Poll: Is Bloodborne worth getting?

scorptatious

The Resident Team ICO Fanboy
May 14, 2009
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I'm interested in the game, but I don't want to take the dive just yet in case the game doesn't live up to the hype. I tried asking Gamefaqs, but I figured I'd ask people with a slightly different perspective.

I have a few questions to ask before I decide to purchase the game:

1. How's the difficulty?

2. How many kinds of weapons and builds are there? How balanced/unbalanced are they? Magic from what I recall was very powerful in the Souls games, and I'm aware of there being no magic in this one. I'm just wondering if one particular playstyle is capable of steam rolling through the game compared to other styles.

3. How does this game compare to the Souls games?

4. How's the story?

5. How's the enemy variety?

I'd appreciate any answers you give. Thank you.
 

42

Australian Justice
Jan 30, 2010
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1. It's really punishing. Fair, but punishing. For example if you die, the Blood Echoes (souls) you drop are carried by the enemy that killed you. once you've killed him you can get it back.

2. Not as many as their were in DS and DS2.

3. Compared to the Souls games, i'd say its more difficult, a lot more faster paced combat.

4. Story is as obscure as previous games

5. Enemy Variety is nuts. mobs are so varied, and you have to plan out each attack. you've got ranged enemies, you've got enemies with torches, and enemies with wooden shields. you have to approach it tactically, but since the game is so quick in combat, you've got to think pretty fast.

very awesome game, and it does live up to the hype.

note: I'm still in the first main area. it's beating me in the face.
 

Sleepy Sol

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Feb 15, 2011
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1. It will be especially punishing if you've never played any Souls game before. If you have, it will still be punishing, but likely to a much lesser degree. It's about on par with every other Souls game for me.

2. Magic is in the game, but it's not very common. Builds are reduced in number from Dark Souls 2, and so is the number of stats available. I personally don't mind the cutting down of unnecessary stats in favor of four or so attack stats plus vitality and endurance. There's still builds, but they're very reduced in number. That's not a huge issue for me, personally, since I like the gameplay enough. As for weapons, there's a good amount for both the right and left hand. The majority of weapons each have a unique moveset, in opposition to some weapon groups in Dark Souls 1 or 2 which all shared the same animations most of the time. I think there's 10-15 right (main) hand weapons or so. Most weapons seem balanced to the point where no particular weapon will absolutely steamroll the game for you, and all seem rather viable in both PvE and PvP. But there are several weapons that are generally easier to use and much more commonly used among the playerbase.

3. I'm going to be a bit of a black sheep and say that I really cannot rank any Souls (or this) game above or below each other. Each one has strengths and weaknesses that sort of all balance out to me. Probably a bit of a cop out, to be sure. I like the need to play at a much faster pace in this game, in any case.

[sub]If I were feeling especially naughty I would say DkSII is better than every other game[/sub]

4. Still cryptic, but I feel it's presented better and is a decent bit more interesting than II's story. Probably even I's as well. Everything sort of comes together a little bit when you finish (you'll at least be able to connect some interesting dots in your head), though the interpretation is still left rather open no matter what you choose to do.

5. I've never actually paid much attention to this. I guess I would say it's alright. Just not something I take much care to notice, but there's a decent bit of variety.

If you absolutely cannot stand terrible load times I would almost reconsider buying it until it's a bit cheaper. Also, keep in mind you cannot rest at bonfires like in the Dark Souls games. So that's 2 load screens every time you want to go back to the Hunter's Dream (safe hub).

Still, just buy the thing already if you've got the PS4 and enjoyed the Souls games enough.

[sub]yay 2000 posts[/sub]
 

Phoenixmgs_v1legacy

Muse of Fate
Sep 1, 2010
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I don't even care for the Souls games (I only did play Dark Souls) but I'm really loving Bloodborne. I think it's mainly do to the hunter playstyle pretty much being better and more satisfying than any of the playstyles in Dark Souls (like magic was really just cheap and not satisfying). Plus, I do much prefer the setting vs the Souls dark twist on standard fantasy. You definitely have less builds but I'm really enjoying most of the weapons so much that I'm leveling both of the main weapon stats whereas I don't even think I liked more than 5 weapons in Dark Souls. You can use a strength weapon in BB and it's not horribly slow, it has some quickness to the standard attacks and the heavy attacks are just brutal (like you can just knock bosses to the ground with the axe and hammer). I've never really found strength weapons enjoyable but I'm loving them in BB. I feel the difficulty is just about right, BB is harder than the Souls games just due to it not allowing any cheap playstyles. If you used magic or hid behind a tower shield in the Souls games, BB will probably be harder otherwise it's probably about the same. I feel you're more powerful in BB but you do have much less defenses.

