that involves hanging on the inside wall of the big staircase. But more fun to visceral, or dodge behind, get in a couple, dodge back out, rinse and repeat. He definitely represents a leap in difficulty, but make it past him and you can chill for a bit.

@MS7000 Father Gascoine try to get the tombstones between you and him. There is a item you can find but im not telling you where to find it. 😁

But i know its a Nightmare to navigate only Dark Souls was worse for me. But there are so many great secrets.

@byteman @MS7000 @Flaming_Kaiser For some reason I didn't have trouble with Gascoigne, but there were certainly bosses that messed with me (Blood Starved Beast for one). Playstyle is everything.

@MS7000 Yeah Gascoigne is very challenging and is one of the bosses that will really put you to the test if you're ready for what is coming later. For his two first phases I suggest learning to parry first.