Bloodborne Cut Content - Doll Alpha Version - Unused Dialogue and Alternate Voice Actress

[@paradiseegg2111]

“Pursue a deeper madness and I will make it your medicine” Damn, that alpha doll had some great lines

[@nathanjora7627]

Honestly I prefer them, it gives a bit more characterization to the protagonist.

[@AikenFrost]

@@nathanjora7627 Yeah, I like them a lot! Specially the bizarre way she talks! So cool!

[@nathanjora7627]

@@AikenFrost I don’t really have a preference in that regard but I get it, it’s very unique and more doll-like if I can say ^^ I wish you could reanimate the doll of the waking world and she would have those dialogues, it would’ve been a great way to have both versions.

[@BananaChicken21]

That’s pretty metal, you sure they didn’t take that from a Disturbed song ?

[@RenaRoseheart]

"Farewell, good Hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world" is so iconic. I'm so glad they went with that.

[@gdhuertas07]

“I must have displeased you.” ;_; You could never displease me, Doll.

[@ailynevensen]

I almost cried 😭 no one hurts my girl!!

[@hopebringer2348]

Ew

[@MnR9998]

“Even the doll, should it please you”

[@sirsiruin6882]

What kind of monster kills the doll in their playthrough?

[@vanjaarsic1616]

@Name Lastname Alpha va did good job with imposter Iosefka and Adella. As why do these lines sound kind of awkward is probably because they are just for test.

[@jippalippa]

Ah Bloodborne, the gift that keeps on giving

[@msfasa]

Ah Kos, or some say Kosm....

[@Sixtysixway]

The hunt, and the night are long indeed

[@Kabodanki]

bloodborne is like bat soup, keep finding new stuff everyday

[@shutityoudumb]

Ah bloodborne, the gift that k e s n i i g

[@francescofavro8890]

damn, the alpha really nailed the "mechanical being" vibe with her voice acting. Although i'm glad the finished version opted to use a more "lifelike" doll, the hunter's dream is supposed to be a refuge, a comforting place, we already have the rest of the game to unsettle us.

[@Darien2016]

I'd have peffered the unsettling doll speech lol. But it's all good.

[@o0DreiM0o]

The doll from the workshop (not the one in the hunters dreams) should be talking like that. So we could get both sides. This would connect dialogues when she's sleeping in the hunter dreams talking about the waking world

[@devilshooter126m8]

I wonder if the OG doll was supposed to act like she wasn't supposed to speak. explaining why her speaking sounds odd, like something trying to mimic human speech.

[@shayposting]

She sounds like a genderbent G-Man.

[@pal1890]

that's why I like it so much, she sounds kinda creepy and it fits so well

[@senuhet13]

I think she was given horrible advice to sound like a robot which is why it's st ilt ed dialogue. So glad they didn't do that.

[@lostindustries4961]

Makes sense yeah. She has Pale blood, Like all KIN of the Kosm.

[@Fullmetalnyuu0]

@@senuhet13 personally, i absolutely love it. she sounds almost uneasy, like she's afraid of something but at the same time she clearly knows so much more than you do. the difference to me is like - current doll is encouraging, and matriarchal while the alpha doll is a bit disparaging and feels more like a shaken nurse

[@RB__Sun]

doll sounds less human this way. her lines are so stilted and the emphasis is very strange. i actually like that for her a lot as a character point but it definitely makes it harder to connect with her

[@Odinsday]

The original makes it seem like the doll has never spoken properly before and is trying to mimic human speech. That's why their are so many little pauses and stilted phrases in her dialogue. The final one makes her seem like a doll truly come to life and whose personality is a lot more comforting and motherly rather than awkward and somber like the original.

[@canaricassius8323]

_"Let madness become your medicine."_ Holy shit that's so fucking metal, i wish they'd keep it.

[@ergoths]

it would spoil much of the sickness, it has reason they left it unused. i do think after you kill Rom, it wouldve been a good dialogue change.

[@andregregory1663]

Why her "swinging" from the beginning of the video didn't get included in the final version? It's so cute and gives her so much personality.

[@shutityoudumb]

Keep your cocktail wiener in your pants and stop wishing for more cute adorable female characters.

