Bloodborne

⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Ah, Bloodborne, my old friend.  I’ve started and stopped this game many times, and still have never beaten it. I absolutely love the idea: a punishingly hard game set in a gothic horror world.  This is one of the coolest atmospheric games I’ve ever played.  The art direction, the voice acting and music make this one of the most haunting experiences I’ve ever had.  I tried starting this game a few times, but never actually made it past the first boss cuz I’m no good. 

Finally I beat Elden Ring (same creators) and thought I’d give it another shot.  After playing Elden Ring, this game was pretty breezy once I picked it up again.  I beat that first boss on the first try, and never had to try more than 2-3 times for most other bosses.  However, this game was getting quite hard and frustrating, and then the TV broke and I had no way to play for about a month.  When I could play again, my skills were far too calcified to get past where I was in the game.

I could have started over or found a way to shake off the rust, but you know what? It felt good to be freed of this game. As cool as it is, as rewarding as beating the bosses feels, it (like Elden Ring) is mostly not a joy to play.  I’ll beat this game yet, and surely think more favorably of it, but I just don’t think it’s as consistently good as Elden Ring to get me through the 30 or so hours needed, or at least not right now.  

My actual review:  Bad=Mad. Again, like Elden Ring, the combat is great, the feeling of triumph is great, the boss design is great.  But also it’s made to be too frustrating, it intentionally annoys you, and the storytelling and side quests are horrendous.  Recommend for those who like spooky and difficult games but for nobody else.