Bloodborne - Tested on the PlayStation 4 Platform
Bloodborne
is an action role playing game. It shows
stylistic conventions of the genre by having cut scenes and NPC’s that are both
enemies and allies, it also has a main protagonist that is fully customisable
in weapons and armour. It fits in very well with other games from the genre,
it’s very unique and an original concept but it adds diversity to the genre.
The
story of Bloodborne is that a plague has spread across area, turning men and
women into blood thirsty beasts. The plague is called The “Bloodborne Disease.”
The worst of which is the healing church which turn into the most dangerous of
enemies. A new born child beckons the new moon, which in turn beckons the
plague. At the start of the game you sign a contract to become a hunter and rid
the plague, so your job is to go around the various area’s defeating bosses and
developing the story to eventually end the dream. Ending the dream would allow
you to enter The “Waking World.” You mysteriously wake up in the city of
Yharnam during the night of the hunt. The hunter seeks out something called the
“Paleblood” for reasons unknown. As when you’re a hunter you are bound to your
dreams, when you die you re awaken in the Hunters Dream. The story makes you
very cautious when approaching new characters, as the game gets progressively
darker as the game progresses. The story heavily informs the gameplay, as it
inspires your goals and ambitions as the player. The story directly connects
with the target audience as it has a gripping story and interesting game
mechanics.
The
game was directed by Hidetaka Myasaki, developed by FromSoftware and published
by Sony Computer Entertainment. Bloodborne began development in 2012 under the
working title of Project Beast. Produced by the same company responsible for
Dark Souls and Demon Souls. Simpleplygon was used during the creation of
Bloodborne, it was used to process models and (LOD) Models that helped to
enhance the graphics. A lot of thought and consideration went into the game
mechanics and game physics, as every detail was thoroughly thought out when it
came to; Health bar, Stamina bar, items in inventory, items in storage and lore
behind each item etc.
The
characters are extremely relevant to the story, as some characters are needed
to progress in the game, where as some characters are optional but offer more
into the lore behind the game, which is very helpful throughout the game. I
think the variety of allies and enemy characters appeals to the target
audience, as it adds a bit of curiosity when meeting new characters. Although
even when characters seem friendly they may turn. The genre is action role
playing and the characters in the game allow you to fully experience the life
of a hunter and the sort of people you would interact with. Also the NPC’s
offer some interesting boss battles as they are available to help you in
various battles. The main characters in the game are; Gharman – The first
hunter, The doll, Eileen the crow, Ludwig, Patches and Ioesefka etc. I feel the
characters are very strong in terms of personality and adding to the story, but
there just isn’t enough NPC’. If there were more characters to interact with it
would add to the story and allow the game to develop further.
The
game is played from a third-person perspective, players control a fully
customizable protagonist, gameplay is focused on weapon based combat and
exploration. Players battle original enemies varying in strength and skill,
including bosses, using items such as axes and firearms and journey through the
story which will progressively give you more insight into the reasoning behind
the “Nightmare.” While interacting with Non-player characters, collecting key
items involved in the story you can take on optional quests and boss battles,
including the Chalice Dungeons. The Chalice Dungeons get progressively harder
and more difficult to navigate, but it gives you a chance to level up and stock
up on ritual materials. The gameplay is constantly evolving to keep the players
attention as the player progresses further into the game, the level of
difficulty increases and the player has to be more alert and focus their
attention more. The game is also being constantly developed by constant updates
sorting bugs, and DLC’s being released for the game to expand the game and
story.
The
target audience of Bloodborne is teenagers and young adults, but more
specifically the original fans of the Dark Souls and Demon Souls series. The
director has admitted in wanting to appeal to the original audience but also
trying to expand their audience by opening the concept to new people hoping
they would become a fan of the series. There are various indicators that the
game is directed towards Dark Souls and Demon Souls fans as well as the general
audience, as the concept of the game is the same but also contains a more
laidback attitude with original concepts hoping to widen their fan base. Also
the fact that the game contains extensive gore and horror implies that the game
is aimed at teenagers and the young adults. The game is really original compared
to other games aimed at young adults and teens, being more focused on First
Person Shooters and Football games, this game really diversify the games
available for teen and young adult gamers.
The
Platform that Bloodborne is available on is PlayStation 4. I think the game is
very suited to this platform as the controllers allow full controller of the
protagonist. As well as having the touch screen on the controller available for
contacting other players through various positions. Also the fact that the game
is available on current gen consoles allows you to interact with players all
over the world and speak to them as well through microphones. Also the current
gen consoles allows the gore and detail of the game to be me much more
extensively shown, through the current gen consoles having improved graphics.
No comments:
Post a Comment