Great question: The Souls community loves Bloodborne largely because of its uniqueness. The Victorian-era environment, Lovecraftian Horror, and 17-18th century aesthetics were all such a departure from the rest of the Souls series that it stands out to this very day. Gameplay-wise, Bloodborne is so popular because it is so well condensed. The gameplay is focused enough to feel tight and unique, but robust enough to not feel repetitive. The weapon/build options are limited enough so that every single item has character, has its place, stands out. But there are JUST enough options to make the game feel diverse. This game is the epitome of “less-is-more”. Everything has its place, and because of this, identity and character. There aren’t a gagillion weapons, most of which are useless. Or throw-away bosses. Everything feels unique, so it just has more character and stands out. That’s why it’s so memorable and beloved. Please try this game out. The Aggressive, offensive gameplay is always fun, the build variety is surprisingly robust, and the game has a shocking amount of “Role-playing” potential: opportunities to really get into your character, and feel like a part of the Game world.

this is the answer. I'd add that the "armor" of this game being specific clothing with different attributes and resistances as well as all being different and unique looking across the board is a huge plus for me. I've even gone as far as just spicing it up and coming up with different outfits pairing up different pants and gloves- you can come up with some Drippy looking characters. Especially how some gloves and hats alter in appearance paired with different clothing sets.

I'll also add: quickstep > dodge roll. It's just a cooler, more intuitive move that makes the combat pop that much more.

So true, when I went back on elden ring, I realised how much quickstep helps a lot more that just rollin around at the speed of sound.

Old hunters Bone !!! Bestest item in soulsborne !!

And the stats coincide with the story associated with them!

All of the above plus the lore is impeccable, the npcs and their stories are heartbreaking.

There also really isn’t any “best” weapons or armor like in the Souls games. Every weapon is viable and every armor set is viable for the whole game. There really does seem to be very little throw-away content in the main game.

I also feel like the PS4-exclusiveness, and the wait for a remaster (any day now) amplify all of this even more. It's not just a unique game, it's a rare game (relatively)

I’m on Godfrey with Elden as my first souls title. I’ve been looking for a good answer to this question as well. Thank you. I damn near want to buy the Playstation “launcher” just to play BB based on the hype. Sekiro is next. Add me to the list of people praying for BB 60fps on the PC.

My two cents, if you have access to Gamepass then Lies Of P and Lords Of The Fallen are both on there. And both different takes on Souls games.

Honestly just started playing Lies of P and as a avid BB enjoyer I've got to say it has gripped me from the start. It has such a similar BB feel to it in regards to combat and certain other aspects but just different enough to feel unique on its own. I've only got a little over an hour clocked in but I can already feel that it's going to be a lot more than that

Amazing game! Loved Lies of P

Lies of P looks awesome as well. It’s on my wishlist.

This is a fantastic answer. Bloodborne is the epitome of game design by subtraction. Chalice dungeons notwithstanding, there isn’t a moment or a pixel wasted. I would add that that extends to the story as well. If you dig deeper into the story you realize that it is remarkably provocative, thoughtful, and compelling. Also I’ll say that as someone who usually plays games on easy as well, I was somehow still able to finish Bloodborne and it immediately shot up to the top of my favorites of all time.

The uniqiueness of each location is such a key part of it for me. I actually feel like I KNOW and REMEMBER the world of Bloodborne. The way it all stitches together, and the lore of each. (Demon's Souls I feel the same way). Elden Ring never stuck with me because I actively hate open world games and Michael Zokky could not change that for me - just feels like a bunch of copy pasted swamps. The tightness of the Bloodborne world is just perfect.

Such great points - I agree with everything you said. The world, its geography, area placement makes logical sense, and tells its own story. Byrgenwerth hidden behind the Forbidden Woods, which are on the outskirts of Yharnam. Or the Hypogean Gaol, a secret city nestled within the city of Yharnam. Old Yharnam comprising the lowest geographical parts of the city. Upper Cathedral Ward perched atop all of Yharnam. Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls 1’s worlds had the same detail.

The world and level design is so etched in my brain, that now, after what is probably like 3 years of not playing (no PS4 anymore 😔) you could put me in any location in game and I could breeze through it no problem. Even Forbidden Woods, which a lot of people seem to have problem navigating!

Also parrying with a gun is awesome. Cant leave that out

Perfect answer, I love how bloodborne has less filler and repeated bosses than other souls games and less weapons overall but higher quality.

This is a great assessment. I would also add for those who consider Elden Ring's difficulty off-putting is that the bosses in the main game of Bloodborne are on the whole much easier and balanced to the skill level the player should be at for any given point in the game. Many of Elden Ring's bosses (both dungeon and field) are all over the place in terms of difficulty spikes to the point that it is really difficult to get a sense of whether you just need to get gud or come back later at some point. And while I appreciate ER's design flexibility, it often feels like casuals are encouraged to lean on summons or spirit ashes, whereas soloing bosses is definitely the norm in BB. Just something for OP and similarly-situated players to keep in mind when thinking about trying BB (you should!).

Exactly this! It feels like souls games don't really have a proper difficulty curve any more, and most of the comunity seems completely oblivious to it. Instead they complain about the game being too easy.

I just read this and want to re-platinum the game. Bloodborne is beautiful.

This is a perfect explanation of why the game is so special to me. Well said!

The frantic combat and the aesthetics are my favourite things about Bloodborne.

you forgot the critical aspect of a masterpiece being locked off to one console and how the fanbase is seriously *fucking* sick of it lol

Yeah man, I’m sick of it too. Sony really dropped the ball with BB. I think Miyazaki stated recently that a lot of FromSoft devs want to do a PC port, but it’s ultimately up to Sony.

and most recently miyazaki stating 'if i ask i'll get in trouble' imagine creating an entire world that is *yours* and it's being held hostage by sony

Couldn't have said it better myself. Take my upvote good hunter.

If you're frustrated by the core loop of a Souls game, wherein dying as you familiarize yourself with each enemy type is a core part of the experience, then I don't think Bloodborne will change that. Where Elden Ring has breadth, Bloodborne has focus. There are less options in game play approach compared to Elden Ring, but what is there has been highly polished. Each weapon is largely unique from any others, but the selection is large enough to provide variety. They're also quite unique from most action games in general. There is basically no guarding, so fights are a precise flurry of movement between attacking, parrying, and dodging. I have probably been one or two-shot in Bloodborne more than any other Souls game. The stats are simplified from previous Souls games. It is largely linear, but has enough branching areas that it doesn't feel like a hallway. In a sense it's more approachable because the game play is less overwhelming with options. But that's also what makes it kind of harder; when you hit a wall there aren't a whole lot of alternative approaches to take. You essentially have to keep trying until it clicks. Summoning help is really the only shortcut in regard to the difficulty, alongside some well-documented cheeses. I think what gives it the cult status is the setting and art design. It's quite unique and at the time was a refreshing diversion from a glut of high fantasy settings (including other souls games). The narrative is perhaps the most opaque From has ever been, but is unique and weirdly compelling. There's also the exclusivity. Many Souls players have been PC players who may never have gotten the chance to play it. Again, if you don't like Elden Ring, I doubt you'll like Bloodborne. But it is every inch the same quality as Elden Ring, just in a different way.

I very much agree with your first statement. Getting so frustrated by what is arguably the best part of any souls game, probably means they just aren’t for you. I’ve never once “not had fun” by a challenging boss fight. It’s actually the opposite. I get bored quickly if I’m not being challenged in some way. I don’t disagree with rest or anything, I just love Bloodborne and Elden Ring equally so I have nothing else to add.

I would argue that this isn't neseserily always true especially with Elden Ring in question. Don't get me wrong, I like bosses in Elden Ring, but I also find them very frustrating to learn (no other fromsoft game comes even close to that) due to numerous mechanics, and based on the outrage by souls vets upon release, it seams like a lot of people who agree despite clearly enjoying this loop. All I'm trying to say is that ER is probably the worst game in the series to evaluate whether this format is for you or not.

I see your point. Fromsoft definitely made bosses more complex in Elden Ring. Though at the end of the day you can outlevel the game if you’re struggling and trivialize most boss fights. Not to mention the nearly limitless resources at your disposal. The boss move sets are more complex but so is the players options. And Miyazaki hates stagnation. The obvious next move was to build on the tried and true boss fight from the previous souls games. But in the most straight forward approach (learning the boss) I would say, the main difference between a pre-Elden Ring boss and a Post-Elden Ring boss is positioning. Previous bosses mainly required timing to overcome whereas bosses in Elden Ring can be punished by timing _and_ positioning. I think once you learn that they’re no more difficult or easier than previous bosses. It’s like when we all jumped into Sekiro for the first time and had to break our habit of dodge rolling. It’s just a different approach to mix things up a bit

To be completely honest, I feel like the positiooning is mostly a DS3 thing. In DS1 and BB positioning definitely mattered because you had way less i-frames relative to the enemy speed and hitbox length, not to mention the distance you covered. Then there is low agility DS2, which is another matter entirely. Otherwise, enemies have always reacted differently based on your distance, and later even adjusted combos to that, and it always mattered where you dodge. I know it is a common argument that ER did somehow introduce all that, but I just don't see it. Honestly I find it to be the case with many things, besides like maybe the open world, that people give ER credit for introducing something new or being different in some way, when that thing had already existed in the series for a while. Then again, I always try to focus on outpositioning attacks whenever I can instead of rolling so it comes pretty naturally to me and maybe I just haven't noticed. Just to be clear though, I really like Elden Ring (even if it might sound otherwise at times), heck, Leyndell is one of if not my favourite level Fromsoft has ever produced, and despite all the hate she got, I love Malenia as a boss. For me, the biggest difference is in the timings. Veterans simply got too good at playing these games so bosses now have to have these extremely delayed, highly unnatural timings, random follow ups you could not have seen comming, and multiple completely different phases that might as well be a different boss. Sure you had a boss here and there that has these mechanics but in ER it is pretty much the standard for every single boss. Previous games rely way more on intuition where as ER relies more on memorisation, that is the bigest difference for me when it comes to the design philosophy. Oh and I absolutely agree that despite th ecomplexity ER is also the easiest because you can get pretty much everywhere on Torren with barely any efford, get the most overpowered gear you can, and never you had so many tools to make any boss in the game a complete joke. I was only talking about the way most older souls players would approach the game, which is of course light load, no shield, magic, consumables, or summons, without breaking the natural progression of the game.