[@MrCeratix]

"I will not die, *tarnished* as I am" insight gained

[@bigenemy000]

"AAAH Raise ye, o' tarnished, who is dead, who yet live"

[@Tnfair97]

Being so used to the beta voice as imposter Iosefka makes this much more eerie than it should be

[@steamedhamlet]

I know!

[@edwardnygma8533]

Honestly. Heard that little shudder in her voice and was like "nope, don't like that".

[@BEYONDTHESPIDERFILMS]

Lance has blessed us with more eyes :D

[@Majinnightwalker]

Oooooooooouuuuuooooooooooo

[@nelkam5543]

He has blessed us with more gifts of insight!

[@23Scadu]

Lance, or some say Lancem.

[@TraitorsEra]

more ears

[@IgorGameBR]

I tell you lance, i will not forget our adage.

[@kaatharos]

I honestly kind of like the “less creepy” final voice more. The supposed sentiment of benevolence or normalcy feels even more uncanny the more you learn. You grow to find the gentleness uncomfortable, without it needing to feel unsettling intentionally. I like that.

[@DebugMenu]

Anyway moral of the story, click on this link: twitch.tv/lancemcdonald Hey so something I didn't want to bring up in the video but want to ask youse here: Can anyone else definitively identify the voice actress doing these original lines? I am almost certain it's the same voice as actress that did Imposter Iosefka, but because I have no way of being 100% sure, I didn't want to mention it in the video outright. Do youse think it's her though? I don't really have the best ear for these things...

[@hunter_witch]

It's undoubtedly Lucy Briggs-Owen. Who voices Imposter Iosefka and other characters. It seems she was used a lot.

[@BEYONDTHESPIDERFILMS]

I agree, it sounds like Losefka to me

[@FalseProfecy]

I think it is the same voice actor as they have the same 'tremor' in their voice

[@steamedhamlet]

I can 10000% identify that voice as faux sefka. Notice the way the S sound is pronounced. Identical.

[@rswindol]

Definitely.

[@Day100]

Those slight pauses in-between words are perfect for the idea of the dream being a nightmare. The voice actors and directors deserve all the more credit for their work. And Lance too for showing us all these layers we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

[@darkfangevilbad]

I love your discoveries. It tells me a lot about From Software's development process. They don't seem to be afraid to make changes when something doesn't click. For example, Alpha Doll is a bit heavy handed on the horror aspects, more unnatural speech, and gives away a bit too much. While the final doll, comes off as a caretaker, but also seems to be in a dreamlike state, human but in the uncanny valley. An illusion of the dream? Or a manifestation of Gherman? The Moon Presence? Both? A puzzle with multiple possible answers. Good stuff.

[@HighPriestFuneral]

"Good hunter" is a much better style name than "ailing one", I feel. I like some of the delivery of the original, but it would have made the Dream (or Nightmare, I guess...) feel incredibly unwelcoming, while the Hunter's Dream seems to act as a spot of repose, with the friendly wise man and the modest maiden archetypes to lull the player into a comfort despite the darkness underneath it all.

[@darkfangevilbad]

@@HighPriestFuneral Exactly, A place of rest with the new dialogue, but as the game progresses, hints of things not being what they are begin to appear. Like Gehrman's nightmares while he is asleep in the garden. The Doll trying to understand tears and love. And the fact that the doll is modeled after Maria. The subtle comes off more powerful. We need more good gothic/eldritch horror type games like it.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@darkfangevilbad It's not really gothic at all, that was kinda the bait and switch lol

[@morgantodd3748]

​@@ChangedMyNameFinally69If you take all the Cthulhus at face value, yeah it's cosmic horror. Then you probe deeper, read the item descriptions, explore the Chalice Dungeons, and you realize the Cthulhus are grieving parents whose children predeceased them and their cultists are greedy, hubristic mad scientists who only worship them because it's the only possible way to get the godhood they covet.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@morgantodd3748 I didn't but that's certainly a different take on it which I appreciate because cosmic horror is kinda samey

[@sonictheaccursed]

The Alfa Version Doll sounds like she's about to cry all the time.

[@ducksruleflorida4882]

10:44 I love how this shot makes the inanimate doll look like she has restless leg syndrome

[@ryeki1552]

Wanna see somwthing spooky? Look at her hand.

