I want to play Bloodborne because quite frankly it looks really cool. I’m told the game is going to be way too difficult for me. I usually play games on standard or easy difficulty. Should I even bother? Is this game even going to be playable to a noob like me?
Definitely play it. Just remember that “You Died” doesn’t equal failure and dying a lot doesn’t mean you’re bad at the game. Dying lots is a core mechanic of the game.
I’m of the opinion that the difficulty level isn’t that bad, and I’m not saying this in a gatekeepy “git gud” kind of way. I enjoy these games because they feel fair, and whenever I have been struggling disproportionately, it’s either been because I was somewhere beyond my current level (especially in open world games like Elden Ring), or I was doing something “wrong” (like stubbornly using my preferred weapon even though I knew a quirk of the boss meant it was suboptimal)
If the game feels like it’s being unfair to you, take a step back and rethink your approach. Try a different weapon or strategy (this might mean having to go to an easier area to practice the new weapon). Look through your items to see if you have anything that might help (including potentially helpful lore in the item descriptions). If you’re not sure what a thing does, try using it and see — the game won’t explain things explicitly because it wants players to find out in play.
If you like the look of Bloodborne, 100% give it a go — even if I weren’t already a fan of Fromsoft’s games, I’d enjoy Bloodborne for the impeccable aesthetic.
I feel like, if you’re going to play a souls game for the first time you should play Elden Ring, because it’s the kind of game that’s only as hard as you want it to be. Elden Ring is in this interesting spot of being open world, meaning that if a particular boss or area is too challenging, you can fuck off and do something else for a bit, then come back when you’re better leveled/better geared/more practiced etc. I feel like you don’t really get this with other souls games, which are more linear in their structure.
that said, I don’t think any souls game is really an insurmountable challenge, especially Bloodborne. sure, you might suck when you first start it, but once you get the hang of the combat, dodging, etc you should be fine.
It’s just as hard as any other game on the hardest difficulty. The only difference is there is no difficulty setting.
Try it out. You don’t have to be amazingly good, you just have to be persistent and learn from your mistakes.
you just have to be persistent
Being consistent is actually the hardest part of the games for me…
I was talking about persistence, as in not giving up. Persistence is a must for souls games so you’re going to have to like the process of failing a lot and then finally getting the relief that comes at the very end.
Oh lol I totally misread that. 🤣
Of course you’re correct: persistence is key and much more important than consistency (as in: perfectly nail every dodge, which is my problem).
Like many others already said: Probably the best take is to “understand” that dying is not failure but part of the progression system. But instead of grinding experience points to progress your character (which is totally possible in dark souls) you grind real experience by repeating difficult parts over and over again and progress as a player.
It’s actually extremely clever game design.
Souls games are literally just rhythm games. 90% of boss fights are watching for when the enemy commits to moving forward and pressing the roll button, once they stop for a bit, give em a tickle. Repeat until god is dead.
1000 perfectly timed butt pokes.
My wife finished it. It was too gray and red for me to enjoy.
And yes it is hard but rewarding.
In the sense of “do they require lightning fast reflexes or mastering a deep combat system”, no not at all. They mostly require paying attention and learning.
I don’t mind learning. I suppose it’s sort of like solving a puzzle. I’m used to horror games with puzzles so I’m used to thinking things through in games.
This isn’t to say it’s not a game that won’t challenge reflexes if you let it. I think it’s fair to say better reflexes in a souls like can serve to make a boss easier as you play more on the edge. Of course this takes having your game knowledge and pattern recognition on point.
When I was a kid, Tomb Raider was a pretty easy game, except this one part that required absolutely perfect timing for a some running and jumping between platforms for a bonus item.
At the start, I could make it to the next platform. After a while, I could do 2. Eventually, I got 3. After a long, long time, I finally managed to string all of them together… And screwed up the very last one.
Here’s the thing, though. I got it on the very next attempt. I had learned that sequence so well that it actually wasn’t hard any more, even though it was nearly impossible for me at the start.
Afterwards, my parents (who watched the whole thing) told me they had never seen me focus on something so intently for so long and they couldn’t believe I managed it.
That’s what souls games are, from start to finish. Every single encounter is basically impossible at first, until you die and learn enough to get through it. But you start from the beginning of the game every freaking time.
No, they have a learning curve but that’s about it. They are not unfair or over difficult like some of those meme games that were popular a while ago
If I may, I’d recommend starting with the Demon’s Souls remake if you’re interested. Bloodborne was the first Souls game I ever played, and it was quite punishing. I got quite far and greatly enjoyed parts of it, but it was my experience that it was extraordinarily challenging for a newcomer. Among all the Souls and Soulslike games, BloodBorne is intended to be played aggressively, which is not a good starting point in my opinion.
It was actually Returnal that taught me how to approach challenging games, i.e., almost like a puzzle game in how you try new things to break through impasses. That being said, I also found the Demon’s Souls remake to be a much more forgiving entry point, especially if you play as a magic caster. MP is limited so you still need to engage in melee, but magic is a powerful tool to play things safe if you play smartly.
It’s also just a fantastic game with great level design. I actually kind of like the segmented levels with a central hub.
I have a copy of Demon’s Souls remake as luck would have it. I have not played it yet but now I’m tempted. I wouldn’t mind playing that first actually. It looks really fun.
I loved it. I’ve since also played 100+ hours of Elden Ring and some other challenge-heavy games like Hollow Knight - I’ve thought about going back to Bloodborne with some experience under my belt because it really is a great game. But for me it feels like a lot to start over (and as much as I hate to be an fps snob, they never released a next-gen update and playing a game like this in 30 fps is a turn-off).
No
- This comment was sponsored by Cheat Engine
hey, in souls, a win is a win is a win.
Cheating is just selfdefence in some games.
