BLOODBORNE given Feb '15 Euro/NA release date, deemed worthy of own thread by ilxor

I find it strange that someone can say they "enjoyed" somewhere like Forbidden Woods. I don't think there's any level in this game that I can say I found truly enjoyable. In fact I'm not even sure I actually enjoy the game at all in the same way as, say, Witcher or God Of War or Death Stranding.
I find almost every minute of it oppressive, heart-racing, gnomic, dingey, and hopelessly frustrating. But also there are those short punctuated punch-the-air moments of victory which make it all worthwhile. It is, indeed, a spectacular, formidable game with some eye-popping level designs. At first I bemoaned that what I really wanted was Castlevania in FP, but that's exactly what it is!

XP from Forbidden Woods onwards was the point where I stopped feeling like I had to kill every monster I came across and just start running till I got where I needed to go. I'm on Yahargul Unseen Village with the bell ringing women, so quickly I found that killing monsters is often fruitless because they'll just respawn until you find the bellringer

Yeah, that's a pretty common From trick.

I mentioned it on the other thread, but in a sense DS2 is the only one I've found sort of "fun" so far, specifically *because* it is so half-assed, sloppy/lazy and not fine tuned. The other games always feel like perpetual high stakes tightrope walking, but that's partly what makes them so compelling.

What I liked about Dark Souls was the Ico-esque "theatre of architecture", the way the world folded in on itself. I was nervous that other From titles wouldn't have the same appeal but Bloodborne has it, albeit on a level-by-level level.

What I don't like in From's game design is the Duke's Quarter's style of build, where things are weirdly rectangular and repetitious... the two chalice dungeons I've beaten are extremely disappointing in this regard.

I was not enthralled by The Witcher's plot, although it sounds as if I'd like the short stories/novels etc. The level design was fine, my favourite moments in that game were exploring the extreme parts of Skellege, floating from island to island, randomly running into the "hardest enemy" on some remote island and extremely dying, I like that stuff. With From games I think I liked things when they're twisty and ambiguous and it feels like you're poking around. Toxic blowdarters and Bridge Of Hell aside, I loved Blighttown, for example. Nothing in Bloodborne has satisfied me like the Undead Burg and outlying regions but I'm enjoying it so so much. Iosefka killed me twice now so I've decided to let her live and I'm going to Cainhurst

Love that post about the Woods. <3

I admit they weren't my favorite - I can still picture the entire Dark Souls world in my mind's eye, but something about the woods always resisted being figured out and I would still get turned around on subsequent playthroughs. I like the perspective of appreciating that as an achievement, since they are supposed to be dark & mysterious woods after all.

DS3 also has some great twisty levels in the classical sense...maybe the poison swamp is that game's Woods (but more annoying, obv)?

I accidentally killed Iosefka through the door so I didn't get to have the battle with her on the other side

I have decided I’m not strong/good enough for Cainhurst yet so I’m doing some of these stupid chalice dungeons til I get to level 70

Bf is online shopping for strengthy weapons on my behalf, he thinks I should get a whirligig saw

I could never figure out how to best use the whirligig saw. There were some videos I saw of people using it to absolutely destroy enemies, and bosses in particular, but I could never get the timing right. Or the same damage that my other upgraded weapons got.

Looks like we're in about the same place fgti. I just encountered Darkbeast Paarl without expecting it. Got him down to about half his HP before he merked me. I haven't done the Cainhurst boss yet either.

I like being beckoned a few times before a boss fight so I get some harmless practice before taking it on solo. Murdered Amygdala w freinds a few times before taking it on myself. Cannon is such a good cheese! Once a boss’s final form arrives, swap your fire arm, trade health for bullets, use a marrow, boom boom dead.

I didn’t understand until now why it seemed like a trip to the Dream would result in arbitrary bullet gifts, or vial gifts, and other times not at all, and now I get it. (Auto-reload from what you got in storage. Wish I’d known about storage. I had lots of antidotes I could’ve used.)

I’ve decided to experiment playing in a beastly way, I’m enjoying it so far.

