Bloodborne

Bloodborne is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective and features elements similar to those found in the Dark Souls series, also made by FromSoftware.^[1] The player makes their way through different locations within the decrepit Gothic world of Yharnam while battling varied enemies, including bosses,^[2] collecting different types of items that have many uses, interacting with non-player characters,^[3] opening up shortcuts, and continuing through the main story.

At the beginning of the game, the player creates their character, the Hunter. The player determines the basic details of the Hunter; gender, hairstyle, name, skin color, body shape, voice, and eye color are some of the options the player can customize. The player also chooses a starting class, known as an "Origin", which provides a basic backstory for the Hunter and sets the player's starting attributes. The origins, while describing the player character's past, do not have any effect on gameplay beyond altering starting stats.^[4][5] Another way the player defines their Hunter is by choosing what brotherhood they are a member of. These religious societies, known as "Covenants", each have their views on the world of Yharnam.^[6][7]

The player can return to the hub world, known as the "Hunter's Dream", by interacting with lanterns spread throughout the world of Yharnam. Doing so replenishes health, but respawns all enemies in the game world, with the exception of bosses and mini-bosses. Lanterns also serve as the game's checkpoints; the player will return to the last activated lantern when they die. Positioned separately from Yharnam, the Hunter's Dream delivers some of the game's basic features to the player. Players may purchase helpful items, such as weapons, clothing and consumables, from the Messengers using Blood Echoes or Insight, level up their character by talking to the Doll, or upgrade their weapons in the workshop, among other things. Unlike Yharnam and all other locations in the game, the Hunter's Dream is considered completely safe as it is the only location in the game not to feature enemies. However, the last two boss battles of the game take place in the Hunter's Dream and are required to finish the game.^[8][9][10]

Bloodborne's world of Yharnam is an extensive map full of interconnected areas. Some areas of Yharnam are not connected to the main locations and require the player to teleport there via the gravestones in the Hunter's Dream. The player may be presented with multiple options when progressing through locations, but usually, there is the main path that the player uses to progress through the story. When traversing the main path, the player will encounter diverging paths that lead to entirely different locations that are optional. Each path eventually leads back to the central area the player started in; this provides the player with shortcuts, useful for when they die or need to backtrack.^[11][12]

Combat is fast-paced and requires an offensive approach in order for the player to combat dense hordes of enemies. The player character is agile and can dodge attacks by strafing around enemies while locked on. The new risk-and-reward style of gameplay is emphasized through Bloodborne's Rally system, which allows the player to recover portions of lost health by striking an enemy within a small window of time after taking damage.^[13] Director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained that this represents the player's increased will to continue after successfully striking an enemy.^[14] A New Game Plus mode is also present; after the player has finished the game, a new game will immediately be started. New Game Plus is optional. The player retains all their equipment (barring a few items such as keys) and the game is more challenging than the previous playthrough.^[15][16]

The player may only wield one of two melee weapons equipped to the right hand and one of two secondary weapons equipped to the left hand at any one time. It is easy however to switch between the two weapons equipped to each hand, such that this can be done during combat. Most melee weapons, called Trick Weapons, can transform into an alternate state; each state encourages a different approach to combat. With most Trick Weapons, one state is usually a slower, larger weapon that deals heavier damage per hit, while the other state is smaller, faster, and deals its damage in hit streaks. Certain weapons are wielded in both hands after transforming, meaning the left hand secondary weapon cannot be used. For example, the Hunter Axe in its initial state is wielded with one hand and can be used to dispatch enemies in cramped areas quickly; when transformed into its secondary state, it becomes an extended two-handed weapon more suited for crowd control.^[17][18] The player's main secondary weapon is a firearm; the firearm, usually a pistol, can be used in a traditional sense, as well as a way to stun enemies. When an enemy is stunned, the player can perform a Visceral attack; Visceral attacks cause a large amount of damage in one hit and can also be performed after the player strikes an enemy from behind with a charged attack. Other secondary weapons include torches, cannons, and shields, while other main melee weapons include hammers, swords, two-handed gun spears or swords, which serve as melee and ranged weapons, a whip, a scythe, and a wheel. The player can carry other offensive weapons, such as Molotov cocktails, throwing knives, and pebbles.^[17][19]

