Platform: PlayStation 4Edition: StandardChange
Price:$19.99 - $299.99
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I have played many of the single player campaign games widely considered to be the best in the Playstation lineup
on January 10, 2017
I poured in over 250 hrs on this game, the most ever in my life! I have been playing video games since the 70s (Yes, Pong was one of them!) and had a console of each generation. I never played such an addicting ,yet at times frustrating, game ever. But it's the most rewarding game I have played. I have played many of the single player campaign games widely considered to be the best in the PlayStation lineup:
- MGS III, IV, and V
- The Last of Us
- Uncharted 2 and 3
- Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3
- God of War 1-3
- Batman Arkham City
- Bioshock Infinite
- Resistance 1-3
- Assassin's Creed II
- Batman Arkham Knight
I loved all of them but it's not even close. Bloodborne came out on top on my list. It wasn't even on my radar, as I bought it a year and half after it came out. I just wanted to try it after finishing MGS V. Oh boy! I almost gave up a couple of hours into the game but heeded the advice of many players and stuck to it.
A word of advice, keep a bag of stress balls nearby and don't play while someone else is sleeping. The cursing can become really loud!
- MGS III, IV, and V
- The Last of Us
- Uncharted 2 and 3
- Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3
- God of War 1-3
- Batman Arkham City
- Bioshock Infinite
- Resistance 1-3
- Assassin's Creed II
- Batman Arkham Knight
I loved all of them but it's not even close. Bloodborne came out on top on my list. It wasn't even on my radar, as I bought it a year and half after it came out. I just wanted to try it after finishing MGS V. Oh boy! I almost gave up a couple of hours into the game but heeded the advice of many players and stuck to it.
A word of advice, keep a bag of stress balls nearby and don't play while someone else is sleeping. The cursing can become really loud!
on March 30, 2015
I'm bored so I wrote a really long review of my impressions regarding Bloodborne (I've beat the game) and my comparisons between it and Dark Souls 2 : Scholar of the First Sin.
Bloodborne kicked my ass, at least for the first ~10 hours of gameplay. I thought of selling it, I thought of throwing it out the window, and then I thought about grinding it up and setting it on fire. I finally lived for about an hour, made it to the first boss, and died after almost killing it the first time, amazingly. Then it brought me back to the beginning. I almost lost it. I took to the Internet, because I knew something was wrong. I found out about shortcuts, and if you don't find those, you'll hate this game. I found the shortcut to the boss, and within time, I beat him in about 5-6 attempts. Then I found the 2nd boss, whom was infinitely harder, and in about 30 attempts, I beat him. Then I don't mean to brag, but I -flew- through this game. No other boss beat me more than once save one particular beast, but I don't wanna talk about that.
After about 75 hours of gameplay, I beat the game. I never thought I could do it. Like I said, after the 2nd boss I breezed through the game, beating every optional boss (yes there are MANY optional bosses). I loved this game and it introduced me to the 'Souls' games. I've played DS2 Scholar of the First Sin after beating Bloodborne, and truth be told I think DS2 is a better game.
Couple of my issues with Bloodborne:
1) It's easy compared to the other Soul's games, like, really easy. This of course is AFTER you learn to play, the first couple hours of Bloodborne are nasty brutal, but once you figure out the regain system and parry mechanism, it's just plain easy. I played through NG+ as well.
2) Co-op and PvP are a trainwreck. Matchmaking system does not work nearly as well as it should for a 2015 release. DS2 has better both, though the PvP in DS2 is the most frustrating crap ever (lag attacks, etc.).
3) For me there is no re-play value. I played thru NG+ and beat every boss my first try again, save a couple of deaths on bosses. I knew every shortcut, knew every monster, and whipped through 5-6 NG+ bosses in maybe an hour or two. Nothing changed, at all. Boring re-play. The 'differences' in character development are little to none. Sure you might use a different trick weapon, but you're still playing the exact same way. Parry, dodge, swing a lot, and pray. Little to no variety between builds + no changes in NG+ = no replay value. I sold the game within a month of buying it and beating it twice.
