BloodBorne – Beauty, Horror and the Hunters Axe
BloodBorne is my favorite soulsborne game. It’s aggressive take on the FromSoft formula offers fast paced gameplay that’s always missed when playing the other titles. BloodBorne doesn’t want you to be defensive, it wants you to go in and gamble with your life.
While that might sound like a mere spamfest, there’s several mechanics that help you sustain your onslaught. The gun parry is a diabolical spin on an otherwise practical technique using a shield. And while the rally mechanic is a little weak, the health recovered can make the difference.
Everything about BloodBorne’s presentation is gorgeous. The detail put into the backgrounds and monster design is second to none. The range of enemy design spans from sleek and cool to AI generated monsters. It’s both a masterpiece of a video game as well as a love letter to eldritch horror.
BloodBorne deserves some more attention from the Devs
Due to the fact that BloodBorne was produced by Sony, the game has been stuck in license limbo for a decade. While you can play it on the PS5, it doesn’t enjoy better performance from the improved hardware. This is a big deal because BloodBorne runs at a loose 30 fps. The game’s low framerate and more specifically it’s frame pacing has been a common complaint since release.
Remastering the game or a pc port would ease these problems a considerable amount. A mod like the legendary DSfix could breathe new life into BloodBorne as it did with Dark Souls 1.
After all this time my hopes for an updated release have started to fade. For all I know Sony has no plans to do anything despite a vocal fan base and rumor after rumor have been proven false. I haven’t given up hope though, I once thought Devil May Cry 1 would never get an updated port. But here we are, in a bright future where anyone can play it. BloodBorne being given would be the icing on the cake.
Use the Hunters Axe for sick combos
The Hunters Axe is my favorite weapon in any soulsborne game to date. Only the swords that have unique R1 attacks such as the Hollowslayer Greatsword or the Knights Greatsword from Elden Ring come close. It’s range and fluidity make it a combo monster that many common enemies can’t deal with at all. The L2 in it’s transformed state gives you a horizontal swing with fast recovery. This is the key piece to it’s moveset that lets you style in a way that only the threaded cane could hope to match.
The rally mechanic is given an opportunity to shine with this weapon. As I said earlier, rally is a somewhat weak mechanic, but with the hunters axe you can trade hits and swing all day. The sustain afforded to you complements the stream of attacks you dish out. It’s a playstyle that perfectly represents the fast paced gameplay BloodBorne offers.
Insight is an underutilized mechanic
The Insight mechanic is something that I wish they went further with. Its cool that it changes the moveset of some enemies and enables you to see the Amygdala hanging off of walls. I wish it affected the game world in ways that would leave you doubting if you actually saw what you saw due to it’s reality warping nature. Some enemies also get new attacks which is great but the concept seems to drop off further into the game.
Instead it’s mostly regulated to a form of currency for armor or consumables. Insight is useful for some niche builds as it affects both the beasthood stat and your frenzy resistance. The frenzy resistance is quite useful as frenzy is one of the most heinous status ailments in the series. All in all insight isn’t a bad mechanic, but one can only wonder what FromSoft could have done with it.
BloodBorne is true art in every form
Trust me, you owe yourself the experience of this game if you haven’t already played it. It’s an experiment on a proven game formula that turned out to be an instant classic. The game play, music and art style are beyond words, you just have to see for yourself what a game can really be. Despite the framerate issues, BloodBorne is still fine for playability. The 30fps cap doesn’t hinder you, but it does make the game pretty sluggish though.
BloodBorne is also the only game that has ever made me tear up. A certain boss regaining sanity from gazing upon his prized possession stirs up my emotions like no other game or movie. It’s a beautiful moment of someone finding clarity and joy after being completely lost to despair. How long must he have suffered, before being reminded of his true self. It’s then, after a glorious battle that he can be finally put to rest. Or if you hated the fight; right before he dies you can tell him something to undo all the peace of mind he found…your choice.