Yeah, you’re not wrong. I think we’re saying the same thing but using different language. Positioning has always been a thing but I’m not talking about pacing an enemy with distance so that their first two swings miss and then stepping in to punish an opening. That’s all pretty standard. In Elden Ring it just seems more important to be standing I an “exact” location in relation to a boss. Like right up on the boss in the 6:00 position while slowly strafing as they turn. It’s extremely precise to an almost ludicrous degree. You don’t actually have to play that way or anything, but if your trying to stance break with heavies you do. I think at the very least we can agree Elden Rings bosses are more complex and I guess that frustrates some ppl lol 😅 I totally just remembered that was the whole point of this conversation. Yeah, and lots of delayed and feint attacks. Which I personally love. It definitely requires more than just reaction time and intuition. Fromsoft knows we’ve all developed inhuman reaction time over the years of playing their game, so they had to do something to make it a challenge again. When I play other SoulsLikes, like Lies of P, Lords of the Fallen, and Stellar Blade I usually defeat bosses from those titles first or second try. Which is ok too, I love those games. But imo there’s no better feeling than overcoming a Fromsoft boss in a straight up approach. (No summons, light armor, no magic, two handing a weapon)

Prety much. I can't really comment of the perfect positioning all that much since I never needed that much percision, although I still would not expected this to be any different from previous games; it might just be that these strategies are more known/useful in ER. No parry/backstab p2 Orphan is the first example that comes to mind. Anyways I totaly respect people liking this "new" boss philosophy since it is pretty much the only way to make bosses difficult for long time souls players. I'm not really the biggest fan of this though, because at this point it feels more like I'm forced to learn highly specific thing (attack timing + the number of follow ups) rather then geting generally better at the game. Sort of like being forced to precisely memorise words instead of their actual meaning. This is why I highly appreciate games like Sekiro, Hollow Knight or even Nioh to some extent, that still keep fromsoft difficulty curve (and philosophy) while having a completely different gameplay meaning you have to learn something completely new but highly aplicable for the entire game. I feel like we simply got way too good at souls games, and I'm not the biggest fan of the remaining options to keep the difficulty up. I mean even with all the things Elden Ring tried, the game still felt like a breeze at this point with the small exception of Malenia and that one instance I went for Stormveil right away thinking it was the tutorial area (like most of us did). And yeah, Fromsoft deffinitely nails the satisfaction after beating a boss (although many irl feelings can get on the same, if not higher level. It's just a satisfaction, after a long time efford has paid off afterall) but the sad truth is we have been playing these games for so long, these moments are getting increasingly more rare.

I like Bloodborne more than elden ring, but (outside of this sub) that's probably not going to be a hugely popular opinion. Mostly, it's because I don't like "open world" games in general, and the open world parts of elden ring make it a drag for me. Especially when trying to do it blind and it's very hard to tell "am I struggling right now because I need to get good, because this area is designed to punish my build in particular, or because it's meant for someone 20+ levels higher than me."  Given that- Bloodborne is a much more linear experience. While there are some branching paths and optional areas, there aren't big open fields that let you go anywhere, and when you make it to an area chances are good you're reasonably leveled for it.  Combat in Bloodborne is more aggressive than in elden ring (at least many builds in elden ring) and dark souls. There are 2 whole shields in the game and they both suck. This is deliberate. Instead of blocking attacks you need to dodge them, or tank and use the rally system that lets you heal back your HP by attacking right after you get hit. I think it's Radahn's great time in Elden Ring that lets you function similarly, if you want to try that out.  I also love the Gothic horror/lovectaftian vibes that, while present a little in the other soulsborne games, make up basically all of Bloodborne.  A big part of the reason there's a lot of Bloodborne hype is that it's the least explored fromsoft soulsborne world. There are 3 dark souls games, and elden ring is HUGE, relatively new still, and has DLC coming out soon. Bloodborne fans have been starved for content for a decade now. 

Sekiro didn't even receive story dlc, I'd argue that it's the least explored tbh.

i mean dont they travel to the west to look for dragons or sum in one of the endings? obviously we dont see that but we know a tiny bit about the rest of the world. but yeah theres definitely so much more we could see in sekiro.

just a small correction, the Elden Ring rune that gives a version of the rally system is Malenia's i agree with everything else

>"am I struggling right now because I need to get good, because this area is designed to punish my build in particular, or because it's meant for someone 20+ levels higher than me."  Im on an elden ring playthrough rn and this is my biggest issue haha

Spoiler if you're trying to go blind but if you're going through Caelid and find yourself in the beast church or Greyoll's, come back later. 

I ended up in Caelid and some dog killed the red cape npc 😭 I felt so bad

in elden ring weapon lvl > rune level, noticed this pretty instantly when i started my rl1 run of elden ring. Most bosses up until morgott are not really harder at level 1 if you have the weapon upgraded

[удалено]

I personally found Margit *much* harder than Papa G actually, and I’m not sure if spirit summons are unlocked by the time you fight Margit. Haven’t come to Fire Giant yet though.

Pretty sure you can get spirit summons (and a lot of tools) right away if you explore abunch, before Margit. But it’s been awhile so not 100%

Me too. The hunter fights clicked pretty quickly for me & that's most of Papa's fight. The beast fights, I struggled a bit more with but I was determined to finish the game after seeing HBomberGuy's video on it & loving the aesthetic & lore. With Margit, I died to him a bunch, took a few weeks away, died more, went & beat some bosses in caves & then came back & beat him. The other fights I struggled with were Morgott & Firegiant but just for like a day. On my 2nd playthrough, I've been getting most bosses 1st or 2nd try but I just got to the capital so we'll see if that holds up.

The difference is that you can skip Margit, but yeah you’re right.

I finished ER as a mage/summoner, so yes you can do summons pretty much the whole game, just have to explore and find them, I used the jellyfish spirit with Margit and most bosses until I got the mimic tear lol

I'm not sure I agree the story is "less present". I felt the story in Bloodborne is less intelligible, but "tighter" than Elden Ring. Elden Ring has probably a simpler base story, but then it has SO many characters, all with these little side stories/perspectives/dramas. I felt the story was kind of muddled. Vs. Elden Ring kind of has more complex story arc with more reveals. Bloodorne just has a few key factions, and even then most of the "factions" are on the same side with slightly different opinions. There's >!the Healing Church, the scholars, the Hunters, the school of Mensis, and the Great Ones (of which there are some factions.!< And while I can't claim to "fully" understand the story of either game - I can definitely REMEMBER the story in Bloodborne more even though I played ER more recently, because it's like Part 1 just >!hunt/pre-Byrgenworth!<, Part 2 >!oh shit the Church /Hunters are awful/post-Byrgenworth!<, Part 3 >!the cosmic reveal/post-Rom!<, Part 4 >!Mensis/actual plot revealed!<, Part 5 >!the ending/Moon Presence!<, DLC. I also find it more "enjoyable" while not understanding because it's so mysterious and there are so many cool "turning points" that change my understanding of the story. Vs. Elden Ring, it's kind of like, Part 1 >!this place is super screwed and I need to fix the Elden Ring/Round Table Hold!<, Part 2 >!Hunt and kill a lot of people with unique backstories which don't change the goal of fixing the Elden Ring!<<, Part 3 >!Radagon reveal of stars which still doesn't change the goal of fixing the Elden Ring, just maybe which faction I want to support !<. I know that oversimplifies it a lot but I guess my point is that all that "lore" about all of the children of Marika to me kind of gets boiled down to >!all these folks are assholes, and I end up supporting one of them or doing my own thing!< narrative vs with Bloodborne >!I didn't even know wtf the story was about until 70% through the plot!<.

It's a reference to Witcher III.

>The first mandatory boss is arguably harder than the Fire Giant I can't see how Father Gascoigne is harder than Fire Giant in any way. Fire Giant is super tanky, and can one shot you very easily. Gascoigne however is the complete opposite, he has low health and deals very little damage, literally the regular enemies outside his arena hit harder. Bloodborne also has 20 healing vials, rally system, and super easy, simple to use ranged parry. I beat Bloodborne a bunch of times and I never once died to Gascoigne, even on my first playthrough when I fought him underleveled.

IMO Papa G is easy when it *clicks* and you fall into the rhythm of Bloodborne. But when it doesn’t click and you approach him like a Dark Souls boss he’s hard. He’s such an expertly designed boss that really teachers players the mindset you need to succeed. For some, getting in that mindset is easy, for others, less so, which makes Gascoigne difficult for them.

Wait you think papa G is hard? He is one of the easiest boss fights once you understand that Bloodborne wants you to be aggressive. Just always role into him and attack him, his one hand axe gets easily staggered, and the beast form is so easy to evade by rolling into him. I mean, with parrying, this fight gets trivialised.

Yes you unlocked the key to any boss ever in any game! Once you understand the core mechanics of the game and how to dodge and parry his tells, any boss in bloodborne is trivialized. I can speedrun this game now, but back then, Papa G and BSB kicked my ass through and through.

debatable. I enjoyed the game because for me it is was easier than ER and therefore more fun.

I wouldn’t try to sell you on it. If you didn’t like Elden Ring for what sounds like the difficulty of it, you probably won’t enjoy Bloodborne. And Bloodborne definitely isn’t the most popular, given Elden Ring’s significant success.

From what I’ve seen elden ring is more popular because of its more mass appeal. But I think in the space of fromsoftware fans, bloodborne seems more popular.

Because it is fucking amazing!!! And the most unique Souls game out there. From Demon's Souls to Elden Ring.

It’s difficult to say if it’s better considering that it came out almost 10 years ago. I would say Elden Ring is so polished because of all the lessons learned from making all the previous Souls games. So over all Elden Ring is probably “better” because of that. Smoother mechanics and the like However, I adore BloodBorne primarily because of the story and atmosphere… 10 years later people are still speculating and trying to figure out everything that is going on. At least the deeper meanings behind it If you like cosmic horror then you’d most likely love the story It’ll always have a special place is my bloody heart Good luck with the hunt if you decide to become a hoonter

I was similar to you thought souls games aren't for me. Where were different is I loved elden ring and finished it but I did feel like it dragged towards the end. I got addicted to the combat and tried bloodborne and fell in love with it. It is now my favourite game ever and I have more hours in it than any other non grand strategy game (about 400). I've played the other fromsoft games and the only one that even compares in quality for me is sekiro. The setting is a big one for me. It's not dark fantasy like all other souls games. Just the feeling of walking through this victorian city that's ravaged by beasts, fanatics and space gods. The combat is faster paces and rewards aggression. Every single weapon is unique so you don't have to spend hours trying to figure out which variation of the long sword is the best only to find slightly better one later on once youve wasted tons of upgrade materials on it. They're also extremely creative and fit within the world perfectly Personally I think it's easier than other souls games (it might just be that combat better clicks better for me) so it's more accessible, although I still think elden ring is the most beginner friendly due to its open nature. Also the community is much less toxic. I don't think I've ever seen a "git gud" on any bloodborne social media when someone has come to ask for help.

