How Bloodborne Achieves What Dark Souls Could Not

Bloodborne is a tremendous accomplishment in game design, taking the formula built by its predecessors and adapting it to a whole new world and style of play. In refining that formula, Bloodborne identified many of the problems presented by Dark Souls and took deliberate action to improve upon them.
In this video we'll discuss that Problem to Action to Result process, specifically examining three standout components of Bloodborne: it's combat, it's lighting, and it's level design.
Join me on Patreon for more content, including a counter commentary to this video that discusses the things Dark Souls does better than Bloodborne: / leepgaming
Dark Souls and the Power of Shared Experiences: • Dark Souls and the Pow...
0:00 Intro and Process
1:40 Combat
6:23 Lighting
10:05 Level Design
14:18 Wrap Up
#bloodborne #darksouls #fromsoftware #soulslike #gamedesign #leepgaming

[@taketheleep]

I'll be checking out Dark Souls 2 for my next FromSoftware game... what should I know about that one before diving in?

[@HeyLookItsThatGuy13]

Don't

[@aryabratsahoo7474]

Don't rush into places, think like you're playing a slow paced survival game. Enemies have finite respawns, so if you have terrible boss runs/difficult locations don't feel guilty to grind them out. Experiment with diverse build variety, since souls level cost growth is less across level. Also you don't need ADP if you're using shield or ranged magic. Don't be afraid to use bows, they are by far the most useful to clear dense enemy locations.

[@user-kb1su7mg1g]

Do

[@minoas-sunbro]

Level up adaptability to either 24 or 32 (this is 96 or 99 agility). Agility gives more s while dodging, casting speed, and consumables. I didn't know anything about this back in 2014, which changed my view on the game overall when I revisited. Aside from that enjoy and don't go hollow :)

[@JLchevz]

pay close attention to the game's healing system and the overall feel of the combat. Also hitboxes.

[@azrogthesocial3020]

Your joking, the quality on this is insane, YOU’LL BE HUGE ONE DAY

[@rhysd5435]

I fucked up by playing this as my first FromSoft title. Now going back will simply be an appreciation for the stepping stones. Yharnam resonates with me on an emotional level as do the many wonderful or fascinating folk and creatures who reside there.

[@smansam]

Bruh same, now I play the others like theyre BB and it screws me

[@johnsilverman656]

Saaaaaame

[@meddebrayen745]

im new to bloodbrone and this game got me obsessed

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

Bloodborne was also my first. Had no idea who fromsoft was. This is where my view on video games changed forever. No one even comes close

[@hexpex5903]

I will have to disagree, for me ds1 was first and when I played bb I was a tad bit disappointed with bb because there are things ds1 does better than bb (bb is fantastic too). As you were talking about yharnam, I felt yharnam wasn't as flushed out as lordran, most of it has to do with world design, ds1 rich interconnected first half is so good, bb never reaches that level of world design ever, yes bb has more intriguing combat but ds1 has its own thing. I disagree with his idea of ds1 not being in same stratosphere as bb, ds1 has its own strengths. Neither ds3 nor bb ever really itched that, until elden ring came, it's only when playing eldenring again I really felt like I was truly exploring a world, where as with bb,ds3 although they have great lore and art design and level design at level of individual areas, never truly felt like exploring a world. Surprisingly even elden ring ( close to being my fav fromsoftware game) has weak late game with just couple of exceptions.

[@possibly68]

I had no clue this was a small KZbin video. With the quality and professionalism in the recording I thought you were a huge KZbinr that I happened to stumble across. Keep doing good work brother!

[@saulgoneman]

I agree with some of the points raised here, but some others miss the mark. You are right that removing encumbrance, opening up spaces and adding rally make sense if you want to create a fast paced action game like Bloodborne. But Dark Souls wasn't trying to be a fast paced action game like Bloodborne. The point of encumberance is to create choice - high defence at the cost of lower mobility, or vice versa? Claustrophobic environments with dense enemies similarly force you to make decisions about your loadout. My big swinging weapon obviously isn't going to work in this network of tunnels, so what should I do? Should I equip a different weapon with thrusting attacks? Should I equip a bow or a ranged consumable to pick off enemies/draw them out into more favourable terrain? There's a reason there are so many options in Dark Souls as compared to Bloodborne, you aren't meant to pick one gameplay option and stick to it through every situation, the game expects you to adapt. Its a slower game that consistently incentivises caution, and gives build choices often harsh consequences to make said choices more meaningful, thats not accidental. None of that is to say the execution of Dark Souls is perfect, there is plenty to criticise. And its fine to prefer Bloodborne, but you shouldn't look at Dark Souls as just a proto-Bloodborne that wanted to do the same things and failed.

