Grant Us Eyes: A Timeline for Djura, the Retired Hunter

Down in the scorched streets of Old Yharnam is a clock tower. Atop that tower is a dangerous man. That man is Djura, the Retired Hunter. Many players hate him, but those who explored his entire story may think differently. In the end, it’s easy to forget about that old man standing next to his Gatling gun waiting for unknowing Hunters to wander into his turf. His presence is so short-lived, and the optional second encounter with him is so easily missed that he slips right under the radar once he stops raining bullets down on us. So what’s his story? Where does he come from? Lets start at the beginning by looking at the tragic Old Yharnam.

He may be old, but he’s efficient with that Stake Driver.

Old Yharnam was burned to the ground when cursed by what was called the Ashen Blood. This horrific deed was carried out by a sect of Hunters called The Powder Kegs–a rough group that enjoyed a good scrape–even more so when it included fire and explosions. According to a note found by the Charred Hunter Set, the Powder Kegs cleansed the streets of Old Yharnam as the Blood Moon hung in the sky.

“The red moon hangs low, and beasts rule the streets. Are we left no other choice, than to burn it all to cinders?”

Since then, all that remains of the Hunters is an armor set, some weapons and THE Powder Keg–Djura. Djura was a Hunter just as we are. He went through the Dream and went through the same steps. The only difference is that he realized that the beasts he slaughtered were nothing more than sick people. The guilt from all the innocents he slaughtered was more than he could take, and so when the time came for Gehrman to offer Djura an exit from the Dream, the latter took it without hesitation. Once he awoke in the real world he set out for redemption–redemption for that hot, bloody night that Old Yharnam turned to cinders.

Djura ventured back to Old Yharnam. There were still beasts there, though most of the population had been slaughtered. Djura chose to protect them from other Hunters instead. So he set up defenses on the best vantage point he could find and waited. He would wait there until he died. This is where we come in. We venture to Old Yharnam in search of a chalice with which we can access the Chalice Dungeons below Yharnam and consequently open the door that allows easy access to the Cathedral Ward. This mean we need to cut our way through the beasts that Djura has sworn to protect. He does give us fair warning before we venture too far:

“You there, hunter. Didn’t you see the warning? Turn back at once. Old Yharnam, burned and abandoned by men, is now home only to beasts. They are of no harm to those above. Turn back… or the hunter will face the hunt.”

Do you really want to mess with this guy?

Djura isn’t toying around. This is our second warning if you count the note on the entrance. Djura is right–the beasts in Old Yharnam are of harm to any innocents. The only ones in danger from them are the Hunters who desire it. Djura wants to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, as he was once a Hunter as well and understands our position. We push forward, as fate has decided we must find that chalice. So it’s then that Djura opens fire:

“…You are a skilled hunter. Adept, merciless, half-cut with blood. As the best hunters are. Which is why I must stop you!”

He knows that we’re in the same predicament he used to be in–that we’re trapped within the Dream. He knows that means we’re the best of the Hunters because of our cursed immortality. This doesn’t deter him though. Even if he can’t stop us, he’s going to do his best to slow our progress. His values force him to. Once we run through his gauntlet we have two options: climb up the tower and challenge Djura or continue through Old Yharnam without a second thought. Smarter Hunters will pass on taking on Djura, as he’s a strong foe. Those who choose to fight him and die will hear this piece of dialogue:

“I should think you still have dreams? Well, next time you dream, give some thought to the hunt, and its purpose.”

Djura’s only hope of truly stopping us is to sway us to his line of thinking. He wants us to open our eyes and see that we’re killing sick, innocent people. Unfortunately, we never do and we press on.

The monstrosity that guards Djura’s good side.

 

The optional boss Darkbeast Paarl guards a backdoor to Old Yharnam that can be used to approach Djura without getting attacked. Once you confront him this way, he’ll be friendly.

“Well, well… How did you get in here? Ah, it’s no matter. What brings you to Old Yharnam? I’ve no interest in matters further up, but you must not disturb this place. The beasts do not venture above, and mean no harm to anyone. If you still insist on hunting them, then I will hunt you first. You understand me?”

Perhaps if the beasts of Old Yharnam were harming others Djura would go into action but down here they’re not hurting anyone. He aims to protect this innocence–even if it’s from the Hunters he used to fight alongside. This is where he gives us two options: spare the beasts of Old Yharnman, or hunt them. If we spare the beasts, he gives us a couple presents and tells us a little back story of his life.

“Yes, very good. I no longer dream, but I was once a hunter, too. There’s nothing more horrific than a hunt. In case you’ve failed to realize… The things you hunt, they’re not beasts. They’re people. One day, you will see… Hmm, it’s time you got going… But first, a farewell gift. I have no use for it anyway. What is it? Surely I need not repeat myself. Go, I say. You have the whole night to dream. Make the best of it.”

It’s here that we realize that Djura isn’t such a bad guy after all. His aggression toward us was totally justified–would you not do everything you could to protect innocent, sick people from those who don’t understand? He’s almost like a hero to these beasts whether they realize it or not. Djura’s time as a Hunter made him realize the supposed truth about the beasts he slaughtered and now it seems he’s redeeming himself by committing the rest of his life to their defense. Some wisdom he imparts to us as we show a moderate understanding of his values.

The tower Djura assaults us from.

On the other hand, refusing to spare the beasts of Old Yharnam has dire consequences.

“Of course, I thought as much. You are a true hunter. Which is why I must stop you!”

Djura attacks us. We’re no longer his comrade–we’re stubborn murderers who will never understand his mission. He strikes us down or dies trying. He’s more than prepared to die for his cause. Should we overcome him, he gives us a final desperate warning.

“It’s you… You’re the beast… Can’t you see what you’re doing? It’s madness…”

Some of us will determine his last words to be gibberish. Some of us will be haunted by his words. Some may not even kill Djura–he’s such an easy to miss character that it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to hear many didn’t find the back entrance to Old Yharnam. Regardless of the outcome, Djura’s story is a tragic one.

Grant Us Eyes: A Timeline for Gehrman, the First Hunter

Don’t worry, that’s a normal cane.

I thought it might be helpful to start creating a timeline for Bloodborne to help make sense of what happened and when. There are so many characters and events that are subtly intertwined that it’s easy to lose track of things. Who better to start with than the first Hunter himself, Gehrman. Please remember that while I do use item descriptions and other pieces of information from the game, a lot of this is speculation.

We know him well as the old man in the wheelchair that drops hints on our next objective and also as one of the final bosses of the game–incredibly influential and vital roles in the story. So where do we start? Well, where else than The Old Hunters DLC which explores the beginnings of the events driving the plot of the whole game. However, you might say Gehrman’s involvement in the DLC is minimal at best, which is fair.

Check out the trailer for The Old Hunters below.

At about 56 seconds in you’ll notice a shot of a man walking along the flooded streets of the Fishing Hamlet. A closer look will reveal that this is none other than our scythe wielding friend Gehrman, the First Hunter. As the name implies, the events we explore in the nightmare of The Old Hunters happened long ago, so it’s safe to assume that this is Gehrman’s earliest appearance (at least for us). What was he doing in the Fishing Hamlet? You can look here to see my thoughts on that, but to summarize, I think he was there with his student Hunters and Byrgenwerth, and that he was the one to take away/kill the Orphan of Kos. The Fishing Hamlet is also what causes Lady Maria to throw away her weapon and swear off the hunt to take care of the patients of the Research Hall. During this time you can imagine Gehrman sitting alone in his obsolete workshop. When Maria passes away and Gehrman finds out, he likely loses his mind.

