Bloodborne Review

Combat: Aggressive or Dead

Bloodborne removes blocking entirely. Your left hand holds a firearm — a pistol, blunderbuss, or rifle — used not to deal damage but to stagger enemies mid-attack for a Visceral Attack counter that deals massive damage. The timing window for a Visceral is tight: fire just as the enemy's attack connects, not before. Landing one is enormously satisfying and strategically powerful against bosses.

Transform attacks — pressing L1 mid-combo to switch weapon forms — add kinetic creativity to combat. The Kirkhammer transforms between a small sword and a massive stone hammer; the Burial Blade changes the entire character of its attack set between forms. Every weapon rewards mastery of both forms, and the best players seamlessly integrate transforms into their combos.

Gameplay and Progression

You level up in the Hunter's Dream hub using Blood Echoes (the equivalent of Souls). The six stats map to familiar roles: Vitality for HP, Endurance for stamina, Strength and Skill for physical weapons, Bloodtinge for gun damage, and Arcane for transformative spells. Build flexibility is high; the game's weapon count is lower than Dark Souls but each weapon has more depth. Blood Gems inserted into weapons add scaling, damage types, and special effects — the endgame gem system has extraordinary depth for dedicated players.

Story and World

Bloodborne's narrative begins as gothic beast-hunting horror and ends as cosmic Lovecraftian revelation. Gehrman the First Hunter, Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, and Mergo the Wet Nurse are some of gaming's finest characters and bosses. The lore — delivered through item descriptions, NPC dialogue, and environmental architecture — rewards deep reading. The Old Hunters DLC explores the origin of the Hunter Workshop and contains Lady Maria, possibly FromSoftware's greatest boss fight.

Graphics and Performance

Bloodborne targets 30fps on PS4 and frequently drops below it in dense areas — this is the game's main technical failing. An unofficial 60fps patch exists but requires a jailbroken console. The art direction, however, is extraordinary: Yharnam is one of gaming's greatest designed environments, and the creature designs are nightmarish masterworks. A PC port has been rumored for years but has not materialized as of this writing.

Verdict

Bloodborne is a masterpiece constrained by platform exclusivity and technical performance. Its aggression-first combat, cosmic horror atmosphere, and The Old Hunters DLC make it one of gaming's essential experiences for anyone with access to a PS4 or PS5.

Pros & Cons