[@daps8016]

Every single time i feel like i know everything about this game you come back into my life, yet i'm always happy when you do

[@azuleche]

She sounds like the G man from Half life. Great find!

[@HansenPS]

THIS. I thought i was the only one :D

[@FalseProfecy]

It's pretty cool to think that the voice actor for Iosefka ( unsure if spelt correctly) was meant to voice the doll

[@edwardnygma8533]

You spelt Iosefka correctly, but that is specifically Imposter Iosefka.

[@HaloGrey666]

At 1:15 she is talking about being tarnished which seems to be a big theme in Elden Ring, I find this interesting ^ ^

[@E.Humperdinck]

I really like the Doll's Alpha voice actress. It's creepier with a tinge of madness.

[@MsUndertaker99]

I don't even know what version of Doll i like more now. They both speak in pretty similar manner, but in-game version sounds more indifferently while cut one has that little note of madness in her voice

[@Hboybatman]

1:04 "Tarnished as I am" oh FromSoft

[@SmittyWerbenJag3rmanJenson]

Lance is the only reason I'm not hollow from lack of elden ring news

[@causcam]

Lance deserves a character in Elden Ring for his work. It better have a Lance, the Explorer or something like that hahaha

[@alexstach8667]

They should hide his character somewhere within the game files

[@cloudcover863]

The aphha version seems a bit too creepy in a sort of over done way, I think I personally like the subtlety of the final version. This was super interesting though. Thanks for the neat find!!!

[@TraitorsEra]

a creepy voice would be perfect for a nightmare wouldn't it?

[@TraitorsEra]

@@peepeepoopoo7723 yeah definitely since the dream is a safe haven for hunters it would fit more to have a friendly npc

[@TraitorsEra]

@Lovegrip Symposium how dare be have a different opinion 😂

[@TraitorsEra]

@Aaron Eckhart from In the Company of Men yes but you don't know he's a prisoner, at least not yet. And you're not a prisoner until you kill that prisoner and become one. the dream shouldn't be a nightmare to new hunters.

[@TraitorsEra]

@Aaron Eckhart from In the Company of Men ah yes you're so smart and caught all that lore from the first conversation with him, I wish I can be as smart as you are

[@ducksruleflorida4882]

HeyZeusHeresToast is probably watching this with a stink eye the whole time.

[@ChronicNOTAG]

Who, and why?

[@vvardenfellian]

He’s a Bloodborne speed runner known for despising the doll character.

[@ChronicNOTAG]

@@vvardenfellian Hah. Why does he hate her?

[@AnderDoUrden]

@@ChronicNOTAG he doesn't hate her. We don't hate her. It's just that THE DOLL IS EVIL, it's simply awareness. No more, no less

[@ChronicNOTAG]

@@AnderDoUrden She's evil? How? She seems pretty straight forward if you ask me.

[@Nucleric]

I like how the doll is rock her feet at 0:13

[@luka_shapka2768]

the alpha one sounds more depressed

[@poly_g6068]

I like the awkwardness the original VA gives her. She doesn't sound 'real' and honestly she shouldn't. The broken emphasis she speaks with is creepy but also endearing, like she's trying her hardest to be real. It also seems much easier to pay attention to her as you try to piece together her strange speech, whereas in the retail version she just sounds kind of sexy.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

lol this is the best way to put it. Sexy lol.

[@mrpantsrainbowsixsiege4571]

"Give rusty spoon"

[@TechNinjaSigma]

The game that keeps on giving

[@Kriosaivak]

I love the Alpha's dialogue, both in delivery and in the content

[@SlayerSeraph]

So creepy as hell!