He has a void in his heart. According to the item description for Maria’s hunter garb:

“Maria is distantly related to the undead queen, but had great admiration for Gehrman, unaware of his curious mania”

The implication being that Gehrman was mildly obsessed with his student. With Maria gone, and his hunting days over (likely due to his peg leg) Gehrman has little purpose. He’s unable to cope and unbearably lonely. He uses his skills as a craftsman to create a doll in the image of the late Lady Maria, but it’s still not enough. In the end, Gehrman must have realized that the doll would never be able to replace his student. In a fit of desperation Gehrman remembers a souvenir he had snagged during his escapades in the Fishing Hamlet: the Third of Umbilical cord. I’m not sure exactly how it works. Perhaps you just scream to the heavens with the cord in hand and the Great Ones answer. At least that’s how I imagine it went for Gehrman. His cries catch the attention of the Moon Presence. It descends from the moon itself to hear the old Hunter out. Gehrman wants Maria back more than anything, and he tells the Great One he’ll do whatever it wants in return. Coincidentally, the Moon Presence is also looking to fill a void within itself, and uses Gehrman as a means of finding a surrogate. It whisks Gehrman away to the Hunter’s Dream, leaving the workshop and doll behind.

Looking great as always MP.

Gehrman arrives in his new home to find the doll alive. It looks and sounds like Maria, and I imagine he was quite overjoyed. However, as time goes on and as each successive Hunter goes through the dream, Gehrman becomes less and less interested in the doll. The doll wasn’t Maria. It didn’t have her personality or flaws. It was just a plain, boring doll. Gehrman realizes that what is a dream and respite for the Hunters that pass through is a nightmare for him. He can’t escape, for anyone who reaches the end of their journey either submits and leaves the dream or is cut down by Gehrman. His only hope is that someone powerful will eventually enter the dream and put him out of his misery. Who are the most powerful people he knows? Master Willem and Laurence.

Unfortunately for Gehrman, they never arrive. Laurence turns to a beast and his skull placed in the Grand Cathedral, and Provost Willem is too busy staring off into the moon at Byrgenwerth. Gehrman has been long forgotten. This is where we come in. We meet Gehrman sitting alone in his workshop within the dream, patiently waiting as he has nothing better to do. He seems normal enough (despite the bizarre nature of his home) except one odd piece of dialogue that I think every player found a bit off-putting:

“This was once a safe haven for hunters. A workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don’t have as many tools as we once did, but… You’re welcome to use whatever you find. (Whispers) …Even the doll, should it please you…”

The doll shows it possesses an odd sense of emotion, which makes its story all the more tragic.

Even the way he says it is creepy. Regardless of the assumptions many players have made from this dialogue, it undoubtedly shows how little Gehrman cares for the doll anymore. Isn’t it odd that Gehrman would offer a complete stranger to use the doll however he or she wished after he had gone to such great lengths to make and bring it to life ? Something you may not notice is how we never see Gehrman and the doll in close proximity or even in sight of each other. This suggests that the first Hunter is avoiding it. Perhaps the doll reminds him too much of his guilt-ridden past and Maria. The more we examine his situation, the more it seems he’s indeed trapped in a nightmare.

As we progress through the game Gehrman will give us hints to our next objective. It makes sense, as his experience and knowledge must be extensive considering he’s the OG Hunter. However, what’s more interesting is if you’re lucky and find him talking in his sleep in the garden behind the workshop:

“Oh, Laurence… what’s taking you so long… I’ve grown too old for this, of little use now, I’m afraid…”

It’s tragic. He’s still hoping and waiting for Laurence to arrive and save him from his nightmare. Unfortunately, as we all know, Laurence won’t be coming. If you progress further through the game and defeat Rom, you can find Gehrman in the same place but with different dialogue:

“Oh, Laurence…Master Willem… Somebody help me… Unshackle me please, anybody… I’ve had enough of this dream… The night blocks all sight… Oh, somebody, please… “

He’s growing in desperation it seems. He desires for someone–anyone–to set him free. His only escape is his own destruction, and we are the ones to give it to him.

Once we’ve defeated Mergo’s Wet Nurse and met Gehrman under the great tree in the Hunter’s Dream, he gives us a choice:

“Good Hunter, you’ve done well, the night is near its end. Now I will show you mercy. You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun. You will be freed from this terrible Hunter’s Dream.”

Gehrman tests us. He offers us an easy and tempting way out. You would be forgiven for choosing to submit and thinking it’s the good ending. However, that would be failing the test. Should we refuse, we get to grant Gehrman’s wish:

“Dear, oh dear. What was it? The Hunt? The Blood? Or the horrible dream? It always comes down to the Hunters’ helper after all these sort of messes. Tonight, Gehrman joins the hunt.”

He knows what we’re after, and he’s bound by his agreement with the Moon Presence and has to try to kill us. This comment about it always coming down to him also suggests just how many Hunters he has tested over his stay in the nightmare. It must be agony to slay all these Hunters and not be able to leave himself. After an intense fight (and possibly quite a few tries) we finally kill Gehrman, the First Hunter:

“The night, and the dream, were long…”

He crumples at our feet as he fades to dust. We’ve freed the tortured soul that was Gehrman, the First Hunter. However, we’ve also slayed the Moon Presence’s ‘gatekeeper’ if you will. It descends from the moon and embraces us. If we’re not strong enough, we take Gehrman’s place as guardian of the dream. If we are strong enough, we slay the Moon Presence and become a Great One. More importantly, we see a message on the screen that tells us once and for all that is no dream at all. We see the words, Nightmare Slain.

MP knows how to make an entrance, I’ll give it that. 

 

That’s all for this one. I’ve never really seen a timeline for characters, so I think this might be a pretty cool idea. Granted, I’m basing a lot of it off of my own speculation from previous articles, but if you disagree with it, by all means leave a comment and give me your thoughts. See you next time.

Grant Us Eyes: Gehrman, The Plain Doll, Winter Lanterns, the Messengers and Lady Maria

Nothing in Bloodborne terrifies me more than the Winter Lanterns. Their haunting tune that echoes within my head is like nails on a chalkboard. I can deal with their appearance, but that singing… (shivers).

Insecurities aside, I also find the Winter Lanterns intriguing. If you haven’t noticed, they’re dressed similarly to the Doll in the Hunter’s Dream who has undeniable connections to Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower. The thought of this makes my head spin, which means it’s the perfect area to explore next with the lore series. The logical point to start at is at the beginning. At the point in time before the scourge of the beast overtook Yharnam. Back when Gehrman was still an active participant of the hunt and had students. One such student, was Lady Maria.

The following is from the description of Maria’s garb:”Among the first hunters, all students of Gehrman, was the lady hunter Maria. This was her hunter’s Garb, crafted in Cainhurst.

Maria is distantly related to the undead queen, but had great admiration for Gehrman, unaware of his curious mania”

We can take two big points from this information. First, we now know that Lady Maria was among the first hunters and student to Gehrman–the first hunter. Second, we learn that Maria has strong connections to Cainhurst. Note the use of the word but. She was related to the ambiguously referenced “undead queen.” Many (understandably) think this is reference to Queen Annalise of the Vilebloods, but I think Maria’s roots go to Queen Yharnam. I’ll write up another lore post regarding the Vilebloods, Executioners and Queen Yharnam at another time. For now, just know that ever though Maria had strong connections to Cainhurst, she devoted herself to the hunt.

The reason for that decision can be found in the item description for the Rakuyo–Maria’s weapon of choice:

“Hunter weapon wielded by Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower.