Similarly to the Dark Souls games, slaying enemies grants the player "Blood Echoes," which double as the player's experience points and currency. Should the player die, their Blood Echoes will be dropped at the location of their death. If they can reach that point again, they can regain them. However, should the player die before retrieving their dropped Blood Echoes, they will be lost forever. Sometimes, the player's Blood Echoes may be captured by an enemy, typically identified by glowing blue eyes; defeating this enemy will return the lost Blood Echoes. If an enemy does not hold the Blood Echoes, they will be on the ground near the location of the player's death.^[20][21] Insight is a secondary form of currency; it can be spent to purchase items, summon help for bosses, and depending on the player's Insight level, the world will change in many different ways. When the player reaches a specific Insight level, some NPCs or enemies might no longer be present, the sky and moon may change colour, the player may start hearing different sounds (such as a crying baby and mysterious whispering), or enemies' attack patterns may change.^[22] The world also changes as the player progresses through the main story. Insight can be gained by finding and defeating bosses, using items that grant Insight, helping another player via co-op defeat a boss, and successfully defeating another player in competitive multiplayer.^[23][24]

When enemies are defeated, they sometimes drop useful items for the player, such as Blood Vials, which heal the player, or Quicksilver Bullets, the main ammunition for ranged weaponry. The player can also sacrifice health to create Blood Bullets for their ranged weaponry. The blood bullets have no functional difference from the consumable quicksilver bullets, other than the fact that they function as extra ammo, and the Rally system still applies to the lost health. The player may find useful items hidden in the environment as well as being dropped by enemies. The items hidden in the environment usually require the player to go on a different path than they were initially travelling. Other items the player may find include various forms of Coldblood, which grant the player Blood Echoes when consumed, Antidotes, used to cure poisoning, and Hunter Badges, which allow the player to purchase more items in the Hunter's Dream.^[25][26] The player's weapons can also be upgraded or modified by equipping certain items such as Blood Gems.^[27]

Multiplayer mode is present in Bloodborne, though it functions differently from its counterparts in the Dark Souls series. By activating a non-consumable item at the cost of one Insight point, players can summon other players into their world to help with enemies and bosses and progress through areas of the game cooperatively. This leaves players vulnerable to invasions; another player may invade the victim's game world and attempt to kill them unless the player can find and defeat a specific enemy known as a Chime Maiden before an enemy player invades. Multiplayer summoning is limited by proximity; players can only be summoned within a specific distance of each other to prevent players from being summoned too far away to be of any assistance. Players can only summon players around the same level as them to prevent the game from being too difficult or too easy for one of the players. Using a password, however, gets around many of the restrictions of summoning a friend. Depending on what covenant the player and summoned player are a part of, they will have the opportunity to be hostile toward one another. Players can summon an NPC to help them in addition to getting help from other players. The NPC serves as an AI companion to the player that helps defeat enemies. Players can only summon specific NPCs that they have met throughout their journey.^[28][29][30] Another way players may interact with each other is by leaving notes. A player may leave a tip for defeating a boss, tell the reader where to go, fool the reader by purposely providing incorrect information, or leave a meaningless message to others. Players may rate a message as 'Fine' or 'Foul', indicating whether the note is helpful or malicious to future readers. When a player rates a message as 'Fine', the player who wrote the note will have their health restored.^[31][32]

