Bloodborne

Bloodborne is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. The player controls a customizable character known as the Hunter and explores the city of Yharnam, fighting enemies and bosses, collecting items, and interacting with non-player characters. At the start of the game, the player creates the Hunter by choosing details such as name, appearance, and an "Origin", which determines the character's starting attributes.

Yharnam is structured as a series of interconnected areas, with optional locations and shortcuts unlocked through exploration. Lamps found throughout the game world act as checkpoints and allow the player to return to the Hunter's Dream, a hub area where the player can buy items, level up, upgrade weapons, and travel to other areas.

Bloodborne is set in Yharnam, a decaying Gothic city known for blood ministration, a medical practice built around the healing properties of blood. Before the events of the game, scholars at the city's College of Byrgenwerth discover the existence of a race of eldritch beings dubbed Great Ones and a substance known as the old blood that can seemingly heal any illness. Using the old blood, the Healing Church, an institution founded by Byrgenwerth breakaways, spreads blood ministration throughout Yharnam. The practice is connected to a plague that transforms people into beasts, leading to the deployment of Hunters to kill the infected.

Ever since, the Healing Church has succumbed to the infighting of its upper echelons. The player controls an unnamed Hunter who travels between Yharnam and the Hunter's Dream, a mysterious realm overseen by Gehrman, an elderly Hunter.

Japan Studio, a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, approached FromSoftware concerning cooperative development on a title, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki asked about the possibility of developing a game for eighth-generation consoles. The concept of Bloodborne developed from there. There were no connections to FromSoftware's previous titles, even though Miyazaki conceded that it "carries the DNA of Demon's Souls and its very specific level design". Development ran parallel to that of Dark Souls II.

Miyazaki designed the game's world to combine elements of the hub structure used in Demon's Souls with the interconnected environments of Dark Souls. Yharnam and its surrounding areas form a connected world, while the Hunter's Dream serves as its central hub.

Bloodborne received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Daniel Tack of Game Informer praised the game's unsettling atmosphere and the aesthetic visuals, which he stated, "had brought horror to life". He also praised its challenging gameplay, which he compared to the Dark Souls series, as well as its intimately-realized story, high replay value, deliberate, rewarding and fast-paced combat, sparse storytelling and satisfying weapon customization. He was also impressed by the well-crafted boss battles, unique enemy design, and soundtrack.

He also praised the multiplayer for extending the longevity of the game, and the game for allowing players to learn and adapt throughout a playthrough. He summarized the review by saying that "While this new IP doesn't stray far from the established Souls franchise, it is a magical, wondrous work that admirably instills both terror and triumph in those brave enough to delve into it."