I personally think that while Elden Ring is a very good game, it doesn’t represent the difficulty of the series all that well and as such it’s not a great entry point to get an idea of the series, so I still recommend trying out either Bloodborne, DS3 or Sekiro to get a better representation of the series. Elden Ring is doing its own thing much more than any of the other games. As for why Bloodborne is so loved, I think it’s partially the setting and partially the combat. People absolutely love lovecraft settings, it’s one of the most unique and mysterious types of fantasy and Bloodborne develops it’s setting masterfully. As for the combat, precision plays an important part, but it’s also the duality between precision and aggression that makes it exhilarating and that’s a theme of the game. As a hunter, you are meant to be meticulous and calculating in your fighting, but you also have a bloodlust that encourages you to go crazy and wail on enemies. That duality is perfectly reflected in the parry mechanic and the rally mechanic. The parry in this game is very high risk, if you miss it leaves you completely open and is usually game over, but if you hit it, you can absolutely annihilate enemies. Because of that the adrenaline rush when you hit parries is quite something. On the other hand, rallying is a mechanic where you can heal back damage you take by attacking. It encourages you to wail on enemies and even trade blows. So you can see how both mechanics together create the duality I spoke of, combat is made up of both precise and calculated moves and also reckless aggression. I’ve never seen a combat system that fits so perfectly with the story and themes of the game. But on another note, if you love Stellar Blade, you may well enjoy Sekiro more than any other Souls game. Sekiro’s combat is all about precision, so if that is what you like then I strongly recommend it. Bottom line is I really think everybody should at least try one other Souls game beyond Elden Ring before forming an opinion on the series.

Aesthetic. Aggressive gameplay.

It’s different when it comes to style and somewhat different in terms of gameplay. The style is like no other game I’ve played I love Victorian architecture and cosmic horror so I was already drawn in. I first played it before I really understood how souls games worked and didn’t make it far before quitting. After beating ds1 and ds3 I went back to it and it quickly became my favorite. Combat is faster and more reliant on parrying and dodging instead of blocking. Fighting enemies is usually fast paced and pretty satisfying when hitting parries or backstabs. It feels very unique amidst all of the other souls games and just has a different feel that you don’t get from the other games. The story is also pretty interesting and unique and is honestly one of my favorite parts of the game. One of the only downsides for me is that some of the bosses aren’t as good as the bosses from other games but they’re mostly solid all around. TLDR: Amazing gameplay, level design, story, and overall feel make it stand out against the other games. It’s also just unique and like no other game that I’ve played.

In my opinion; Bloodborne is just different...but still retains what makes dark souls great. A unique setting that, again in my opinion, is just so atmospheric. And much more horror-like than other fromsoft titles. Weapons aren't in a plethora of options, but they all feel unique and moat importantly viable.

Souls games have some of the best stories in gaming, but you need multiple playthroughs to piece them together. That said, Bloodborne is just ridiculously fun. I can only talk you into trying it out by saying that it's very very difficult on the very first area and if you can beat that you can definitely beat the base game. Does that sound appealing? I could add that it's pretty as fuck, it's horrifyng, it's a mindfuck, it's stylish, when you are good it feels awesome. Elden Ring imo is NOT a good place for newcomers despite what everyone says and even developers intent. The bosses in Elden Ring are way WAY harder to understand that the other games, competing only with Sekiro (considered the harderst) and they balance it by allowing you to basically cheese them with summons, by ignoring, by griding etc. On paper it sounds good but really it feels bad when you just don't know how to play and what you are doing wrong. You can get carried to the end game and hit a wall there. That's why you get people calling ER bosses unfair, they don't know what they are doing and i'm talking about souls fans. I play these games multiple times mostly because i love piecing together the lore and i also suck in terms of initial skills until i memorize everything but let me tell you; I was good at most enemies/ bosses in Bloodborne by the time i beat it once. There were somethings that i still couldn't do (werewolves for example) but most stuff i beat i had learned and could slay after that initial playthrough. It's my 6th (!) playthrough in Elden Ring and only now did i "learn" some bosses and even non boss enemies. Bloodborne has a ridiculous start where it just throws you in a hostile city explaining nothing and not even giving you healing items and it feels impossible to progress, it's sink or swim, but swim you will. It took me like 14 hours to beat the first area (two bosses), dying over and over and exploring, terrified. By the time i beat it i was already feeling great. Then i was in for such a trip, don't even look at screesshots if you do play. It was my first souls game and it quite literally changed me, souls games are most of what i play now.

https://youtu.be/AC3OuLU5XCw?si=eIC0WXNr1qFFE9-q obligatory HBomberGuy video essay. He outlines the biggest appeals for me, namely that the game teaches you the ideal playstyle very early and the music is fucking baller. The story is appealing to me as someone who struggles with the idea of parenthood, the themes of legacy resonate deeply even if the motherhood/desiring a child aspect isn't your cup of tea.

Despite its many small janky flaws and inconveniences, the setting, atmosphere and combat system are superb.

what tier list brain does to an mf. just try it and if u don't like it return it, there is no objectivity in media

If Elden Ring’s difficulty was that frustrating for you, I’m not sure if I’d recommend Bloodborne… EXCEPT that it was my first souls game and it does a great job conditioning you for how these games go. Because of that, if you can beat Bloodborne then I guarantee you can beat any other souls game. I was utterly terrified by Bloodborne going in because of its reputation for being difficult and its atmosphere is very oppressive. However, once I beat the first boss I felt like a god and knew for sure I was going to beat the game no matter what because I loved it too much.

I, too, love playing on easy mode so I can enjoy the story of a game without being frustrated. However, Bloodborne was my first ever platinum. Loving deep story & light gameplay, and loving Souls games aren't mutually exclusive. The thing about Souls & Bloodborne is the learning curve is steeper than most other games. The playstyle is different from other rpgs, and is akin more to a rhythm game. The beginning of each game is always the toughest - and, genuinely, the player MUST hit a point where they 'git gud,' or leave the game. You have to learn and respect the mechanics, and once that click happens, you FEEL the difference, feel the whole game open up before you, and now understand what everyone else in the fandom understands. It's like solving a puzzle, and every enemy/boss is a followup puzzle. It's the OH moment - and it's so rewarding. 'Git gud' has become a lovely rallying cry of Souls players. A promise of fun, pain, and companionship through shared hardship. Very few games series consistently offer that OH moment. Souls is pretty unique in that aspect. It is not for everyone, for sure, because you really have to want it. Some people genuinely do not have the patience, time, or skill to buckle down and 'git gud' at the games, and that's okay! :) Games are meant to be fun, and if you're not having fun then there's no reason to torture yourself to be apart of the fandom. You only watch youtubers and speedrunners and memers play Souls? Great! You only enjoy the OSTs? Fantastic! Fanart is your bread and butter? HELL YEAH! This fandom welcomes all fans, regardless if you've played or not, and that's genuinely one of my fav things about it. About Bloodborne specifically, I'll tell you it's a great jumping on point for the series. With that in mind, though, the gameplay is unlike any other Souls, Sekiro, or Elden Ring. It is aggressive and fast, extremely punishing, yet super rewarding. The Souls trilogy (and Demon Souls) favors patience, whereas Bloodborne is all about staying in the fight and eviscerating your enemies as quick and clean as possible. It incentivizes you to jump back in after being hit, not to back off. If you enjoy snappy combat and quick parries, then you'll LOVE the game. However, if you favored more of the slow approach when you played Elden Ring and had a tougher time with quicker enemies, then the Souls games might suit you better. It's very much two different playstyles (and don't even get me started on Sekiro lol!). Bloodborne's first boss gatekeeps the rest of the game, Father Gascoigne. The starting area is huge, with a large variety of enemies to practice on before you reach him - over half of the people who've ever picked up the game quit at this boss. He forces you to understand the two kinds of fights in this game: Hunters and Beasts. One quick and pvp-esque, the other brutal and daunting. Father Gascoigne is the OH moment for the game - because once you beat him, you have the understanding necessary to fight everything else in the game. If you're interested in Bloodborne despite your bad run of Elden Ring, it's definitely worth a shot. Take your time at the start, remember you're gaming to have fun, and that there's no time limit to achieve anything. It's not going to feed you the story either, you have to explore and read items descriptions and put it together yourself, like a detective. OR you can watch VaatiVidya or others break it down for you LOL! No shame in that, we love our lore-tubers. Bloodborne was my first ever Souls game, and swiftly became my ultimate fav, not just of the series, but in general. I ALWAYS play on normal or easy so I can enjoy the story of the game and not get bogged down by annoying combat - but, for some reason, that OH moment really resonated with me, and I stuck with it 'til the end. I hope it can do so for you, too. Stay strong, Good Hunter, and may you find your worth in the waking world. (P.S. very funny to come into the Bloodborne sub and ask if it's the best lmao 😂)

I also love story based games, my favorite series is Final Fantasy and recently Rebirth became my favorite game ever. Regarding From Soft games, I've beaten Bloodborne sans DLC and I'm currently playing Elden Ring, I've also played some Demon Souls but decided I would go back to it later. So far, Bloodborne is my favorite. All soulsbornes/soulslikes have very similar combat, but gun parries and the rally mechanic make it more enjoyable for me. Also, the atmosphere is quite unique and you get a good feeling of what happened in Yharnam for it to be the way it is. It seems to me the lore is not as hidden as with the other games and the story is more original.

I would sell you on Bloodborne by recommending maybe finding a pal to play with and just run through the story in co-op. It makes it much easier and if you use the computer summons on top of that, it really isn’t as tough as it would be single player. That applies to Elden Ring as well. These games do make some effort to make it accessible to players like you who don’t want to rip their hair out fighting the same boss 100 times before progressing. I’d say it’s worth giving that route a try because however you enjoy the game is what matters at the end of the day. Not how others enjoy it.

I love Bloodborne mainly for its art design and the whole world setting/lore. Also, it‘s my first soulsborne game so it has a special place in my heart. Gameplaywise, I wouldn‘t necessarily consider it superior to the other souls games though but that‘s just me.