4) Some things Bloodborne did right, others they did wrong. The Soul's games have a better 'potion policy'. Estus flasks never need to be farmed, and are harder to use than Blood vials. Blood vials are boring to farm, and are easy to use during combat. They make the game too easy. There should have been a 'fast travel' system at the lamps. There is absolutely no reason to need to return to the Hunter's Dream every time you want to go somewhere else. DS2 had fast travel at the bonfires, why would Bloodborne not?
5) Boss variety kind of sucked in my opinion. Some of the bosses were extremely cool, most were pretty bland and boring. There are only 2 real varieties of bosses, the humanoids and the beasts. The humanoid bosses were THE BEST bosses BY FAR and had great stories and amazing fights. Almost every beast fight was horribly boring, with horrible camera angles and strategies that involve standing in their asses and swinging until they die, and rolling once in awhile. The humanoid bosses really pushed your skills to the limits, making you employ parries, backstabs, and proper dodging if you wanted to beat them.
6) I found the story of DS2 to be way better than Bloodborne. I know FROM isn't particular with their stories, and I really appreciate that, but Bloodborne could have done a lot more to 'move things along' story wise. I felt DS2 had way, way more NPC's than Bloodborne (because it does) and they all kind of add to the story in interesting ways. The Bloodborne story is really up to interpretation, while I think the DS2 story is a little more obvious and thus entertaining.
7) FROMsoftware really screwed up in my opinion by not adding TRANSFORMATIONS to this game. This would have fixed SO many issues with build variety, PvP boredom, and re-play value. Imagine actually transforming into beasts during NG+, or even NG. Huge missed opportunity here. I read awhile ago an idea of having 'good blood' and 'bad blood' to help the player transform between human and beast forms (kind of like Hollow and Human in DS2) and the 'beast mode' thing in Bloodborne is a sad prank it seems, since it doesn't exist.
I would absolutely say this is the BEST of the Souls games to start out on. If you want a challenge, I'd play DS2 after I played Bloodborne. DS2 has better world's, a better story, and infinitely more variety options. The 'regain system' is a lot more fun style of combat than DS2, though significantly easier. I would say I have died probably 10 times more in DS2 than I ever did in Bloodborne, and the NG+ bosses in DS2 literally wipe the floor with me, while in Bloodborne they seemed maybe 5% 'harder'. Going from Bloodborne to DS2 is a nightmare since I use a shield in DS2, and it's always up. I try my hardest to never get hit. In Bloodborne I run up to a group of 5-6 dudes and just mow through them and maybe lose 10% of my HP. It's just an easier albeit funner version of combat.
Bloodborne however is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME I have EVER seen. The art work and soundtrack both deserve 10/10 ratings. From should have made this 60 fps, and it is a CRIME that it is not 60 fps. Coming from 60fps DS2 on PS4 to 30fps Bloodborne is saddening, as DS2 looks so much better (the smoothness, not the art). The 'frame dropping' issue is very real as well. I swear when I was fighting more than 1 or 2 guys at a time the game was running at MAYBE 10fps. It gets SO laggy.
In short, get this game. Die a lot, get better, and beat it. It's not a perfect game, but it's the best I've played on PS4. My hopes are stupid high for Bloodborne 2, or at least the Bloodborne DLC.
If you're trying to decide between THIS and Dark Souls 2 here's my opinion:
Get Bloodborne. It's a great game, and then get DS2 afterwards.
Bloodborne kicked my ass, at least for the first ~10 hours of gameplay. I thought of selling it, I thought of throwing it out the window, and then I thought about grinding it up and setting it on fire. I finally lived for about an hour, made it to the first boss, and died after almost killing it the first time, amazingly. Then it brought me back to the beginning. I almost lost it. I took to the Internet, because I knew something was wrong. I found out about shortcuts, and if you don't find those, you'll hate this game. I found the shortcut to the boss, and within time, I beat him in about 5-6 attempts. Then I found the 2nd boss, whom was infinitely harder, and in about 30 attempts, I beat him. Then I don't mean to brag, but I -flew- through this game. No other boss beat me more than once save one particular beast, but I don't wanna talk about that.
