[Suzerain of Sheol]

(Quiet is definitely not making me post in her thread. I am super social on the forums all the time. Everyone knows this.)

21. Bloodborne

Are you a masochist? No? Get out.

*ahem* Those of you who are left, Bloodborne is the best game on the PS4, that's all you need to know.

Okay, okay. It's a branch-off of the Dark Souls franchise set in the Lovecraft-inspired steampunk city/world of Yharnam. You play the role of a Hunter, trapped in the eldritch nightmare that has taken hold of the city, and must slaughter your way through terrifying enemies to find your way free.

Oh, and you die. A lot. It's a game mechanic. The combat is brutally unforgiving, almost every single enemy can kill you in two hits or less, most move extremely quickly, and they love to sneak up on you or jump at you from outside your field of view.

But dear God, is it fun. The controls are the most responsive I've ever experienced in an action game -- if you die, ever, it is 100% definitely completely all your fault. And this allows you to learn, adapt, and eventually become a total badass sheathing yourself in the blood of your enemies as you massacre all manner of physics-shattering horrors. (if you've ever seen the movie Edge of Tomorrow, the basic idea of the gameplay is pretty much that. Die, and die, and die, until you have every tiny movement of the enemy muscle-memorized and you can end them rightly.)

The absolute #1 strength of the game is its atmosphere, and the way the gameplay ties into it. You see, there is an extremely complex story at work in Bloodborne -- and you are never told ANY of it. It is completely up to you to piece together the mystery of what happened to Yharnam, so in some ways the game gives back what you're willing to put into it. If you're just looking for some challenging hack-and-slash, it certainly has that on offer, but there is so much more beneath the surface, secrets layered upon secrets, all contributing to the chill-inducing unease that comes with every new insight (pun totally intended) you gain into the lore.

I don't want to spoil anything, but as you go through the game, doing different things makes your Insight stat go up -- which is your connection to the transcendental eldritch planes of existence upon which dwell horrors beyond your imagining, and as your Insight increases... you start to SEE things, things that were always there, watching you with unhuman eyes, while you were totally oblivious in your fragile human delusions.

...this game is amazing. I don't know what else to say. The mechanic of having to hoard your experience points (Blood Echoes) without dying even once (you lose them if you die) makes you genuinely horrified of what's lurking around each corner, but the deranged curiosity to look anyway is always present.

I'm gushing. Holy Cththulu am I gushing, but I don't even care! It's that good! If you haven't played it, and have any interest in supernatural horror, you're the real masochist for depriving yourself of this amazing experience! That's right! Go play it!