[@rusO_16]

The fact that Analisse told the hunter, "tarnished as I am" in this cut dialogue seems suspicious to me. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but that's certainly some serious Elden Ring vocabulary right there, it definitely leaves room for theories

[@ethanbaileylol2283]

there’s so much cut content that points towards elden ring ideas. the large trees in the dream, the way they’re called “shrines” in the games code (shrines are used a ton in ER), there are cut enemies that are similar to the Golden Order Knights and Beastmen enemies in ER. there is a ton of crossover stuff that either points towards them being parts of the same world, or that From reuses ideas to better suit another narrative

[@stormangel]

The stilted and monotonous delivery of Lucy Briggs Owen's version of the Doll is so strikingly similar to that of the Doll/humonculous maid Daniella in Capcom's Demento/Haunting Grounds that it makes me wonder if there was some inspiration there

[@batterychugger]

This is a year old but you’re so right wow

[@Chocc_Ice]

Imposter: it's happening! I'm ascending to the dreamlands!! *transforms into doll* Imposter: god damn it

[@Wayward88]

LMAO

[@J-Psilas]

Alpha Doll has a bit of a... Salad Fingers vibe, just in the cadence of her speech.

[@temporaltomato3021]

whoa, can't unhear that

[@Jesse__H]

my ... spoon ... is ... too ... big

[@Inv8erZlM]

Yeah, I noticed that too!

[@jungtothehuimang]

I really hate that you said this and that I am thinking it

[@mitchellradspinner4491]

It also reminds me of the fair lady

[@AshenRJ]

Look at her rocking back and forth at the intro! That is so fukim cute and it makes me adore her even more!

[@HamsterHamsterton]

I think both voices work for the character, but the final version is more in line with the whole "Gehrman made a doll that looks like the one he loved" thing, including her sweet demeanor that may or may not end up charming the players, effectively making them feel an attachment to her as Gehrman did for Maria. The alpha voice plays more into the horror theme of the game, in which she constantly reminds you that you are sick and you're in a nightmare, and that you have to go deeper into that to become something more. Either way, good work, Lance. Good to see you're still doing these.

[@nightscout9979]

The Alpha Doll's voice and mannerisms could be part of the reason Gehrman seemingly abandoned the Doll. IIRC, Gehrman had a hard "nope" after he made the Doll. It's still believable with both versions of the Doll, but the Alpha Doll might have scared him even more than the Final Doll while Gehrman still retained that type of attachment to his old pupil as a sign of his own persisting problems.

[@thedanielstraight]

This is awesome Lance... we're lucky you can continue to make discoveries about this brilliant game.

[@D2017_]

I’m glad we ended up with the doll we got in the end.

[@osohista]

it's honestly wild how good bloodborne (and some video games in general, I guess) turned out so good considering how much shuffling around of stuff you must keep doing even pretty late into the development. Some concepts entirely scrapped yet still using the kept pieces to make a complete feeling experience. Sometimes shifting the pieces' original context as well.

[@DawnApon]

The alpha versions wavering is really evocative to me.

[@Bones_]

How it starts: Yes very interesting. The lore implications are great. How it ends: *tears* I'm so sorry both of you please forgive us!!

[@DAS_k1ishEe]

Sounds like all the direction the old voice actor got was: "Talk like G-Man"

[@Pearl-Slug]

"Welcome home, Dr. Freeman"

[@claviceps_giles5177]

This is super interesting, but it's so jarring without Evetta's voice :C I'm glad they made that switch.

[@Tofilux]

Tarnished as I am? Embolden your sickly spirit?

[@spacepirate9055]

Omg that intro!! Doll is kawaii!!

[@someguyshere6968]

The cut voice seems far "darker" then final product, which I think is more about it being Project Beast at that point in development. You would be trapped on constant edge worrying about transforming, You sick or diseased trapped in a nightmare which you cant escape. Seems quite appropriate. Also that death dialog is fucking depressing either way. Thanks for cutting that FromSoft.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Probably also changed with the game becoming more Lovecraft than Dracula

[@bythoven784]

The alpha version remainds me of Saint Adeline's voice specifically after you give her brain fluids

[@iWillWakeYouUp]

This just confirms my suspicions that the whole game is, or was originally meant to be, the somewhat supernatural fever-dream of a sick person undergoing treatment for an illness, and the whole game is a metaphor for you fighting the illness and transcending it.

[@SkaerKrow]

Your videos are a legitimate treasure. Thanks for all of the work that you do to produce them.

[@randomnstoned966]

This game will never leave my heart.

[@efrenmosconi9339]

First the mention of Umbasa, now the doll speaking about fog and madness Bloodborne was planned to be demon's souls 2. Change my mind

[@nigelblythe6627]

It actually was.