A trick sword originated in the same country as the Cainhurst Chikage, only this sword feeds not off blood, but instead demands great dexterity.

Lady Maria was fond of this aspect of the Rakuyo, as she frowned upon blood blades, despite being a distant relative of the queen.

One day, she abandoned her beloved Rakuyo, casting it into a dark well, when she could stomach it no longer.”

Maria was very much out of place in Cainhurst. The Vilebloods were a people who used blood as an offensive means. Maria was put off by this for obvious reasons and was more interested in helping the people of Yharnam by becoming a student of Gerhman. We also learn why we find the Rakuyo deep in the dark well in the Fishing Hamlet. It would seem, at least to me, that Maria was a person very in tune with her conscience. It seemed to drive her to joining the hunt and abandoning the ruthless Vilebloods, and it caused her to throw her weapon away after something horrible happened. All the characters in Bloodborne are driven by something, and Maria, it would seem, is driven by her moral compass. This is further evidenced by the dialogue of the docile patients found in the Research Hall. Most, if not all, ask if you’re Lady Maria–almost how a child would ask for their mother.It’s from this, that we could assume that Lady Maria cared for these people as Byrgenwerth/The Healing Church did their experiments on them.

Gotta love the Research Hall.

Why these people though? Why did Lady Maria devote so much of her time to care for these test subjects doomed to a pitiful existence of insanity and pain? I think these are people from the Fishing Hamlet. When Bygenwerth rampaged through the little village they also carried off many of the citizens to perform experiments and tests on. This, and the Rakuyo’s item description, lead me to believe that Maria played a significant role in the butchering of the Fishing Hamlet. That’s why she stands guard at the Astral Clocktower–to guard the secret horrors she helped commit. So why did a woman with such a kind heart help in the murder of all those people? Refer back to the last sentence of her garb’s item description:

“Maria is distantly related to the undead queen, but had great admiration for Gehrman, unaware of his curious mania”

She had a great admiration for her mentor, Gerhman. A great admiration, I think, considering she abandoned her people to learn from him. Though he clearly had stronger feelings for her, she probably saw him more as a father figure at most. If you watch the trailer for The Old Hunters we can see a short clip that clearly shows Gehrman walking through the Fishing Hamlet. This fact, along with the assumption that Maria wouldn’t have gone to the hamlet alone puts Gehrman at the scene of the crime. I could be, that he’s the very one who did the unspeakable act, that brought a curse upon all hunters. It think it may have Gehrman, that slaughtered the Orphan of Kos in the name of Byrgenwerth.

So lets start building a timeline for all of this. As far as Maria is concerned, it all starts when she leaves Cainhurst to join Gehrman and his students. Maria and Gehrman grow fond of each other, though Maria sees him as a mentor while Gehrman sees her in a more romantic way. Not even the great First Hunter can escape the grasp of the friend zone. Then Byrgenwerth catches wind of a deceased Great One washing up on the shore of a Fishing Hamlet. They naturally make their way there with their muscle–the hunters–just in case. Byrgenwerth kidnaps and experiments on all the inhabitants to find the effects of the Great One’s presence–scratching around in people’s brains in search of eyes–but to no avail. They then start taking everyone to the Research Hall hidden in the Astral Clocktower. Gehrman does the dirty work and slaughters the Orphan of Kos, secretly taking part of its umbilical cord. Maria is horrified by all that’s transpired, and casts her weapon–a symbol of what she had helped do– down the well is disgust. She then devotes the rest of her days to the care of the people in the Research Hall. When she eventually dies for reasons unknown to us, Gehrman loses his mind.

Poor guy. He just misses his fair maiden.

This is the perfect segue to  start looking at Gehrman, as he plays a large role in Maria and the Doll’s story. Gehrman cares for Maria, and when she passes away, a little bit of him dies with her. As we’ve already learned from the description of Maria’s hunter garb, Gehrman has a ‘curious mania.’ A quick Google search reveals that mania can mean “an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession.” Gehrman is obsessed with Maria. He admires her to the extreme, and when she passes away, it leaves a void within him. He needs to fill that void somehow, and what better way to do so than to use his skill as a craftsman to create a doll in Maria’s image. The Doll’s set say this:

“A deep love for the doll can be surmised by the fine craftsmanship of this article, and the care with which it was kept.”

“It borderlines on mania, and exudes a slight warmth.”

Gehrman put much thought and effort into the creation of the doll, and took great care of it afterwards. It seems he was nearly as obsessed with it as he was with Maria herself. If you manage to find it, you can visit the Old Hunter’s Workshop past Cathedral Ward. There we find some interesting items such as a hair ornament, the doll’s clothing and an inanimate version of the doll lying in the corner. The hair ornament’s item description says this:

“A small, very ordinary hair ornament.”

“Although it has been lost for quite some time, one can still see signs of the care with which this tasteful ornament was once kept.”

“Its colour would stand most brilliantly against a head of greyish hair.”

It’s made clear that Gehrman’s obsession and great care that went toward the doll was put into this ornament as well. One could assume it was Maria’s, and it was the last possession he had to remind him of her. You can almost imagine Gehrman sitting alone in his workshop, ornament in hand, thinking of how it looked to brilliant against that head of greyish hair. This train of thought could very well lead him to creating the doll to fill the void within himself, and to return purpose to the ornament. Also imagine, if you will, that umbilical cord he snatched from the Orphan of Kos sitting somewhere in his workshop. So Gehrman crafts the doll, but that isn’t enough for him. It may have made the pain more unbearable, in a way, to see this copy of the one he admired so sitting lifeless on the floor. That’s when he sets eyes back on the umbilical cord.

Most of this has gone to speculation. Honestly, it’s just how I’ve thought that the events could logically progress. Gehrman summons the Moon Presence with the umbilical cord. For some reason I’m led to believe that Gehrman struck a deal with the Moon presence. He knew that the Great Ones suffered from the curse of the orphan, and he also knew they were sympathetic in spirit. So he beckons the Moon Presence and makes a proposal: if the Moon Presence were to bring back his beloved Maria, he would find the Great One a surrogate. The Moon Presence shows pity and agrees. It whisks Gehrman into the Hunter’s Dream, and traps him in it. He will remain there until another Hunter comes along and shows their worthy of surrogacy by defeating him. In return, the Doll comes to life. It’s a mere shell of Maria, but Gehrman doesn’t notice. At least not yet.

Regardless of how much it looks like Maria, the doll won’t fill the void within Gehrman.

Cue our arrival. We come to Yharnam for whatever reason and are subjected to a blood transfusion. We have a vision of a blood-drenched beast rising from the ground. Upon touching us it violently burns alive, and the Messengers come in and whisk us away to The Hunter’s Dream. This is where the Winter Lanterns start to come into play. First, lets take a look at the Messengers. Have you noticed how significant they seem to be throughout all of Bloodborne? They’re literally everywhere you go. They cluster around the lanterns you light, they present you with notes from other hunters, they guide you through the nightmare frontier and allow you to trade your Blood Echoes and Insight for helpful items. They also sit around the tombstones that transport you to the various lanterns you’ve found. It’s easy to forget their significance to the plot of Bloodborne.

There’s are a couple more places the Messengers can be found you may have missed. Here’s a picture of a Winter Lantern, the Brain of Mensis and one of the tentacled creatures that roams the Nightmare Frontier’s toxic pools.

A Winter Lantern.

The Brain of Mensis.

This is what the underside of one of the creatures rolling around in the toxic pits of the Nightmare Frontier looks like. 