After about 75 hours of gameplay, I beat the game. I never thought I could do it. Like I said, after the 2nd boss I breezed through the game, beating every optional boss (yes there are MANY optional bosses). I loved this game and it introduced me to the 'Souls' games. I've played DS2 Scholar of the First Sin after beating Bloodborne, and truth be told I think DS2 is a better game.
Couple of my issues with Bloodborne:
1) It's easy compared to the other Soul's games, like, really easy. This of course is AFTER you learn to play, the first couple hours of Bloodborne are nasty brutal, but once you figure out the regain system and parry mechanism, it's just plain easy. I played through NG+ as well.
2) Co-op and PvP are a trainwreck. Matchmaking system does not work nearly as well as it should for a 2015 release. DS2 has better both, though the PvP in DS2 is the most frustrating crap ever (lag attacks, etc.).
3) For me there is no re-play value. I played thru NG+ and beat every boss my first try again, save a couple of deaths on bosses. I knew every shortcut, knew every monster, and whipped through 5-6 NG+ bosses in maybe an hour or two. Nothing changed, at all. Boring re-play. The 'differences' in character development are little to none. Sure you might use a different trick weapon, but you're still playing the exact same way. Parry, dodge, swing a lot, and pray. Little to no variety between builds + no changes in NG+ = no replay value. I sold the game within a month of buying it and beating it twice.
4) Some things Bloodborne did right, others they did wrong. The Soul's games have a better 'potion policy'. Estus flasks never need to be farmed, and are harder to use than Blood vials. Blood vials are boring to farm, and are easy to use during combat. They make the game too easy. There should have been a 'fast travel' system at the lamps. There is absolutely no reason to need to return to the Hunter's Dream every time you want to go somewhere else. DS2 had fast travel at the bonfires, why would Bloodborne not?
5) Boss variety kind of sucked in my opinion. Some of the bosses were extremely cool, most were pretty bland and boring. There are only 2 real varieties of bosses, the humanoids and the beasts. The humanoid bosses were THE BEST bosses BY FAR and had great stories and amazing fights. Almost every beast fight was horribly boring, with horrible camera angles and strategies that involve standing in their asses and swinging until they die, and rolling once in awhile. The humanoid bosses really pushed your skills to the limits, making you employ parries, backstabs, and proper dodging if you wanted to beat them.
6) I found the story of DS2 to be way better than Bloodborne. I know FROM isn't particular with their stories, and I really appreciate that, but Bloodborne could have done a lot more to 'move things along' story wise. I felt DS2 had way, way more NPC's than Bloodborne (because it does) and they all kind of add to the story in interesting ways. The Bloodborne story is really up to interpretation, while I think the DS2 story is a little more obvious and thus entertaining.
7) FROMsoftware really screwed up in my opinion by not adding TRANSFORMATIONS to this game. This would have fixed SO many issues with build variety, PvP boredom, and re-play value. Imagine actually transforming into beasts during NG+, or even NG. Huge missed opportunity here. I read awhile ago an idea of having 'good blood' and 'bad blood' to help the player transform between human and beast forms (kind of like Hollow and Human in DS2) and the 'beast mode' thing in Bloodborne is a sad prank it seems, since it doesn't exist.
