Initial Impressions: Bloodborne (PS4 Pro)

I recently completed Dark Souls 3, plus or minus a boss or two. Playing the game taught me a few things: I loved the intricately designed levels, the setting, and the feeling of, “I wonder what’s around the next corner?” I also came to appreciate the combat, even if it never dethroned exploration as my favorite part of the game. My final conclusion was a simple one: I wanted to play another Soulsborne game. Which one would I pick, though?

The “Soulsborne,” formula has exploded in popularity over the last decade and produced a myriad of imitations, iterations, and think pieces. (“X is the Dark Souls of Y” is a phrase I could go without hearing again for a long time.) With that said, only two games really piqued my interest in the same way as Dark Souls 3: Elden Ring and Bloodborne. Elden Ring was an obvious choice because of its innovation to the formula (by adding an “open world” element), its critical acclaim, and its current position in pop culture. Who doesn’t want to enjoy a game at the same time as their friends and colleagues?

Bloodborne had its own advantages, though: it also reviewed extremely well, had a setting quite different from either Dark Souls or Elden Ring (leaning more into London and Lovecraft than dark medieval fantasy), and didn’t require a PS5 or monster PC to run. (Aside: the reviews I’ve seen suggest that the PS4 Pro experience is “acceptable,” but I really want to play the game as the developer intended.) If you read the title of this post, you know I ended up picking Bloodborne.

What was the tipping point? Though I almost always prefer physical media (parsing what you do and don’t “own” in the digital age is a rant for a different day), the Game of the Year edition of Bloodborne was on sale for over 50% off on the Playstation Store ($17.49 USD vs $40). Compared to Elden Ring’s $60 USD asking price, the choice was clear. With that said, I have thoughts.

I am not used to “healing” being mapped to triangle instead of square. My best guess is that this change was made to support the more frenetic gameplay; I’ve found I don’t need to move my thumb nearly as much to press the triangle button while playing. With that being said, the change is also messing with my muscle memory and leading to unnecessary stress. Hopefully I will adapt with time.
- Update: I have more-or-less adapted after a few more hours of play.
I’m also not used to the lock-on mechanic leading to “quick steps” rather than rolls. This isn’t inherently better or worse, just different. With that being said, I miss the safety rolling provided (via invincibility frames / i-frames); I sometimes avoid locking on for just that reason. On the other hand, I also see how this engenders even more complex moment-to-moment gameplay, since rolling and “quick stepping” each produce different results vis a vis i-frames, distance covered, and stamina consumed (NOTE: I need to do more testing to confirm the last two).
- Update: rolling and quick-stepping seem to use up about the same amount of stamina, much to my surprise.
On one hand, I see the benefit of the more minimalist HUD (heads-up display) design in Bloodborne. It leaves me with more real estate to enjoy the game’s combat and visual design. On the other hand, the change took away something I had grown accustomed to in Dark Souls 3: a “durability meter” for my weapons.
Durability wasn’t a problem for me in Dark Souls 3. I never had to use the “repair dust,” and none of my weapons broke. This was likely because weapon durability reset both upon death and when I visited a bonfire / safe area. Bloodborne is an entirely different beast. While I haven’t had a weapon break, I’ve discovered that resting does not restore durability. This change meant that one of my weapons was “at risk” within hours of play (i.e. it did less damage and required blood echos, the in-game currency, to fix). This may no longer be an issue now that my expectations are set; I can repair my weapons every time I visit the “Hunter’s Dream,” (aka the player’s “home base”) With that being said, this mechanic seems like an odd choice for a game that prioritizes speed and aggression because it necessitates a break in the action.
An aggressive play style is also encouraged by the blood vials (Bloodborne’s healing item). In Dark Souls 3, a player’s pool of healing (the estus flask) is only refilled upon rest or death. In Bloodborne, by contrast, enemies drop blood vials. Not only that, but the player can hold up to 20 vials from the start (compared to Dark Souls 3’s 4). Functionally, this means less reliance on the “bonfire” / “lamps,” while still punishing poor / reckless play.
The “rally” mechanic is another change that encourages a more aggressive play style. Basically, after being hit you have a short window of time where you can hit back and regain some lost health. This additional health is lost if you are hit more than once, though, so you can’t just mash the attack button. Again, this has the effect of increasing the speed of the game.
The lack of shields is the cherry on the aggression milkshake. There’s only one in the entire game, and it is described as, “ineffectual against the strength of beasts,” and, “nice, but not if it engenders passivity.” Basically, the game has clear expectations for how players will engage with it and has no problem dunking on those who want to “turtle” behind a shield.
The lack of shield might suggest that the “parry” technique (where the player blocks an enemy attack and opens them up for a riposte) has been lost. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however, because the parry function is instead fulfilled by the player’s off-handed weapon: a gun. Granted, I find parrying in both games to be difficult to perform reliably; this could probably just mean I need more practice. I did more-or-less abandon the technique in Dark Souls 3 to focus on two-handed weapons about half way through my play-through, after all.
Is it just me, or was the fall damage drastically reduced in Bloodborne? I swear, some of the falls I’ve shrugged off in this game would be deadly in Dark Souls 3.
I dislike the lack of button remapping in Bloodborne. Not only do I have to double press circle to jump, I can’t change it to L3 (like I could in Dark Souls 3). It’s a small issue and jumping hasn’t been a focus in either game, but having options is nice.
This is another minor quibble, but I have yet to find a way to compare armor that’s currently equipped to armor that’s available from a vendor. This makes it really hard to know what’s worth buying and what isn’t before making a purchase. Hardcore players may say this feature doesn’t matter because player skill is more important than raw stats. As someone looking for every possible advantage, however, the fact that this information isn’t readily available is an annoyance.
It’s also annoying that you can’t warp from lamp to lamp; instead, you must return to the hunter’s dream each time. This only adds a bit of time to travel, but that time adds up.
Beyond the moment-to-moment gameplay, Bloodborne seems to be getting weirder and squishier sooner than Dark Souls 3. I’m still in the opening area and there’s already been talk of blood transfusions and enemies with so many tentacles (I’m looking at you, Cleric Beast). Based on my past “From Software” experience, I’m guessing things are only going to get weirder than here.
Also, on a completely unrelated note, this game reminds me of what Nightmare Creatures (PS1) looked like in my head as a kid. They’re both dark, gritty, and have a certain vibe, even if the moment-to-moment gameplay is radically different.

In short, the game shares a lot of DNA with Dark Souls 3. There are a number of small but significant changes to the moment-to-moment gameplay that mean jumping right in isn’t a pain-free experience. I am still excited to play, though, so I’m calling that a win. Ultimately, I’m sure this game will provide hours upon hours of fun.

Check it out here.