The last one is a dead giveaway, but you need to look closely to notice what the prior two beings are made of–Messengers. This baffles me to no end. What in the name of Oedon are these little darlings doing?? They literally make up the heads of the Winter Lanterns, and the whole of the Brain of Mensis. They also have something to do with the creatures of the Nightmare Frontier. The problem is that I cannot figure out what all this means. Not for certain, at least. I do have one theory that’s a little out there.

The School of Mensis created, obviously, the Nightmare of Mensis. Here I discuss what I think happened to their physical bodies, but do we know exactly what happened to their souls–what remains alive and well in the dream/nightmare? For me, there are two possibilities. The first is that the odd creatures in the Lecture Hall are the students. This is the more likely option, as they are wearing student uniforms. The second possibility is that they ARE the Brain of Mensis in the nightmare. Check out the description of the third umbilical cord you get from defeating Mergo’s Wetnurse:

“This Cord granted Mensis audience with Mergo, but resulted in the stillbirth of their brains.”

The stillbirth of their brains. Think about it–the Brain of Mensis is practically a vegetable. It sits in chains until you release it and then does nothing still until you ‘make contact’ with it via the gesture. Also, the School of Mensis can be seen as a collective of people, so bunching them together in such a way rather makes sense. So with this knowledge, I believe that the Brain of Mensis represents what happens when man toys with things that are above him. The desire for eyes on the inside was so great that it seems they were given an ironic fate within the nightmare. That still doesn’t explain why it’s made of Messengers though.

Or does it? There is so little known about the Messengers that all we can do is speculate at this point. That being said, it appears to me that the Winter Lanterns represent the horrible events and concepts that drive the events of Bloodborne. They have the body of the Doll, which is the creation of Gehrman’s obsessive mania. They have a miniature Brain of Mensis for a head, symbolizing the horrible acts of Micolash and the School of Mensis. Finally, they sing what sounds like the tune that plays during the battle with Mergo’s Wetnurse, referring to man’s folly in calling upon the Great Ones. The Messengers, I think, are doing their job by delivering a message. They’re using their own bodies to try and show us the travesties we speculate to this very day. The structure of the brain itself even has eyes in it–something Byrgenwerth desperately strove for in its studies. As for why they’re underneath the creatures of the Nightmare Frontier? Beats me.

That’s all for this one. It was a heck of a long post that took a lot of thought and time to create. I can’t help but feel I went a little off topic in this one, but Gehrman, Lady Maria and the Doll are all connected, and I felt the appearance of the Winter Lanterns justified their inclusion. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!

What I Would Want From A Bloodborne Sequel

Don’t lie to me, I know the thought has crossed your mind. It’s crossed the minds of anyone who has gotten hours of pure joy from Bloodborne: would From Software ever create a sequel. Honestly, I think the odds of that are very slim. If I remember correctly, From Software will be going in other directions after Dark Souls III releases. The odds are great fellow hunters. However! That doesn’t mean we can’t geek out at the prospect. That’s precisely what I’ll be doing here. These are things I would want from a sequel to what’s probably my favorite game of all time. Keep in mind that while some of these concepts may mix well, I realize some of them just wouldn’t work together.

Fresh out the gate, looking towards the future. 

Into the Cosmos

I understand that making the Dark Souls games rather disconnected aids in the ambiguity that From Software loves so much, but I would LOVE IT if they made Bloodborne II a direct sequel that plays out in the same universe with clear connections to the first game. That… and I want it in space. The concept sounds odd at first, but I think From Software can pull it off. I would love to see how the developer would interpret the idea of exploring space. I don’t imagine flying around in a ship but exploring bizarre and horrific worlds through different doorways or something. The hub system would work perfectly for this. To me, the idea of exploring and cutting my way through the horrors that lie in the cosmos is intriguing. Think of the weapons that From Software would think up! Using alien technology and materials would be the perfect excuse to be as outlandish as they wanted with their already clever weapon designs. Even if it’s not a sequel to Bloodborne, just make a game in space.

Continue the Story

If you dig deep enough, the story of Bloodborne is very interesting.

I adore the lore of Bloodborne, and I know you do too. Even if we didn’t go out to space (sigh) I would love to continue the story. I think it’s the most well-crafted of the series, and I think everyone would enjoy seeing what happens after we complete the hunt. The hunt can’t go on forever, as the number of hunters would eventually run out. So what happens when the Great Ones run out of surrogates? An intriguing thought. Perhaps they would become much more aggressive in their advances and start grabbing anyone they can find. This would drive the sequel to take a stronger focus towards the Great Ones and their kin rather than the beastly scourge that was the prime interest of Bloodborne. Or, I think something of a prequel would be interesting. We already know by the The Old Hunters that dreams and nightmares can serve as ways to the past. Perhaps we could enter various dreams that takes us back to different places in time such as Loran. We could even go back to when the Pthumerians were in their prime! Why stop there? It could be both. From Software is in a position to do it. There could be dreams and nightmares that take us into the past AND the future. I’m sure there are Great Ones who can see or predict the future to some extent. Regardless, I would be disappointed if all the concepts and ideas crafted for the first game were dropped for other just like Dark Souls seems to always do. There a solid foundation–I think From Software would be wise to build upon it.

More Weapons and Variety

(Drool).

While I had no issues on this front, many players complained about the lack of variety in character building due to the limited number of weapons in comparison to the Dark Souls series. I’m sure it’s difficult to come up with two-in-one weapons (especially designs so clever) but going into the future or past could help inspire ideas. In The Old Hunters we were given these barbaric, simple weapons  that fit the setting. It would be cool to have weapons that were even more primitive. It’s fun being a brute! Or, we could be given advanced weapons from dreams in the future. That would be a blast too. I would give ideas of what could be done, but I’m not quite that creative on the spot. That’s certainly an idea for a series on my blog though… anyway! It would be great if they could carry over some fan favorite weapons from the first game into the second. That would be an amazing surprise. It would also help with variety as long as the didn’t rely too heavily on it.

So these are some ideas of what I would love to see in a Bloodborne sequel. If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to add it. That way From Software will have a wealth of ideas from me when they’re stumped on what to do next………. (sarcasm). See you in the next one.

Grant Us Eyes: A Theory of The Point of Bloodborne

There is so much about Bloodborne that we don’t know that it makes it hard to figure out what’s going on half the time. I personally think that’s kind of the point–as the characters in the game know so little about the Great Ones which all the events in the game revolve, we know even less as we come into the events after they’ve happened. It’s cosmic horror mystery, and everything is up for interpretation. So here’s what I think is the very center of the plot.

First of all, I think everyone will agree that the two most important places/events that start off this story are the discovery of the Chalice Dungeons and the massacre at the Fishing Hamlet. I believe the former occurred first. I think this because of the item description for the  Accursed Brew given to you by the traumatized villager you meet upon entering the Fishing Hamlet:

“Skull of a local from the violated fishing village. The inside of the skull was forcibly searched for eyes, as evidenced by innumerable scratches and indentations.

No wonder the skull became stewed in curses.

They who offer baneful chants.
Weep with them, as one in trance”

So we know the hamlet was ‘violated’ by someone, or something. That line of thought can be answered through the aforementioned villager’s rantings:

“Byrgenwerth… Byrgenwerth…
Blasphemous murderers… Blood-crazed fiends…
Atonement for the wretches…
By the wrath of Mother Kos…”

The Fishing Hamlet isn’t pleasant for anybody.