[@taketheleep]

I actually really like this, thanks for posting. The strategic, calculated situations in Dark Souls are one of the my favorite parts of the game when its set up well, but there were also many times the game felt like it was at odds with its own identity in that sense. Being faster paced wasn't inherently better or more important to me, it was that Bloodborne felt like a much more focused experience that chose that identity and ran with it. Ultimately I'm glad these games offer two different experiences. I don't want Dark Souls to be Bloodborne, but I think the evolution between the two games is pretty fascinating and I'm curious to see how that evolution continues through the rest of FromSoft's games. Thanks again for the thoughtful comment.

[@saulgoneman]

@@taketheleep I'm definitely interested to see your take on the others!

[@flamingmanure]

@@taketheleepagreed, one of the many reasons why i view ds1 as a far better and more influential game is its strategy, which bb lost imo. theres barely any actual strategy in bb combat, just good reaction time and conscious spamming. also disagreed with the whole "focus" stuff i hear alot of bb fanboys say when comparing the 2, DS is just as focused as bb, it just focuses on other aspects of its design. and what ppl see as focus in bb, i see as extremely limited and not very creative, for example, its laughably repetitive atmosphere and boss design (most bosses are just flailing beasts with barely any actual variety in them, DS was laughably more creative in this regard).

[@flamingmanure]

@@taketheleep "but there were also many times the game felt like it was at odds with its own identity in that sense" could u explain in detail? this statement applies just as much, if not more, to bb than it does to ds1. bb barely knows if it wants to be a copy pasted DS rpg or an action game, not to mention there are alot of issues with its combat that bogs down the entire experience, like parrying and weapon animation and damage balance, for a game with such a low weapon count, bb had no excuse having such shit balance between them, the top 4 weapons are EXPONENTIALLY better than all the others and alot of weapons have designs in them that disincentivizes weapon transformation, making you just spam R1 till the enemy is dead, which really is most of bbs combat loop in areas, have saw cleaver, walk up to enemy, press R1 till it dies with barely any punishment, rinse and repeat. my problem with bb isnt its weapon combat, its the enemy combat thats so laughably mindless compared to literally any other fromsoft game, even ds3. atleast in ds3 there are alot of heavy poise enemies you cant spam, but bb? you can count the enemies that can interrupt your saw cleaver spamming on one hand. really goes to show just how badly the weapons are balanced.

[@hexpex5903]

@@taketheleep I'll have to disagree with you here saying ds1 couldn't stick to its identity, I think it did, both ds1 and des are very successful at achieving what they strive to, des achieved it to greater degree, ds1 first half is extremely successful, infact first half of ds1 is peak of souls experience that again only truly got matched by elden ring up until leyndell, and just like ds1, elden ring stumbles after that point

[@GhostRiposte]

I was half enjoying this video, half getting irritated it only has 3.7K views! Whether you agree with the premise of the video or not, this is so professional and well put together, really enjoyed it!

[@paliing]

Really good video! Love the concept of what small changes will do to the whole experience.

[@TheTyronecus]

Shocked at your sub count. Good stuff

[@MrLeMort]

Loved the video. Bloodborne will always have a special place in my heart, it was my very first FromSoft game. I didn't know what to expect (except for it being hard), and was really intrigued after the intro cut scene, blown away by atmosphere and aesthetic when entering Central Yharnam,..and then completely lost on what to do or where to go. Loved the fast paced combat, the feeling of accomplishment after trying a boss for dozens of times, the twist in the story halfway through, some of the bosses are really memorable (Father Gascoine, Martyr Logarius,... and all of the bosses from the Addon). I just finished my first Dark Souls play through and liked it quite a bit, some of the later areas do feel like a chore and aren't all that much fun. I really liked Dark Souls 3 though, some of the best bosses in all of the FromSoft games and a bit more streamlined and accessible than the original Dark Souls. I'd certainly like to see your take on Dark Souls 3!

