It's taken me nearly three years, but I've finally pulled myself together enough to play through Bloodborne again. It's not that I ever thought the gothic PlayStation 4 exclusive from the developers of Dark Souls was a bad game. Quite the opposite. I consider it an all-time favourite.
But however rewarding the experience of carefully navigating the cobbled streets and hobbled beasts of Yharnam was the first time around, the abject terror I felt every second I spent with the game has hung over me for years. So much so that I did start to question if I really had enjoyed the experience, or if I'd developed some weird kind of Stockholm Syndrome from spending so long on it.
In fact, it wasn't until a friend started playing it and made a point to message me daily updates on his progress (or lack thereof) that I really remembered the magic of the game. I took the plunge last week and started a new game, and I'm so glad I did.
Bloodborne, like any FromSoftware game, is capable of taking you to some incredible heights... and some devastating lows. But for my money, the interlocking world design, rich lore, aggressive combat, and general aesthetic of Bloodborne are streets ahead of the Dark Souls games and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It also wins bonus points for squeezing the word blood into like, every other sentence.
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That's why, as we inch closer to the reveal of the PlayStation 5, I feel Sony and FromSoftware should once again stop, collaborate and listen. It's time for Bloodborne 2. You know it makes sense. It's been over five years since the first game released, and we're ready for more.
It's not that the games FromSoftware has put out since haven't been great. Dark Souls 3 is brilliant, if not the best in the series, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a much-deserved GOTY winner in 2019.
It's the constant, disgusting horror that makes Bloodborne stand out. Dark Souls and Sekiro have their moments of terror, sure, but Bloodborne is designed in such a way that you have to make sure you've got a spare pair of clean pants to hand before every corner or darkened doorway. It's an endless parade of eldritch abominations and giggling ghouls rasping and wheezing in the fog. In other words, Bloodborne just hits different.
Even Hidetaka Miyazaki, the fiendish mind behind all of these games, has said before that Bloodborne is his favourite. In an interview with GameSpot Brazil last year, Miyazaki was asked which of his games was his favourite to work on. "If I [have to] say which one I keep in my heart, it's Bloodborne," he explained. "It's the one that left [the biggest] mark on me."
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Do you want to argue with Miyazaki about which of his games is best? I certainly don't. You've seen the boss battle he comes up with. But my point is that Bloodborne is clearly a very special game to a lot of people. Even beyond the dude who made it, legions of devoted fans still come together to pore through the game for undiscovered secrets and to organise special events.
A big part of the reason they do this, at least in my opinion, is because they're so desperate to spend as much time in that fascinating, terrifying world as possible. And who can blame them? From Central Yharnam to Forsaken Castle Cainhurst, every inch of the stunningly realised world tells a story. A wordless, often deeply disturbing story. It's the reason I never stop recommending it, even when I'm too frightened to play it again myself.
That's what it really comes down to, I guess. Where Bloodborne is concerned, I think there's so much more left to tell. I'm not saying that FromSoftware should explain or clear up any of the ambiguity left by the first game, but I think a sequel could plumb new depths and find fresh, stranger stories to show us. Just look at the excellent Old Hunters DLC for an example of how much more there's left to see.
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If nothing else, the combat system is the best FromSoftware has ever made and I'd like to see more of it. Much, much more of it. So come on Sony. Come on From Software. Make this hunter's dream come true, and announce Bloodborne 2. It's time for some new blood.
Featured Image Credit: FromSoftwareTopics: PS5, Dark Souls, PlayStation, FromSoftware