The most eagerly awaited game of the year is finally here. And it is a pleasure to report that it’s brilliant. A fast and aggressive action-RPG, Bloodborne is the spiritual successor to the Dark Souls series, in which you are the sufferer of a strange sickness who has come to the city of Yharnam for treatment. Here, the citizens hide behind locked doors as monsters stalk the streets. You must become a hunter and cut a path through the city to uncover the truth behind the affliction.
The new combat system puts first-timers and veteran Souls players on a more even footing, discouraging defensive play while rewarding agility. Interesting online features – user-generated and shareable dungeons; the ability to join someone else’s game – are offset by weaker RPG elements such as a smaller arsenal and simplified levelling system.
More accessible than Dark Souls, Bloodborne is still a gruelling and oppressive game. Deaths are frequent, enemies fight dirty and the environment oozes with gloomy, Lovecraftian aesthetics. Lines between man and beast, reality and nightmare blur as you descend into madness. This is not a game you complete; it’s a game you defeat.