The loading does get annoying especially when you're trying to beat a boss. Even with all the shortcuts opened, it takes quite some time just to get back to the boss due to loading (and even more time if you need to farm some of the items you just lost like blood vials). I found a method that's a decent amount faster. I save just before the boss fight, exit out of the game, upload the save to the cloud, and then exit the game and download my save if I die because that is actually faster. Plus, I don't have to go farming for items. I do give the boss a couple good old college tries before doing that though. I really don't feel like it's cheating at all as I can get everything I lost back very easily so it's just basically a time saver.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Jul 18, 2009
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Considering just last night I experienced a moment in the game that made me have to pick up my jaw from the floor and unscrew my eyeballs... Yes, fucking get it!

If you liked Demon's/Dark Souls this is right up your alley, but in a different way.

Just like with previous Souls games, Bloodborne isn't so much hard as the constant feeling of death being around every corner makes it hard. Dodging is your primary form of defense this time around, and thankfully it's way easier to perform. But you have to be a lot quicker on your feet, because enemies just move so much faster than you're used to in Souls.

Health now has a dedicated button, and unlike Souls you're encouraged to top yourself off nearly always since enemies can combo you to death very quickly.

There's very few builds and weapons, but this makes deciding which way to lean or what weapon to pump upgrades into a lot less arduous. You have what you could call armour, but the diferences are mostly negligible since the game is built around dodging attacks, not taking them. Only gear with poison resistance has real practical use. And eventhough weapons are few they have a great variety to their move set, and some are just so badass you wouldn't even want to replace them with another.

The game probably has the most satisfying short cuts I've ever seen. Don't be surprised if you find yourself blushing when finding them.

The "story" is still as cryptic as you're used to, but there's a larger sense of stakes rising. I'll just say that shit gets really fucking weird (weirder) as you progress, more than previous Souls games ever got.

If you have a PS4, get this fucking game.
 

Rack

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Jan 18, 2008
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42 said:
3. Compared to the Souls games, i'd say its more difficult, a lot more faster paced combat.
This is what killed it for me. I was happy with Demon and Dark Souls level of difficulty because the pacing meant you always had a chance. You'd probably die a few times to unexpected attacks but you'd prepare and never lose your souls. Now, even if you're prepared and cautious and act sensibly you can still die because you just aren't quick enough, and you have absolutely no expectation that you might be faster next time.
 

Smooth Operator

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Oct 5, 2010
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1. Difficulty depends on play style, there is a mechanic to regain lost health if you hit the monster quick enough. So for people who are used to fast play this makes the game much easier, for those who played Dark Souls with shield and turtle damage this will get far more difficult.

2. There is a lesser number of sensible builds, and magic is now tied to items only as far as I can tell.

4. Story... who the hell knows, I haven't yet found someone who has the full story of Dark Souls so that is about the same territory.

5. Enemy variety, seems about the same as before, less dedicated main story bosses and more in challenge levels.
 

SeventhSigil

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Jun 24, 2013
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1) Now, oddly enough, despite the fact that I've never played the Souls games, and for that matter never even played Hard difficulty in most games, I've actually relatively little trouble with playing this game. By which I mean, after the first couple of hours, during which I was a nervous wreck because I was expecting to BE wrecked, I actually found myself tearing through most mobs and enemies with little difficulty, and have actually tackled most of the half dozen or so bosses I've defeated thus far in one or two tries. (Except the Blood Starved Beast, that sonnuvagun took me five sodding tries.) I initially thought that maybe the game wasn't really punishing after all, but after listening to other accounts, I decided to go over some recordings I had made of my play (used the PS4's record function, mostly to show my roommate what he'd missed when he wasn't watching me play,) and noticed something that hadn't really clicked in the 'heat of battle.'