Ah, so Byrgenwerth is the culprit. We know little of the state of the hamlet before their arrival, but from these clues we know that Byrgenwerth did something horrible, and that the locals were experimented on to some degree. Considering Byrgenwerth didn’t even start researching the importance of eyes until discovering the Old Ones beneath Yharnam in the Chalice Dungeons, it can be assumed that the Fishing Hamlet event happened after they started their research. The importance of eyes is a concept that presents itself many times throughout Bloodborne. If we break some of the jars at Byrgenwerth we’ll find eyeballs scattered about. In the Nightmare of Mensis we see eyeballs plastered to the walls and pinned to the floor. On Mergo’s Loft we find pigs with dozens of eyes as well. Micolash even makes mention of Kos as well as eyes while being his obnoxious self:

“Ahh, Kos, or some say Kosm… Do you hear our prayers?”

He follows this up with:

“As you once did for the vacuous Rom, grant us eyes, grant us eyes. Plant eyes on our brains, to cleanse our beastly idiocy.”

Kos is an important figure in the story of Bloodborne. Even though we never encounter her (or her corpse, rather) until the DLC, From Software still put mention of her into the main game. She’s a tragic figure, as we stumble upon her corpse on a muddy beach at the bottom of the Fishing Hamlet.

“The grand lake of mud, hidden now, from sight.”

That cage is going to cause back problems.

This is another point of dialogue from Micolash that I think is a reference to the beach on which we find the corpse of Kos. It’s suspicious how he references the Fishing Hamlet so much. Byrgenwerth was one, single organization devoted to research that split into different parts after the discovery of the Chalice Dungeons, Ebrietas and the Old Blood. Master Willem, Laurence and Micolash went their separate ways. Willem stayed at Byrgenwerth and accrued knowledge. Laurence went on to form the Healing Church and use the Old Blood to ascend. Micolash… well you can check out my other post here to see what I think Micolash was up to. If you read my theory on that, then you know that Micolash was no stranger to harming people to further his research. He was basically a mass murdering fanatic.

You probably know where I’m going with this–I think Micolash and the School of Mensis were the ones that invaded the Fishing Hamlet. This was back when they were still under Byrgenwerth’s banner–before the big split, which ultimately may have occurred BECAUSE of the massacre of the hamlet. It kind of makes sense when we think back to the dialogue between Laurence and Willem after we defeat Vicar Amelia in Cathedral Ward:

Laurence: “Master Willem, I’ve come to bid you farewell.”
Master Willem: “Oh, I know, I know. You think now, to betray me.”
Laurence:“No, but you will never listen. I tell you, I will not forget our adage.”
Master Willem: “…We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open…”
Master Willem & Laurence: “Fear the old blood.”
Laurence: “I must take my leave.”
Master Willem: “By the gods, fear it, Laurence.”

After Micolash finished with the Fishing Hamlet, he moved on and ‘took over’ Yahar’gul in order to continue his dastardly rituals. The shocking events shook Willem and Laurence to the core, causing them to stand firmly by their beliefs in the best way to proceed. The massacre of the hamlet probably created a general unease between the two in general. Willem saw Laurence’s departure as a betrayal after the mess Micolash had left, but hopes Laurence remembers to respect what he’s dealing with as Micolash demonstrated, dabbling with things you don’t understand can bring ruin. So the split occurred.

However, let’s go back to the Fishing Hamlet. Imagine all the inhabitants driven mad by the experiments done on them. The parasites of Kos running rampant around the huts and caves–it’s madness. On that beach lies the corpse of Kos and inside of it, a very upset orphan. It would seem the reason Byrgenwerth invaded the hamlet was to investigate Kos’ corpse that had washed up on shore.

“When the carcass of Kos washed up on the coast, its insides were teeming with tiny parasites, unlike any found in humans”

A bad day for anyone, I think.

This tells us that Kos had perished before arriving at the Fishing Hamlet. When the Byrgenwerth scholars (Micolash and his students) find the corpse, they find the aforementioned parasites, and to their surprise and delight, an infant Great One still in the womb. It’s because of this discovery that Micolash decimated the hamlet for the purpose of seeing how the Great One’s presence may have affected the inhabitants–perhaps even to see if they had gotten eyes on their brains. They hadn’t, so Micolash knew that Willem was wrong in his pursuits. Either a lack of care caused the orphan’s death, or perhaps Micolash killed it, but it died, and Micolash took the umbilical cord which he eventually uses to create The Nightmare of Mensis and have audience with Mergo.

We know that someone (or something) can exist within the dream even if their physical form is long gone. This also goes for Great Ones. I believe that the Orphan of Kos witnessed the horrors committed by Byrgenwerth. It saw the suffering the people went through and heard their curses upon the scholars of Byrgenwerth. He curses Byrgenwerth and anyone associated with them. This includes the hunters, Laurence, Willem and you, the player. I think this is why so many bad things happen in Bloodborne. Not because From Software likes to make their NPCs suffer alongside the player, but because this curse casts a wide net over Yharnam. However, and this theory is a bit out there, I don’t think the orphan stopped there.

I have absolutely no proof to support the following, but I think the Orphan also cursed its fellow Great Ones. My reasons for the previous claim are this: something caused Kos to die, and I feel something would have to be powerful in order to do that, and the Great Ones’ offspring ALWAYS die, which is why they seek a surrogate. To me, that sounds like a curse. A curse that the Orphan placed. If he had to live without his mother, then his fellow Great Ones would have to live without their offspring. He’s clearly hurting when he crawls out of his dead mother’s corpse, weeping as he looks upon the corrupted sun on the horizon.

If we run with this theory, it explains the strong influence of the Great Ones on the world. If they need to find surrogates, they need to have interaction with potential candidates. However, they can’t just take anyone–the surrogate needs to be worthy of being a Great One. A surrogate, after all, is a replacement or stand in for a position. The curse would eventually destroy the race of Great Ones, so they’re using this surrogacy as a loophole to keep their species alive.

This is the true ending of Bloodborne in that you truly ascend the hunt by ascending into another form of being. Well done, hunter!

In closing, I think this also explains the end of Bloodborne. You stop the true villain of the story, Micolash, and the Nightmare he created through his terrible ritual. Since you’ve stopped the ritual, you’ve earned the chance to awaken from the dream via Gehrman. In fact, I think Gerhman may be the Moon Presence’s funnel to weed out the unworthy hunters that make it through. Once you refuse to awaken and defeat Gehrman, the Moon Presence descends and embraces you. If you aren’t worthy then you become a surrogate for Gehrman’s position. However, if you have power of the umbilical cords, then you defeat the Moon Presence and become a Great One. You show you are worthy of becoming a Great One. Why you have to defeat the Moon Presence to ascend, I don’t know. Perhaps a Great One must have a replacement before they can further ascend. The curse would make it impossible for them to ascend, and it would explain why they go through such great lengths to find surrogates. They wish to ascend just as humans do, and they’re just as desperate. Regardless of all of that, I think the center of Bloodborne lies on that beach with the crying orphan, who just wants his mother back.

I realize some of this is impossible to prove, but it makes sense to me. That’s part of the fun of the game after all–theorizing about the plot and sharing said theories with other players. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.

 

Grant Us Eyes: Micolash, The School of Mensis and The One Reborn

Who wouldn’t want to confront this guy?

The One Reborn, according to this recent video by VaatiVidya, was slightly mistranslated from the original Japanese name. Vaati claims that this hideous creature is actually called The Ones Reborn. So what is it, and why is it in Yahar’gul? I have a theory about that–The Ones Reborn is the graphic deformation of the students of the school of Mensis. In their experiments and toying with things beyond their understand, they’ve been turned into this horrible abomination.

