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Bloodborne/Nioh - am I wasting my money?
- Thread starter alt27
- Start date
I haven't played Nioh, but I was also afraid of playing Soulsborne games because of the difficulty, but after giving up a couple of times on Bloodborne, I gave it one more fair chance and boy am I glad I did. Let's just say the difficulty is blown way out of proportion and once you get it, it's one of the most satisfying gaming experiences you can possibly have.
I'm playing Dark Souls 3 now and it's also fucking great.
I'm playing Dark Souls 3 now and it's also fucking great.
Honestly I'd say their atmosphere and design are pretty different.
Nioh's atmosphere is obviously a lot more japanese inspired due to the setting. In terms of design choices, the levels I feel aren't as interesting, but the biggest difference is the combat.
Each weapon type in Nioh has 3 different stances (high, mid, low) with each stance having a different moveset, strengths and weaknesses. The two other big differences I feel worth mentioning is that Nioh has a mechanic where you can recover lost/spent stamina but doing an "active toggle" at the end of a combo or action, which allows you to be extremely aggressive.
The other big difference is that Nioh has loot in terms of weapons and armour similar to how something like Diablo or an MMO has, so you are switching out weapons that affect you in different ways. For example early on I had found a spear that had life leach properties, so I used it in the next boss fight to help sustain me.
If any of that sounds interesting to you then definitely give it a shot, but it just really depends on what you didn't like about BB.
They toned the difficulty down in Bloodborne for the casual PS4 audience. Definitely a good pick for those who can't handle Dark Souls. The entire main game is pretty basic and I was able to one shot the vast majority of bosses. Some of the bosses in the DLC were challenging but it was too little too late.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
...what? Im pretty sure Bloodborne was more difficult than Dark Souls for the average player.
No shields, no replenishable estus, faster enemies etc.
Valkerionseven
Member
Would say its the other way around but I think its an either or thing for people.
I love Bloodborne's atheistic more so I would recommend it for people who like atmosphere and cryptic lore more. If you want a pure gameplay rush each encounter, maybe Nioh would be the better immediate choice.
If you are willing to learn patterns then you can beat these games no problem. The difficulty in both is highly exaggerated. The punishment for dying is harsh but the games aren't really difficult.
Edit:
Persona7 said:
If that's true then why do threads pop up every 3 months talking how hard the game is then? The beginning of BB is probably the hardest in any souls game. The wolves on the bridge was probably a little too much because it stopped so many people from progressing. Plenty of people got stuck on Father G, Amelia, BSB, Shadows, and Rom. I helped so many people get past those bosses so I don't think its as easy as your saying.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Honestly OP its the opposite.
The starting areas are harder because youre weaker and because youre just starting to learn the game. With more power and experience the game becomes more manageable as you go along.
Chaos2Frozen
Member
Yeah I was looking at it from a newbie perspective as well.
Nioh is more accessible and I dont mean that in a bad way.
However things like the blacksmith system can still be intimidating for new comers... though the same could be said for Bloodborne I Guess.
Melchiah
Member
It depends on the player. For example, a friend of mine got through Central Yharnam, but quitted in the following area. From what I've read, a certain mechanic in the last area was also a tipping point for some. Both of those, and the
Chime Maidens in Yahar'gul
The second boss was more difficult (The Father) so it took me a couple more goes than the first but it was a fun fight (the last phase was a bitch, LOL), but I wasnt really much more powerful than the first boss. I suppose I need to learn to farm some levels and gear.
Honestly farming isn't really something that's necessary in any of the souls games.
If you'd like I'd like to offer a tip for his final form.
When he starts his wild rapid swings, fire your gun. More than likely you'll hit him during a parry window because of how rapid is swings are. Once that happens, he takes a knee and you can perform a visceral attack on him for massive damage.
The only time generally you would farm is if you are trying to upgrade every weapon you have or are trying to raise a stat that you've neglected all game for a specific weapon.
The opening area is so easy. I don't get the complaints. Literally breezed through it like nothing. Gascoigne is not difficult by any measure.