Because even though I didn't DIE super often, a couple of exceptions aside, I NEARLY died all the bloody time when things got hairy. By which I mean just a sliver of health, and the enemy closing in to deal the killing blow, and a last second evasion getting me out of the way JUST in the nick of time, and then a second evasion getting me clear of a SECOND killing blow, until I finally had enough distance to pop some blood vials. A split second of hesitation, the slightest bit of panic, even the tiniest bit of distraction, and I would have probably wracked up another ten to fifteen deaths, bare minimum, on my playthrough thus far. Instead, I had more close calls than I have probably had in any other videogame, ever. =P

So that's what I really enjoy about this game. If you're quick, and (this sounds egotistical, but meh,) 'gud enuff' to haul your bacon out of the fire before your health depletes, (keeping in mind, proper point allocation is also important; vitality is key to not getting one-hit KOed by later enemies, as they WILL get stronger the further in you get, meaning a bigger health bar is a must,) then even when you're punished for GETTING hit, you're given a small thread of hope that all won't be lost.



2) I get the impression that there are less weapons than the Souls games, but I have to say, based on what I have heard, but I enjoy the various trick weapons I've encountered. There's stuff like a spear that turns into a rifle, a wrist-mounted piledriver of sorts, a smaller sword that slides into its scabbard to make a BIGGER sword, another sword whose scabbard is a BIG hammer, cane that turns into a whip, a sort of electric mace, a larger-than-usual saw cleaver that snaps out into a longish spear... there might be more, god knows. The weapons, for the most part, have felt distinctive when I've used them. Even the most similar ones, like the Greatsword and Big Hammer, or Saw Cleaver and Saw Spear, have differing speeds and ranges that can give them a different 'fit' overall, rather than just having bigger numbers.

Myself, though, it's the Greatsword, (called Ludwic's Holy Blade or some such) all the way. :3 That weapon is awesome. Quick, agile sword for smaller foes, and then a big, staggering greatsword for bigger enemies, easy-to-access.

And there IS actually magic, soooort of. Later in the game, you find items that consume Quicksilver Bullets for some form of effect, (you can use the item as often as you want, as long as you have the bullets.) That being said, you need an Arcane skill of 15, which I haven't bothered to get thus far, but so far of the items I have, which go unused...

-One apparently lets me release a 'beastly roar' that blows away enemies and objects.
-One boosts my dodging and mobility.
-And the other sheathes my weapon in 'arcane energy,' which presumably would look different than either Bolt Paper (electricity) or Fire Paper, which are one-off consumable items that can add those properties to your weapons for a brief period.



3) Obviously, can't offer a comparison.

4) Cloaked in mystery. ^^ I saw an interesting Lore video on one of the bosses a Youtuber made, creating some connections I hadn't even noticed. Quite enjoying poking at the bits I can find, though, and things just get so deliciously surreal.


5) Again, can't say if it's better or worse than Dark Souls, but I am personally quite satisfied, as the monsters are both varied and, in many cases, so macabre. You will see some old standbys pop up here and there, (after escalating things that get creepier and creepier, I've noticed that at my mid-ish-gamepoint they've gone back to villagers, albeit with a twist that increases their challenge quite a bit,) but as your Insight (sort of like a resource that you accumulate slowly through a variety of actions) increases, existing enemies will gain new abilities and appearance tweaks. Random villagers suddenly began to throw molotoves, creepy lantern graveyard dude and Cthulu-esque hooded person gain the ability to cast magic spells, etc, etc.

One thing I REALLY enjoyed was how the game would take things I was accustomed to- for example, what appeared to be a villager with a lantern- and then... well, let's just say I was REALLY surprised to the twist, reacting with a "BWAGH WTF?!?" Basically, it screwed with my comfort zone. A LOT.

Oh, and apparently Chalice Dungeons- which are procedurally generated 'loot dungeons' for all intents and purposes- have even more enemies, along with previously seen ones.
 

loa

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Jan 28, 2012
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From what I've seen it's reverse dark souls 2 which had incredibly shitty world and enemy designs to the point of copying assets from dark souls 1 wholesale without even bothering to try and tie it into the world (why is havels armor just there and why are there multiple havels? Why does that DLC boss summon a main story line boss? Etc.) but good weapon and build variety.