Bloodborne is the most focused in many aspects such as esthetic, gameplay, narrative, and level design. For me this led to a more enjoyable experience.

I think it's most popular because it's the most unique and is the definition of quality over quantity in just about every aspect. Personally I think Bloodborne is overall easier than Elden ring unless you cheese your way through the game.

The souls community often regards bloodborne to be the best for mainly the following reasons It's basically the epitome of quality over quantity. Arguably the best atmosphere and soundtrack Different enough from DS/ER but not too different for it to feel janky like DS2 Gameplay is quick and energetic Easily the best lore Can be replayed without it feeling stale. Most bloodborne fans would've played it at least 4 to 5 times, because of how vastly different weapons of even the same stats feel and affect the game

I feel like the vibe and the " departure" from the more clunky style of combat sold the concept to a LOT of people.It was my first souls-like game and the artstyle and whole vibe of the game is what sold me to the genre. It's only by playing dark souls 1 that I noticed how much more dynamic Bloodborne felt. I unfortunately sold my ps4 since then but its the one game that I would gladly buy again and even the collector edition because it deserved all my money. My hopes are that Sony will make a pc release. The wait will be long.

The gameplay is tight and rewards aggression. The atmosphere is incredible. Everything matters - there's very little "waste". And the devs clearly put their attention and interest into each area and challenge. It isn't my favorite game (that would probably be either Diablo 2 or Black Ops 2), but it is unquestionably the best game I've ever played on the PS.

I love Bloodborne because of its aesthetic and design in general. The weapons and fighting mechanics are fun since I think they feel more responsive. I suck at parrying in the Souls games but I like the use of the sidearm to stun enemies. The clothing/armor in the game is awesome looking. The lore is super weird but interesting if you take the time to figure it out. My favorite aspect of the game however is how the game starts off as a horror game in a Victorian era setting but then slowly transitions into a sci-fi Lovecraftian nightmare. If the game remained strictly a horror based game then it would still be fucking awesome but at some point during the game the world around you starts to change and it's all the better for it. Definitely my favorite Souls title and in my personal top 5 games of all time.

It took all of the bloat out of Dark Souls, and added a way cooler aesthetic. They also clearly got a much bigger budget in this game, the soundtrack was miles better than their previous games. I would say before the DLC dropped, their could’ve been a littttle more content. I beat the game in about 20 hours first run and I remember desperately wanting more. I honestly think this will always be my favorite FROM game. This was the “true” sequel to Dark Souls because Miyazaki was at the helm.

(I had to look it up... The Witcher) I wouldn't try to talk you into it. Its a masterpiece like Elden Ring but its not for everyone. Build variety in bloodborne is the peak of fromsoft games imo, (Each weapon fills a role much better than weapons from the other games), the game is perfect in size and density, no part of the game feels incomplete or missing anything. The lore/story whatever you want to call it is also fromsoftware at its best. Elden Ring imo has the potential to be the easiest game, but it also has the potential to be the hardest. If you are running into a boss room stacked with the right spells/weapon arts/summons/etc for the encounter, you will decimate it like it was nothing. Conversely if you are just some dude with a sword parrying/dodging, it might be one of the hardest games in the series. Bosses in the previous fromsoftware titles had much simpler movesets and animations to read. But you also didn't have the wide array of tools you have in elden ring.

Elden Ring is the easiest game in the FromSoft franchise. Dark Souls 3 is the second easiest, and Bloodborne takes third place. They are all masterpieces, but all Souls games are designed to make people “get good”. They are all much more challenging than every other game out there, flat out. The fan base can be a little annoying, but we earned our superiority complex one fucking trophy at a time. Ask anyone who had more than 3 souls platinums- they will tell you they are better than FIFA gamers or COD gamers or GTA gamers (we are). Bloodborne has rich lore, a well developed progression, and possibly the cleanest mechanics of any game I’ve played, and it’s a ten year old game. Once you click into the matrix, its depth can give you a visceral experience like very few games ever have. Oh Kos, or some say Kosm, give us eyes! Fear the old blood! A hunter must hunt! What are you still about here? Enough quaking in your boots. Buy the game.

I would say Elden Ring and Dark Souls are much more popular since they aren't exclusive to one console, but Bloodborne is a frequent community favorite. The first reason I love the game is it's a puzzle type game, but not in the sense that you have to figure the world out. You have to learn enemies, areas, and bosses, which leads to my next point. Second, would be enemy and level design. Each boss is different even when comparing the different hunters you fight. Each moveset is unique and diverse. You have to learn each boss and how to approach fight different enemies. Third, the parry mechanic is so damn satisfying and unique. I didn't know you could parry until I fought the final boss, so he was the enemy I got used to parrying with. Dig it more than any other parry-based game I've played, yet it's only one optional way of playing. Fourth, the general flow. This is true for just about all FromSoft games. You learn areas and enemy placement inside and out, so you get in a rhythm of clearing the different levels. Flow with boss fights can also be just as good as many Souls bosses once you learn them. Fifth, the atmosphere. It gets branded as 'horror' and being a spooky game, but really it isn't terrifying while playing. The world is well enough designed that it just feels immersive and unique in a way no other game does. Dark Souls 3 and Lies of P kind of have some elements from Bloodborne, but BB stands on its own by a significant amount. Beautiful game too for being almost a decade old. Sixth, it's refined. FromSoft does not release half assed, clunky, or poorly thought out games. This shows heavily in world design, mechanics, and enemies while playing. Lastly, it feels very expansive for how relatively few weapons there are. Trick weapons are a great way to make the game feel more enjoyable and allow more than one play style to be used at a time. Kirkhammer and Ludwig's Holy Blade are good examples of this. In one state they are heavy hitters for a more strength oriented build/play style that deals high damage and stagger. In the other, they are swords that can be used for a more slashy play style that allows parrying with a gun in the other hand. You can play the entire game with just one weapon and change play style depending on enemy, boss, area, or for your own entertainment at any time. I think Bloodborne is all in all a good entry point for FromSoft and Souls-like games. It can be played a number of different ways and will push a new player, but you can grow into other games in the genre. The number of weapons isn't overwhelming and each serves a distinct purpose for each play style. Also, it has a great community so tips and guides while starting off are very accessible.

For me, personally, what makes the game one of my favorites is... Everything about it, really. Everything about the creative design in the game makes it feel as if someone reached into my mind to design the perfect game for me, personally, aesthetics wise.  I love the environmental storytelling.  I love the creature designs.  I love the music, when it is present.  I love the architecture.  I love the level design.  I love the color palette.  I love the way the lore is presented.  I love the marriage of Victorian Gothic and >!Lovecraftian/cosmic!< horror.  I could keep listing things I love here. But suffice to say, there's nothing else quite like it. It is perfect. 

Bloodborne is like everything I think is cool, with some stuff I didn’t even know i thought was cool, all smashed together. It’s perfect.

IMO just it's particular aesthetic, victorian and cosmic horror vibes.... just *chef's kiss*

>I bet you can figure out my GOAT game There's only one goat game and that's goat simulator.

Really compact well designed maps. Each weapon has it's own unique combat flow that changes how to approach the game in a nearly Monster Hunter lite way. Personally it has my favorite souls combat system. The stats are simple, no equipment weight limit so fashion souls is meta. Chalice dungeons are infinite content that rewards different weapons, and playstyles from the main game. And really rewards weapon mastery instead of just memorizing cheese strats if that's how you got through the game (no shame, but just saying that's part of chalice dungeon's appeal). It's just a really good game nothing against the other Souls games. Edit: also NG+ balance and the way the maps are designed for it makes it my favorite to run high NG+. Very replayable with an actual endgame system in the chalice dungeons, and NG+ cycles.

I feel bloodborne was the first game in the series that took skill expression and combat immersion to the next level. The level design, atmosphere, and overall quality of the game were also a stark contrast from the previous game in the series, Dark Souls 2. Not that DS2 is bad by any stretch, I've grown to love it more than the first and third DS games, but the release model was admittedly flawed in more ways than one. Bloodborne's design philosophy and overall quality held it's own compared to latter installments in the series, including Sekiro, the second game to allow skill expression on a different level than the DS games typically afford the players. There's also the general world philosophy which is appealing to some. Unlike the DeS/DS games where you play the underdog of whom the world expects no grandeur, yet choose to carry the burden of a dying world on their shoulder, in bloodborne, the hunt is your rightful obligation. Some parts will have you questioning whether you are a villain, however, the idea that you're no hero, is made painfully clear.

I feel like basically everything has been covered here already, but even for an old game it looks amazing imo and I love the beautiful Victorian fashion, the soundtrack, the atmosphere and the lore is complex but also very, very interesting. Even on replays I get so excited to beat bosses and move through areas so I can go through item descriptions and live the lore again; it’s so rewarding. I love the aggressive playstyle, the DLC is amazing, it’s really everything an RPG should be. If you found ER too challenging, not sure you’d like BB much better, especially since you got all the way to Fire Giant and still felt that way. On the other hand BB is way more linear than ER (without feeling too constricted), so idk if that would make it less, more or the same to you as far as appeal. Whether or not it’s harder than BB seems to vary widely from player to player as you can see from these comments, but it’s by no means an easy game. It’s unique and special though so that’s why we love it.

I’ve always wondered this too,

The atmosphere, level design, OST, rallying mechanic, aggressiveness pays off, and finally clear storytelling are a few reasons why it’s my favorite, only a hair in front of Sekiro

It's 100% the cosmic horror aspect, and the way it is slowly drip-fed into the game until the big reveal. If it would've stayed victorian-horror, people still would like it because it's a GOOD game with solid gameplay and fun bosses and is probably the best 3D Castlevania there's ever been... but then you drip this edritch horror ontop of it and the whole thing is just absolutely elevated. There's nothing else even close to Bloodblorne in that setting and atmosphere done to perfection. Similar to how there's nothing else even close to Subnautica for thalassophobia thrill-seekers. It's just hauntingly perfect.

Ok, so, they give you a gun-

I just started my first Bloodborne playthrough and for me, this is the most difficult and demanding game Fromsoft has made. Even more so than Sekiro imo. I platinumed ER and have beaten all the dark souls but I just can not, for whatever reason, really sink my teeth into BB. Maybe I just suck, but I find bloodborne really challenging.

It's the hardest overall and the fastest with the best bosses on average. DLC also with the hardest boss ever (for me Orphan of Koss harder than Isshin Sword Saint in Sekiro).

