Bloodborne

Bloodborne (ブラッドボーン Buraddobōn) is a 2015 action-adventure video game directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, developed by From Software, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 4.The game was announced at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo 2014 media briefing on June 9, 2014, where a trailer was shown, and was released worldwide in March 2015, to critical acclaim.

Gameplay

Bloodborne features action role-playing elements similar to those found in director Miyazaki's other games Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. Combat is fast paced and requires an offensive approach in order for players to combat dense hordes of enemies. The player character is agile and is able to perform sweeping dashes around enemies while locked on. The new risk versus reward style of gameplay is emphasized through Bloodborne '​s health regain system, which allows the player to, within a small window of time, recover portions of lost health by striking back at the player's attacker.

Melee weapons can transform into two alternate states; each state encourages a different approach to combat. The cleaver, for example, in its initial state can be used to quickly dispatch enemies in cramped areas, but when transformed into its secondary state it becomes an extended blade more suited for crowd control. The player can also wield a firearm in their left hand that can be used to stun enemies, which can then be followed up with a critical attack from the player's melee weapon.

Plot

The game takes place in the gothic, ruined city of Yharnam which is rumored to house a potent medical remedy. Over the years, many travelers make pilgrimages to the city seeking the remedy to cure their afflictions; the player takes the role as one of these travelers. Upon arriving in the city, however, it is discovered that the city is plagued with an endemic illness that has transformed most of its citizens into bestial creatures. The player must navigate the streets of Yharnam and overcome its violently deranged inhabitants and horrifying monsters in order to survive.

Development

 Development of Bloodborne began as development was being completed on the Prepare to Die edition of Dark Souls, released in August 2012. Sony approached From Software concerning cooperative development on a title, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki asked about the possibility of developing a game for eighth-generation consoles. The concept of Bloodborne developed from there. There were no connections to From Software's previous titles, even though Miyazaki conceded that it "carries the DNA of Demon's Souls and its very specific level design.^" Development ran parallel to that of Dark Souls II.The game's Victorian Gothic setting was partly inspired by the Victorian Gothic novel Dracula. Miyazaki had wanted to create a game set in such an era, but as he wanted everything to be as detailed as possible, such a game was only possible on eighth-generation hardware. This need for high-end hardware, and the fact that the PlayStation 4 was presented to the company first, was the reason the game was a PS4 exclusive, rather than a cross-generation release. Story details were more plentiful than in the Soulsgames, though the team created a larger mystery at the heart of the story to compensate for this. The team did not want to raise the difficulty level higher than their previous games as they felt it would make the game "pretty much unplayable for anyone." To balance this out, the team created a more aggressive combat system focusing on both action and strategy. They also wanted to alter the penalties for death used in the Souls games as they did not want the game to be classified as being for hardcore gamers. One of the more difficult decisions the team faced was the introduction of guns as weapons. Because it would fit well into the game's setting, and that it would consequently be less accurate than modern models, the gun was eventually included. Armour was also not included as it would clash with the game's setting. Their target framerate for the title was 30 frames per second, due to their design choices made for the title

Release

In January 2015, Bloodborne became Game Informer '​s readers' most anticipated game of 2015.

A limited collector's edition was launched with the game. It included a steelbook case, a hard cover art book, and a digital copy of the game's soundtrack. A European exclusive Nightmare Edition was also released, and included physical items such as a quill and ink set, as well as all the items in the collector's edition. An Asian edition included a Kirkhammer letter opener, and also has an available PlayStation 4 bundle.

A song was recorded by the Hit House featuring Ruby Friedman for a trailer and TV spot of the game, titled Hunt You Down, written by Scott Miller and William Hunt, and recorded by Wyn Davis in Los Angeles and at Word of Mouth Recording Studios in New Orleans.

Reception

Bloodborne received critical acclaim upon release. It holds an aggregated score of 91.75% on GameRankings based on 30 reviews and 93/100 on Metacritic based on 41 reviews.The game's atmosphere, plot, music, presentation, game play, and overall direction were all praised. One of the main criticisms was based on the long load times, however From Software has announced that they are working on a patch to deal with the issue.