Bloodborne Reviews
If you're the sort of person who is up for exploring a grim, dark, and fatal world and has a high tolerance for failure, you'll be right at home in Yharnam. It might be the video game equivalent of an extremely bad day, but it also gives you the means to fight back, making it more fun than it should be.
In Bloodborne, things are going to be tough, you're going to die, and, most importantly, you're going to have one hell of a good time.
Overall Bloodborne is a fantastic game and could be considered one of the best exclusives available on the PS4 so far. The gameplay will not be for everyone, with the difficulty and repetition a potential turn off, but if you are looking for a new challenge, Bloodborne is a fantastic choice. The twisted atmosphere of Yharnam, the great design of the monsters, and the fear it can instil within you is something that won't be forgotten in a hurry. There's a time when you realise a game will be revered and spoken of fondly years from now, and Bloodborne will be one of them.
Bloodborne is a significant evolution of the Souls series, but it comes with some new problems too.
From Software turn expectations of a "soulslike" on their head with this fast paced and visceral approach to combat and Lovecraftian horror. Bloodborne isn't just a game you can justify buying, it's the type of game you justifies buying the console too.
With aggression as its invitation, Bloodborne invokes a calculated shift in Souls parlance. Its aim isn't necessarily a course correction, but rather a Y-axis slant into an alternative series of objectives. Sacrificed are a few degrees of personal customization, only to be replaced by a renewed sense of distress and wonder. Bloodborne's demanding novelty, even with its unrepentant focus, feels built to last.
After about thirty hours spent in the company of Bloodborne, it is clear that we have the impression of playing a game radically different from what is proposed to us all year round. A vibrant tribute to the video game of before, the title proves to us every minute that it swims against the other AAA that ultimately all look the same.
Review in French | Read full review
Bloodborne is perhaps the best reason to date to own a PlayStation 4. Despite several minor issues that I have with the game, it's easily the best looking title on the system and easily my favorite (I still love you Driveclub). It has fast based combat system, more than enough weapons to keep just about everyone happy, interesting locations that you'll wander and get lost in and more importantly, it's fun. Lots and lots of fun. Despite the game being so short, Bloodborne is exactly the shot in the arm the PlayStation 4 need and another notch on FROMSOFTWARE's games that kick ass list.
Bloodborne is truly a remarkable game, more appealing than its predecessors, more cohesive, and more satisfying from a mechanical point of view. It also has a compelling atmosphere and a captivating world to explore, full of beautiful vistas and horrific creatures to battle, as well as an ample background to slowly discover.
Masterpiece. The title is beautiful, deep and damn addictive. Death has a new face - it is Bloodborne.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Refreshingly, Bloodborne knows what it is, and doesn't stray too far from the Souls formula—but its few alterations make for a fresh experience that will challenge even the most hardened Souls veterans. If you're looking to justify the purchase of a PS4, I can't think of a better reason.
Bloodborne is a shrewd turn from its souls lineage
Refreshingly, Bloodborne knows what it is, and doesn't stray too far from the Souls formula—but its few alterations make for a fresh experience that will challenge even the most hardened Souls veterans. If you're looking to justify the purchase of a PS4, I can't think of a better reason.
Bloodborne tests your skills as a gamer immerses you in a wonderfully terrible dead-skinned world and above all ensure that you want nothing more than to play this game. We simply can't get enough of it. Bloodborne is one for in the history books.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
From Software did it again - they have created a demanding, satisfying and superbly designed game. Some ideas are well known but the whole package feels original and unique. There are some minor issues here and there and still they don't bother the player. Bloodborne's world pulls you in with blood, new technology and a great artistic vision. A truly excellent game.
Review in Polish | Read full review
A result of the lack of tutorials and handholding is that each bit of incremental, hard-earned progress provides an unparalleled adrenaline rush.
Bloodborne will keep you addicted for weeks if not months. Sony finally have a winner for the PlayStation 4.
I'm in the latter camp, as most of you are aware, but this is all about the gameplay. It really is. The atmosphere and combat is the focal point and as such, the story and characters take a back seat.
With this in mind, if Dark Souls is medieval gothic—its dichotomies of heaven and hell gestured at by pointed arches, supporting both a true spirituality and a belief in the divine—then Bloodborne is the epitome of gothic revival—where subjectivity replaces spirituality, and man strives to plumb the depths of human experience.
The structure underlying Bloodborne is not just original but coherent, and because of this the impact of everything it does is commensurately greater. This is total design. It feels wonderful to have a world like this and, over a week of solid play later, feel that there's so much more to discover. And it's awful to know that, in all likelihood, it will be a painfully long time until I play anything else that matches up to Bloodborne's breadth of vision, generosity of content, and - yes - genius.