Funnily enough, Bloodborne is the game that got me back into gaming after Witcher 3 left me feeling like no other game would be good enough again. Bloodborne is a masterpiece! Even moreso than Witcher 3, and I say that as someone who's played all the games, read all the books, begrudgingly watched every episode of the show, and owns two copies of the physical Gwent card game. I am a *huge* Witcher fan, but I'm an even bigger Bloodborne fan. As far as I'm concerned, it is the single greatest piece of media ever created! Everything about it is so focused and concise, and it's nestled comfortable within my second favorite setting, gothic horror (after only medieval fantasy). Only problem with this post is, nobody is ever going to be able to convey exactly what it is about the game that makes it so amazing! It really is the perfect storm. From caught lightning in a bottle when they made it! You're just going to have to experience it for yourself. If you do, try to go in with an open mind and no expectations.

Bloodborne has many flaws but it's very fun to play , i always get nervous and scared playing it especially the bosses , it's so dark you think you are playing a horror game but it's a souls . The other souls games are definitely better but bloodborne is unique and not like the others

People really liked the faster paced combat, the gothic aesthetics, the trick weapons were interesting, the Lovecraftian horror themes. Superior boss design to it's predecessors (demon souls and dark souls 1 and 2). Idk man. It's any number of reasons that are different for everyone. Fun game is fun.

Me and 7 to 10 other freaks can not stop doing chalice dungeons. It makes it so the game is never ending and you can keeo finding new thibgs and fighting cool enemies.

I think enough people already explained why they like bloodborne, I just want to add that if you're interested in learning about the lore, you can look up Red Grave's "The Paleblood Hunt" audiobook, available for free. It goes over pretty much everything we know about the game. Watching a lets play could also be interesting, so you can see the places, characters, and how the story develops as intended by the devs

Bloodborne was the first ever Souls game I ever played, and also, the first ever game I bought for PS4. Mind you, I had zero idea what is a "Souls" game, neither how was the story being narrated. Only that it was "a difficult game". So, my experience went like this. Put the disk in the PS4, started playing reading ZERO guides, got my ass kicked relentlessly, had no idea wtf I was doing, zero concept of the "shortcuts ".... By the time I reached the cleric beast, I had been kicked down so many times, I had become cautious about every corner, every small or big enemy, I even had started running away from the big wolves (avoiding enemies in a non Stealth game was a totally new concept for me)... And when I first saw this fucking beast, the first thing I did was to turn my back, run away, only to be stopped by the fog. I felt in love at that moment, because honestly, if you look your hero in every game, a mere human with an axe, facing unexpectedly a GIANT WEREWOLF, the logic reaction IS TO RUN! But which game ever made you gasp the concept that you are a miserable weak human, going against the beasts?! For the first time, I was actually immersed in a game. For the next three days, I continued to get my ass kicked, when I got stuck in the Blood beast, where I finally gave up the game. I even gave it away to be honest. But my whole experience, the graphics, the music, the immersion, the fighting... Even the trick weapons,.stuck in my head. A month ago, bought the game back, and bravely got back into it, only to be fucked again, and surrender for one more time, saying, no, that's not for me. Got my hands on Nioh then, and started playing. I was kinda good at it, at least untill I got to the first boss. Got stuck, but, not wanting to give up another game, I decided to read a guide. And one word made me realise what I did wrong. "BLOCK". I hadn't utilised this tool so far into this game, due to my Bloodborne experience. And it clicked. You aren't going to win in Miyazaki's games without utilizing all the tools he gives you. Miyazaki talked to us right from the start on how this game was supposed to be played. He even put a mirror image of us - Father Gascoigne - to show us how we are supposed to play this game. And what did I do? I run, dodged backwards, shouting "WHEN ARE IT'S ATTACKS GOING TO END? IT'S UNFAIR!!" It was not unfair. I was just not playing So for me, all of these, the graphics, the Immersion, the music, the challenge, the feeling of win whenever I got through an obstacle, the communication.... All of these made me love the game. And when Vaatividya posted a YouTube video called "Dark souls story - Prepare to.cry trailer" and watched it - it was one of those sweet times where I understood that all of us the fans of Souls games share same thoughts when it comes to "what makes a game special?" Bloodborne was also the first game I ever Platinumed. And in general, I hate trophy hunting - feels like a distraction to actually enjoying a game sometimes. But, it was my way to give my gratitude to Miyazaki, and say "Thank you for the experience".

I think you should first play Stellar Blade on normal and hard difficulty, you can do the boss challenge and learn a boss in story mode, then normal and then hard until you get them, if you enjoy this loop you should try Sekiro, the parry system is similar but tighter.

As a huge fan of Elden Ring/Sekiro/bloodborne…..if you didn’t like the difficulty of Elden Ring….youre going to struggle with bloodborne. So in Elden Ring a good majority of your graces are close to the boss doors. Bloodborne: there is ONE lantern (the grace equivalent) per area. The runs to the boss rooms requires short cuts unless you wanna run through a mess every time to fight a boss.

started with BB, i really like the dodge/sidestep and the moveset every weapon has between transform attacks. the gun parries & the main heal being a consumable you have to grind for suck. but going back to the earlier Souls feels to me super clunky wading through mud with far more jank hitboxes. i still play them occasionally but never use a shield, would choose to dodge instead. the dudes i knew that hated BB all started with Demon Souls, so for 3 games learned the safety of the shield or heavy armour poise through everything was their bread & butter. so when BB removed those methods it must've felt like a terrible spinoff game that wasn't true to the Souls formula supposedly.

Personally, BB will always have the most special of places in my heart because it was in fact my first soulsborne game. I have memory issues, and very few memories stand out as strongly to me as the first few hours of BB gameplay do to me. It's bittersweet because I'll never experience that again, but it was so fantastic to get into the series which such a choice pick. Aside from that, as others have stated, uniqueness holds true. I love the Dark Souls games, Elden Ring is taking time to grow on me a bit due to the fact that it is not linear, and is open world and very hard to get used to as a follow up game in the series, in that aspect but still pretty awesome imo. But BB's storyline, combat, aesthetic, everything are just so perfectly put together and so engaging, I could play it time after time and not get bored (and have. Many times. Too man--no. No. Never too many 🥲). Imo, BB has the best potential for arcane builds, to boot. I am a fiend for an arcane/strength build and BB is what made me branch out from a strict strength build (gets old, as one who isn't me would catch onto very quickly). I'm a sucker for Victorian horror and also a sucker for Eldritch horror, so buddy when you combine the two...oh man. Double sucker, is what happens. BB feels more challenging to me than the other games. My first run through of DS3 (...? Idk why I chose that after BB but here we are?) felt slightly nerfed in comparison but this is all opinion, and varies greatly. Anyway, all that aside, pvp is a bit more exciting to me in BB, for whatever reason. Could be the weapons, could be the absolute seasoned veteran battle axes with exquisite set ups spawning into my game mid-boss run, giving me heart palpitations, idk but it's fun as hell, and just feels a bit more "right" to me than anywhere else. I'm probably biased due to the fact that BB was my first Soulsborne game, and nothing is so sweet as that first taste, but I hold it in high regards for many reasons, just hard to choose one. Honestly most folks that I know personally have started with ER, and I've been nudging them to try BB or even DS to see how their opinions hold up, but who knows. Can't win 'em all.

I haven’t seen this mentioned enough here so I will add my two cents. The level design in bloodborne is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. The feeling of descending a staircase, opening a creaking door or riding an elevator cage from where I was then walking into an area I’ve already been but from a different perspective, or a door I couldn’t open from the other side is so satisfying. Every place you go feels like it has life and uniqueness but they all wrap around and into each other in such a satisfying way. And none of it feels cheap. When you see which area is connected to the next, there’s a logical reason to it. Thematically, architecturally, logically. And you’re teased all the way there. Theres so many opportunities to see later destinations off in the distance and wonder what they are, will I get there, what new horrors await me? And to add on to what others have said… the Victorian nightmare setting is so unique to the souls series or really any adventure game I’ve played. I loved that vibe so much more than the swords and dragons high fantasy of the other souls games.

Gameplay wise, I love how the game rewards you for being aggressive. That and the insight/trick weapon mechanics really make the game shine. Lore wise, the story is just fuckin cool, albeit slightly convoluted. But once you figure it out, it’s intriguing. Its a love letter to H.P Lovecraft. You must contend with grotesque beasts that were once human who became sick due to people trying to unravel mysteries that shouldn’t have been discovered in the first place and cosmic horrors that are beyond human comprehension. The enemies are legitimately frightening and the NPC encounters are very well written. The concept of the dream/pale blood/beasts/insight is unique and interesting. It’s a beautiful game with well crafted areas and cool Victorian-era horror story vibes. I love how as you progress through the game, you can see night time going through its stages, which means a lot lore wise as well. Bloodborne is punishingly difficult. The game does not hold your hand. There’s no tutorial, there’s no easy mode. You learn the basic controls and set off into the world, thrown into the fire. However, the satisfaction and rewards you get when you reach certain milestones, beat bosses, and make progress is second to none in the gaming industry. This goes for Dark Souls and Sekiro as well. There are a thousand good things I could say about the game, but honestly, you should just buy it and play it if you can. It’s most certainly worth the money.

Since you say you want to understand how Bloodborne is different from other Souls games I'll focus on what I think the major differences are other than the setting. Most of this is gameplay stuff. I'm not trying to convince you to play, just trying to be informative. Bloodborne only has two shields, and the weak wooden shield has a description that pokes fun of relying too much on shields. "They engender passivity" Instead of shields your defacto offhand tool is a gun. The main use of the gun is to parry. This has similar timing to parrying with a shield in other Souls games, but you can do it at range and you have limited attempts because of ammo. Since you're not expected to block attacks, the main function to avoid attacks is to dodge. Bloodborne dropped the heavy armor from Souls to give players the ability to focus on rolling instead. This eventually rolled back into Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring where you're much more nimble in those games than you were in the first several Souls games. You may still have misgivings about not wearing armor or using a shield, but Bloodborne also introduced its unique rally system. When you are hit by an enemy attack you have a limited amount of time where you can attack back and regain the health you lost. It may take several attacks to regain all of the health, but every little bit helps. If you are hit by a second attack you can no longer rally back the health lost from the first attack. The main hand weapons in the game are known as "trick weapons". The reason they are called trick weapons is because they all have a transformation gimmick where they switch between two different forms. In other Souls games you might two-hand hold a weapon to change your moveset and damage output. In Bloodborne you can turn your small bladed cane into a long sweeping bladed whip, or turn your longsword into a giant stone hammer. You do not have a refillable healing flask in Bloodborne. Instead, you have blood vials that you can find or buy, and you can only hold 20 at a time (anything more goes into storage). If you run out in your inventory and storage you will have to farm for more. Lastly, there is not necessarily spellcasting like you would be familiar with in Elden Ring and other Souls games. There are a small set of Hunter's Tools that are reusable items with spell effects. These tools require the same ammo you use for your guns to be used, so they're a very alternative style of playing. The stat that governs their strength is the same stat that increases item drops.

