Sometimes, when a developer starts seeing a familiar pattern in all their games, they decide to change their ways. They shift from open-world games to more linear stuff, or from horror to action. But FromSoftware was a bit different. Years ago, when Japan Studio approached them with an offer to co-develop Project Beast, they changed everything else but kept the pattern the same. Eventually, Bloodborne launched to highly positive reviews exclusively on PlayStation 4.
Its success was not very surprising, even though the game looked pretty promising from the very start. It became so successful that many fans of FromSoftware call it their favorite soulslike title to this day. Even its director is proud of a few things in this game.
Hidetaka Miyazaki knows exactly what made Bloodborne such a success
For fans of the Dark Souls series and Demon Souls, Bloodborne was indeed a very different game. Both Dark Souls and Demon Souls were set in a dark fantasy world full of kings and queens, dragons, and magical swords to go about.
On the other hand, Bloodborne was set in a Victorian-esque town that gave some hints of an industrial-era European city. If these things were not enough, they decided to give this game a lot of horror-like elements. Players could hear crying women and children throughout Yharnam; the enemies made some very harrowing sounds; and much more.
But if game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is to be asked, he says this game stands out thanks to its combat mechanics. Previously, in Dark Souls and Demon Souls, combat became somewhat defensive. Players used shields, equipped armor with heavy poise, and created a tank out of their characters. And finally, when in combat, they would simply attack and hide behind their shield.
While the Knight Artorias DLC forced them to change their approach, the tank strategy still worked nonetheless. Hence, one can say that Dark Souls became pretty easy for some players at some point.
I really dont think this game should be compared to Dark Souls. With all that in mind though, one of this games major selling points is definitely the combat.
But in Bloodborne combat, it’s all about being offensive. Hit your character, dodge, hit again, stun them, then do a visceral attack and then dodge. This chain changes from enemy to enemy, but the combat remains fast in Bloodborne, way faster, and way more offensive than that in Dark Souls games.
It makes sense that this game became such a success; it was without a doubt a standout achievement for both FromSoftware and Japan Studio. Eventually, Japan Studio was closed by Sony; hence, this game would always be remembered as one of the best games that the studio ever worked on.
FromSoftware, on the other hand, decided to move on and develop a bunch of other games; Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and finally Elden Ring. It was their first-ever open-world game, and it became the fastest-selling game for them too.
Nowadays, FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki are hard at work on a massive DLC called Shadow of the Erdtree for Elden Ring. This DLC is set to launch on June 20, 2024, and they are calling it their biggest expansion yet.
What about a sequel to Bloodborne?
While Bloodborne was successful enough to be a memorable game, both Sony and FromSoftware have not even thought about releasing a sequel for it. There have been rumors from time to time, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
When it comes down to it, one must remember that it was published by Sony. Hence, it is up to them to decide if a sequel will be made. Let’s see if they ever make that decision or not.