I would absolutely say this is the BEST of the Souls games to start out on. If you want a challenge, I'd play DS2 after I played Bloodborne. DS2 has better world's, a better story, and infinitely more variety options. The 'regain system' is a lot more fun style of combat than DS2, though significantly easier. I would say I have died probably 10 times more in DS2 than I ever did in Bloodborne, and the NG+ bosses in DS2 literally wipe the floor with me, while in Bloodborne they seemed maybe 5% 'harder'. Going from Bloodborne to DS2 is a nightmare since I use a shield in DS2, and it's always up. I try my hardest to never get hit. In Bloodborne I run up to a group of 5-6 dudes and just mow through them and maybe lose 10% of my HP. It's just an easier albeit funner version of combat.
Bloodborne however is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GAME I have EVER seen. The art work and soundtrack both deserve 10/10 ratings. From should have made this 60 fps, and it is a CRIME that it is not 60 fps. Coming from 60fps DS2 on PS4 to 30fps Bloodborne is saddening, as DS2 looks so much better (the smoothness, not the art). The 'frame dropping' issue is very real as well. I swear when I was fighting more than 1 or 2 guys at a time the game was running at MAYBE 10fps. It gets SO laggy.
In short, get this game. Die a lot, get better, and beat it. It's not a perfect game, but it's the best I've played on PS4. My hopes are stupid high for Bloodborne 2, or at least the Bloodborne DLC.
If you're trying to decide between THIS and Dark Souls 2 here's my opinion:
Get Bloodborne. It's a great game, and then get DS2 afterwards.
on May 16, 2016
Fun and intense in the beginning, but ultimately very repetitive. And it's annoying that you just have zero idea what you're doing. I know that's supposed to be part of the fun, but.... if you don't want to spend six hours a day crawling and re-crawling the same areas and the same enemies over and over- do yourself a favor and dig into a few online guides and YouTube videos. Also the ending is seriously annoying. Just read about it before you wonder into it.
Pro tip: You are going to die A LOT in the beginning. Make peace with it. Once you can start running chalice dungeons, you can pretty quickly level yourself ahead of the game and things will get easier. Also try to enjoy the thrill of an enemy popping out at you from around corners, because that's a one trick pony this game rides the legs off of.
Pro tip: You are going to die A LOT in the beginning. Make peace with it. Once you can start running chalice dungeons, you can pretty quickly level yourself ahead of the game and things will get easier. Also try to enjoy the thrill of an enemy popping out at you from around corners, because that's a one trick pony this game rides the legs off of.
on June 29, 2016
Bloodborne acts as a sister game to the Souls types of games: the mechanics are similar and the approach to exploring the world and punishing the player's mistakes harshly is familiar, but this game has a decidedly darker tone than the Souls' dark fantasy setting in its steampunk-horror world. Add to that system an emphasis on taking risks and being more offensive in combat and you have the gist of Bloodborne.
That, by any means, is not a bad thing.
On the contrary, the Souls games provided a wonderful experience for those who persevered through its challenges, obscure story, and brutal combat, and that is transferred and improved upon here.
As someone who plays other RPGs like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Kingdom Hearts, Diablo, Mass Effect, etc., this game is simply on its own playing field. If you want a challenging game that rewards you like none other on the market, then give this one a shot. If you can tolerate dying a lot, which is how this game teaches and challenges you to be better, then you wont be disappointed.
I don't really have any complaints about this one. Give it a try if you're skeptical, it's worth the time.
That, by any means, is not a bad thing.
On the contrary, the Souls games provided a wonderful experience for those who persevered through its challenges, obscure story, and brutal combat, and that is transferred and improved upon here.
As someone who plays other RPGs like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Kingdom Hearts, Diablo, Mass Effect, etc., this game is simply on its own playing field. If you want a challenging game that rewards you like none other on the market, then give this one a shot. If you can tolerate dying a lot, which is how this game teaches and challenges you to be better, then you wont be disappointed.
I don't really have any complaints about this one. Give it a try if you're skeptical, it's worth the time.
on March 27, 2017
A fantastic game that really sucks you in. Simply masterful art direction and game design merge into a "story" that reveals itself over time in a twisted, amazing way. This is some of the best use of HP Lovecraft-esque lore I've seen. I do concede that for the most part the story, as it is narratively presented to you, is strange, sometimes hammy and comes off as very alien (like seemingly all Japanese properties). However in my experience it's the details in the world around you and the way in which you interact with them that actually make an impact. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that.