Bloodborne seems to have very limited build variety since they removed a ton of dark souls fluff ("magic" is now entirely item based and "arrows" are now a limited, general purpose resource instead of being speacialized) and thus replayability but is pure gameworld porn (mechanically as well as in a narrative sense. The ammount of deliberately placed detail is staggering and the story behind it is actually interesting *looking at you, dark souls 2*) surpassing even dark souls 1s carefully crafted masterpiece.

As for the difficulty, yes it is faster paced but it also removed that dark souls hyper long healing potion drinking and item using animations that artificially made things harder than they needed to be so it flows much better and is WAY less infuriating since you die less because princess needs to take her sweet time to wet her lips on that potion while getting smashed in the face by satan.
 

42

Australian Justice
Jan 30, 2010
697
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Rack said:
42 said:
3. Compared to the Souls games, i'd say its more difficult, a lot more faster paced combat.
This is what killed it for me. I was happy with Demon and Dark Souls level of difficulty because the pacing meant you always had a chance. You'd probably die a few times to unexpected attacks but you'd prepare and never lose your souls. Now, even if you're prepared and cautious and act sensibly you can still die because you just aren't quick enough, and you have absolutely no expectation that you might be faster next time.
here's the thing, I thought it was going to kill it for me too, but i ended up realizing, that you still have the time to prepare, you've just got a lot more on your plate. I think it's quite good as well, as it means you change your tactics on the fly. Again, I loved the strategy in DS 1 and 2, but, I think the approach From has taken here allows it to stand out away from the souls games.
 

sXeth

Elite Member
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Nov 15, 2012
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I quit after 5 or 6 hours, cause load screens and stuff, but I'll give it a shot


1. How's the difficulty?
-I found it easier then DaS1/2. Stamina is much more forgiving, the Blood Vials (health potions) are all over, and easily maxed in minutes of farming. The counter-attack healing lets you basically button mash much of the trash mobs.

2. How many kinds of weapons and builds are there? How balanced/unbalanced are they? Magic from what I recall was very powerful in the Souls games, and I'm aware of there being no magic in this one. I'm just wondering if one particular playstyle is capable of steam rolling through the game compared to other styles.
-I haven't seen magic yet, though I've read it makes a late game appearance. Nothing I've found makes ranged viable as a primary attack, and the only shield is a joke. So you're going to be melee/dodging it up for most of the game, and probably all of it if you want to be effective. Strength or Agi--- Skill weapon is basically the main decision.

3. How does this game compare to the Souls games?
-Shinier graphics. More cohesive setting. Less scope.

4. How's the story?
-There's a story? I mean, there probably is, I could totally wiki it. Its presented even more obliquely then the DaS ones were though.

5. How's the enemy variety?
-Big guy. Small guy who gets stabby. Shooty guys. Dog(and dog-esque things). I ran into one brain-eatery thing that mostly only got me because some stabby guys jumped in and distracted me. The occasional simulated PC character. It seems to rely more on numbers then unique challenges (Though all your weapons can switch into two-handed crowd control modes).
 

Sniper Team 4

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Apr 28, 2010
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1) Let's put it this way: My character was in her sixties in terms of level. I went back to the starting area to look for the music box girl, and I got careless. Opening area enemies stomped my level sixty character into the dirt. Difficulty is there, but it doesn't beat you down too hard if you get the hang of it. I actually like it, because the combat feels much smoother that Souls.

2) There are surprisingly a fair amount of weapons. The way the game trailers make it look, there's only like six, but I think I'm up to double digits just in melee weapons now. That's not counting the different firearms even. Magic does exist in this game, but it's not called magic. Also, you don't get your first spell until you're pretty far in the game, and by then a lot of people will probably have given up putting points into the required stat, so it's useless. I've only come across one person who used magic and wasn't an NPC enemy.

3) Um...I don't know? It's the same, but also very different. If you've played a Souls game, you're going to feel right at home, but it's also going to feel fresh, new, and punishing in some cases.

4) Ha ha ha ha! Let's just say that I can't wait for lore videos to start coming out. I think I have a vague idea of what is going on, but man am I lost. I think there are two factions (three if you count Cainhurst) and each one is trying to bring back an Old God or something. Maybe?

5) It varies, but probably not to the extent of the Souls games. I'm still fighting the same enemy types way late in the game that I was at the beginning. They just take more damage.

All in all, I say it's worth picking up if you enjoyed Souls games. If you didn't, then stay away, or just borrow/rent it and see if it's your cup of tea.