Ah see I don't have online, and I've not got enough Arcane or whatever to use the Cannon yet, frustratingly

I completed my first Chalice dungeon. It was a piece of piss as I was massively overleveled. Unfortunately I forgot to use my Blood Echoes and lost them all. That can be frustrating: if you've got quite a lot of BEs but you're not close enough to level up, and you know you've got a tricky area to play. I usually end up grinding in Central Yharnam till I can level up but it's long...

If you want to grind, grind the Gaol. From the lantern, kill two easy snatchers, a witch and two pigs; 10k echoes and oftentimes a twin shard or two, and pigs do big vial drops. Kill them five, repeat. I did it for the purpose of getting my cleaver to +6

I just loaded up the Lower Pthumeru (fourth one you get) and it is HARD. Snatchers are back to “tough enemies” and the boss is hard. I enjoy the challenge but don’t like the lack of variety here

Ah sadly the Gaol is closed to me now, although you're right - pig slaying is more fun. Did occasionally find those reapers quite tricky on occasion. They've been replaced by three very difficult NPCs in the same place but now it's Yahargul Village. I haven't defeated then yet - just sneaked past em, but I seem to be doing a lot of that at the moment

This is an obscenely challenging game tbqph

I've just bought Ludwig's Holy Blade and upgraded it to +3. Anyone know much about this weapon? It seems p good but maybe not as effective as my +8 Hunter Axe yet??

Oh that's my favorite weapon in the game, it was my go-to (although I started with the axe too). A fast straight sword that transforms into a greatsword? It's the perfect utility weapon, I wish I could have it in all the Dark Souls games.

(I think my secondary weapon was the Beast Cutter, the heavier whip you get in the dlc...all the dlc weapons are really good & fun actually)

I have been using Saw Cleaver +9 with Whirligig Saw +8 as my boss muncher

Have decided to not bother with the chalice dungeons

What’s left? I’m at Ebreitis on the main quest, Ludwig on the DLC. It is satisfying to feel like I’m improving at this game, and my character is buffing as I do so, but disheartening to see such insanely good players on YouTube make me feel like an incompetent

I'm not sure what to go for next too... I'm feeling a bit stuck: Continue with Yahargul and try to kill the three hunter NPCs; try the boss at Cainhurst who seems really hard and you have to run past a bunch of assholes every time you want to try him; or do that very difficult Crow hunter sidequest in one of the churches who keeps buffing. None of these feel particularly easy

Hmm this sword is okay but it seems a bit slow and not quite powerful enough to defeat the beasts I'm fighting right now. Think I need to level it up a bit more!

Nice! Those are two of the hardest bosses. You've still got some serious dlc content left.

Yeah I would only bother with the chalice dungeons if you're done with everything else and you still want a few more bosses, or you want to do pvp in the nightmare areas and want to get fully gem-ed up.

xp

I managed to cheese the NPC Hunters by leading each one to a wall near the lamp and hit them through the wall. That's how to do it right?

Any time these games throw more than one invader-style npc at you at a time, anything goes imo

I cheesed the Hunter trio. Led them to the basement and shut myself in the prison. The correct cheese is to poke at them with a stick, but I don’t use sticks, so I attempted a number of things before settling on bolt paper on my Saw Cleaver and then a runny R2 roll-away. Beat the last one with zero vials remaining. Dirty tricks!

I did not struggle with the Martyr in the least, at all. Ebeiritis or whatever is a serious problem. I’ve left her for now and I’m dueling a swordy hunter in the *cough* Nightmare Of Menses. Society does need a jizz-phobic game with cocks as bosses and vaginas as tools of justice

I hope From’s next horror game has a super weapon called The Crumbling Anus and you battle The Great Semenis in The Vast Deferens

I killed Darkbeast Paarl but from what I understand, you can do this much earlier back when it's the Hypogean Jail. Hadn't come across it before now. Fairly easy to merk and I got a bunch of Blood Echoes for it which was nice.

genuinely didn't remember if i even beat this one! prob due for a replay.

lol fgti. Maybe this is what 'Elden Ring' refers to.

