Alex Cambouris, Staff Writer

March 24 marks nine years since the release of the masterpiece of a video game known as Bloodborne. Bloodborne was released as an exclusive launch title for the PlayStation 4 in 2015 and was met with overwhelming critical acclaim. The team behind the game, FromSoftware, hails from Japan and is led by Game Director Hidetaki Miyazaki. 

Previously, FromSoftware was known for developing The King’s Field and Armored Core franchise. Both were met with decent success, but little coverage outside of Japan. Everything changed in the late 2000s when then small-time game planner Miyazaki joined in the development of the fantasy role-playing adventure game, Demon’s Souls. 

While critics reacted poorly to its initial release, their views on the company would change in 2011 with the release of Dark Souls, directed solely by Miyazaki. The game was instantly heralded as a masterpiece of the genre. Its dark fantasy themes and deliberately subtle narrative are interwoven in a world full of challenging encounters and satisfying victories. Players would find themselves trapped within the depths of blighted swamps, or at the belfries of great cathedrals, long abandoned by man. Dragons would rain hellfire overhead while armies of the dead sought to make the player one of their own. Truly, it was a revolutionary title that changed the way gaming was perceived and developed forever. 

So how would Hidetaki Miyazaki and the rest of the team at FromSoftware top this incredible fantasy epic? Enter, Bloodborne. Initially planned as a Demon’s Souls sequel, Bloodborne quickly became a title defined not by fantasy and adventure, but by darkness, horror, and brutality. The fictional city of Yharnam is a gothic concrete jungle of winding, narrow alleyways between compact residencies and creepy churches. Little sunlight makes its way to street level as the spires of the city surround all who inhabit it—which isn’t many. The town is afflicted with a terrible plague that turns mortal men into raging, bloodthirsty beasts. They stalk the shadows, feasting on the corpses of man and animal in every corner. The townsfolk drag the sick out of their homes and burn them alive, and the streets are so full of coffins and empty wagons that all semblance of community has been destroyed. Truly, Yharnam’s days are numbered. 

You, the player, awake in a dingy hospital after undergoing a blood transfusion of mysterious origin. You’re The Hunter, and it is your job to rid the streets of all the filth that inhabits it. Armed with a saw and a gun packed with silver bullets, you venture out into the city to do only one thing: hunt beasts. Or is it? The city of Yharnam holds terrible secrets, which the discovery of can certainly lead you only to agony and madness. 

My love and admiration for this game cannot be understated. The horrifying descent into the most eldritch of nightmares is an experience like no other, and in honor of its birthday, I highly encourage all readers to check Bloodborne out. The diehard fans of the Souls series (including Bloodborne), host a celebration the week of every game’s release. This week, from March 24 to April 7, is the Return to Yharnam special event! Simply create a new character and play through the game while participating in as much cooperative and competitive play as possible. Ring those bells, fellow hunters, and go out and kill a few beasts. It’s for your own good.

Featured Image Credit: Bloodborne