Fromsoftware’s Bloodborne will always hold a special place in my heart, even ten years after its release in 2015. The combination of the intoxicating atmosphere that permeates the game and the masterful blending of classical Gothic horror with the best execution of Lovecraftian horror that I’ve experienced make Bloodborne a thematic and emotive masterpiece, a game with a consistent undertone that still manages to draw dread and delight alike from the player. This, coupled with some of the best writing in gaming history, make Bloodborne an unforgettable experience.
Doubtlessly, Bloodborne is a masterclass in environmental storytelling and level design. From cramped streets full of werewolf-like monstrosities to dreary, flooded fishing hamlets devoid of life, Bloodborne never fails to deliver with the sheer beauty of its visuals. While being a decade old, the graphics aren’t too far behind modern games, allowing the player to be immersed in the world that Bloodborne thrusts you into.
And what a world that is! Without revealing too much of the plot, the game takes place in the fallen city of Yharnam, an area that epitomizes Gothic Architecture. The streets of Yharnam are full of townsfolk driven mad by a mysterious disease, carried by the b
lood issued by the mysterious Healing Church that once oversaw the city. It is not until much later in the game that it is revealed that this blood and the matching disease come from eldritch creatures referred to as the Great Ones, with members of the Healing Church having mutilated a Great One in an expedition to a small fishing hamlet. Consequently, the player eventually discovers that they are not truly hunting the beasts that crowd the streets out of their own inclination, and
that they have been in the palm of an Great One throughout the length of their journey, a being that uses the player to hunt infant Great Ones before they reach maturity. Depending on the ending that you pursue, you can either become a mindless servant of the creature that bound you to its service, or take its place and shed your humanity. These are just the rough strokes of Bloodborne’s magnificent storyline, and somehow the least absurd of it all.
The gameplay can be frustrating at times, but becomes extremely enjoyable once the player has mastered the mechanics. Bearing Fromsoftware’s trademark difficulty, Bloodborne challenges the player with enemies that serve up a real challenge. Yet, the true nature of the fight is revealed upon defeating the enemy as “Prey Slaughtered” fades into the top of the screen to signal your accomplishment. While you may die a few times hunting your prey, this wording shows that they never really stood a chance against you.
Bloodborne’s Old Hunters DLC improves upon everything in the base game, giving the player an unreal experience as they are plunged into a nightmare realm. Remember that Great One that was killed by the hunters of the Healing Church? Turns out it cursed every last hunter, including the player, to an eternity spent in a nightmare with its dying breaths. If the base game was an absurdist masterpiece, the DLC takes it to another level. Instead of facing the beasts that survived the brutality of the hunt as in the base game, the DLC pits you against those that perpetrated the hunt, the Old Hunters. From creatures who lost their humanity through the continued use of the blood to expert fighters that give the player no room to breathe, the enemies found in the nightmare are of a different caliber. Fans of the base game will not be disappointed by the bountiful joy that the DLC promises.
As I previously touched upon, Bloodborne holds a very special place in my heart, as I picked up the game when I was in some tough times. Everything seemed hopeless to me, and the bleakness of Bloodborne resonated with me. Yet, despite the horror that my character faced, they continued hunting. While Bloodborne is a story of hubris and cosmic evil, it is also a story of hope and the sheer resilience of the human spirit. In this sense, the dreadful atmosphere of Bloodborne managed to impart some hope in me in the dark times that I had found myself in. Even now, having overcome most of the struggles that had thrust me into that place of darkness, I come back to Bloodborne to immerse myself in the dreadful, beautiful world that showed me that no matter how bleak a destiny that the hands of fate thrust upon you, you can claw your own future from the hands of fate itself with enough determination.