Bloodborne Review

00:00:08.040there's an incredible power to

00:00:09.480blood-borne it's not just an amazing

00:00:11.370dance of dodges it swipes through

00:00:13.050encounters that often push the limits of

00:00:14.880reflexes and endurance

00:00:16.320it's a thought-provoking experience that

00:00:18.480wormed its way into my mind and over

00:00:20.460time melted my resolve but through

00:00:22.230perseverance patient growth and

00:00:24.000determined skill it's an unconventional

00:00:26.100adventure that ultimately gives much

00:00:28.350more than it takes which at times can be

00:00:30.840a staggering amount

00:00:33.920it's an awe-inspiring journey through

00:00:36.330the highest peaks of satisfaction and

00:00:37.980the deepest blackest pits of exhausted

00:00:40.589desperation but the only frustrations

00:00:43.080that don't turn into triumphs by the end

00:00:44.699are the technical ones this amazing

00:00:47.010experience is capable of drawing out

00:00:49.110powerful emotions and I'll remember that

00:00:51.390for years to come

00:00:59.260[Music]

00:01:01.680blood warns unconventional approach to

00:01:03.720action RPG gameplay walks a fine line

00:01:05.550between utter elation and despair it

00:01:12.390chooses to tell you a little about how

00:01:13.710to survive expecting intelligence and

00:01:15.900perseverance in the face of its brutal

00:01:17.700unrelenting difficulty that balance is

00:01:20.280slightly upset by painfully long loading

00:01:22.229screens upon death but the highs of

00:01:24.270taking down one of the intimidating

00:01:25.530bosses make up for those chunks of

00:01:27.300downtime blood-borne semi open-world

00:01:29.940structure and hard-earned progression

00:01:31.740draw heavily from the Dark Souls and

00:01:33.600Demon's Souls games that may developer

00:01:35.310from software famous though the

00:01:37.290aggressive new pace of combat is all its

00:01:39.330own these diving rolling melee battles

00:01:46.410with an awesome arsenal of transforming

00:01:48.360melee weapons and tactical sidearms

00:01:50.009chiseled away my calluses and made me

00:01:51.869form new ones even as a hardened Dark

00:01:53.970Souls veteran switching weapons between

00:01:55.830their light and heavy modes on the fly

00:01:57.300to string together combo like attack

00:01:59.070chains in an engaging way injects a

00:02:01.380newfound versatility even if it's a less

00:02:03.780calculating kind of battle than from

00:02:05.369spoiler Dame's

00:02:10.360that doesn't make it any easier though

00:02:12.100being overwhelmed by enemies is

00:02:13.630commonplace but thanks to your ability

00:02:15.280to leech back lost health with quick

00:02:16.810counter-attacks and stun opponents with

00:02:18.640secondary weapons I found it's possible

00:02:20.530to sustain a constant onslaught when I

00:02:22.360built up enough skill and these tools

00:02:24.010are absolutely needed as blood burns

00:02:25.990horrifying beasts spent an imaginative

00:02:27.760range from pedestrian insane village

00:02:29.890folk to cosmic horrors and patrick

00:02:32.020fiends creature design strikes terror in

00:02:34.510many ways from enormous side the fear of

00:02:38.530the peculiar to subtle creepiness but

00:02:43.960each entity is well crafted and

00:02:45.610triumphantly threatening each careful

00:02:49.150blood-soaked step through the stunning

00:02:50.830environments reveals something new about

00:02:53.050blood-borne is vague and cryptic lord

00:02:55.140whispers includes our everywhere begging

00:02:57.670to be interpreted despite a frame rate

00:02:59.770that all too often buckles under loading

00:03:01.600new areas or heavy action and the

00:03:03.370annoying inability to war between

00:03:04.810checkpoints the atmosphere retains its

00:03:07.030full effect there's a sense that this

00:03:08.800strange and dark place is really alive

00:03:11.380you could find a subtext of criticisms

00:03:13.990on real world concepts like faith and

00:03:16.209worship but taking each outrageously out

00:03:18.430story point at face value is the much

00:03:20.350more enjoy of the path we all may I

00:03:25.840I'm done

00:03:30.080and yet each player's personal story

00:03:33.989will be created on their own terms as

00:03:35.849they explore the spiderweb of paths and

00:03:37.620secrets everything is packed with hidden

00:03:39.599meaning spending time speaking with the

00:03:41.610Forgotten citizens of yard ham yields

00:03:43.349new ways to interact with the world the

00:03:45.180hunted hunt beasts leave the hunting of

00:03:49.530hunters to me there's so much to do and

00:03:52.290see and try that I obsessed over finding

00:03:54.450every secret which greatly extends blood

00:03:57.209Warren's already lengthy 50 or 60 hours

00:03:59.430of play time though that number can

00:04:01.200easily be extended in a New Game+ or the

00:04:03.840refreshing procedurally generated

00:04:05.430chalice dungeons and though this is

00:04:07.049mostly an isolating and solitary

00:04:08.610experience subtle cooperative elements

00:04:10.829enhanced that in fascinating ways

00:04:12.739spotting shades of other players reading

00:04:15.060warnings and tips left by people who've

00:04:16.769come before and studying blood-stained

00:04:18.810shadows of the Dead as cautionary tales

00:04:20.820are still immensely helpful and though

00:04:23.280the rules are obtuse blood-borne

00:04:25.139cooperative multiplayer allows you to

00:04:26.910call for help from another player when

00:04:28.320you need it most

00:04:29.310but at the cost of opening yourself up

00:04:31.919to invasion from hostile players

00:04:37.260bloodborne is an amazing exacting and

00:04:40.350exhausting pilgrimage through a gorgeous

00:04:42.750land that imposes the feeling of

00:04:44.670approaching the bottom of a descent into

00:04:46.380the madness no extended load times and

00:04:48.840minor framerate hitches have an effect

00:04:50.550on the pacing it's otherwise an

00:04:52.560intensely challenging and rewarding game

00:04:54.480there's an incredible power to unlock in

00:04:57.000its mysteries and in succeeding despite

00:04:59.670its demand for a pound of your flesh for

00:05:01.740more on blood-borne stick with IGN

00:05:24.670you