Yeah I was finding the gun pretty inconsistent honestly (really need to practice parrying!), so I was mainly rolling into him as he came at me, then getting a couple of back stabs behind him. Also urns and molatovs were useful!
Felt good to kill him.
Haha yeah I had tons of trouble getting parry timing down as well so I understand. And yeah rolling into bosses can work really well!
You definitely beat him a lot faster than I did my first time so I look forward to hearing about your future progress too.
Melchiah
Member
I used molotovs against him on the first playthrough as well. It's better to move to the upper area during the third base, as there's a less chance of getting stuck in the scenery. On subsequent playthroughs I've parried him, and it works really well. To my understanding it's a bit easier with Blunderbuss compared to the pistol, but the pistol has more range.
It's also important to remember that the pistol is faster on the draw compared to the blunderbuss. I don't know the exact numbers but to me the pistol feels at least twice as fast to lift and fire compared to the blunderbuss, so i generally just stuck to that.
Melchiah
Member
Evelyn is also good, especially with high Bloodtinge level and Bone Marrow Ash. It helped me a lot in the chalices, when I could deal with some enemies from afar, but I found it easier to parry the DLC boss
Maria
Melchiah
Member
I had the same issue with Evelyn sometimes.
Did you just grind and level up to infinity in the intro area or something? Because otherwise that comment is clearly bullshit. EDIT: Oh you must have meant killing them on the first try, not one hit. Lol
"Maybe"? What about the atmosphere didn't you like? Which design choices didn't sit well with you?
If you can't figure out/communicate what you don't like about Bloodborne, it's difficult to recommend Nioh or other ARPGs.
TBH I think any Souls vets have a easier time with their second or third game than they realize. The first is always the hardest, so I wonder how many people that bounce off of BB because of the high difficulty in the beginning are trying it as their first souls game.
I found BB to be a good challenge as someone who played the rest of the series before, but it never felt as difficult as Demon's Souls or Dark Souls, even though BB is a much faster game with much slimmer margins for error. It just doesn't feel as hard for people that have already come to grips with the basics of the souls systems.
You need to understand that not everyone has the skills as you do. There are plenty of people who get stuck on Central Yharnam. Either the city streets with all of the dudes or the wolves on the bridge. And Gascoigne is hard for some people. Again, just because he isn't hard to you, doesn't mean he isn't hard to someone else.
Yeah I think most people don't realize that they don't have to fight every enemy and sometimes its smart just to run. The rep of these games being difficult probably doesn't help either. They probably think "well this game is supposed to be hard so that's probably why its like this" instead of just skipping it and coming back later like most souls vets know to do. Its a problem I see come up over and over again in BB threads.
Fried Food
Banned
bloodborne is simply the best, so no.
Having spent 500+ hours on Nioh...buy BB first, then Nioh with all the DLC at a later date
You'll appreciate the 60fps and far more in depth and technical combat more if you play the comparatively slow as molasses and simple BB first. On the flip side, you'll miss the enemy variation and world design in addition to the more iconic boss battles(not to say Nioh's bosses arent good..)
You'll appreciate the 60fps and far more in depth and technical combat more if you play the comparatively slow as molasses and simple BB first. On the flip side, you'll miss the enemy variation and world design in addition to the more iconic boss battles(not to say Nioh's bosses arent good..)
MiloHoffman
Member
Me while playing BB
freeofgreed
Member
I think the issue for a lot of people is that the Souls games don't play how they look. People see third person action and think power-fantasy, floaty Platinum games. In reality, the Souls games take a lot of cues from classic game design -- you have to slowly acclimate yourself to the controls, weight, and feel of the game. Once you *really* understand the games you can often go very long stretches without dying, but when you're just starting to climb the hump they require trial and error. You have to learn, and for a lot of people used to modern game design philosophy that thinks dying is bad and players deserve to win simply because they're holding a controller, it can be off putting. But for people who are used to trial and error they often click a lot faster.
Dying doesn't mean you suck or that the game sucks. It means you need to get better and earn your victories.
Dying doesn't mean you suck or that the game sucks. It means you need to get better and earn your victories.
Leonidas
Member
I stopped playing Bloodborne the first time at launch after like 18h or so, only got up to lvl. 40 or so and beat 2-3 bosses...
