The Controversy Surrounding Bluepoint Games and Bloodborne
News has been making the rounds regarding the closure of Sony owned Bluepoint Games. The studio wasn’t exactly prolific in its output, but that’s because they had a specialized skill set that wasn’t being taken advantage of enough. For one thing, they were masterful at porting games to different consoles. Helping bring Ico and Shadow of the Colossus to the PS3 and the latter to the PS4 really helped them stand out. They even brought Demon’s Souls to the PS5 in beautiful fashion. They also tried to do the same with the highly regarded game, Bloodborne. But were denied by its original developers, FromSoftware. This has put fans across the world up in arms since Bloodborne is still only on the PS4. It begs the question to those who haven’t played it: why is there so much hype for this game still?
FromSoftware existed for years before its rise to glory behind Dark Souls and Elden Ring. But it was the style of these titles that have made them so successful. If we count Demon’s Souls as the start of its modern era, than Bloodborne was the fourth title in that line. It also happened to be the only one exclusive to the PS4. That in itself is part of the reason why the fanbase is so vocal as the only official way to play it is on outdated tech, in 30 FPS. Unofficially, some people have been able to get it running and looking better on PC. That however, is another story for another time.
Is Bloodborne Actually Worth the Hype?
This conversation wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t such a rabid fanbase for Bloodborne. But is this a case of a community overhyping something they love, or is it actually as good as they claim it to be? As someone who has beaten it, in addition to several other modern FromSoftware titles, I believe I’m qualified to answer that. Bloodborne is not a perfect game, but it’s damn near it; more than enough to live up to the hype surrounding it. I want to focus on why that is though for a particular reason I don’t think get discussed enough. There will be some spoilers ahead so I recommend you play it and trust me on this one.
First and foremost, Bloodborne should be recognized as one of the best horror titles of all time. The horror genre doesn’t often get attached to the game since none of the other “Soulsborne” titles as they’re called, fall into that category, but it is a horror game. I’m not talking about an adventure game with some creepy elements or a couple jump scares. The foundation of this game’s story is in the genre of horror and many of its mechanics are built around it. The overall setting and initial monster encounters are all centered around Victorian error horror. Then it morphs into one of the best examples of Lovecraftian horror that has ever been put into video games; even more so than titles like Call of Cthulhu, The Sunken City, or Eternal Darkness.
Lovecraftian Horror and the Theme of Madness
One of the major elements of HP Lovecraft‘s stories is madness. Madness that is brought on by trying to understand that which can not be comprehended. The closer you get to the eldritch truth, the more your sense of sanity breaks down. We see this influence outside of Lovecraft’s work in those that were inspired by him. A good example is in the novel version of “The Shining” by Stephen King. The more that Jack Torrance attempts to learn about the Overlook Hotel, the crazier he becomes, the more the evil of the location itself beings to grip him, and the closer he becomes to being a vessel for that evil.
In Bloodborne, you don’t have a “sanity” meter that drains when you see horrors. You actually have something that’s quite the opposite and truer to Lovecraft’s works. There’s a counter that tracks the amount of “insight” you have. You gain insight by encountering boss creatures, defeating them, and picking up certain items like “Madman’s knowledge.” Having higher insight affects the game in ways you may not have realized at first or only realized after someone pointed it out to you.
Some enemies become more difficult and use new attacks. Giant monstrosities become visible in parts of the game that you didn’t see before. You also become more susceptible to your “frenzy” meter building up faster. Frenzy is a status ailment in this game which, if it builds up too high, effectively causes blood to explode out of your character’s head. Besides inflicting a significant amount of damage, it also looks super cool.
The Unforgettable Horror of Yharnam
The first time you play Bloodborne, you’re going to encounter things you didn’t expect. Things you never could’ve predicted, and will make you question what the hell is going on. Those are the things that create lasting memories, especially when they come from a place of genuine discovery and horror. There’s an excitement and rush that comes from being scared. Bloodborne delivers that in a way that is unique to itself with its storytelling and gameplay mechanics.
Why Bloodborne Continues to Stand Out Years Later
There’s a lot more that could be said about the replayability of different weapons and character builds. The optional bosses, the hidden narrative elements and so much more make it interesting over and over again. There’s actually a lot to break down about all of that but other games have those things too. Unfortunately those other games lack the horrifying draw that Bloodborne crafts. Think about that the next time you dive into the world of Yharnam. Look at how much it draws from fear, from horror, from dread. Then engage once more in the hunt or have someone who’s never played it before dive in.