God those Lecture Building levels scare the crap out of me for some reason. Horrible corridors

I am relying on far too many jolly friends to murder bosses. I am way overlevelled than is required, approaching level 100 and hacking through the DLC. 50 strength and 40 vitality, some of the other things, now working up my Arcane to 15 because I'm only using my gun for a rare parry and I wanna use some of these fun objects I've accumulated

I +10'd my Saw Blade and my Whirligig Saw. I don't use insight much for anything so I used all my hard insight for an extra rock. Ebieritis was murdered with blade to the bottom while she was distracted with a jolly friend. Ludwig, oddly, was no problem, his attack patterns melded well with my pre-existing tendencies, I beat him solo.

The hardest challenge so far was weirdly the wet nurse but I realized it was just because she was so scary looking that I was keeping my distance. I started hugging her bladey form and it was not-a-problem

This game is still really hard. I did some Chalice Dungeons out of spite and they are extremely challenging for some reason... I think it's just the buffed-up entry-level-enemies don't jive well with my late-game confidence. I also am feeling unrewarded when the bulk of the pickups there are... tools for more Chalice Dungeons! Spare me

Merked The One Reborn with absolutely no issues last night. Once you kill all the bellringers, it's a fairly easy fight.

Now I'm at a castle that's crawling with giant spiders. It's not an easy match. There are some absolutely hardcore beasties outside too

Those spiders hit ridiculously hard. I cheesed that room. Killed the bellringer, murdered the overpass spiders, shot the rest down one by one and attended to them one by one, then took out the big one with jumping-down-attacks.

I’m in the habit of clearing a section unspoiled, then reading spoilers before I leave, so I don’t miss anything. It really is working for me. I discovered the lantern waste on my own and it was so satisfying.

My bf calls Amygdala “Amy” and Laurence The Vicar “Larry”

Larry is so difficult wow. I fucked up the Eileen plot and she attacked me and she was super tough also. Idk if I should bother finishing the DLC, I feel like the final boss will just make me hate myself. I think I’m ready to take these lessons I’ve learned over to DS3, I’ll probably just win this thing today and leave it

I dunno, I recall all the Bloodborne DLC, bosses included, as great. DS3, too, though I think I skipped the final DLC boss in that one, lol.

I mostly like the last DLC boss for the setting, the beach + endless ocean next to the carcass of its cosmic horror alien mother. I remember being very pleased with myself for figuring out a strategy, when it jumps high into air (offscreen), it will almost always land near you if you don't move, so you can time a fully-charged R2 and take out big chunks of its health.

Also the Well in the dlc with the two shark giants (where you get the rakuyo weapon) may be the actual toughest room in the game.

I also am feeling unrewarded when the bulk of the pickups there are... tools for more Chalice Dungeons! Spare me

The real prizes are the friends gems we found along the way. But yeah, there are the official 'quest' chalice dungeons that end in Queen Yharnam, then there are the randomly generated ones. I think the random ones are where the truly serious gems and weapon variants are? Looking forward to the DS3 thread revive though!

So I've just given myself a Covid Christmas present of a PS Plus account. So now I can play online! Not sure about all these red puddles everywhere and phantom hunters showing up everywhere - it's a bit off-putting tbh.
I saw a thing that said to go to Oedon Chapel and I'll be whisked off to participate in the Hunters Nightmare or something, but I did what it said and nothing really happened. Am I doing it wrong?

You mean to get into the DLC? Try going into that area that's to the left (?) where you get grabbed by an invisible (if you have low insight?) Amy.

Totally forgot about the shark well! But good loot in there, iirc.

XP oh I see! I'd downloaded the DLC at the same time as subscribing to PS+ and assumed that was something to do with multiplayer

I think I was moving too quickly through this game to really get good at it, and after Maria slaughtered me some ten times hopelessly I started to feel stressed out about trying again

So I started DS3 and after five hours on it over the past couple days I feel soothed by the environment and design and the rhythms of the combat. Already totally hooked

FYI, Iron Pineapple's soulslike reviews are super interesting. Don't miss the Vincent Van Gogh fighter!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_daI7XwEznw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pz_T6Kog6k

When you accidentally click on the New York Times crossword puzzle thread thinking it is the Bloodborne thread and for 30 seconds wonder what the fuck you've missed...