Started a second play through a week ago, started from the beginning since I forgot how to play/what I was doing and have pretty much mowed through the game with very few issues. I feel like I'm pretty close to the end right now. What helped me was knowing which stats to level up, I feel like I've cheated in finding out how to properly level up my character.
Started a second play through a week ago, started from the beginning since I forgot how to play/what I was doing and have pretty much mowed through the game with very few issues. I feel like I'm pretty close to the end right now. What helped me was knowing which stats to level up, I feel like I've cheated in finding out how to properly level up my character.
And it's one of the best things in souls games imo. There's nothing better than dying to a boss couple times while slowly learning the patterns only to kick his ass eventually.
I never understood people raging after dying in this game. It's part of the fun
DominusLeges
Member
And it's one of the best things in souls games imo. There's nothing better than dying to a boss couple times while slowly learning the patterns only to kick his ass eventually.
I never understood people raging after dying in this game. It's part of the fun
Because in many games death is the fail state and its a hard mindset for people to break in order to embrace it as a core mechanic for the gameplay itself. Once people do finally understand that they can embrace the game for what it is and see what t has to offer without constantly feeing as though they are in a state of failure.
If people know nothing about souls and go into it blind I can see that being the case.
Actually you're pretty much in the clear, the first hours of BB are the hardest outside of some bosses you face later on. I'd say unless you suddenly get tired of the game (nah
), it's pretty safe to say you're going to finish this.Also make sure to play the dlc, it has the best boss in the game. Nioh is worth checking out as well if you're won over on this type of game.
It's nice to realize that a genre you blocked off for yourself is something you completely dig. I had that experience this year with Mario + Rabbids, never expected a turn based strategy rpg to be that much fun.
Let me just start by saying I'm a miserabld old prick who hates everything.
But I fucking love Bloodborne. It's one of my top 5 games of all-time, and possibly my favourite of this generation. The spooky Victorian Lovecraftian style really hooked me. The combat was fluid, exhilerating and rewarding. The story is a mindfuck which is an absolute joy to try and unravel. The difficulty isn't such a big deal as you can summon NPCs or players for almost any fight (I'll volunteer here and now to help anybody who wants to experience the game but gets stuck on a boss... Except Rom). I know the game gets a LOT of threads and mentions, but I honestly couldn't think of a game more worthy of such an incessant circlejerk. I realise it must be annoying for people who don't have a PS4 or don't like that kind of game; but it really is that good.
The game is by no means perfect. Yes, the difficulty curve is, well, more of a scrambled less than a curve early on. And there aren't a lot of weapons (though they are all fairly unique and worthwhile - Saw Spear for life). You will encounter some frame pacing issues. Clothing rarely matters. There are probably other flaws I'm just blind to.
TL;DR: Bloodborne is one of the defining experiences of owning a PS4 and you should definitely try it.
But I fucking love Bloodborne. It's one of my top 5 games of all-time, and possibly my favourite of this generation. The spooky Victorian Lovecraftian style really hooked me. The combat was fluid, exhilerating and rewarding. The story is a mindfuck which is an absolute joy to try and unravel. The difficulty isn't such a big deal as you can summon NPCs or players for almost any fight (I'll volunteer here and now to help anybody who wants to experience the game but gets stuck on a boss... Except Rom). I know the game gets a LOT of threads and mentions, but I honestly couldn't think of a game more worthy of such an incessant circlejerk. I realise it must be annoying for people who don't have a PS4 or don't like that kind of game; but it really is that good.
The game is by no means perfect. Yes, the difficulty curve is, well, more of a scrambled less than a curve early on. And there aren't a lot of weapons (though they are all fairly unique and worthwhile - Saw Spear for life). You will encounter some frame pacing issues. Clothing rarely matters. There are probably other flaws I'm just blind to.
TL;DR: Bloodborne is one of the defining experiences of owning a PS4 and you should definitely try it.
kraspkibble
Permabanned.
You're only wasting your money if you buy Nioh instead of Bloodborne. In fact buying Nioh in any situation is a waste of money.