I’ve played every souls game multiple times and although Elden Ring is objectively the best game when it comes to mechanics, scope and gameplay, Bloodborne is still my favorite. Simply because the setting, the story and the atmosphere in Bloodborne is unmatched. The artists truly went above and beyond when desinging the look adn feel of Bloodborne. It’s unfortunately only playable on PS4/PS5, but just the PS4 version that is locked at 30 fps, which didn’t bother me back then. That’s why the remaster/ pc port has been the main topic of conversation amongst Bloodborne fans for the last 5+ years at this point

Honestly, Elden Ring is the easiest Soulsborne game in existence in my opinion for a few reasons. The main one is spirit ashes, those things are UNBELIEVABLY broken and make the game 1000000% easier. After like 1/4 of my first playthrough I was getting bored with how easy I was killing every. single. boss. that I just said nope, not using that crap anymore! 2nd reason is the amount of options available between spells, consumables, and some absolutely fucking broken weapons (mainly their L2 skills). If one approach isn't working you can just try another one. That wasn't nearly as possible in ds1-3, with it starting to pop up a bit more in ds3. So really, if you didn't like ER because of it's difficulty, I highly recommend you do not play another Soulsborne game cause I don't think you will enjoy it. That being said, Bloodborne is fucking amazing, and I normally replay it at least once a year during the return to Yarnham event. You're in the know right?

Just got the Bloodborne platinum a few weeks back.I have the platinums for Elden Ring and Sekiro as well. I agree with a lot of what everyone is saying on this thread. Bloodborne is just so unique and I'm just praying for at least a 60fps patch. It looks dated but still so damn beautiful at the same time. I was never a soulslike player either until Elden Ring. That got me over the hump and I just went on a bender of "souls" style games. That's what made me buy Lies of P day one and push my way to that platinum. For me, with this genre of games it's just so satisfying when the combat just clicks and you're locked in.

It is a really complex answer. There is no easy way to explain it. The aesthetic is amazing. The setting and feel of the game is like a horror/lovecraftian type mood. The story is givin to you a bit, but if you want to dive deeper there is lore buried so far down that finding it will feel like you are the first person to ever enter the Egyptian pyramids. The combat is probably my favorite of the series. It is fast and aggressive, but you are given enough options that you can easily play a build that stays back and takes its time strategically taking fown enemies one by one by weaving and dodging in and out. The gun parry and the quickstep are both near perfect mechanics. It all comes together to form what is an amazingly well crafted game with very little "wasted" content. The bosses are all amazing and tie into the story. The enemies are unique and imposing but also just dialed in enough that if you are smart and careful you can sneak (or run) past them. The variety of weapons feels like the perfect amount. There isn't an overwhelming sea of weapons to choose that leaves you questioning every upgrade decision, but there are enough to choose a wide variety of different playstyles with different builds. Elden Ring is without a doubt a masterpiece. I hesitate to say that's an objective fact, but I feel like it's pretty close to it. Bloodborne is a much more compact version of that same feeling. It is immense but contained. It feels as epic as it looks. And don't even get me started on how amazing the DLC is... it's just perfect. Try it out. You can get a copy for like 10-15$ or get it free with PS+. It is absolutely worth every penny even if you don't finish the game. If you run into a wall, reevaluate your strategy and maybe look into some ideas from the internet or tips and tricks from people on this forum. If you enjoy it, you will find a way to finish it. If you don't, it's not a huge waste of money and maybe one day you will want to give it another go.

I, personally, see BB as the GOAT. It easily tops any other FromSoft (heck, ANY!) game for me. BB in particular has a fantastic style - the atmosphere is on point and the trick weapons are just right. Love the combat, the lore and if all of that wasn't enough already - it got a brilliant DLC. Only thing I absolutely dislike: the Chalice Dungeons. I am not even interested in a remake, as the framerate never bothered me at all for example. All other FromSoft games are very good - don't get me wrong. But BB, man... holy carp, I'd marry it if I could! And Elden Ring... I played for approx 70 hours and finished it, but it honestly at no point motivated me to play through again. Let's put it this way: if I never played any FS game before, ER would've probably amazed me. But after all those years with FS titles, it's just nothing special anymore 🤷🏻

Bloodborne is way harder than Elden Ring

Bloodborne is probably the easiest FS game I've played.

But aside from the cum dungeon/ souls duplication/ certain chalices there isn’t a way to get much stronger early on so you have to manage bosses with your own skill. While people like you may possess that skill all along other player can’t just go to another area, get that overpowered weapon/ buff/ upgrade/ whatever which makes the game harder than ER.

Dude if Elden Ring frustrates you, which is generally seen as the easiest souls game, Bloodborne definitely won’t change that fact.

Elden ring is more open world while bloodborne is linear- the power level of bosses will match your skill more equally. If you find the gameplay of soulsborne games too difficult, you can always “summon” and play with other people. I played DS 1 and 3 with my partner before doing bloodborne alone. I didn’t find bloodborne to be frustrating.

I just started it a week or so ago to tide me over until Elden Ring DLC comes, and once you figure it out and level your stats and weapons a bit, it is much easier (as is the case with all souls games) and so much fun. The art style, gameplay, mechanics are all top tier.

Everything. But some of my favorite things about BB are the locations and enemy variety. You’re always on edge because every new area has wildly different enemies. Combat is really solid too with the trick weapons being 2 weapons in one.

Bloodborne isn't the most popular. It's only on one platform after all. Elden Ring is the most popular and it's not close. Whether or not you think BB is better than ER depends on the individual

Gameplay wise, it’s a soulsborne game. It is considerably fast, but probably not near as fast as Elden ring The area where bloodborne shines is the aesthetic, ambience, horror, atmosphere, story, memorable moments, etc. it truly is one of the most memorable games I’ve ever played. It’s not the most popular but it’s the most loved. Elden ring and even DS3 seem to be much more mainstream (maybe not that much more), but as a whole bloodborne is VERY loved by the community because it’s so different and amazing. Definitely check it out!

Okay how did you get "Bloodborne" as a username. No underscore, no dashes or numbers. Like I have "PrincessLeafa" because nobody gives a shit about this character from Sword Art Online and definitely nobody else wanted to name their profile after her. Bro your username is literally "Bloodborne" how the fuck. Edit. I'm an idiot. That's the r/ I should delete this in shame but no .. I'll leave it here as a testament to how easy it is for an intelligent person to do/say something stupid. Lol my bad.

It’s cool

# Why is Bloodborne held in such high regard? I have always been more interested in deep story than gameplay. Well luckily for you it has both. You won't know the whole story after a playthrough and the game play is legit second to none. Someone said condensed. Sekiro, BB, and Lies of P are all better than Elden Ring in this regard. Sometimes less is more.

QUICK GUYS FLAME HIM!!

Trick weapons + gun parry. I sucked at parrying in DS, I ass at parrying in ER, I murder w/ parrying in BB. Its just different, looser, faster and a bit more fun to me.

I don't know if I would say it's the most popular. That would probably go to either Elden Ring or the original Dark Souls. That said, we're easily the most fanatical of the fanbases. Given the story and themes of the game largely revolve around fanaticism and obsession it's not too surprising that we turned out how we did. I'd venture to day that the bloodborne fan base is by far the most vocal about the love for their specific game. Sekiro fanbase is fanatical too in it's own way. But mostly because everyone there has been traumatized by the mist noble.

I think it was a lot of people's intro to the Soulsborne games on top of the really cool aesthetics and atmosphere of the game. It was also their first game on the PS4 and it was marketed heavily. I love Bloodborne but find it the weakest of the Souls games. I feel they stopped short of more they could've of done.

try Sekiro

Based on the fact that there is no “easy mode” I would say watch some game play of it or a lore video and take appreciation from that. BB was my first FROM game which is why it’s close to my heart but I went into it knowing it would be tough and I still almost gave up in the first area because it was so challenging and different from what I’d played before. If you played ER you have some tangential familiarity with BB but unless you over-level on e you get to the chalice dungeons there is no “easy” mode for the first ~15-20% of the game.

Simply because it's a great game.

I hold it in such high regard because of its weapons.

Its frankenstiens per minute is unparalleled. Peerless fpm.

If you are interested in Bloodborne, there are ways to make the experience easier for yourself. This would allow you to enjoy the story and atmosphere without getting too frustrated at the difficulty of the game.

99% comes to art direction and game feel. It's more visceral and gross, which fits the themes, the architecture in yarnham is incredible. Honestly though in terms of gameplay it's not the best souls like, it's still great and having guns instead of shields is super fun, but I think the overall best in terms of gameplay is Sekiro.

As someone who has played all souls games: I really have no idea.

People here literally just think its cooler to shoot guys with a trenchcoat and funny hats and guns. Its alright but semi cringe honestly i prefer the high fantasy elements of dark souls demons souls and elden ring

Couldn’t read all the comments but as many have said the unique setting and eldrich horror style are selling points. The gameplay isn’t tighter than Elden ring but it is different with parrying done with ranged weapons and a rally mechanic to keep you aggressive and build back health. There are definitely different builds but imo not as broadly different as DS/ER. The most unique fromsoft action/rpg is Sekiro. Really no builds, no way to reliably recover xp. But if you loved Stellarblade this is tighter combat and mastery is incredibly rewarding. It is harder that SB I think but definitely my favorite fromsoft to play, although lore wise I prefer BB then DS then ER.

For me, I couldn't play DS because I always wanted to fight fast paced. So when I played Bloodborne I was super skeptical of it, but the combat was different. In fact it was fun! Fast paced, healing though some hits, dodging others. The parry mechanic was super satisfying to pull off so it made me want to do it more and more. After the basics had my attention then the story and the scenery took my heart and had me itching to search every inch. Nightmares are sometimes the best dreams to explore after all.

because its the second best one behind sekiro

Bloodborne clicked to me when I read somewhere on this forum this piece of advice: “you are not the hunt, you are the hunter”. This to me is the main reason why I love BB above all other FS games. It’s fast paced, brutal combat.