Chalice Dungeons are specialized dungeons that become available to the player through the use of special items and materials. Each dungeon can be generated as a fixed version with preset layouts, items, and enemies as well as a "root" version that randomly generates novel configurations of the dungeon through procedural generation. The dungeons vary in depth and difficulty and are formed by performing a ritual with a Chalice and other materials in the Hunter's Dream. Chalice Dungeons are optional and provide additional content to the player. Gameplay is much the same as the main story in that it contains various areas and enemies that the player must overcome to complete the Dungeon. Each Chalice Dungeon contains multiple bosses that the player must defeat to progress through the Dungeon's levels, some of which are fought in the main world, others which are unique to the Chalice Dungeons. Special types of lootable chests not found in the main story are hidden throughout the Dungeons, providing the player with the materials to generate more Dungeons. One major difference between the main story and the Chalice Dungeons is the world's design. In the main world of Yharnam, the design is open-ended, more spacious, and a mixture of indoor and outdoor environments. Chalice Dungeons are only indoors, cramped, and contain many traits of a typical dungeon. The branching paths featured in the main story are still present in the Chalice Dungeons. Another important difference is the objectives. In the main story, players journey through many different locations with many different objectives. In the Chalice Dungeons, the player's primary objective is to locate a door, then find the lever to open the door, which is located elsewhere, and then battle the boss behind the door. After the boss is defeated, the player enters the next area, which will be completely different, and completes the same goal. The cycle repeats at least three times before the entire Chalice Dungeon is cleared. Chalice Dungeons, like the main story, can be played alone or cooperatively with other players.^{[33][34][35][36]}

Bloodborne takes place in the decrepit gothic city of Yharnam. Long ago, ruins of an ancient civilization were found underneath the city, prompting an investigation by the College of Byrgenwerth, an institution studying human transcendence. The excursion unearthed the existence of eldritch beings called Great Ones, who had ascended their consciousnesses to a higher plane, and a substance known as Old Blood, which could cure any illness. However, college head Willem forbade using the Blood in their transcendence research, fearing it would turn imbibers into the beasts that destroyed the ancient civilization. Unfortunately, some students disagreed and left to establish two new institutes in Yharnam: the School of Mensis, to research the Old Blood and attain transcendence by making contact with the Great Ones; and the Healing Church, to share the Blood's medical properties.

Through the Healing Church's medical advances using the Old Blood,^[37] Yharnam grew into a powerful city. Unfortunately, as Willem predicted, the imbibed began to turn into the beasts over time.^[38] In response, the Church attempted to avoid mass panic by founding the Hunters Workshop, a military force composed of warriors called Hunters, to deal with them in secret. However, the beasts eventually spread too far, prompting the Church to go public by shutting the Workshop down and forming a militia, the Church Hunters, to fight them in the open, claiming they were the result of a mysterious illness.

Following the closing of the Hunters Workshop, its founder, Gehrman, lacked purpose and sought contact with the Great Ones, and one known only as the Moon Presence answered. It then granted his wish by making him the caretaker of a dream realm, the "Hunters Dream", where he would be forced to assist other hunters chosen by the Great One to complete tasks at its behest, who cannot die until said tasks are completed.

The player character, a Hunter, receives a blood transfusion to sign a contract, mentioning a mysterious condition known as "Paleblood".^[37] After warning the Hunter that the upcoming journey may look like a bad dream, the Hunter blacks out. A large flesh-torn beast fails to attack the Hunter after a fire appears, and small creatures known as "Messengers" bring the Hunter to Yharnam. Soon on their journey, the Hunter is transported to a spectral realm known as the Hunter's Dream, where a wheelchair-using man Gehrman, and a living doll known as The Doll reside. To find Paleblood and escape the dream, they must slay the beasts ravaging Yharnam and cease the plague. In Central Yharnam, the Hunter is instructed to find the Healing Church that has a connection to blood ministration, which is the source of the plague. There, the Hunter comes in contact with a beast skull and has a vision telling them to visit Byrgenwerth. Arriving at the school, the Hunter kills a cosmic being known as Rom.

Rom's death allows the Hunter gains a perception of Queen Yharnam, an ancient being from the dead civilization who supposedly bore Mergo, the source of the Nightmare. The Hunter ventures into the hidden village of Yahar'gul, where the Great Ones reside to be researched and worshipped by the School of Mensis, where they attempt to build a vessel for the Great One called The One Reborn. After defeating it, the Hunter accesses the Nightmare of Mensis and defeats Micolash, the head of the school who has now gone mad. The player encounters Mergo, kills her guardian, the Wet Nurse, and lets Mergo die.

