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My friend is afraid to play Bloodborne.

I see the relevant gifs have already been posted.

Carry on.

edit.

Oh, top of the page? Well then.

42b.gif



pTGoSks.gif


Maybe I should add something to the discussion, besides blessing this page with these gif(t)s.

Personally I loved the horror elements of Bloodborne. The idea of pursuing the knowledge leading deeper and deeper into the madness was executed so well. And you press on..
 
Got three friends who are thinking the same. None of them ending up playing the game. It's a hard push because they all say it's too intimidating or scary. Just need to get them hands on for a few hours to clarify it's not hard for difficulty sake. In fact would argue the game is pretty easy once you understand how to approach it.
 

edeo

Member
I love the creepy mood of Bloodborne.

Especially the spiral into madness you feel when you chase down Micolash. He's one of my favorite game characters of all time.
 

poncle

Member
Ongoing thread in Off-topic discussions: Cosmic horror, and the fear of the unknown

I always felt like Dark Souls did something similar to cosmic horror because of the arbitrary/unexplainable rules the world is based on, but Bloodborne really pushed the concept forward.

I stay the heck away from horror games, but have no trouble with Bloodborne, being able to overpower your enemies makes a massive difference.
 

Ferr986

Member
Weird. I absolutely can't play horror games but Bloodborne wasn't scary for me. Atmosphere was creepy and amazing but It wasn't scary as an horror game. I guess it's because your character can do a lot more stuff against monsters compared to an horror game.
 

RossoneR

Banned
Only thing on my road to platinum that made me unsettling was Headless Beast. I dont even know how i defeated it.

Still the best game this gen.
 
OP, could I suggest you maybe offer to go through a few spots for your friend they dislike so they can continue on with the story and get to explore some new areas?

The forest though... ugh, my god, I can relate to everyone else here. The batches of snakes + the walking tentacle mages + weirdo blue creatures + backstabs on the giant boars (the most blood, ever) = ... *shudder*
 

Djostikk

Member
OP, could I suggest you maybe offer to go through a few spots for your friend they dislike so they can continue on with the story and get to explore some new areas?

The forest though... ugh, my god, I can relate to everyone else here. The batches of snakes + the walking tentacle mages + weirdo blue creatures + backstabs on the giant boars (the most blood, ever) = ... *shudder*

Well we beat the game and he said it overall very unsettling and scary. We barely made through the Forest, though.

Bosses he thought were atrocious:

1) Cleric Beast
2) Darkbeast Paarl
3) Vicar Amelia
4) Witch of Hemwick
5) Amygdala
6) Ebrietas
7) Moon Presence
8) Rom


Did he fight Ebrietas and if so what was his reaction?


I did most of the work, but overall he made it ok. He can play the game in coop, it's alone when he can't handle nothing.
 

uceenk

Member
it's not horror game, but some parts can get me nightmare, also the atmosphere sometime makes me scare

however the thing that makes me addicted to Bloodborne is the satisfying feeling when i beat the boss

i found that Father Gascoigne is easier than Cleric Beast and also less scary
(at least untill he transform to the beast)
, so you may want to suggest to beat him first instead

maybe if he can defeat the boss, he will consider to continue to play it
 

Djostikk

Member
it's not horror game, but some parts can get me nightmare, also the atmosphere sometime makes me scare

however the thing that makes me addicted to Bloodborne is the satisfying feeling when i beat the boss

i found that Father Gascoigne is easier than Cleric Beast and also less scary
(at least untill he transform to the beast)
, so you may want to suggest to beat him first instead

maybe if he can defeat the boss, he will consider to continue to play it

He would play DS2 for the sixth time than trying something with Bloodborne alone
 

tsundoku

Member
it very explicitly has a horror din to it
in dark souls expecially 2 if you find yourself in an unsafe open area casters will try to assassinate you with quiet magic missiles
in bloodborne if you find yourself in an unsafe open area terrifying brain monsters will stop their creepy hum and scream at you and threaten to annihilate your lifebar if you dont HIDE and GET OUT OF SIGHT.

i got a spooky vibe from every game except for demon souls in the right areas with the right ambient noises / amount of guys hidden around corners
going slow and playing with headphones on is a good way to get spooked

if he's never played scholar of the first sin or never played the original ds2 try getting him to play one of those with headphones / alone / in the dark so he can understand that the game isn't going to hurt him and its only spooky because he perceives his character as weak or vulnerable. And in bloodborne you're probably the safest you could ever be because you're back to easily farmable spammable heals, you can twitch react to an attack and get health back and you have two really generous dodge types
 

Necro900

Member
Your friend is not alone. I dropped the game after the cleric beast: the whole atmosphere and sounds, the constant fear of dying and the incessant search for the right path to take (while getting killed and ambushed multiple times in the process).. it's just 2spooky4me.