Gameplay-wise, it's Dark Souls, but fast and with no shields. There are some basic firearms to use, but really they are just used to stun enemies and parry attacks (like a shield would do in DS). Combat requires that you be aggressive. The "armor" you equip looks very cool, but the spread between the worst and best sets, in terms of protection and resistance provided, is very slim. You can't tank your way through this game.
Multiplayer works exactly as in Dark Souls. You can summon co-op partners or invade other worlds, assuming you have the right equipment, are in the right locations and have enough "insight" (a consumable stat) to spare. I bought and played this game when it first came out and in my experience I had some trouble finding co-op partners a lot of the time. I think that this has been fixed since.
Overall a great buy!
Gameplay-wise, it's Dark Souls, but fast and with no shields. There are some basic firearms to use, but really they are just used to stun enemies and parry attacks (like a shield would do in DS). Combat requires that you be aggressive. The "armor" you equip looks very cool, but the spread between the worst and best sets, in terms of protection and resistance provided, is very slim. You can't tank your way through this game.
Multiplayer works exactly as in Dark Souls. You can summon co-op partners or invade other worlds, assuming you have the right equipment, are in the right locations and have enough "insight" (a consumable stat) to spare. I bought and played this game when it first came out and in my experience I had some trouble finding co-op partners a lot of the time. I think that this has been fixed since.
Overall a great buy!
on February 22, 2016
I'm an old school gamer and started when Wolfenstein first showed up followed by Doom. When id released Quake I was totally disappointed as I found the game way too easy in single player although I loved the Gothic theme of Quake. Bloodborne is what Quake should have been, IMO.
Bloodborne is an epic old school, quick your butt and keep coming back for more. I have never played a game where my heart starts pounding when i'm about to faceoff against a Boss or one of the Hunter NPC's who are looking to take me out ASAP with 2-3 quick blows. And when i'm victorious I feel like I achieved some reward, lol. Bloodborne is that good and it makes you get better naturally even if it means leveling up and grinding because practice in this game is the key to getting better knowing and detecting your enemies moves.
The story is cool, the voice acting is top notch and the enemies can take you out no matter how weak. If I were to only pick one game to play, this would be it. I also purchased The Old Hunters DLC and I doubt I may ever finish that as the DLC is much harder than the base game.
Bloodborne is an epic old school, quick your butt and keep coming back for more. I have never played a game where my heart starts pounding when i'm about to faceoff against a Boss or one of the Hunter NPC's who are looking to take me out ASAP with 2-3 quick blows. And when i'm victorious I feel like I achieved some reward, lol. Bloodborne is that good and it makes you get better naturally even if it means leveling up and grinding because practice in this game is the key to getting better knowing and detecting your enemies moves.
The story is cool, the voice acting is top notch and the enemies can take you out no matter how weak. If I were to only pick one game to play, this would be it. I also purchased The Old Hunters DLC and I doubt I may ever finish that as the DLC is much harder than the base game.
I have been a gamer for 20 years and can firmly say that this one has made me better at a lot of games
on March 9, 2017
This game is Effing hard but WELL WORTH sticking around for and figuring out how to play it. I have been a gamer for 20 years and can firmly say that this one has made me better at a lot of games. I was used to first person shooter like COD which do a fantastic job at teaching you how to run into a situation kill as many baddies as you can before you die... This one is all about how to stay alive! Careful, strategic game play based on knowing when to dodge (which is constantly!) If you are a hack-and-slasher you will great at timing exactly when to let loose and when to back off and keep moving! Invest plenty of time and exercise (and grow) your gamer patience and you will fall in love with this game. Don't be afraid of putting down the controller and stepping outside to cool off every now and then if you start getting frustrated.