The school of Mensis was headed by Micolash, whom you may recall was the host of the Nightmare of Mensis. So the students of the school, led by Micolash, somehow created a nightmare. According to the description of the One Third of Umbilical Cord you get after defeating Mergo’s Wet Nurse, they used the cord itself to make contact:

“Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate. This Cord granted Mensis audience with Mergo, but resulted in the stillbirth of their brains.”

The last part of the second sentence causes me think of something of a coma. You may notice that Micolash is the only remaining member of the school you encounter in the Nightmare. This brings up the question of where the rest of the school went. I think the school was twisted into the abomination we fight in Yahar’gul. So Micolash takes an umbilical cord and uses it to call an Old One and and create a nightmare. From different threads and videos I’ve seen on the subject, it seems that everyone who created a dream/nightmare used a different approach, and Micolash and his students would seem to have used the most gruesome method. According to a note found in Yahar’gul:

“The Mensis ritual must be stopped, lest we all become beasts.”

The School of Mensis was conducting some sort of ritual to contact the Great Ones. I think the streets leading to The One Reborn give a hint as to what that ritual involved. Micolash thought sacrificing people would cause him to ascend. Master Willem sought to use the power of the mind to ascend, Laurence set out to use the blood of the Great Ones and Micolash appears to have seen the answer lying in the body of man. The streets are lined with petrified bodies swallowed up by the concrete. It looks like an event took place that completely decimated the people of Yahar’gul. The body count before this event must have been insane–so insane that there weren’t enough caskets for each person, so they had to start cramming multiple corpses into them.

Throughout the upper levels (the initial portion) of Yahar’gul there is an occasional mummified corpse sitting in a chair. Most (if not all, I haven’t taken the time to check) have the Mensis cages on them. There are also what are called “Undead Scourge Beasts” which you can see in the image below.

This lovely image comes courtesy of the wiki fextralife page for the Scourge Beast.

These horrendous things could be the beasts mentioned in the note. Micolash was probably experimenting more than anything when he was performing the ritual. Those mummified corpses we find in the chairs could be his various attempts. He tried using a single person at a time, placing them outside in full view of the sky with a cage on their head. Now I know what you’re thinking: how could the mummified creatures still be in the chair if the sacrificed individual has been turned into an Undead Beast? Nice try punching a hole in my theory, but I have an answer to that, and it lies in the Bell Maidens that summon in The One Reborn.

If you’ve explored the Chalice dungeons then you know that they’re riddled with these pesky, bell-ringing women. This brings us to the conclusion that they’re Pthumerian and originally from the dungeons–let loose in the world once the dungeons were discovered by Byrgenwerth. Here’s part of the description of the Sinister Resonant Bell which the Bell Maidens use:

“A blood-stained bell discovered in the old underground labyrinth. One of the resonating bells that cross the gaps of worlds, but this one knells for misfortune and malice.”

The bells were discovered in the Chalice Dungeons along with the maidens. Whatever their original purpose was, it involved using their bells to cross into other worlds, or summon creatures from other worlds. Apparently Micolash saw this as a way to ascend to the world of a Great One, or at least get the attention of one. So he straps in a subject, puts the cage on his or her head, and has a maiden ring the bell. The subject passes away, and a an Undead Scourge Beast is born from the ritual. There’s no way of telling how many attempts Micolash made. So many, that he had to send out the Snatchers to grab people and bring them Yahar’gul. This is when he happens to find A Third of Umbilical Cord. Micolash realizes this is what he was missing all along. After all, the Great Ones seek a surrogate for their stillborn children. Presenting them with an umbilical cord from one of those stillborns would certainly garner their attention.

That cage can’t be comfortable…

So Micolash goes for the big one. He takes everyone he can–men, women and children. He ties them into chairs, takes the umbilical cord and performs the ritual. This time it works. This happens after we defeat Rom, the Vacuous Spider. We see Queen Yharnam in this dreamlike place beneath the lake at Byrgenwerth. We follow her gaze to see a blood moon descending. Shortly after we awake with a message on our screen that says, “Ritual secret broken. Seek nightmare newborn.” Many believe this to mean that Rom, herself, was the secret, and killing her allowed Micolash to perform the ritual. I beg to differ–I think that the ritual itself was a secret, but Rom wouldn’t tell it to anyone. You’re simply following the path given to you by the game up to this point, trying to find Paleblood. It just so happens that Micolash discovers the secret to contacting the Great Ones–the Third of Umbilical Cord. We sought answers from Rom, to no avail. Now we have a new means of finding Paleblood, and that’s through the newborn that Micolash has taken audience with.

Now we make our way through Yahar’gul, exploring the aftermath of the ritual. When we enter the Advent Plaza, we’re met by the bell maidens who aided Micolash in the ritual.  His latest attempt was a success, and he’s now in the Nightmare of Mensis. However, his victims were left to a horrible fate. They became twisted, mangled and contorted into The One Reborn, which the bell maidens summon to stop you from pursuing Micolash. What’s more terrible is that those aren’t all the victims of the ritual in the tangled mess–I suspect that the gore The One Reborn attacks you with throughout the fight are the leftover parts of the misguided fools who were led by a maniac obsessed with ascension. After we defeat The One Reborn and the bell maidens that helped create it, we find the site of the ritual. Dozens of corpses are sitting in chairs around one figure with an especially large cage on its head–the mummified corpse of Micolash. We interact with the corpse and are teleported away. We end up in what’s called the Lecture Building. I’ve always assumed that this is the lecture building for the School of Mensis, mainly because of what we find there. Creatures reminiscent of phlegm roam the halls. They all wear student uniforms and some still sit in their assigned seats in the classrooms. I’m not sure how the lecture hall arrived in where we find it. If I come up with anything, I’ll update this post for sure!

For now, that’s all I have on the School of Mensis and the events surrounding their rituals. I would love to hear what you think of this theory. The more I write about Bloodborne, the more I think about how I interpreted the story before I started reading everyone else’s opinions. It’s a blast! See you with the next one

 

Grant Us Eyes- A Bloodborne Lore Series

Bloodborne lore speculation is all over the internet. I’ve read plenty of articles and comment threads discussing possible meanings to just about every aspect of the game. Well, I’ve heard everyone else’s opinion and now I want to voice mine. This series will be riddled with spoilers for Bloodborne and its DLC, The Old Hunters. It will receive posts as I play the game or have random epiphanies about the lore of Bloodborne.

For example, as I was taking a bathroom break from writing this morning I realized that the patients with the swollen heads in the Research Hall of The Old Hunters are reminiscent of the Winter Lantern enemies. These patients (the ones that don’t attack you at least) seem to reference Lady Maria when spoken to–often mistaking you for her, or begging for her to comfort them. If you somehow haven’t noticed, The Doll in The Hunter’s Dream was crafted to resemble Lady Maria (they look to similar to be a coincidence). You may have also noticed that the Winter Lantern enemies are wearing same set as the Doll.

This is far as I’ve gotten with this line of thinking, but I find these possible connections interesting. Lady Maria cared for these patients in the Research Hall, who I speculate may eventually ‘ascend’ or ‘evolve’ into the Winter Lanterns. Perhaps they clothe themselves as a sort of nod to the only one who cared for them during the horrible experiments they were subjected to–just like Gehrman supposedly created the Doll in Maria’s image.

I’ll be putting more thought into this, but I just wanted to get it down somewhere before I forgot about it. What better place than my gaming blog?

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters Review

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is a brutal, thrilling and surprisingly long and deep addition to an already stellar game. It’s every bit as difficult, horrific and satisfying as the main game, if not more so. If there’s anything missing from Bloodborne, The Old Hunters undoubtedly fills in the gaps.

