Honest bloodborne critique

I just finished bloodborne and want to share my opinion.

First off, the world and atmosphere of this game, as well as the lore, is absolutely amazing. The gameplay is also much quicker and aggressive than the Souls games, and it was a really fresh contrast. The weapons are very unique with badass transformations, they’re by far the most fun in any fromsoft game. The parrying system is very satisfying as well, and I like that you can potentially gain health back if you hit enemies quickly enough after being attacked. Overall, very enjoyable and unlike any other fromsoft game that I’ve played.

The game definitely isn’t perfect though, as there are plenty of things holding it back. The most obvious is the fact that it’s locked to 1080p and 30fps, and there isn’t a remaster or remake anywhere in sight. It’s also a PlayStation exclusive, meaning a lot of people are missing out on playing this game. A remaster and inclusion on other platforms would sell this game like crazy.

I also don’t like the blood vial system since if you get stuck on a boss, you have to go out of your way to grind vials for a bit just to get a few attempts in on the boss. This was very frustrating because often times you’re already mad when you die, and then seeing you have no blood vials to even try again is so incredibly irritating. Blood vials aren’t really hard to farm, one of the best spots is available from the beginning of the game, but it’s the fact that you have mandatory farming to even progress through the game that I’m not a fan of.

Another negative is the bosses. Now hear me out, there are some incredible bosses in this game. The designs of most of them are amazing and really embody the eldritch/lovecraftian theme. The problem is that some are very gimmicky. For example, the one reborn and the witches of hemwick. The bosses themself are really cool, but the gameplay of their fights just aren’t all that enjoyable.

Another small point that doesn’t just apply to bloodborne, but most souls games, is the boss runbacks. During the time this game came out, this was common practice for fromsoft. For some reason they loved making these painful runbacks that tested your sanity. Most notably in this game, the shadows of yharnam. The fight itself is already pretty challenging, but the runback is so annoying and tedious. This runback along with having to farm your heals to even attempt the boss makes for an infuriating experience.

The final thing I want to mention is the overhype. Yes, bloodborne is an incredible game. Yes, the world is probably the best in a fromsoft game. And yes, I think people should play it. However, the amount of glazing I see this game get is astounding. I honestly think that a lot of people that praise this game so much haven’t even played it (which honestly isn’t even their fault since you have to have a PlayStation to do so). And if it is your favorite game, it is 100 percent understandable, I’m not discrediting that. But at the end of the day, souls games aren’t for everyone. It’s an acquired taste that not everyone cares for. If someone has never played a souls game before then the chances of them understanding this game and appreciating it are much lower. People will hear the hype and try it out, not getting what they expected. Personally, souls games are my favorite, and I love bloodborne. If someone doesn’t like it though then I can understand that too.

But to sum this all up, tldr I love bloodborne despite its flaws, and some people won’t like it but that’s okay.