Afterwards, the Hunter returns to the Hunter's Dream where Gehrman offers to help them escape the dream.^[39] At this point, three different endings are possible, depending on the player's actions:

• Accepting Gehrman's offer results in the Yharnam Sunrise ending: Gehrman kills the Hunter, after which they awaken in Yharnam as the sun rises.
• Declining Gehrman's offer results in the Honoring Wishes ending: Gehrman fights the Hunter to prevent the latter from being trapped in the dream but is defeated. A Great One called the Moon Presence then arrives and embraces the Hunter. Afterward, the Hunter is seen sitting in Gehrman's wheelchair, seemingly replacing him as the Dream's caretaker.
• If, in addition to declining Gehrman's offer, the Hunter also consumed three umbilical cords formed from Great Ones trying to reproduce with humans, the Childhood's Beginning ending is unlocked: After defeating Gehrman, the Hunter resists the Moon Presence and kills it, after which they are transformed into an infant Great One.

While traversing Yharnam, the Hunter learns about another dream realm called the "Hunter’s Nightmare". After being pulled into the Nightmare, they discover it is a prison for hunters who succumb to bloodlust. Travelling through the Nightmare's layers, the Hunter fights their way through people who were turned into beasts by it, including the Church Hunters founder Ludwig. They eventually make their way to a research hall, inhabited by people who have been experimented on, and a clock tower, where they encounter Maria – one of the original hunters under Gehrman who guards the Nightmare's innermost reaches.

After defeating Maria, the Hunter discovers the secret she was protecting: the ruins of a fishing village. The Hunter learns that this hamlet is the origin of the Nightmare – a curse placed on the Byrgenwerth members and their offshoots, the Healing Church and Hunters, for slaughtering and experimenting on the inhabitants, who were transformed into fish-like people due to their proximity to the beached corpse of a Great One named Kos. Continuing through the village, the Hunter makes their way to the beach where they discover the Nightmare's source: Kos’ postmortem-born child. After being defeated and laid to rest, however, the creature's phantom returns to its mother's side, ending the Hunter's Nightmare.^[40]

Japan Studio, a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, approached FromSoftware concerning cooperative development on a title, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki asked about the possibility of developing a game for eighth-generation consoles. The concept of Bloodborne developed from there. There were no connections to FromSoftware's previous titles, even though Miyazaki conceded that it "carries the DNA of Demon's Souls and its very specific level design".^[41] Development ran parallel to that of Dark Souls II.^[42]

The game's Victorian Gothic setting was partly inspired by the novel Dracula,^[43] and the architecture of locations in Romania and the Czech Republic.^[44] Miyazaki also enjoyed H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos series of surreal horror stories, and applied similar themes into the game.^[45] Miyazaki had wanted to create a game set in such an era as those novels, but he wanted everything to be as detailed as possible, and felt that such a game was only possible on eighth generation hardware. This need for high-end hardware, and the fact that the PlayStation 4 was presented to the company first, was the reason the game was a PS4 exclusive, rather than a cross-generation release.^[46] The developers' target frame rate for the title was 30 frames per second, due to their design choices made for the title.^[43]

Story details were more plentiful than in the Dark Souls games, though the team created a larger mystery at the heart of the story to compensate for this.^[47] The method through which the story is shown and developed to the player is also done in a similar style to Miyazaki's other games, especially the Souls series, in that the plot is revealed with item descriptions, interactions with various NPCs, visual storytelling, and from the player's own inferences and interpretation of the plot.^[44] The team did not want to raise the difficulty level higher than their previous games as they felt it would make the game "pretty much unplayable for anyone". To balance this out, the team created a more aggressive combat system focusing on both action and strategy. They also wanted to alter the penalties for death used in the Souls games as they did not want the game to be classified as being for hardcore gamers.^[43] One of the more difficult decisions the team faced was the introduction of guns as weapons. Because it would fit well into the game's setting, and that it would consequently be less accurate than modern models, guns were eventually included, taking the place of shields from the previous Souls titles.^[47]

Bloodborne's soundtrack was composed by a mix of Japanese and Western composers. The soundtrack contains over 80 minutes of original music by Tsukasa Saitoh, Yuka Kitamura, Nobuyoshi Suzuki, Ryan Amon, Cris Velasco and Michael Wandmacher and features performances by a 65-piece orchestra and a 32-member choir.^{[48][49][50][51]} The development of the soundtrack lasted for around two and a half years.^[48]