One of those gaps that some people have mentioned is the scarcity of weapons. Bloodborne has plenty of weapons, but you can only find what some would call the ‘best’ closer to the end of a playthrough. The Old Hunters solves this problem by throwing several new weapons at the player soon after he or she enters it. You’re likely to see an NPC Hunter using an aforementioned weapon before you find it yourself, which is an intriguing and terrifying experience. I was initially disappointed with the weapons as most in the first area of the game are strength-based–an unfortunate  discovery for my skill/bloodtinge character. However, I implore you to keep looking, as there are plenty of awesome skill based weapons farther into the DLC. That being said, I’ve since created a strength build and The Old Hunters offers what I think are by far the best strength weapons to be found in the entire game. Regardless of build, every player should be pleased by what The Old Hunters offers in terms of an updated arsenal.

The Old Hunters is a nightmare. There are two reasons I say that. First, the place you go to is literally called The Hunter’s Nightmare. In terms of the story, it’s where the Hunters of Yharnam end up when they become blood drunk–essentially being dragged into an endless hunt. Second, the DLC will be a nightmare for you to advance through. It is vicious and unforgiving. However, it never feels too difficult until you get to New Game +, which is when things really ramp up. With every death I knew that I could overcome each challenge with one more try. Or two. Or three. Things do indeed elevate in difficulty the farther you venture into the harsh, chaotic nightmare. Though perhaps I should say, “as you descend,” because The Old Hunters gets progressively more sadistic and bizarre in each successive area. Every section of the DLC is undeniably beautiful in its own dark, horrific way. Crawling through The Old Hunters is undeniably worth the struggle, as the pay off in terms of lore and boss encounters is incredible.

The bosses are, with a couple exceptions, the best among the entirety of Bloodborne. They challenge every skill you possess and soloing them grants some serious bragging rights. What’s more, they’re not two-dimensional bosses thrown in for a challenge (again, minus an exception). Most of the bosses, if you follow the game’s lore, are tragic figures in the Bloodborne mythos. Once you realize their significance, it’s rather heartbreaking to take them down. Unfortunately, all of that is lost while fighting them. However, one boss (my personal favorite) is the only one in a Souls game I’ve not wanted to finish off. To me, that’s significant in a game full of nightmarish creatures that want to end your existence.

If you enjoyed Bloodborne’s base game then I have no doubt you’ll love The Old Hunters. It has everything–weapons, lore, challenge and unforgettable boss encounters. It hits all the right marks in just the right way. I’m going to give it a 5/5, just like the main game.

(Side note: to access The Old Hunters you must have defeated Vicar Amelia and picked up the Eye of a Blood Drunk Hunter in the Hunter’s Dream. Then you need to be snatched up by the Lesser Amygdala outside the Cathedral Ward lamp, which will give a short cutscene and send you to The Hunter’s Nightmare. Happy hunting.)

Bloodborne Review: Ascend the Hunt

Bloodborne is a fast-paced, blood spattered beast. It’s scary, smart, quick and determined to bring you down–though it will settle with a controller through a wall. This, is how I would describe Bloodborne. Over 100 hours in and I’m still showing no signs of slowing down. Amidst the dark, terrifying atmosphere is a solid masterpiece. Here’s my review of what’s possibly my new favorite game of all time: Bloodborne.

Your first view of the deceptively beautiful Yharnam.

Bloodborne is every bit as difficult as From Software’s Dark Souls series. Don’t be fooled by the new looks or mechanics–Bloodborne does not pull punches. You will be smashed, sliced, eaten, maimed, burned, insulted and forcibly relieved of your eyes before you see the credits roll. Bloodborne isn’t for the faint of heart. Even if you can handle the gameplay, the setting and atmosphere of the game will stick with you. This is the impression you will get once you suffer through the first of many deaths within the first few moments of the game. From Software wants to make sure you know it’s not holding back.

That’s not to say Bloodborne isn’t a beautiful game. Even after playing over a hundred hours I still stop and take in the beauty of Yharnam, the city in which the game takes place. From Software has always taken presentation seriously, and they clearly took full advantage of the Playstation 4’s powerful hardware to create their most aesthetically pleasing game to date. Slicing your way through the streets of Yharnam, though graphic and horrifying, is an undeniably beautiful experience. Sometimes I think that its beauty is part of Bloodborne’s deadly bag of tricks. It seems as soon as you start to appreciate the scenery something that wants to kill you comes around the corner.

Exhibit A.

The creatures and foes you’ll be fighting are just as well done as the environment in which you find them. I wouldn’t classify them as beautiful so much as well-made. Enemies are well thought out, and some have designs that are downright devious. Most designs make you want to look away, or at least make you anxious to hack it to oblivion. It’s their revolting appearance that puts you in a bit of a shock before they strike at you. From Software took it up a notch with their sound design as well. Many enemies make sounds that are something out of a nightmare. There’s still one enemy type that I need to turn down the volume for. Bloodborne’s enemies are expertly crafted and ready to take you down.

That’s where your weapon will come in handy. Though there are a scant few in comparison to other From Software games, each weapon has two different forms that can be switched between with the press of a button. Each weapon seems more unique than the last, and is viable so long as you know how to use it. This is a huge part of Bloodborne that you’ll eventually realize. You have to know what your weapon can do and how to use it efficiently if you’re going to master Bloodborne. Practice certainly makes perfect in this game, and using a weapon as it was meant to be will get you far. It’s easy to but don’t forget to use your firearm in your left hand. There are few ways of guarding yourself in Bloodborne. Instead, you use a gun to turn an opponent’s attack against them. A well-timed shot will open them up for a powerful counter attack.

In case you didn’t realize it yet, there’s a lot of blood in Bloodborne.

There is truly no efficient way to protect yourself besides being fast and smart. Encounters happen quick, and you need to master the art of evasion if you’re going to adapt. This is done with sidesteps and lunges that can swiftly get you in and out of a scrap. Should you take a hit (and you will), you will have a few seconds of opportunity to regain some of your lost health by hitting the enemy back. This is an incredibly clever mechanic that persuades you to be aggressive, which is an important lesson to learn. You’re going to have trouble if you try to be defensive. Bloodborne urges you to fight your enemies head-on.

Despite all the tools given to you, there will be obstacles you can’t overcome yourself. This is where the stellar multiplayer mechanics can be of great use. As long as you’re online, a simple ring of a special bell will search the world for another player around your level to come into your world to assist you in defeating the boss of the area. It’s an easy, simple process that I fell in love with. Most of the time I spent in Bloodborne was helping others overcome their own challenges. There’s great satisfaction in helping someone else overcome a powerful enemy. The ringing of the bell also opens up your world for invasion, meaning another player can come in to try and kill you rather help you. Many fun moments can be found when you start playing with other people. That’s certainly where I had the most fun.

I loved playing with others.

I can’t speak much of the plot of Bloodborne, as much of it is up for debate. I can say, however, that part of the fun of the game is playing through and then discussing your theories with other players. In classic From Software form, hints and clues to the subtle story driving the game are littered throughout. It’s up to you to seek them out and gain insight on what’s going on behind the scenes. With Bloodborne, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. It’s chock-full of solid, tight mechanics that rarely seem unfair or obnoxious. Those mechanics are covered with a gorgeous skin that creates a beautiful world to explore at your own risk. After all this time, I can’t think of anything in Bloodborne that marred my experience with it. That’s why I’m going to give it a 5/5. Definitely a masterpiece that must be experienced.

