Bloodborne - What am I missing?

[HecarimOP]

So I finally got round to playing this. Was in the mood for a challenge and an RPG type game so this seemed perfect. It's one of the most highly rated games on the PS4 and was awarded game of a year.

After playing it for a while honestly I'm struggling to understand why.

Visually it's complete ass. Literally the laggiest looking and feeling game I've played on the system. I just finished playing through GTA V again which is also a 30fps game and that feels smooth as butter compared to this. The graphics are just plain awful. Apparently this a 1080p game but you wouldn't think that by looking at it. I don't know what they've done but somehow they've managed to make it look like a 720p game with the aliasing of a standard definition game. They've tried far too hard to give it a unique visual style by applying what looks to be about 10,000 different visual filters and effects. The end result is an utter mess. Completely overdone. All this combined makes it an insult to my eyes.

The gameplay is just...I don't know. I don't know what is so excellent about it. The combat is simplistic and cheap. The controls are sluggish and unresponsive. The camera and lock-on systems are awful.

As expected the game is challenging. But not in a good way. It's challenging for all the wrong reasons; Simplistic and cheap combat, awful controls, terrible camera/lock-on and laggy performance.

Am I missing something here? This has to be literally the most over-rated game I think I've ever played in my 25 years as a gamer.

 

[McBain]

It has a certain visual style that suits the game and story imo, but agree it's not the smoothest running game in the world.

The appeal comes from the challenge, being beaten over and over until you learn enemy patterns, when to strike and when to roll, etc etc, it's very gratifying when you progress because you know you're getting better. There are times when it does feel a bit cheap (i'm looking at you Frenzy) but for the most part if you die it's generally because you made a mistake, over extended, used up all your stamina on attacks, mistimed a roll/block etc. Have you played Souls games before? They can be a bit niche.

Bloodborne was my first entrance into this style of game and it did take me a bit of time to get into it, but haven't looked back since. I've finished them all apart from Demon Souls.

 

[Peew971]

I've always dismissed this kind of game then I decided to give Bloodborne a chance. It took some getting used to but in the end I liked it a lot. Not enough to buy another Souls game but still liked it a lot. Graphics in games I consider more like a bonus, if the game is good then whatever.

 

[Mark1989]

I liked the art style however I got to the point of frustration and reached a new level of frustration where it reached point of not being fun anymore so got rid

 

[kinger8938]

How far have you gotten in the game OP?

It's about 2 years old now I think, but I felt the games visual style and setting really worked well together. It's one of my favourites on the system however I agree the frame rate is rubbish at times but it wasn't bad enough to stop me enjoying the game nor did I find it impacted negatively toward combat! Of course I am biased

Try playing at launch when load times between each death, of which I had my fair share, were literally 45-60seconds each time no matter what!

I loved the lore mainly, and once you get into the combat and how it all works you may find something to love.

But after all the above, it's not for everyone. And that's completely understandable

 

[jimferno]

Am I missing something here? This has to be literally the most over-rated game I think I've ever played in my 25 years as a gamer.

You know what, I'm just going to say it.. You're missing skillz. I could literally taste the salt coming from your post.

I jest, It's a fantastic game that rewards patience. Take a step back and stop trying to play it like other games. Not every enemy needs to be confronted or defeated. It's also a game which gets easier the more you play it.

 

[Plainsong]

It's a stunning game. Easily one of the best of this generation.

Simplistic and cheap combat? You have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Drollic]

One of my favorite console games I'd say. 60fps locked would have been nice though. It's the opposite of simplistic and cheap combat if anything.

 

[meths]

I platinumed it and the expansion.

Loved everything about it including the graphics.

Plus it's not as hard as everyone makes out - it's just not as easy as most modern games.

 

[Chandler_90]

I never understood the hype either.. saying that I only sunk 5 hours into it.. I may pick it up again and give it another shot.

One thing I'll use as an example of judging a game too soon.. back in '98 I picked up a certain game called Half-Life..

I played that for a few hours and loaned it to a friend as I wasn't enjoying it. Biggest mistake of my like at the time lol

 

[HecarimOP]

The combat doesn't seem that complex to me. I'm sure there's some subtle things I haven't figured out yet but from what I can tell it's basically like this:

RH weapon - Normal attacks and heavy attacks. Heavy attack can be charged. Weapon can transform for different attack properties.
Ranged - Mainly used to interrupt enemy attacks.
Movement - You can roll and quickstep.

You use roll and/or quickstep to avoid enemy attacks or the gun to interrupt to create openings to attack. Rinse and repeat. That's it. Honestly my mind isn't blown.

The game does feel cheap to me. Trawling through 30 mins of map and enemies to get one shotted by an enemy I've never seen before using attacks I've never seen before so I didn't know how to evade properly. Well better do that 30 mins all over again. Well I evaded the attack this time but he's done another unfamiliar attack immediately after and I dodged in the wrong direction. Go back and do it all again. Get back and die again due to the camera screwing me over meaning I couldn't see what the enemy was doing. Lets do that yet again. Wow this is fun.

All of this whilst fighting against the horrific performance, sluggish and unresponsive controls and terrible camera which makes me feel like I'm playing with crippling arthritis, underwater, wearing a foggy scuba mask.

 

[cheesyboy]

Well, I've not played Bloodborne, but I'm loving Dark Souls after about 18 hours. It's just wonderful

I don't like RPG elements in games generally, but will tolerate it here because t's just so satisfying to play.

Suspect the roots of that lie in my gaming education being substantially on 8-bit and 16-bit tough-as-old-bootnails platformers. The name of the game there was to play, die, improve, die, improve, die, improve, succeed. I get really bored with games that offer constant progress in the form of low-challenge but high-frequency repetition (so most FPS games), with just a change of scenery and some boring dialogue. Really like the feeling of iterating and improving as you master something that once seemed near impossible - attaining that zen-like feeling of balletically moving through the challenge.