As someone said before, I play games to blow off steam, and I can't do that with this kind of games, unfortunately.
It's not that I'd scream in terror and throw the controller out of the window, either.. I might as well finish the damn game, I just wouldn't enjoy it and would have to force myself.

I could probably turn the uneasiness into fun if with a friend, though.. I might as well go down that path, I know it'd be worth it. The art direction is downright marvelous in this game, and it fascinates me (even though it makes me uncomfortable in motion, lol).
 

Djostikk

Member
Well, Dark Souls II IS better

I'm not sure, I think it's subjective. I personally like BB more because combat is faster and so satisfying. Also I prefer Lovecraft atmosphere way more than fantasy in DS2.

Your friend is not alone. I dropped the game after the cleric beast: the whole atmosphere and sounds, the constant fear of dying and the incessant search for the right path to take (while getting killed and ambushed multiple times in the process).. it's just 2spooky4me.

As someone said before, I play games to blow off steam, and I can't do that with this kind of games, unfortunately.
It's not that I'd scream in terror and throw the controller out of the window, either.. I might as well finish the damn game, I just wouldn't enjoy it and would have to force myself.

I could probably turn the uneasiness into fun if with a friend, though.. I might as well go down that path, I know it'd be worth it. The art direction is downright marvelous in this game, and it fascinates me (even though it makes me uncomfortable in motion, lol).

Oh, hi, Alex. Didn't know you are reading GAF :p
 

NEO0MJ

Member
Man, I really can't understand how anyone can find this scary or unsettling. Frankly it's pretty tame. I'd be more afraid of a game that featured thousand year old demons that looked like little girls and wanted to be my sister. That would send me running to the hills.
 

GeeTeeCee

Member
I'm not great with horror and I managed to beat Bloodborne comfortably enough - although that room with all the spiders in the
Nightmare of Mensis
wasn't pleasant. I always sprinted straight through it.

Even just putting some music or a podcast or something on in the background takes the edge off quite a bit.
 

arcticice

Member
Bloodborne is creepy AF, it is more horriffic than most horror games out there. Your friend has every right to be afraid.

However, i don't see how he could be afraid playing co-op
 
Not sure how he could finish Dark 1 and be phased by Bloodborne, Dark 1 had some creepy moments too. I'm a total sissy when it comes to video game horror and I survived BB just fine, odd.
 
Not sure how he could finish Dark 1 and be phased by Bloodborne, Dark 1 had some creepy moments too. I'm a total sissy when it comes to video game horror and I survived BB just fine, odd.

Think bloodborne uses it sound design a lot better than dark souls 1 did on building the creepy atmosphere.
 

Seventy70

Member
I dropped Bloodborne because there were giant spiders. I can put up with most other things, but spiders are where I draw the line...
 

Ritzboof

Member
i feel like you could reasonably call bloodborne survival horror. jim sterling did an episode on it, didnt he?
 

Melchiah

Member
Lol, Bloodborne is no horror.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodborne
Daniel Tack of Game Informer gave the game a 9.75 out of 10, praising the game's unsettling atmosphere and the aesthetic visuals, which he stated "had brought horror to life".
...
Edge scored it a full 10 out of 10, stating that it was a "dazzling work of dank, abject horror that cements Miyazaki as one of the all-time greats."
...
Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot gave the game a 9 out of 10, praising its Lovecraftian horror-themed storyline

https://killscreen.com/articles/bloodborne-and-history-horror/
It is a curious thing that Bloodborne looks back at the early twentieth century to find a locus for its thematic horror. Initially I thought that the game's beginning with such overt aesthetic reference to the gothic horror of the late Victorian era only to reveal a much different world of cosmic horror seemed to prioritize the importance of the latter over the former.
...
Such is the lingering effect of Bloodborne, a game that starts out as a visceral, recognizable horror game that evolves into something distressing and uncomfortable. ... The game, nevertheless, offers a backwards lens into a particularly strange point in horror history in which the anxieties of a changing world found its way into the monsters and terrors of the genre.

