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Hands-on With "Bloodborne" At TGS

Hands-on With "Bloodborne" At TGS

Posted by Aaron on 6th Nov 2014

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Bloodborne comes from the original creator behind both Demon Souls and Dark Souls. It is the true sequel to the "Souls" games, as Dark Souls 2 felt like a "more of the same" cash grab then a real sequel. This game was most definitely the biggest hit of this year's Tokyo Game Show. When the line wasn't completely closed off, the wait to play this game was over two hours, and it was well worth it too!

Anyone that has played either of the "Souls" games will immediately feel at home with Bloodborne. Crushing difficulty, check. Terror of the unknown around every corner, check. Ginormous bosses, check. Everything you know and love about the "Souls" series is present, but unlike Dark Souls 2, there is some new stuff as well.

First up, the demo available had four different classes, I was unable to get an answer with regards to if more job classes would be available. The classes playable were defined by the weapon used: a normal speed saw, a quick speed sword, semi-slow axe, and a slow hammer. Now here's the really cool thing about these weapons. Not only does each weapon have a heavy and light attack option, but if you press one of the shoulder buttons your character will transform your weapon into one that vastly increases either the damage or attack speed depending on the weapon. I was actually just spending some time spamming the move just to watch the really cool animations of the various weapons combining and separating.

Speaking of weapons, as I'm sure you all know from the E3 trailer Bloodborne is changing things up by throwing guns into the mix. However, never fear about the game becoming a shooter. Your gun only has a limited number of bullets, they don't really do that much damage, and additional rounds were hard to come by. When I wasn't just screwing around with the gun I found it very useful as a way to trigger environmental explosions or to lure enemies towards me.

Last but not least lets talk about the game itself. The demo started you out in a gothic European town very much like what we saw in previously mentioned E3 trailer. The primary enemies were what I could only assume we're residents of said town. But these folks definitely weren't your neighbors from the down the street, they were more reminiscent of the "friendly" townsfolk from Resident Evil 4. Pitchforks, torches, burning at the stake, these folks know how to party. Some larger more monstrous enemies did make an appearance, and the demo's boss was a sight to behold, but for the most part the enemies I faced in the demo were these villagers. These enemies are exactly what'd you except from a "Souls" game, intelligent, cautious, and dangerous. Just a few hits and I was dead, it was great.

From the small section of the game I repeatedly played (I wanted to spend more timing trying the different classes than clearing the demo), combined with the large sections I watched while waiting in line, Bloodborne is a MUST have for fans of the "Souls" games. Trust me you will not be dissappointed.