WeView Verdict: Bloodborne

There’s no need to beat around the bush here, the community absolutely loved Bloodborne. If anything, that might be putting it lightly, as this really was one of the most positive responses I think I’ve ever seen to a game. That might sound like hyperbole, but when people are calling it the “Best new gen game” and “The PS4’s best exclusive to date” – those accolades coming from JustTaylorNow and Lieutenant Fatman respectively – it’s just stating the facts.

To be fair, the Souls series always seemed to be very well received by both critics and fans, so it really shouldn’t be surprising that Bloodborne continues the trend. It seems to have improved on its older cousins, managing to be much more accessible than From Software’s other brutal games were previously.

In fact I was pretty much intimidated into not playing the Souls series, whereas Bloodborne has done enough to entice me through the door. It’s not just me either, as MadYetHatless came into Bloodborne after skipping “the entire Souls series”, and TSBonyman “made a quickly aborted attempt at Demon’s Souls when it was free on plus”, yet has played “well over a hundred hours” of Bloodborne.

That’s not to say that Bloodborne isn’t for those who found something to love in Demon’s Souls or the Dark Souls games. For example, Robothamster admitted to being a “big fan of Demon’s & Dark Souls”, despite finding Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls too tricky to finish.

That love for From Software’s other games spilled over into Bloodborne, which they called an “amazing game”. Whereas the difficulty in the Souls games proved a little too much for them, they found that Bloodborne was “Just difficult enough to be a great challenge, but not so hard I ever felt like giving up”, which is the balance that all developers should really be looking to hit.

Delving a little deeper, TSBonyman highlighted the game’s “foreboding atmosphere” and “wonderfully gothic environments”, while Zambayoshi called the game’s “art direction, level design, combat and orchestral score” simply “phenomenal”. TSBonyman also felt the game deserved praise for “some of the best creature designs I’ve ever seen in a game”, and even though I’ve barely scratched the surface of what Bloodborne has to offer I can only agree with him.

On the gameplay side of things, I think MadYetHatless captured things nicely when they say that while the frequency of deaths irritated them initially, “after a certain point I learnt the moves and like a switch being flipped I suddenly found it incredibly fun”. JustTaylorNow also pointed out that the game isn’t quite as repetitive as you’d expect, it’s more the fact that Bloodborne is “a learning game, the enemy never changes their move, patrol & attack, they kill you the same way they killed you over & over”. Eventually you’ll learn how to fight your way past one area, and while you’ll likely die from the next challenge that confronts you, it’s still a great feeling when you completely master one area.

Finally, I’m torn on my favourite comment of the week. Psychobudgie certainly deserves to praised for using so many Ws in the word “awesome” that it broke out of the comment box, but I think Zambayoshi deserves another mention for the final paragraph of their comment, which sums up Bloodborne almost perfectly:

Anyone with an appreciation for third-person action games would do well to pick up Bloodborne immediately, provided they bring the respect and patience that the title most definitely deserves. This is a game that will punish the reckless and the unwary, but reward those who take a more calculated approach.

As for this week’s verdict, it’s pretty simple. Seven people voted, and all seven voted for Buy It. I must say that I agree with them.

We’re taking a break from our normal WeView format tomorrow, and instead we’ll be asking you to give us your views on tonight’s E3 press conferences. That means there’s no poll today, but it will return next week.