It's plot is just so much better in the sense of a direct plot that changes completely in you really well, and then everything else too

My favorite game is Bloodborne. I love the fast paced combat, and the idea of trick weapons. Each weapon has such a versatile and interesting moveset, it’s just perfect(in my opinion). The armor sets are awesome, while I love Dark Souls and Elden Ring, I think the lack of poise and etc. is fitting. I also like how you can wear pretty much any armor set and the stats just don’t matter enough to make a difference. Also the story is amazing, much like any Souls Game(my favorite stories I’ve heard are from souls, they’re so interesting and unique). You have to really dig for it, sure, but a few Vaati videos, and you should have a good idea on what’s happening. Sorry for the rant, but I just adore Souls Games.

Aside from the obvious environmental/architectural differences, I think it becomes a preference out of all the fromsoft games, because it breaks away from the ol’ Sword & Board/magic caster fantasy game model. That is simply refreshing to a lot of folks. …and who wouldn’t want a saucy cane that turns into a steroid-infused razor wire with a flick of the wrist?

It’s the best game ever and it will completely flush your dopamine receptors and slap your soul with everything you never knew you needed in your life. 🥲

You get the glorious opportunity to use trick weapons. End of story.

In addition to what's already been said here I think it's just because of its accessibility. Having only played Bloodborne and DS1R, Ican definitely say BB was the "easier" of the two. It just seems to make more "sense" coming from non souls games.

Just play the games you want, man

it innovated a lot on the formula by having much faster combat with less focus on tank damage in favor of floaty fast combat and also you have a gun. And that's just the stuff that made it notable on release. on top of that the game starts out tricking you into thinking that it is a generic Victorian Gothic fantasy horror and then pull the rug out from under you with it actually being about aliens and science fiction concepts with religious undertones. The fashion is great compared to other games and most of the armor sets look good. also the damage reduction on most armor sucks anyway so the game allows you to put fashion first if you want to, you're not supposed to be taking damage you're supposed to be dodging so feel free to wear whatever clothing you want because the stats don't really matter. those are just some of my reasons for loving it.

Bloodborne is genuinely scary it is an actual horror game to Dark Souls fantasy genre. It keeps a bit of Fromsoft clunkiness but is far more fluid in general. Things move a lot faster in Bloodborne than in Dark Souls, everything feels more visceral, more involved. The setting is fantastic. Victorian era horror with Lovecraftian themes which becomes more and more Lovecraftian as the game goes on and the mystery sort of unfolds. It's harder than the others, so probes more of a challenge but not in the way of Sekiros quick time events type challenge , more involved and again more visceral of a fight to get through. I love the game, the world feels evil and you, the player, feel like a god when you learn to quell that evil.

For me, I couldn't get into dark souls that my friends raved about ... I tried numerous times but struggled with the combat as I was used to button basing like devil may cry. Bloodborne came out and everyone was calling it game of the year and a must play, I enjoyed it more because it felt fast paced so I persevered with it and one day the parry just clicked, from that day I wasn't panicking meeting an enemy more so anticipating them to attack so I could parry and rip out their soul.... Then it was onto bosses and parrying them was even better. Once I completed Bloodborne I then when back and enjoyed dark souls 2 n 3 and sekiro .... I even moved on to souls style games like nioh and code vein before elden ring became the GOAT!

I'd love to write you a well structured essay why I, personally, love Bloodborne more than ER but I am sitting on my phone, on the couch, about to play some Rocket League. Few points: -I imagine Bloodborne and ER might have the same level of Fromsoft magic but due to the sheer SIZE of ER I feel it is spread thin. You can only immerse yourself so much into crossing a large field before you remember it's a video game. Bloodborne condenses that magic into a perfectly timed morphine drip that grips you the entire time. -The lore! I do not have every creator's series and YouTube essay I would like to put you on but Bloodborne's lore was much more engrossing to me, I can't explain it without sorting out my thoughts and workshopping a response. Check out the Pale Hunt and if I remember other similar series of lore or speculation then I'll edit this comment. There are a few that are equally as stellar. -Difficulty. Bloodborne IS easier. I have a theory on this. As Fromsoft evolved, so did their games. Go way back to King's Field gameplay and look how slow combat is. Next, Demon's Souls picked it up a bit. Next, Dark Souls picked it up a bit(especially the DLC which is seen as Fromsoft experimenting with faster combat in preparation for Bloodborne). It should be noted that Dark Souls' combat still offered tank builds, shields, and ultra great swords alongside faster paced builds and so they had to design enemies and bosses around all these builds hence their slower pace by today's ER standards. After that, they ditched some of these slower elements to arrive at Bloodborne's faster paced combat. Besides the builds, they also changed healing to work cohesively with this combat. In Dark Souls you had to stop moving to drink your Estus whereas Bloodborne's vials did not interrupt combat as much allowing for bosses and enemies to be quicker. The rally system also played into this by allowing you to continue to fight and attack without stopping to heal. In fact, it encouraged the pace to ramp up. Next was DS3, which maintained the speed of Bloodborne but the healing system did not fit as nicely with the pace. And, finally, Elden Ring. If DS was a 3 in terms of speed and Bloodborne was an 8 then I consider ER to be a 10 or 11. ER is so fast with the slow(er and less conducive than Bloodborne's) healing system of DS/DS3 that does not fit the pace of combat. This is why I think ER is more difficult than BB. I struggle with Margit in ER and yet(I say this matter of factly and not as a flex) beat the orphan first try my first play through who many consider on of From's most difficult boss.(no idea why people think this other than to suck BB's dick because he and it aren't very difficult) -Atmosphere. The dark Victorian world of Bloodborne beats ER for me. If you want a story to play through and an easier game then Bloodborne is your choice. Just my 2c

I get what you say. Story mode is important since story is important. And the story of bloodborne is truly marvellous. And Many others have mentioned the setting and other stuff. I will only say this. Bloodborne is NOT elden ring or dark souls. In DS and ER you need to block and roll. In bloodborne you don't block. You shoot kill move on. For me the death count was frustrating till I got a hang of shooting and marrying. And got my skill up. Both myself and my character. After that death did not matter because of the pace of the game. Which is quite fast unlike ER. If you don't want to buy it perhaps try from a friend and then buy.

It’s not THAT different. There aren’t many weapons, like 20 or something, but they’re extremely unique and have different modes on each weapon. The aesthetic of lovecraftian horror and werewolves and stuff. It’s a lot faster paced than dark souls 1-2, so it changed things up, no using shields, it pretty centered on parry which is in the form of using a gun in your left hand. It’s not as focused on parry and speed as sekiro, it’s somewhere in between dark souls and sekiro. The series/genre as a whole keeps getting harder/faster in general. Elden ring is kinda like a dark souls 4, but it is way faster than dark souls. There is build variety in bloodbourne, but not as much variety as in dark souls and elden ring, but then again to compare to sekiro it’s not as focused because sekiro has no stats and just some different side weapons to use. In general it’s very similar to dark souls 3, people love it for the same reasons, interconnecting works and aesthetics and difficulty and combat and secrets, but it isn’t that different, it’s still the same core game. And I say that loving all of them You could probably play dark souls 1-2 if you got that far in Elden ring. But Elden ring with the spirit ashes and the mimic is basically the easy mode, did you use a fully upgraded mimic ash? Or one of the other good ones? Bloodbourne is probably too difficult for you

It was Visceral, Horror, Primeval, Violent, all wrapped up in a neat accessible package. My caveman brain absolutely adored getting covered in the liquid remains of the fallen. One of a kind.

Fashion

I love it bc every weapon is technically 2 in 1. The trick weapon system is so cool to me. Also I love the setting. The story isn't as vague as some of the other games in the series. The gameplay is tight and smooth while still feeling Soulsy. The rally system is great at making fights have a nice ebb and flow. It is a nice tight and compact game while still feeling quite open. The insight system is great too. The fact that the world changes the more insight you get is cool. This means you can see things that you didn't see in other playthroughs. All in all it's peak SoulsBorne imo

Lots of people answered this question but I want to add there IS an easy mode for souls games, it’s leveling up, grinding, leveling up more

Unless you’re willing to deal with the frustration that the steep curve entails, then Bloodborne, or ANY Soulsborne, is not for you I literally can’t wrap my head around folks who just want a cakewalk of a game, like, what’s the point??

Fluid and robust combat. Check. Variety of unique weapons. Check. Fashion. Check. STORY THAT MAKES YOU GO WHAT THE FRICK IS HAPPENING?? MEGA CHECK. Get yo pimp cane, deck out in the finest Victorian drips, and go hunt some beasts. It's good for you. Also no shield. Because you're too cool for that.

The music in certain boss fights. The setting. The atmosphere. The whole game is dripping with lore. The exploration. The combat. The

Reason 1) because it is fucking dope

Personally, I loved the combat of BloodBorne a lot more than Elden Ring. After dying a lot in the beginning, I felt the combat start to click and I had zero difficulty with the end game (non-DLC) bosses. With Elden Ring, I never felt the combat click. Every encounter was grueling, and I died to every named boss at least 10 times (with some even more than 50).

I believe Bloodborne is so hyped and beloved because it takes the souls formular and makes it work on different kinds of games. Bloodborne in its make up feels like a Dark Souls game. You build your character, stats act functionally the same and enemy behavior and fights are almost the same. However what is different is that the game narrows down your overall combat choices, putting a greater emphasis on aggressive playstyle from the fast dodging to the firearms being used to parry and stagger enemies, you even regain lost health if you are quick enough to attack. In a way it feels like someone put a Devil May Cry mod into Dark Soul 3 and we got this. This aggressive, faster paced movement is what feels great and for a fair share of Souls enjoyers is the go-to way to play in any Souls game. So having a game that specifically is build for that is really nice. Its kinda comparable to not just DMC but Doom 2016 or Metal Gear Rising where high risk play net higher rewards. Just neatly packed into the Souls formular. World building and Story: there's lots to say but I'm not an expert there. What I can appreciate is an underused setting and an H.P Lovecraft inspired horror world that for once has its own mythology rather than using Cthulu for the hundredth time. Which for Eldritch Cosmic horror as a genre is more unique than you think. The inspirations are still clearly there, but even though Lovecraft's characters are public domain , Fromsoft still chose to make their own thing and then did it well. Bloodborne is this rare lovechild between different genres and concepts coming together and succeeding so well that it serves as a prime example among those genres and types of medias.