[@efrenmosconi9339]

@@nigelblythe6627 it was confirmed??

[@nigelblythe6627]

@@efrenmosconi9339 I don't know if we can trust this, but it seems so, google "What Could Have Been / Bloodborne"

[@efrenmosconi9339]

@@nigelblythe6627 I'm gonna investigate

[@nathanbarrett4402]

@@efrenmosconi9339 A channel called Sinclair Lore has some stuff on this as well. Basically the earliest Bloodborne assests are named DS2 for Demon's Soul's 2. It was probably never gonna be called that but it was defo meant to be in the same world. The original twist of the chalice dungeons was that when you reached the final boss arena, 'the lake of mud', you would realise that its the beach from the end of Demon's Soul's and that the chalices are the ruins of Boletaria.

[@ManiaMac1613]

Hearing the cut Doll dialogue filled up my Frenzy meter. (As cool as it is to hear the older version of the Doll, I much prefer the one we have in the final game, she sounds much colder and more unnatural.)

[@darkpuppetlordful]

Its interesting that the more "human " doll says shut me down in the kill line as if she were a thing that can be turned off. Whereas the more stilted inhuman doll says dispose of me. I am curious if there was any significant changes to the dolls story with the big switch that happened

[@mavvi860]

i cannot believe how cool your videos are tbh

[@Big_Dai]

There is still more Lance? I thought, after a long drought.. that we were done :)

[@nathanbarrett4402]

Theres still loads of stuff in the files. Not all of it can be shown in interesting ways, but theres stuff like the Castle from the Nightmare of Mensis originally being behind the Grand Cathedral, the cut Grand Cathedral elevator for the altar from the base game. Jumping off of the back of Witches abode to enter the nightmare and that the Old Abandoned workshop was accessed after completing Upper Cathedral Ward which then led to Yahar'gul. These are just off the top of my head. There is even more.

[@-cams.]

Ahh, Lance... or some say, Lance McDonald... Do you hear our prayers? Grant us eyes, grant us eyes! Thanks for all the hard work recovering all of this, G-Doll seems about right.

[@panos3320]

I do love our maiden in black / doll voice actress, but with this one, i can see an interesting take on the character. The creepy, ackward creation, with a personality fluctuating between barely functional and deeper than you think. With this one, you can understand why Gehrman wouldn't want her near him.

[@ZaDOSmiKa]

A wonderful world with nigh more secrets yet to be found :)

[@luciddre4m]

It would've been cool if the Doll's tone became less mechanical as you gained more insight, to what it ends up being in the retail release.

[@slavovitshvykhodzev4625]

Alpha Doll sound more demented with the way she talks.

[@chompythebeast]

Original dialogue was a little on-the-nose, both in the writing and the delivery imo. Much prefer the nebulousness of the final cut. Very interesting how much the sickness storyline was a part of the original story―in the final, the very meaning of "Paleblood", mentioned in the opening cinematic and on the note where we start, is left up in the air―it's not even clear whether the note was something the player brought with them, or whether someone else left it for them. And while we see other characters succumb to the beast plague or whatever, particularly Gilbert, the player character does not necessarily fall victim to the same fate

[@Noja8787]

Alpha version sounds like she is on the verge of crying.

[@kianmohammadrezaie297]

Woah this is so cool, i can only imagine how hard it must have been to restore all the dialogue... much less the subtitles! You are a mad man lance, an absolute unit!

[@justwungo]

I still absolutely adore the little finger twitches of the mostly motionless versions of the Doll

[@wanred61]

I've never played Bloodborne, does she actually say "Close your eyes and let me close" and then kneels down before you? Oh boy...

[@xxobitoxx6104]

"Welcome home good hunter"

[@kotkotkot4153]

What is it you desire?

[@shadeparker5922]

It is a good day when new Bloodborne content appears in my feed.

[@ahmz1404]

The actor that belongs to the unused voice is a great voice actor

[@ramp8536]

"almost certain it's the same voice as actress that did Imposter Iosefka" "When the Doll is sus!"