[@tom3413]

I disagree with most of the points here. I played through Bloodborne, DLC and all, and just didnt fall in love with it. Dark Souls had this incredible ability to strike genuine fear when entering a new area. A bonfire felt like a genuine respite from danger, and i think the lack of fast travel early on conteibuted a lot to that. The parry was high-risk, but every fight was high risk. That's the point. Dark Souls is just a more strategic and slow-paced game. That being said, this video was incredible, you're very well-spoken, and all of your topics were thought-out and explored thoroughly. I hope to see your channel grow.

[@minoas-sunbro]

I agree with what you're saying, but the atmosphere of all those locations is so good in DS1

[@latimil838]

Good analysis!!

[@WretchedRedoran]

Just noticed that you hit 2k subs while I was in the process of watching this video, congratulations!

[@taketheleep]

Thank you!

[@chrishadlock3644]

Such a great video!! Keep it up

[@antobatta1551]

-In Dark Souls the goal is avoid taking damage Dark Souls has no set goals. You can rely on trading as much of dodging or even simply walking/running. The rally system isn't an incentive to trade because Bloodborne has near 0 hyperarmor. It's a risk management mechanic that ties with the lower stun recovery, and one that I think scales really poorly compared to Blessed builds or regen on hit builds in Souls games -Removing encumbrance Not an inherently good thing. In fact Souls games relying on dodging with sequels until Elden Ring nerfed it was a mistake. Bloodborne lack of armor and good damage absorbtion tied with hyperarmor removed a layer of decision making beyond simply dodging and attacking which ties to the inherent differences of each weapon/spell and their relative ability to withstand hits unfazed. Having a long recovery after dodging, and bosses that punish players for overusing it or using it badly, incentivizes variety of tools and strategies beyond basic reaction gameplay. -Parrying Bloodborne didn't fix parrying, it made it braindead and annoying. Enemies with long windups like Maria and Gehrman are utterly trivialized and Gwyn-tier and PVP was reduced to players spamming guns to each other. -Upgrade system The blood gem system is unbearable trash, and tied to the worst mechanic ever, chalice dungeon grind. You also always stack physical attack bonus gems no matter what while infusions provide shifted scalings to fit builds and auxiliary effect that ties to inherent elemental weaknesses of enemies and facilitate progression, for example Blessed weapons for catacombs, or Crystal weapons to have a strong hitter but that you won't be able to repair after a while or Lightning for characters that stay at low level or prioritize nondamage stats instead Bloodborne didn't fix anything because Souls games aren't made to be Bloodborne games. Its biggest contribution was active poise hyperarmor, which is objectively better executed in Elden Ring, and limb break, which is a rudimentary form of damage-based stagger system better executed in Elden Ring where it isn't based on damage instead but the inherent property of each attack or skill to interrupt the enemy, something that BB weapons suck at, and stagger them, something that in BB is better achieved with light attack spam

[@carlschrappen9712]

Excellent comment. I would just like to add that anyone who thinks traditional Soulsborne parrying isn't overpowered is clueless. Getting enormous damage off of passing a single timing check is ridiculously strong, just try fighting a parryable DS3 boss with and without parries, the difference is day and night.

[@rennebright5886]

I also think comparing BB to dark souls in the way this video does is slightly unfair but so is this comment imo, as you said dark souls aren't made to be BB but similarly BB was not made to be Dark Souls so holding it to the expectations of Dark Souls combat, build variety and progression is judging it under a lens that is uncharitable to it

[@flamingmanure]

"something that BB weapons suck at, and stagger them, something that in BB is better achieved with light attack spam" ding ding ding ding we have a winner!! well put sir, this point also aids my point that bb weapon transformations for most weapons are rendered useless if not d-incentivized, because why do that when you can just spam R1 till the enemy dies? especially with a saw cleaver, most bb enemies dont even have poise so as long as your attack connected first then you are good to go for most of bbs main areas. easily the most mindless and least strategic souls game.