Screenshots and a gameplay trailer of the game were leaked on the Internet weeks before the official reveal, under the title of Project Beast.^[52] Many believed at the time that the leak could be connected to Demon's Souls.^[53] However, Miyazaki later stated that Bloodborne was never considered to be Demon's Souls II, due to Sony Computer Entertainment wanting a new intellectual property (IP) for the PlayStation 4.^[54]

Bloodborne was announced at E3 2014, where a trailer was shown. In January 2015, Bloodborne became Game Informer's readers' most anticipated game of 2015.^[55][56] The game was originally planned to be released on February 6, 2015, but was delayed to March 24, 2015, in North America, March 25, 2015, in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, March 26, 2015, in Japan, and March 27, 2015, in the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[57][58] A downloadable content expansion, The Old Hunters, was released on November 24, 2015. It takes place within a world where hunters of the past are trapped, and features new weapons, outfits, and items.^[59][60]

A limited collector's edition was launched with the game. It includes a SteelBook case, a hard cover art book, and a digital copy of the game's soundtrack.^[61] The soundtrack was released separately on April 21, 2015.^[49][50] The European exclusive Nightmare Edition included physical items such as a quill and ink set, as well as all the items in the collector's edition. An Asian edition includes a letter opener modeled off of the in-game weapon, the Kirkhammer. A PlayStation 4 bundle is also available in Asian regions.^[62] A song to promote Bloodborne was recorded by the Hit House featuring Ruby Friedman for a trailer and TV spot of the game,^[63] titled "Hunt You Down", written by Scott Miller and William Hunt, and recorded by Wyn Davis^[64] in Los Angeles and at Word of Mouth Recording Studios in New Orleans.^[65]

Sony Denmark teamed up with Danish organization GivBlod in order to encourage blood donations through a program where donators who donated on March 23, 2015, would receive a chance to win Bloodborne as a gift.^[66][67] An officially licensed card game, based on the game's Chalice Dungeons, was published by CoolMiniOrNot and released in November 2016.^[68][69] In February 2018, a tie-in comic book series written by Ales Kot and published by Titan Comics was released.^[70] It ran for four volumes, with each volume being a standalone story. A fifth volume launched in July 2022, written by Cullen Bunn.^[71]

Bloodborne received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.^[72] Daniel Tack of Game Informer praised the game's unsettling atmosphere and the aesthetic visuals, which he stated, "had brought horror to life". He also praised its challenging gameplay, which he compared to the Dark Souls series, as well as its intimately-realized story, high replay value, deliberate, rewarding and fast-paced combat, sparse storytelling and satisfying weapon customization. He was also impressed by the well-crafted boss battles, unique enemy design, and soundtrack. He also praised the multiplayer for extending the longevity of the game, and the game for allowing players to learn and adapt throughout a playthrough. He summarized the review by saying that "While this new IP doesn't stray far from the established Souls franchise, it is a magical, wondrous work that admirably instills both terror and triumph in those brave enough to delve into it."^[76]

Edge wrote that it was a "dazzling work of dark, abject horror that cements Miyazaki as one of the all-time greats."^[73] Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote "Though built on the same core as the Souls games, Bloodborne marks the largest departure from the status quo to date. The numerous changes, many in service of a faster and more aggressive playstyle, might not be for everyone, but if you embrace that shift, you might well have a new favorite in the From Software canon."^[74] Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot praised its Lovecraftian horror-themed storyline, energetic boss battles, precise combat for making encounters with enemies fun, as well as its unique artistry and varied environments. He also praised the sound design of the enemies, the difficulty, which he compared to Dark Souls II, and the melee-based weapons featured in the game for allowing transformation during battle. Regarding the survival horror portion of the game, he stated that it succeeded in making players feel disturbed. The interconnected design of the game world is also praised for making discovery rewarding.^[78] Writing for GamesRadar, Ben Griffin praised the game's detailed environments, Gothic-styled visuals, rich combat, fresh challenges, the randomized Chalice Dungeons for extending the game's length and the rewarding character upgrade system. He also praised the game for delivering a sense of progression and offering players motivation to finish the game, as well as the narrative for "intertwining with the geography of Yharnam". However, he criticized the game's non-divergent class system, as well as the specialization, as he stated that "lack of magic, miracles, pyromancy, archery, heavy, medium, and light options discourages experimentation." He also criticized the game for always forcing players to upgrade and stock weapons only in certain sections of the game.^[79]