But what do they know, eh?
 
Totally understandable. The atmosphere of the game is quite oppressive and the background noises add to it. I dislike horror and these sorts of things but I ploughed through. But yeah, can see why some people bail out. It's a well crafted world!
 

Captain Hero

The Spoiler Soldier
Not sure how he could finish Dark 1 and be phased by Bloodborne, Dark 1 had some creepy moments too. I'm a total sissy when it comes to video game horror and I survived BB just fine, odd.

Yeah Tell me about it .. me when I tried kitchen in VR , oh my god !! I was screaming like a little girl . I can play horror games but don't leave me alone for a long time lol
 
If my cowardly ass can get through Bloodborne plus The Old Hunters, I'm pretty sure anyone can!

The longer OoK gif kills me, skipping part:

giphy.gif

This gif always alleviates my NG+ OoK PTSD just that little bit more.

stop screaming at meeeeee

The excessive amount of spiders is what gets me...

Still haven't beaten Rom

Yep-yep-yep-yep. Trying to fight
Rom and the spider bros
was a bizarre game of focusing yet not focusing too much, whilst trying to blur my vision simultaneously. urrrgghhhhh
 
It is definitely horror as it is a Lovecraftian and has a strong element of body horror but doesn't spend its time time trying to scare the player like most horror games. As far as I'm concerned the best horror entertainment is those that don't go for scares and attempts to horrify the consumer via other methods, my favourite horror film is The Skin I Live In and that isn't scary in the slightest. Horror is a broad genre.
 

Melchiah

Member
It is definitely horror as it is a Lovecraftian and has a strong element of body horror but doesn't spend its time time trying to scare the player like most horror games. As far as I'm concerned the best horror entertainment is those that don't go for scares and attempts to horrify the consumer via other methods, my favourite horror film is The Skin I Live In and that isn't scary in the slightest. Horror is a broad genre.

Agreed. Cheap jump scares become predictable and tiresome after a while, whereas a feeling of dread and unease lasts. That's where Bloodborne succeeds, like Silent Hill series did back in the day.

One of my favorite horror films, Rosemary's Baby, isn't that scary either.
 
People saying bloodborne isn't a horror game are full of shit. The game definitely isn't the scariest game out there and is very different then games like resident evil, silent hill, outlast etc but it's built upon both a gothic and cosmic horror foundation. Bloodborne is 100% a horror rpg, just because the game lacks jump scares or aspects we commonly associate with survival horror games doesn't suddenly make it non horror. The game is filled with horrific monsters, a dark creepy atmosphere, hell the story is a huge love letter to the works of H. P Lovecraft.
 
My only real hurdle was getting past Rom and her grossness. And then the spider room later on which instead of tackling properly I ran through it like a baby.
 

jay

Member
Have your friend warm up with Demons' Souls. Once he has accepted that Latria is awesome, have him return to Bloodborne.
 

Galang

Banned
Mess. Your friend is right. The only way I'd play it is if someone held me the entire time and slept beside me every night for the next year.
 

NEO0MJ

Member
People saying bloodborne isn't a horror game are full of shit. The game definitely isn't the scariest game out there and is very different then games like resident evil, silent hill, outlast etc but it's built upon both a gothic and cosmic horror foundation.

Having a horror themed aesthetic doesn't mean it's a horror game. Might as well call monster High horror.



Seriously, how can you be afraid of something you can button mash through?
 

Nev

Banned
The only thing that makes Bloodborne not a horror game is that you can wreck shit around easily (when you've mastered it anyways).

If the mechanics were more survival-y it'd be fucking horrifying at times (and awesome too).

The Yahar'Gul chapel and the Choir were creepy as hell.


What is this supposed to prove? The two wolves are actually the best example of early monsters that might scare people away. It's not easy at all to mash them both to win that early, in the gif he's fighting only one of them, presumably after killing the other by different methods.
 

laxu

Member
If my cowardly ass can get through Bloodborne plus The Old Hunters, I'm pretty sure anyone can!



This gif always alleviates my NG+ OoK PTSD just that little bit more.

stop screaming at meeeeee

I had to turn sound off for OoK to beat him. It throws me so easily into panic mode as I try to dodge his attacks.

Bloodborne has some of the most horrifying enemy designs in any game. It doesn't help that a lot of them are tough as nails too. Then you got the ones that don't look so scary but are just really difficult like the damn sharks.
 
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