Plenty of hours of game play with surprising re-play value. In fact it took me several weeks to beat this game and the moment I did I wanted to start it from the beginning again (especially when I figured out I could keep all of my hard earned abilities)
Definitely appropriate "M" rating as this game is quite bloody. I don't remember any bad language or sexualized nudity. It is quite gory with pretty scary monsters that could be nightmarish for youngsters.
Plenty of hours of game play with surprising re-play value. In fact it took me several weeks to beat this game and the moment I did I wanted to start it from the beginning again (especially when I figured out I could keep all of my hard earned abilities)
Definitely appropriate "M" rating as this game is quite bloody. I don't remember any bad language or sexualized nudity. It is quite gory with pretty scary monsters that could be nightmarish for youngsters.
on June 18, 2016
You either love or hate games like this; Demon's souls, Dark souls, Lords of the Fallen, etc. I am in the former category. Unforgiving game, with cryptic lore and story, but it made sense to me over time. My first two days attempting to play this game made me want to trade it for something else, but on the third day of playing it made sense and after that I was addicted to it. Great atmosphere, rendering, and difficult game play that somehow manages to be frustrating and satisfying at the same time. The only thing that gets me annoyed is the response of the weapons. Most reviewers say the response is great, but I find it misses a lot whether it's a weapon draw, or item use. There are times I have to press my item button numerously before the item gets used, or the weapon reacts. I know it's a game that is more about being deliberate with your actions rather than a hack and slash game and I like that, but I don't think the response is sharp enough at times. For example, I have died after repeatedly pressing the button to restore health even when I back away from a fight to do so. I also wish there was more indication of what some of the items are for. Some are self-evident, others are not, and since the game saves every second I end up looking online as to what some of the items are because there is no manual save to take back an action if you regret it. Other than that, I love these games, but they are not for the casual game player.
there are opponents who are almost impossible to defeat without being crafty (not a spoiler but the hunter in the Great Cathedra
on June 16, 2015
I'll start this review by saying that I don't play very many games and fell into this one by accident - it was a birthday gift for my husband, but when he handed over the controller to me in a moment of frustration, I became hooked. I started my own game and proceeded to eventually complete every boss fight, every optional area, and unlock every ending in what ended up becoming a defiant urge to defeat and conquer what is truly an infuriating, albeit well-crafted game. This game is HARD. It is designed to break you. It is designed to teach you how to handle each area and each opponent individually and while yes, the combat is almost entirely offensive, there are opponents who are almost impossible to defeat without being crafty (not a spoiler but the hunter in the Great Cathedral and the three hunters in Yahar'gul come to mind). Be warned: defeating this game required a lot of time and attention, and I can see why the casual player would be put off by a game that not only requires you to memorize each area (both in landscape and in various opponents) but by the amount of time it took to level-grind and farm blood vials (healing items). While it's true that you do not NEED to fight every boss or go to every optional area, I don't really see why you wouldn't want to because the items that you get as a result of defeating them can start to feel really essential. I'm the type of person who would rather spend extra time leveling up than fight the same boss over and over, and I don't really see how it's possible to have enough blood vials or enough HP, abilities, or weapons to fight some of the truly awful bosses without taking the time to explore every area. If you're concerned, here are what I considered to be the cons of the game:
1.) You can't just button mash every opponent, or even some of the easy ones will take you out. You must be deliberate and careful about your approach to each area, which isn't ideal for people who don't have the time for that.
2.) You can't save your game to either try out alternate routes, as insurance before you go into a tricky area, or to be right outside the door of a boss fight. When you die (and you will die a lot) you go right back to the top of the area you're in, which can be really infuriating with certain bosses (getting to the Shadow of Yharnam over and over again really started to wear me down). Mercifully, the game designers created shortcuts that can be unlocked in each area that get you to bosses faster, but when you die on the way to opening the shortcut, it can be a very long and frustrating experience.
