3 years later, 3 years late

I was never one to seek hard video games, even though I play my games on the hardest difficulty available if I can help it.

So, I stayed clear of the "Dark Souls" series, the series that pushed From Software Studios into the mainstream media. Adding to that, the gatekeeping that was happening from some of the fans of the series made sure that anyone who didn’t consider video games as a serious job and didn’t “git gud”(the mocking version of “get good”) does not deserve to experience these games.

I play video games to have fun, unwind, and feel better about myself. While I value myself a bit of a challenge, when I feel the game does not value my time, I can’t be bothered with any challenge it is willing to present to me.

Then came Bloodborne, a critically acclaimed and fan-favorite PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Not owning a console at the time, I did not give this game any attention. Fast forward to 2017, and the release of "Horizon: Zero Dawn", a critically acclaimed and fan-favorite PlayStation 4 exclusive. I feel I’m starting to see a pattern here… And so, I caved to the blackmail.

The trap of a closed console ecosystem

I purchased a Plasticbox 4, and with it, all the exclusives that I felt I had missed: Uncharted 4, the Last of Us remastered, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Nioh. Funny how Nioh, a souls-like samurai game, was the start of my journey into the Soulsborne games, but not the way you think.

Being new to closed ecosystems that consoles thrive on, I had no idea how region locking works. As I was told the PlayStation 4 was a region-free platform, I didn’t bother to read up on the issue. After playing Nioh’s base game, "Team Ninja" released the first piece of DLC. I loved Nioh so much to the point I knew I wanted more, so I threw my cash at the screen and nothing happened. Then I proceeded to buy the season pass through the PlayStation store like a civilized human, and lo and behold: I can’t access the DLC because my PlayStation account and the Nioh disc have different regions…

WHAT?? WHAT IS THIS STUPID SYSTEM??

Fueled by anger at the prospect of having wasted 25$ for content I can’t access, I began my Google deep-dive into Sony’s amazing tamper-proof fortress of region locking, save encryption, and all-around shenanigans that they put their paying customers through for the privilege of using the PlayStation platform.

I discovered that the only way to be able to access the 25$ DLC is to:

1. Find a new Nioh disc with the appropriate region of my PS account
2. Replay the whole game from scratch since each region of the game counts as a separate version of the game and therefore my previous saves are not compatible
3. Try to sell my old Nioh disc to recoup some of the costs that I spent on a new disc…

So, I advertise that I’m looking to trade my Nioh disc with someone from my local area.

A new challenger approaches: offering me a silly game from 2015. I scoff at him and tell him that my 2017 game is worth more than his stupid old game; he threw "Until Dawn" into the mix. In retrospect, I did him a favor by getting rid of Until Dawn. Speaking of which, does anyone want a coaster shaped like a PS4 disc?

Ahh, you were at my side, all along...

Little did I know, that this was the start of an amazing journey into the world of Victorian-era gothic architecture and cosmic horror.

After making sure it had the correct region for my account, I purchased the “Old Hunters” DLC, and then, that disc sat on my shelf for a whole year, standing in line behind the likes of Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Nier: Automata, Horizon: Zero Dawn DLC, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Assassin’s creed origins, Hellblade, Far cry 5, and God of War.

And then came the post-February game drought where all the AAA publishers take a nice long nap after all that holiday cash, gearing up for the summer releases. I looked at my shelf, and there it was: covered in dust and forgotten. I took a deep breath and dove right in.

And here I am 4 months later, lamenting that 3 years later was 3 years too late.

Amazing atmosphere and world-building

You open up with a cutscene trying to set up the premise of the game, but in true Dark Souls fashion, you’re left wondering what the hell is going on. You wake up in a decrepit clinic, lying on a white stretcher.

Confused and lost, you wander onto the lower floor and you are greeted with a big bloody injured werewolf. The meeting is cut short when the werewolf cuts you short.

But death is not an escape you are graced with.