I thought this game was “not for me” but now I realized I was dead wrong

After several years of From immersion I think this might be the pinnacle of their achievements in terms of streamlined combat brilliance and inventory inside baseball

I remember thinking the Chalice Dungeons were “an unfortunate misstep” insofar as they felt like a bland matzo ball occupying an enormous footprint of the game soup

But now that I realize that “they’re for farming” (and Elden Ring taught me that “farming is fun”) my entire outlook on them has changed

They’re far too obscurantist in their execution— even their nomenclature is ridiculously confusing. That said, the fact that “you can’t share items over PvP” means that instead, to hyper power your weapons, you have to spend a lot of time reading spreadsheets? and building random dungeons and rushing through them to murder an overpowered boss? It’s… amazing. This is so fun. It’s like the “boss rush” concept crossed with “the collector bug” and it is pushing all the right buttons for me, this week

Mad coming back to this now that I've beaten Elden Ring, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

No wonder I found it so tough as my introduction to the genre. Even for a Souls game it is extremely SCARY and ARCANE and STRESSFUL.

One thing it does, which Elden Ring doesn't, is that it assumes a lot of prior knowledge from the player, so I assume Miyazaki had experienced Souls fans in mind when he made it. As such I would never recommend it as a first Souls game

My order was (I think) DS1, DS3, BB, DS2, ER, Demons. Maybe I did BB second? I wonder what it would be like to go back after playing the two most recent and best optimized Souls/From fantasy games most recently. Would DS and BB seem too janky? Somehow I kind of doubt it, the jankiness has always been a feature, not a bug.

I went back to my early posts in this thread - there was so much ILG co-op happening!

My order was BB, ER, Demons, DS1.

I haven't fully completed BB but in retrospect I had no idea what I was doing. I was pretty much winging it and/or following a YouTube playthrough.

In fact I don't think I really fully clicked into the whoel logic and nature of these games until I watched a lore video about Magma Mansion in ER and then I was like: "AHAAaa! So you have to read the item descriptions and observe the environment, I see!!!" - also: learning about different builds took a long time to click.

I'd be forgiven: Bloodborne diverges from other Soulsborne games in that there are fewer items, fewer item descriptions, and the scenery is so dense with "cool scary shit" that the environmental storytelling and character-build aspects are far less obvious. It's not like you can really specialise in a class in Bloodborne in the same way as the other games; I mean, I know you COULD do a bloodtinge build, but why?

Demon's Souls seemed a lot better for all this, I felt. The story felt less obfuscated and it seemed easier to diversify into different classes. I really really love Demon's Souls Remake - it's easily my favourite after ER - just a joy.

Dark Souls 1 doesn't feel "jank" at all, but it has a patina of grime over it that the other games don't and some of the environments can suddenly grow really dark for some reason, like you're looking through a phone camera lense with a dodgy aperture. I enjoyed it to an extent, but in the same way as eating a very boney piece of fish is enjoyable - you have to know what you're doing to get "pleasure" out of it or else it's very annoying and tough.

I am very tempted by DS2. I hear such wildly mixed reviews of it, but I feel I should at least give it a fair trial. Having played maybe just an hour or two of it so far my impression is that it's a bit janky compared to all the others. Would be brilliant if they did a Bluepoint remake of it

I think I followed the EpicNameBro YouTube walkthrough, and it was illuminating. So many tiny details I would have missed, like slight story driven details that change in the background. His was a really good balance of gameplay and lore. Usually I don't care about the lore, but I really liked it in this particular game.

I would love to see a ground-up DS2 remake using the art style/animations/engine of more recent From games.

I guess the catch is that game has more or less been remade once already, hasn't it? Sort of?