Destructoid's Chris Carter called it "the most stable Souls game to date", he praised the game's emphasis on melee combat and raw skill, as well as the game's interesting NPCs, sidequests and interactions. He criticized the limited competitive multiplayer, low replay value, as well as the occasionally blocked area in the game, which he stated "feel less sprawling and less replayable" than previous FromSoftware games. He summarized the review by saying that "Bloodborne is an interesting mix of everything FromSoftware has learned throughout its storied developmental career. FromSoftware is still one of the only developers left that makes you work for your satisfaction, and Bloodborne is damn satisfying."^[75] IGN's Brandin Tyrrel wrote that Bloodborne was "an amazing, exacting, and exhausting pilgrimage through a gorgeous land that imposes the feeling of approaching the bottom of a descent into madness. Though extended load times and minor frame-rate hitches have an effect on the pacing, it's otherwise an intensely challenging and rewarding game. There's an incredible power to unlocking its mysteries, and in succeeding, despite its demand for a pound of your flesh."^[80]

Game Revolution's Nick Tan was more critical than most but still quite positive, criticizing the restrictive builds and the unreliable firearms. He also noted that the game suffered from lock-on and camera issues. He summarized the review by saying that "Though not as refined and freeform as some of its predecessors, it continues in the longstanding Souls tradition of lending credence to challenging games and making the seemingly Sisyphean task of conquering ruthless, malformed monstrosities possible and downright commendable."^[77] Michael McWhertor of Polygon thought that the story was "intriguing", saying the guns were unlike any other he had used in another game, in that the Visceral attacks give the player "one of the best feelings in any game", praised the game's difficulty for providing satisfying encounters, and thought the cryptic mysteries did a good job at encouraging the player to progress through the game. He also praised the game's environments, enemies, and weapons, as he thought they were well-designed and offered the player freedom and variety. McWhertor's main criticisms were concerning the load times and technical issues. He found that the game performed noticeably worse when playing with another player, saying that the frame rate "takes a hit". He also found some mechanics and items confusing, and disliked the fact that there are many loading screens in quick succession.^[81] New York Daily News stated that it was "the perfect marriage, blending mechanics that seem easy to learn with gameplay and challenge that demands mastery and ingenuity."^[82] The Guardian also gave it a full five-star rating, stating that "elegance, precision, humor, and challenge make Bloodborne irresistible."^[83] The Telegraph wrote that it was the "digital edition of a round-the-world trip to foreign continents, each turning of a corner providing equal helpings of excitement and trepidation".^[84] At launch, one of the more criticized points of the game was its long loading times, which were later mitigated via post-release patches.^[85][86]

Bloodborne sold 152,567 physical retail units within the first week of release in Japan,^[87] ranking first place within the Japanese software sales charts for that particular week.^[88] Bloodborne debuted at number two in the United Kingdom software retail chart, behind Battlefield Hardline by 22,500 units.^[89] In the United States, Bloodborne was the second best-selling software in March, despite being released at the end of the month.^[90]

By April 2015, Bloodborne had sold over one million units,^[91] and by September 2015, the game had over two million units sold.^[92] Soon after release, Sony stated that the game's sales exceeded their expectations.^[93] By February 2022, the game had sold 7.46 million units.^[94]

Bloodborne was awarded the 2015 Game of the Year by several video game review sites, including GameTrailers,^[95] Eurogamer,^[96] Destructoid,^[97] and Edge,^[98] along with being awarded the "2015 PlayStation 4 Game of the Year" by IGN.^[99] In 2015, Edge rated it the fourth greatest video game of all time.^[100] A 2023 poll conducted by GQ which surveyed a team of video game journalists across the industry ranked Bloodborne as the fourth best video game of all time.^[101]

• Official website