You instead wake up in a foggy dream, in front of an old Victorian house. A human-sized doll lays on a small ledge, and next to it are little creepy, weirdly cute, skeletal-looking creatures that offer you their little helping hands. They present you with your first set of weapons.

This is the moment where you realize that this game will present you with the obstacles first, with the answers coming later. It is your job to recognize these obstacles and understand that your current tools might not be the answer to this puzzle.

Satisfying mechanics and gameplay

The first tools you are presented with are your hunter weapons: crafted in the hunter’s workshop, these transforming weapons are your main damage dealers.

Behold the iconic saw cleaver, with a serrated blade design to rip into beasts, which opens up into a longer-range cleaver. Might you prefer a more elegant weapon, the threaded cane is your stick of choice, open it up into a serrated whip, and flog any beast that dares cross your path. Or you might settle for the trusted hunter axe, no-frills all damage, be it as a smaller quick axe, or an extended grip axe to unleash your two-handed strength on foes out of your immediate range.

And in your left hand, you hold your gun.

But these guns are not meant to deal damage (unless you specifically choose to specialize your character to do so, but this is a lesson for another day, kids).

By shooting an enemy during the correct time within their attack animation, you can parry their attacks and they will stagger on the ground. While you can use this opportunity to punish them with normal attacks, parrying an enemy’s attack opens them up for a riposte in the form of a visceral attack.

The healing church (one of the game’s factions) describes this attack as follows:

“When a cancer is discovered, one must pinpoint its location, reach in, and wrench it from the host’s bosom”.

In other words, you will gut your enemy for massive damage which makes this attack a high-risk, high-reward tool in your arsenal.

Armed with a weapon in each hand, you set off on your adventure to figure out what the hell is going on because, to this point, the game does not explain anything to you.

And it never will.

From Software games are known for their special approach to storytelling, which relies heavily on you, the player, reading item descriptions and piecing together the story and lore of their worlds.

By obfuscating its story, the game instills a sense of uncertainty in every step you take, and this is why Bloodborne is a great horror game: not because of the werewolves, witches, demons, and cosmic beings, but because you are scared that every piece of this world might be a threat to you.

And that it is the best approach to playing this game, for every enemy you encounter has the strong potential to kill you.

one step forward, five steps back

Fans of the Dark Souls series, even people who played the likes of Nioh will be familiar with the system in which Bloodborne handles its progression and experience points.

Your experience points, in this case, blood echoes, also act as the game’s main currency. And any blood echoes you do not spend leveling up your character, repairing or upgrading your weapon, or buying consumables, will be dropped upon your death.

But fear not, you are granted the chance to retrace your steps and retrieve your unspent points. Unless you die again while attempting to retrieve them, in which case, you lose the echoes forever.

This mechanic proceeds to raise the stakes and elevate the sense of stress, as every time you venture away from your safe spots, you are risking losing some progress. Maybe none of this sounds groundbreaking to you.

And at first, I didn’t see the appeal either.

But with every slash, with every dash, a feeling coursed through my hands.

With every mistake, with every death, I stopped getting angry at the game and started getting angry at myself.

Every enemy I defeated signaled that I was getting better, every enemy that defeated me told me I had something to learn.

A new parry timing, a new attack pattern, a new stagger opportunity; learning the secrets of this game felt like a huge rush, I could not stop.

I kept wanting more, and 75 hours and 3 playthroughs later, I still want more.

Every person seeks a specific aspect of video games: some seek great narratives, some seek cathartic gameplay, some seek multiplayer competition, and some seek a hard challenge.

I never thought I enjoyed hitting my head against a brick wall, but when the wall is covered in Lovecraftian monsters and breaks into satisfying little dopamine hits, I would gladly wear a helmet and dive head-on into an amazing and challenging adventure.

There is only one thing left to do: bid farewell to the city of Yharnam and take the first steps into the world of Lordran, home of Dark Souls.