3.) This game is incredibly confusing and difficult to follow if you're not researching it online. The plot is almost incomprehensible, and there are plenty of hidden areas that I don't know how anyone would've had any clue how to access without researching it online (Castle Cainhurst, for example). If there are other quests or storylines you want to complete, you have no way of knowing where to find the NPCs that will further those quests and have to stumble upon them by chance in unlikely places.
4.) The bosses that I found to be the most difficult were also mandatory bosses, meaning that while a quick play-through is possible, it's unlikely.
5.) It's just plain hard. This game is stupid difficult. There are so many basic enemies who use things like frenzy that can completely destroy you in one hit. The Nightmare Frontier was a PAIN, and for every awesome area of this game, you have to trudge through a few immensely irritating ones that induce a lot of yelling and controller-throwing.
6.) The camera isn't great. There were a couple of boss fights that I lost simply because the camera got stuck at a weird angle and I couldn't move or see anything until it was too late.
All that said, the game is beautifully done, the music is top-notch, and it's very addicting. I liked the fact that there wasn't a ton of choice on armor or weapons because really that gets distracting. It's best to have about 4 weapons that are leveled up really high and that are all good for different type of opponents and you're good to go. IMO, Ludwig's Holy Blade is all you really need for most anything you encounter in this game. Also, I enjoyed the fact that when the game was over, you start over with all the opponents leveled-up because it's frustrating when, once you finally have all the armor and weapons you really want, you no longer have anyone to fight them with. This allowed me to try out new weapons and to continue building on what I had already done. Despite the cons, I'm giving this game a five-star review because of how thoroughly it engaged me and because of how interesting and different most of the bosses and locales are.
1.) You can't just button mash every opponent, or even some of the easy ones will take you out. You must be deliberate and careful about your approach to each area, which isn't ideal for people who don't have the time for that.
2.) You can't save your game to either try out alternate routes, as insurance before you go into a tricky area, or to be right outside the door of a boss fight. When you die (and you will die a lot) you go right back to the top of the area you're in, which can be really infuriating with certain bosses (getting to the Shadow of Yharnam over and over again really started to wear me down). Mercifully, the game designers created shortcuts that can be unlocked in each area that get you to bosses faster, but when you die on the way to opening the shortcut, it can be a very long and frustrating experience.
3.) This game is incredibly confusing and difficult to follow if you're not researching it online. The plot is almost incomprehensible, and there are plenty of hidden areas that I don't know how anyone would've had any clue how to access without researching it online (Castle Cainhurst, for example). If there are other quests or storylines you want to complete, you have no way of knowing where to find the NPCs that will further those quests and have to stumble upon them by chance in unlikely places.
4.) The bosses that I found to be the most difficult were also mandatory bosses, meaning that while a quick play-through is possible, it's unlikely.
5.) It's just plain hard. This game is stupid difficult. There are so many basic enemies who use things like frenzy that can completely destroy you in one hit. The Nightmare Frontier was a PAIN, and for every awesome area of this game, you have to trudge through a few immensely irritating ones that induce a lot of yelling and controller-throwing.
6.) The camera isn't great. There were a couple of boss fights that I lost simply because the camera got stuck at a weird angle and I couldn't move or see anything until it was too late.
All that said, the game is beautifully done, the music is top-notch, and it's very addicting. I liked the fact that there wasn't a ton of choice on armor or weapons because really that gets distracting. It's best to have about 4 weapons that are leveled up really high and that are all good for different type of opponents and you're good to go. IMO, Ludwig's Holy Blade is all you really need for most anything you encounter in this game. Also, I enjoyed the fact that when the game was over, you start over with all the opponents leveled-up because it's frustrating when, once you finally have all the armor and weapons you really want, you no longer have anyone to fight them with. This allowed me to try out new weapons and to continue building on what I had already done. Despite the cons, I'm giving this game a five-star review because of how thoroughly it engaged me and because of how interesting and different most of the bosses and locales are.
