It's brobdingnagian boy time.
10. Bloodborne (PS4)Dark what? What souls? Pfffft.
Wait, you use a shield?Bloodborne is Dark Souls on steroids and in fast forward. Replacing the roll we have quick step, a faster and shorter dodge move and the core of the gameplay. Where Dark Souls incentivizes you to play slowly and carefully, cautiously taking each new area step by step, Bloodborne does the exact opposite. Gone is turtling behind a shield. You got hit? Retaliate within a set window and you can regain that health. Enemies are more vicious than ever before but are also more prone to hitstun, forcing the player to go on the offensive in order to survive.
Bosses are meaner and almost hilariously faster. Reaction and twitch combat is the name of the game. This is a game about getting into the brawl and coming out of it with victory grasped in your teeth and blood on your jaw. You will take damage, but you'll give as much as you take. The back and forth created by the retaliation system transforms combat into a glorious blood pumping tug of war. In Dark Souls, taking damage meant going on the defensive, waiting for a chance to use Estus to recover your health. In Bloodborne, it means going even harder on the offense.
And though I disliked that Blood Vials (the game's version of Estus) were a consumable rather than replenishable at bonfires at first, this is the correct design. This further encourages players to go on the offensive. Sure, you can heal up and play it safe, but you're not getting that Blood Vial back, so you might as well try to get that HP back in combat.
So, why? Why is it so great that the player is nearly forced into a playstyle? Is being a turtle who waits for their moment really so bad?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is "Fast paced edge of your seat gritty brawling where every action counts and dodge-counterhit is lightning fast is a lot more fun of a playstyle than just holding the shield button until your enemy drops his guard."
This is commonly known by the vets of the Souls community, where Shield-use is considered the "newbie" way to play the game. And that's certainly true! I used a shield early on in my Dark Souls adventures. But by the time I got to Bloodborne after playing DS 1, 2, and 3, I had learned better. I had learned that the game is simply more fun if you play it without a shield and instead rely on your dodge, your reaction, and your instincts.
And that's what Bloodborne is trying to tell you. It's trying to tell you that the gameplay style it's pushing you toward is actually the best and most fun way to play the game. And they're right, it is.
Bloodborne also features weapons that can transform, even mid-combo, leading to all kinds of tactical attack choices. Some enemies are better dealt with this way, others that way. You've also got your gun, which can either be used as an actual attack strategy or simply as a riposte. Gone is the backstab because it was stupid. Staggers can now be achieved simply by a fully charged heavy attack. But throwing out a slow attack in a game this quick is usually an invitation to get murdered.
The basic plot is you're a werewolf hunter dropped into a city full of werewolves, but that slowly gives way to the true majesty of Bloodborne. Lovecraftian themes and monsters. Dark dreams and twisted nightmares. Brain sucking horrors. Unknowable cosmic entities.
As you play, you will gain "insight" which is sort of the game's sanity, but in reverse. Instead of losing your sanity, you gain insight, allowing you to see more and more of the true nature of what is going on in Yharnam. But do you really want to?
Do I recommend this game:To a souls fan? you bet your fucking ass I do. It's the best of them by a mile. To someone who wants to play a game to wind down and relax? Again, the Souls series is not about that. Bloodborne is not for everyone. But for the people is IS for, it's the rare game I would call "essential."
Gameplay: 9.5. The best a souls game has to offer. Bloody, blistering combat that gets your blood up like nothing I've played.
Experience: 9.5. This game is fucking creepy in the best goddamn possible way. The graphics are amazing and the sound design impeccable. It only lacks real characters with depth.