Suspect that if you're more accustomed to progress being in the form of new levels and scenery, then the soulsborne sub-genre isn't particularly going to suit.

 

[BAcon]

Bloodborne is a fantastic game, once you "get" it, you won't be able to put it down. Focusing on graphics isn't where these games excel, go play Cod if you want shiny graphics and pick up and play game mechanics. This game is hard, but very rewarding.

Go try Dark souls which is the best game of the lot, then Dark Souls 2 which is slower pace than the first but still great to play.

if you don't "get" From Softwares approach to games, that's fine, but slagging it off makes you appear to be a bit of a noob (stay with me). I played Dark Souls 2 first (before I played any of the other From Software games) to see if I would like Bloodborne (I was looking for something else to play on the ps4 after getting bored with the refresh of GTA5), after 2 hours I put it up for sale on Gumtree, I hated it beyond belief, then I took it to my brothers house to show him how terrible it was, but in doing so I realised some game mechanics I didn't know before, i.e how to use my souls to level up etc (Dark souls doesn't tell you anything but the controls during the game) and I got addicted to put it mildly.

I then went and bought Bloodborne, loved it and completed it several times, went back to DS2:Scholar of the first Sin. rinsed that for about 400 hours, then went and did the same in Dark souls. Same for Dark Souls 3. Still haven't completed Demons souls though....

so tl:dr try harder noob you will get there

 

[BAcon]

Well, I've not played Bloodborne, but I'm loving Dark Souls after about 18 hours. It's just wonderful

I don't like RPG elements in games generally, but will tolerate it here because t's just so satisfying to play.

Suspect the roots of that lie in my gaming education being substantially on 8-bit and 16-bit tough-as-old-bootnails platformers. The name of the game there was to play, die, improve, die, improve, die, improve, succeed. I get really bored with games that offer constant progress in the form of low-challenge but high-frequency repetition (so most FPS games), with just a change of scenery and some boring dialogue. Really like the feeling of iterating and improving as you master something that once seemed near impossible - attaining that zen-like feeling of balletically moving through the challenge.

Suspect that if you're more accustomed to progress being in the form of new levels and scenery, then the soulsborne sub-genre isn't particularly going to suit.

I find the DS and BB series like crack to a smack head personally, glad to see another joining the fray!

 

[jimferno]

All of this whilst fighting against the horrific performance, sluggish and unresponsive controls and terrible camera which makes me feel like I'm playing with crippling arthritis, underwater, wearing a foggy scuba mask.

Nope, this is just utter rubbish I'm afraid.

It's ok to be frustrated by the game, it's design and how unforgiving it can feel at the start but when you turn to bashing the game's performance, controls and camera you're clutching at straws.

The controls are responsive, the camera points wherever you want it to and, bar some frame pacing issues in Yharnam, the game is perfectly playable.

I've played it through several times now, sunk over 120 hours in to the game and it's an absolute joy to play. It doesn't hold your hand and feels brutally unfair when you start but when you learn how to play the game it opens up, gets easier and feels very rewarding.

Stick with it and prepare to change your opinion or go back to one of the mainstream 'everyone's a winner' games that litter the market.

 

[McBain]

The combat doesn't seem that complex to me. I'm sure there's some subtle things I haven't figured out yet but from what I can tell it's basically like this:

RH weapon - Normal attacks and heavy attacks. Heavy attack can be charged. Weapon can transform for different attack properties.
Ranged - Mainly used to interrupt enemy attacks.
Movement - You can roll and quickstep.

You use roll and/or quickstep to avoid enemy attacks or the gun to interrupt to create openings to attack. Rinse and repeat. That's it. Honestly my mind isn't blown.

The game does feel cheap to me. Trawling through 30 mins of map and enemies to get one shotted by an enemy I've never seen before using attacks I've never seen before so I didn't know how to evade properly. Well better do that 30 mins all over again. Well I evaded the attack this time but he's done another unfamiliar attack immediately after and I dodged in the wrong direction. Go back and do it all again. Get back and die again due to the camera screwing me over meaning I couldn't see what the enemy was doing. Lets do that yet again. Wow this is fun.

All of this whilst fighting against the horrific performance, sluggish and unresponsive controls and terrible camera which makes me feel like I'm playing with crippling arthritis, underwater, wearing a foggy scuba mask.

There are shortcuts throughout the areas that can be unlocked, you just need to find them to avoid having to do the same 30 minutes over and over again, but this will become less of an issue as you improve. Your whole point about coming across a new enemy and getting killed because you didn't know how to dodge is exactly what makes these games so rewarding. Some bosses killed me literally 20 times, so when you eventually down them from learning their attack patters etc it's incredibly rewarding.

The camera isn't as bad as that, yes at times with the larger bosses it can go a bit crazy but you need to learn when, and when not to lock on. Don't automatically think lock on is the way to go, as at times it's better to manually control the camera.

Bloodborne is my favourite of the Souls genre games, it's one of the best games of this gen for me. I also platinum'ed it, if you're finding trash mobs hard, i'd recommend not doing the Chalice dungeons It does sound like you're a bit mad at the game, which is fine, it made me rage hard at times I won't even deny it.

 

[mid_gen]

I'm same as OP.

The visuals and animations are awful. The secondary game design is terrible (that starting area with the notes, wtf?). I'm sure I could get into it if I had the patience.....but I don't.

 

[McBain]

The starting area is basic because the game wants to do as little hand holding as possible.

 

[BAcon]

The anger towards it is very funny

 

[Peew971]

Stick with it for a few more hours then if it doesn't click move on to something else. Plenty of games around.