[@nightscout9979]

The Alpha Doll sounds like a more pained character. It could be an emotional thing, but it may also be because, as an inorganic object made alive, her very existence is outright more painful, awkward, and unnatural. Her "health" might be worse as she struggles to speak, which perhaps causes her to be more depressed about her state of being too. She may also feel more lonely/neglected, or sad that she's a tool, than the Final Doll.

[@joebykaeby]

Interesting how, in the alpha dialogue, the framing is a lot more reminiscent of Dark Souls - the player is not quite ‘undead’, but was so ill before the blood ministration that they might as well have been dead, rescued from death’s door

[@edwardnygma8533]

God damn, this is the amazing content that makes me glad I rang that bell. I'd love to see more of this sort of thing, comparing the Alpha and Final voices for characters, maybe with Annalise at 1:09 where she seems to be voiced by the Plain Doll's VA.

[@senjubunny]

i wonder how many more eyes Lance has at this point, with so much insight... your videos are pure gold, always so fascinating to find out unused stuff in from games

[@Scorched-Knight]

Awesome work man!

[@thetrueyuiop]

00:07:40 "where we...find an inanimate copy of the doll"

[@dasninjastix]

Brilliant content as always Lance, you're a damned hero to those of us still obsessed with all things Bloodborne.

[@DioBrando-vj9ft]

Hiya, just found the name of the wee lullaby The Doll is humming in her prayers *Bayushki Bayu* is a *Russian* lullaby! I can't understand Russian well but it's something to do with a *wolf or werewolf* I think?? Anyways, the absolute detail Fromsoft puts in their games is stunning! A Russian wolf themed lullaby for a Russian accent-having doll who encourages the hunt of beasts... Too bad this is cut content, would've loved to see this in-game but sucks a suck

[@PadPoet]

Pretty sure we will keep discovering things about Bloodborne for years to come. Awesome work Lance! Love this!

[@nikolascoffey6453]

Imagine if the doll starts off sounding robotic like the alpha version before slowly turning more human or becoming even worse depending on the ending you are working towards

[@khalid4718]

Bloodborne cut content is among my favorite content on youtube thank you lance you done so much ❤

[@ShinzoGabe]

what is interesting to me is that it feels like they were trying too hard on their own game, to basically present the game itself all at once, so they juss kept short and simple in the normal version, it worked out better in the end

[@Arknights_Doktah_Pedro]

This was recommended by a Friend. I'm glad to say that I am happy he recommended it. It allows me to see what the Alpha build looked like.

[@crowking4686]

Tbh I started to tear up when I heard the hunters dream music and the doll... I love cut content for Bloodborne and I truly hope you do more, thank you thank you so much Lance

[@TKM20XX]

Yoooooo that first line of Queen Analise matches sooo much with Elden Ring's Premise! She is a tarnished who cannot die, heck her white hair and iconic helmet is similar in design to the one armor set in the recent Elden Ring trailer! Bloodborne really is a treasure trove!

[@きなこもち-o4o8c]

まだブラボの解析続けてるの尊敬してます。 感謝

[@TheMostHatedPlayer17]

outstanding you still find some little goodies from here & there ! keep doing your thing homie !!!!

[@shahilheartbreaker5736]

Always a pleasure to watch ur videos

[@lagideath]

"Let me stand close, don't peep!" oh my god... I'm glad we got the Doll as she is in the final version of the game.

[@wohdinhel]

I had no idea that the Doll shared her voice actress with the Maiden in Black. In retrospect it should be so obvious, but damn, the accent really does an amazing job of masking it. The Maiden's voice is by far the most iconic in my mind.

[@ariscop]

Really does sound like placeholder audio; not that there's any issue with the acting, it just comes across a little more blunt than froms normal dialogue, and like they were getting a feel for the character. The final lines are thematically consistent but far more subtle than their alpha equivalent, and seems the result of refinement, rather than reworking

[@jammintoy2876]

Great video Lance!

[@pkeod]

“Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” ― Zhuangzi, The Butterfly as Companion: Meditations on the First Three Chapters of the Chuang-Tzu

[@neron8497]

Hah. What a fitting quote for Bloodborne, thanks for sharing!

[@TheDevil69270]

Wow that's insane work to restore all of this ! The alpha doll voice actress will haunt me the entire day though

[@roundninja]

I like these early lines and voice acting. I almost wish they kept it for the real game