 

Why the Soulsborne Series is Special

Dark Souls. Demon’s Souls. Bloodborne. This series is all I’ve been interested in the last few days. I have my collection of From Software’s brutal RPG series stacked beside my TV. I’m currently busy with my second run through Drangleic in Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin. The game is a beautiful remaster of an already fun game. I recently hit the fifty hour mark and wondered how many hours I had put into the series.

Roar! Behold, the Dragon God–one of the more intimidating foes of Demon’s Souls.

No idea. I didn’t bother looking at my previous saves between both systems, but I know I’ve spent hundreds of hours. Most of this time isn’t online play, though I spent a lot of time helping others in Bloodborne. I’ve hardly put any time into PvP otherwise. My friends who love the series as much as I do have spent as much time as I have, but they spent most of that time invading or joining make-shift fight clubs. This contrast of how we spent our time in the game made me wonder why it is I enjoy the series so much but in a different way than my friends.

The Gameplay

I greatly enjoy the gameplay of the Soulsborne series. It hasn’t changed much since Demon’s Souls hit in 2009 (Bloodborne being the exception), save for some tweaks here and there, but I love the tweaks, and they’ve slowly built upon each other to make current additions significantly different. If the gameplay was the same for each title, it would have grown stale for me by now. My skill would undoubtedly bleed through each subsequent title, but finding the little changes From Software made to the mechanics and adapting to them is now part of the fun. When that adaptability makes you great at the game, you can’t help but feel like a grizzled veteran. After playing with the mechanics of a new entry for a while, all the lessons I learned from previous games resurface. Methods like using ranged attacks to draw out opponents or knowing when to retreat or push the attack help in these new experiences. The series has a balance of changing to keep the games fresh without making them feel too different.

I’m a person who enjoys the difficulty. The series is incredibly tough (Dark Souls 2 being an exception). However, it rarely feels unfair. Think of the difficulty as a stern parent who wants you to learn from your mistakes. With each failed attempt you realize flaws in your technique—implementing this knowledge is up to you and is crucial to your success. For example, taking on a group of four enemies at once in Bloodborne can get you killed. When you make your way back, do you dive into that group again, or do you draw them out one or two at a time with pebbles? Either one works. You may keep dying to that group of enemies over and over as you fight them all at once, but in the process you’re going to become a better player. If you take the safer approach then you’ll be learning a new strategy that will be useful later. Regardless of how you play, you’re going to improve as long as you keep learning. You may die more with certain methods, but as long as you’re observing your mistakes then you’ll eventually see a pay off.

That dragon is a pretty difficult opponent. Learning his moveset through a few deaths is vital to success.

That’s what makes the mechanics of the Soulsborne games so great to me. No matter how you play, you’re going to learn and become better. I’m much more tactical in my approach. I take it slow and always try to plan my fights out. A friend of mine, on the other hand, literally sprints through levels—falling for every ambush and slashing through enemies with reckless abandon. It baffled me at first, because I initially thought his methods meant he was a better player. He doesn’t plan ahead until his speedy playstyle gets him killed. He even unknowingly stumbled into the Cleric Beast boss fight in Bloodborne. He sprinted all the way to the end of the bridge so quickly that the boss nearly landed on him when it entered! My friend proceeded to defeat the beast on his first try. His reflexes are so finely tuned from taking situations head-on that he can do that. It took me about six tries to defeat the Cleric Beast when I first started playing. However, after every try I would kill all the enemies on the way to the bridge—collecting all the useful items they dropped. I now have significantly more supplies than my friend because of that. So while he may have saved some time and gained some bragging rights, I’m much more prepared for what’s ahead. So you see, these games don’t just give you the option of different classes when you make a character. They also let you shape your own unique playstyle.

The Setting

The setting of the Souls series is breathtaking to say the least. Gorgeous backdrops and harrowing enemy designs create immersive worlds irresistible to a curious mind. From Software has a knack for finding all the nooks and crannies of their levels and sticking goodies in them—making exploration satisfying. Each level has a lot of love put into it, as there are hints to backstory everywhere. A common theme of the series is darkness and some installments take it farther than others. Not only are they dark in terms of lighting, but they’re also dark in terms of plot. There are few NPCs to be found in the series as most of the populace has been decimated in each of the worlds. From Demon’s Souls to Bloodborne—there’s always something terrible that has happened in the world that has nearly destroyed mankind. This idea of prominent death and decay bring with it an intensity that keeps the player on edge. We’re not told exactly what’s going on—we’re just given a general idea. So now the player’s not only trying to physically survive through the game’s challenges, but he or she also wants to discover the cause and solution to the plight. It has a rather subtle intensity to it, and this overarching theme of each game immerses you if you let it. In my opinion, there’s nothing more intriguing (and terrifying) than the unknown.

The Dragon Aerie: My personal favorite area of Dark Souls 2. I’m still blown away by how beautiful it is.

The unique and varied environments in which you’ll find yourself in a Soulsborne game are engrossing. You’ll explore an iron castle sunken in a lake of lava, a forest full of demonic foliage and a living nightmare before you’re done playing through the series. They’re so detailed, and they give such a sense of wonder. In most of the games, there’s also an incredible sense of organization when it comes to the level design. I’ll find a locked door at the beginning of a level and then come out the other side of it two hours later to create an epic shortcut. That’s exactly what I call these by the way: epic shortcuts. They’re amazing because like everything else in the series, I have to work for it. Nothing comes free in a Soulsborne game. If it’s worth having, then it’s worth dying for.

The Stories

I already touched on this a bit, but it deserves mentioning as it’s one of the best aspects of the series. Stellar storytelling requires a delicate balance in what you tell the audience and what you hold close to the chest. From Software holds everything close to the chest and gives the player a general idea of the plot. After that it’s up to the player to dig through hints found in items and character dialogue to uncover the true story. What inevitably happens with this style of storytelling is endless speculation. If you do a quick search online on the true story of one of the Soulsborne games you’re likely to find plenty of reddit posts discussing what players have found and what they think everything in the game means. Players get to make their own stories, and that’s something special. I suppose when I titled this section ‘The Stories’ I meant the stories crafted by gamers as they discuss and debate the meaning behind it all. It would be amazing if one day From Software came out and revealed the true story behind each game. It would be fun to see who gets to say ‘I told you so.’

It’s Something More

This may sound odd, but the Soulsborne series is something truly special by way of the lessons it teaches. The series taught me to keep trying over and over until I succeeded, and then it congratulated me, gave me a prize and let me find my way to the next big challenge. Isn’t that similar to life itself? I’m sure we can all think of someone we know who gives up the second things get difficult or intimidating. But, even if we fail we still tried, and if we keep coming back a little bit smarter and stronger each time then we’re going to overcome anything that stands in our way. That is what this series has taught me. I played Dark Souls during a dark time in my life where I could have easily gone down a bad path involving drugs, alcohol and perversion. The game pulled me into its world and distracted me from all these bad things I could have been doing. I will forever be thankful of the series for that. I also think that the simple challenge the series provides is something unique in a world where ease and simplicity reign supreme. Most games hold our hands so we can get through it, which can still be fun. However, a Soulsborne game denies us that luxury. If we want success we have to earn it.

…and earn it we shall.

I could go on and on for days about how great the series is, but frankly I’m tired of writing about it. I will undoubtedly talk more about the series in the future, but for now I will insist that everyone give the series a chance. Dark Souls 2 or Bloodborne are certainly the ideal entry points into the series. They’re still pretty tough, but they have mechanics to help you through. If you enjoy those, then consider Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls. Thanks guys.