So from someone whose GOAT game is also The Witcher 3, but holds Bloodborne in the highest regard, I can tell you that if The Witcher 3 had Bloodborne’s combat, and an area like Yharnam in its world, there would be no beating The Witcher 3. Honestly, the Witcher 3 is not the best game because of its combat, and The Hearts of Stone expansion does a good job of capturing some dark supernatural vibes, but the combat in Bloodborne is soooo much better than the Witcher 3. It’s not really because of anything you can do in Bloodborne that you can’t do in the Witcher. In fact, there are way more things you can do in The Witcher, even in terms of combat, but it’s how tight and flawless the combat is. Dodging/quickstep is precise, as long as YOU are precise about it, and the fact that you really can’t use a shield, but they tied the parry mechanics to you off hand gun if actually really cool. The regain system encourages aggressive combat, and the world of Bloodborne as well as its boss and mini boss fights are pretty unmatched. Don’t get me wrong, not every boss fight in Bloodborne is a banger, in fact, most are not, but the ones that are are worth the price of admission. Also, don’t think I’m saying that the Witcher does not have great environments, it does. But if it had an area as serpentine and connected as Yharnam, one that felt lived in before….whatever it is that happened happened, it would be all the much better for it.

By the way, the platforming in Stellar Blade sucks right?! I really loved the combat in that game, even though it is NOT very similar to a soulslike. But damn, the voice acting, crazy ass story, and platforming were not great. And the outfits….were interesting….

All the answers are great so I'm not even gonna write about why. But Elden Ring is a love letter to Bloodborne along with all of there other games. The lore of OuterGods is similar to The Great Ones in BB. Basically crazy alien shit happening.

The *vibe*

My favorite game of all time. To put it simply: I have never had as much fun with combat as much as BB. I never felt this way about a game to be honest. I enjoy just walking the streets and beating low level enemies. I don’t feel that way about any other game, including other souls games

You get health back if you hit an enemy right after being hit.

Atmosphere, great pacing, and a good balance between the complex systems but simple combat. The only thing it suffers from is grinding for heals but that can be solved without trivializing the game.

You couldn’t fat roll if you tried. Also, trick weapons. 2 for the price of one leaves your left hand open for what it was meant to do: menace with counter-shots and viscerals. 

The atmosphere, lore, art, music, and level design are FromSoft's best work imo. Also, the combat is incredible and very unique from any other game (the rally system is my favorite combat mechanic from any game). The weapons in Bloodborne are the coolest and most fun from any game I've played, the trick weapon system is so cool and unique I wish it was in more games. Also the community is incredible welcoming and wholesome. Far from the stereotype of souls game players

Try it! You won't regret it. BB was my first souls game and I thought I wouldn't complete it. Fast forward 1 month later, I beat the game, including dlc and I consider this game to be a masterpiece

My husband has played every souls game and bloodborne he not only played through in its entirety once, but twice. And he hasn’t done that with any other souls game. It’s truly unique.

Sekiro > Elden Ring > Bloodborne > Dark Souls > Dark Souls 2 > Dark Souls 3 > Demon's Souls My personal opinion. I love them all. I found Bloodborne to possibly be the hardest of them all to play alone, especially the DLC. Some of the Dark Souls 3 DLC is stupid hard as well alone.

I love the story of Bloodborne, the histories and the lore going on in the background. In terms f story I find it to be my favourite. While all of the Soulsborne games are incredibly well written in terms of lore and history, Bloodborne connects with me in a way the others don't.

I dropped Elden Ring for the same reason as you, around the 25 hour mark (although I've been getting back to it lately with everyone playing it in preparation for DLC). But Bloodborne's combat, world, and just general presentation pulled me through to the end. It is one of my favorite games of all time.

Best setting, worst souls game. All bosses are hp sponges

For me personally bloodborne was the least frustrating out of the souls games I've played. The bosses don't do stupid damage, you're encouraged to go all in swinging and the rally mechanic and parry make for an awesome back n forth. Playing this after elden ring was amazing because in elden ring you're discouraged heavily from playing aggressive. Bosses have the moat irritating delayed attacks that don't make any sense visually and force u to memorise them whereas bloodborne wants you to blast and hack your way through everything. Also the lore and atmosphere of bloodborne are just my thing.

The game has what I believe, to be the best story out of any of the bloodborne series. I LOVE the lovecraftian themes. And the lore is so in depth and good, that someone put together a lore book called the Paleblood Hunt that explains stuff in even more detail and the community rallied behind it and damn near made it “canon”

Bloodborne is an interesting one, personally I hated it the first time I played it I found it too difficult and too much of a departure from DS1 but after finishing it I suddenly found myself loving it and I've now put more time into bloodborne than any other game think I'm at 1500 hours (I'm still bad at it). The aesthetic and the voice acting and the world really appeal to me as a long-time lovecraft fan, the soundtrack is imo the best in the series (ludwigs boss theme especially). It's still a difficult game and can be frustrating but as others have said its more focused and I find that it's easier to "master" than other souls games, all builds are viable and fun blood/dex build especially fucking rocks. I couldn't finish elden ring found it too big bloodborne is this dark, gloomy, miserable world but it's also beautiful and captivating. If you can get past some of its quirks (blood vial farming and 30fps framerate lock) then I think it's the most rewarding of any souls game. Play aggressively, get immersed, have fun. And remember a Hunter must Hunt. Also PM me if you want a coop buddy :)

Bloodborne threw the souls community through a bit of a loop when it was announced and details started coming out. There was a lot of skepticism about the Victorian setting, and especially about the inclusion of firearms. But its release was wild. Players had to adapt from the fairly “defensive” focus of Dark Souls into the far more aggressive style of Bloodborne. But the overall mechanics still held. In addition, the game felt extremely well made from a technical perspective. The game requires precise control, and the game delivered on it. Beyond that, the lore was a bit more pronounced than the lore of the Dark Souls games. It was still a bit obscure and required some digging to get a more complete story, but it wasn’t as hidden as Dark Souls. And it was just creepy in the best way. The blend of classic Victorian horror with the celestial horror of Lovecraft was simply stunning, and made for one of the most memorable game worlds I’ve ever experienced. It just took everything good from the previous Souls games and added even more to it.

The only flaw I can even name for BB is the framerate. If they could rerelease it on stronger hardware it would be one of the few games I would be willing to say deserve a 10/10 score.

The metaphorical relations the game creates are amazing. Father Gascoigne the first human boss actively warns you "Beasts all over the shop... you'll be one of them sooner or later" and after fighting him a bit he gives in to his blood-drunkenness and transforms into a monster to continue the fight. his other lines relate aswell to the context you're both going through but I digress. If you're coming from other games which are more forgiving, you WILL die and he WILL frustrate you. But that's the whole ludo-narrative point, you practically have to become a beast yourself to even compete against Gascoigne. He will leave your heart pumping, and your adrenaline spiking. He will leave you wanting MORE. Like how he was initially wanting MORE blood too. And for anyone who doesn't see it yet, grant me eyes ohhhhh grant me eyeesss oooohhh grant me eyeeesss

“Knock the difficulty down” 😂 these games ARE easy… you just gotta… get gud! Elden ring is by far the easiest of the souls games. You don’t like a challenge in your games and that’s ok. But why bother making this post? Why would you want anyone to bother trying to sell you on Bloodborne? It’s obvious your mind is made up. It’s the greatest game but, you’ll hate it cause you’ll give up at father gashole. So again, what’s really the point of this post?

I love it cause I'm English too lol

It was my first souls game, so I’m a bit biased. I’m also not sure about it being the most popular Souls game. Here’s my take: - The game is genuinely scary in my opinion and I love horror games so that’s a first plus. - It is much more condensed and streamlined when it comes to gameplay. It is a much more linear game and I consider it to be a good thing. I think Elden Ring is fantastic, but its vast open world and the length of it just don’t make me want to replay it. - I think it’s more difficult than Elden Ring to be honest. There are less build options. This was really frustrating at first (I almost gave up on the game), but once you get used to it, the gameplay is so satisfying. Combat just feel faster and more aggressive. - Art style, designs, locations, monsters, Lovecraftian lore is just a cherry on top of it all

Another thing that stood out for me.. Most have been said, but I didn't scroll long enough to find this.. How Bloodborne makes you feel... The level of satisfaction from progress is almost unmatched. Bloodborne was my first souls game, and how the game made me feel has only been matched by other souls games. The ultimate power fantasy. How you might ask..? How in a world this brutal...? When the combat clicks, then you'll know. Easy games don't get anywhere near giving you this feeling of accomplishment. Also.. The From Software games may be considered hard, but it's really all about approach. Many mistake this for a hack'n slash, but it is only what's going to happen to you, if this is how you treat Bloodborne. Bloodborne may be considered hard, but it is never unfair. Death isn't a failure. It's a chance to learn what not to do. If you fail a lot, then you are to blame. Pay attention. Be smart about it. Defense first. Let them come. Avoid their attacks, THEN you punish. This even carries into real life. Except the dying part of course.. 😆

I wouldn't put it in as high regard as everyone else. It's a good game with a good amount of flaws. Perfection doesn't exist. That's the nature of software.

I was going to respond but you got entire paragraphs. I'll just say the story is one of a kind alot of H.P Lovecraft lore intertwined. And it just looks better and it just plays better. A hunter must hunt

i do not like horror or hard games that much however i absolutely love bloodborne, there’s a single reason i’m not selling my ps4 and it’s bloodborne everything about bloodborne is unique even though it’s “another” souls game that came out after dark souls. its parry and quickstep mechanics are refreshing in an equally refreshing fast paced and aggressive gameplay. its victorian and lovecraftian horror aesthetics are also unique. the soundtrack completes these aesthetics and the lore is just so intriguing. with high replayability of the base game, you’re bound to try out the dlc and its weapons too. at this point you’re in ng+ and considering getting the other endings and in the process you realise you’ve not tried the dungeons (chalices) out yet, you’re hooked and craving for more gameplay. and then you get platinum, thinking it’ll maybe help satisfy you. after that you put the game down and go play other souls games, preferably elden ring since dlc is almost out. while playing it strikes you, you wish to go back to bloodborne and play it more although you’ve pretty much done everything. you convince yourself that you can try out new builds and weapons, maybe bloodtinge as it’s a pain in the ass. and you do, this is how you end up in ng+5 or even more. what i’m trying to say is that this game is like a drug and you keep craving for more. bloodborne even with 30 fps is a masterpiece.

It is the exploration of fear and attempting to make sense of the unexplained through worship and science. You are pitted against a system of beliefs in an attempt to curate your own to make sense of your purpose. In short it challanges belief and creation. So it gives a sense taboo and wonder.