[@flamingmanure]

you should copy paste your comment to most bb forums and subreddit, considering its mostly the bb fanboys and their inferiority complexes that do dumb comparisons like this video does@@rennebright5886

[@flamingmanure]

@@rennebright5886 agreed, but the mechanical tweaks and parrying of bb have their own issues, like he pointed out. for example, another major issue i have with bb isnt its combat, but the combat with normal enemies in areas, which is 90% of what you interact with in the game. the combat against normal enemies is completely laughable due to the mechanical tweaks, parrying and poise values in bbs combat, resulting in so much of bb being you basically just walking up to an enemy and spamming R1 till they die, or bait that one easily parryable attack, or just parry spamming straight up (you would be amazed how many enemies cant do shit about your spamming) jeezuz you can count the enemy types that can stop saw cleaver R1 spamming on one hand, maaybe 2. sekiro handled these mechanical tweaks much better imo, bb lost the actual strategy part of fromsoft combat barring the bosses, not even all of them, most of the hardest ones like kos, maria, logarius, gascoine and gherman can be parry cheesed, although it would take more skill, but not that much, it just offers too much reward with not that much risk, bb focuses so much on aggression that it becomes almost mindless to play in so many of the situations it puts us in. thats one of the reasons why they throw so many more mobs and enemies at you, because other than heavy enemies and bosses, the game can barely handle one-on-ones, and in my opinion, enemy placement is done far better in alot of fromsofts other games. you can say that bb was designed this way, but frankly im not fond of that design, i think fromsoft are at their best when strategy, speed and aggression are equal and not one suffocating the others. all i know is, by the end of elden ring, i found myself using almost all combat options in most encounters, R1s and 2s and charged attacks, rolling attacks, dual wielding with shes of war on each( one ranged the other heavy poise breaking like lions claw), jumping heavys and lights and all that jazz, but by the end of bb, i was still spamming my saw cleaver R1s with the occasional transform attacks here and there, but this is all coming from a person that started with elden ring and sekiro, so maybe my experience going in gave me a better skillset to play through bb, but as it stands, thats irrelevant to me personally. as far as im concerned, bb combat can get really good (when it works like with certain bosses, ludwig being the best imo, no parry cheese alone instantly makes him better than 99% of the bosses), but it mostly doesnt really work for me. the game just needs far more ways to punish spamming and mindless aggression for my liking.

[@sale4202]

Really cool video on my favourite game of all time! Definitely my most played From game too

[@dervishcandela6696]

So many games fail to utilize darkness as asset by representing it as total black. You *need* color and light to paint a compelling darkness. In recent memory, Stray does amazing job at this. And ironically "horror" or "hardcore" games will often just drown everything in pitch black, making the whole experience just annoying and ugly.

[@taketheleep]

Completely agree on the horror games, reducing everything to total darkness often has the opposite effect of what's intended. Still haven't tried Stray yet but now I'll be looking out for how it does this when I do!

[@Valdis249]

Dude, I just found your channel, and honestly, it is criminal how few (relatively speaking) subscribers you have relative to the amount of quality you're producing. The editing, the choice of nice unintrusive background music to add an overall pleasant vibe to the video, your language and the way it flows throughout the video, the subjects of your videos etc etc. Really grateful to have found your channel. You're gonna be truly big one day! 🙏🏻

[@taketheleep]

This is very kind, thanks for stopping by :)

[@Valdis249]

@@taketheleep Cheers! I'll be around :)

[@UberNorwegianBastard]

Glad you mentioned the thing about the predictability, it wwas something that honestly dampened my experience initially. It made exploration a bit strange for me, as instead of feeling lost or trying to find my way forward, I found myself constantl wondering where the shortcut was. Made exploration feel a bit too constructed. I do always wonder why fromsoft never wworkedd with the level of connectedness ds1 had though. BB was the perfect place to do it, and though it is interconnected, it never really utilizes it in an interesting way. Like opening door after darkbeast parl and realizing it connects to old yharnam is kinda cool until you realize there is not reason to ever use this passage. ( I know you can get some unique dialogue from the hunter that way, but still). Hope youll do some ds3 stuff when you get there. Has issues for sure, but still my fave from soft game after BB.

[@lanceelopezz223]

keep at it, dude. i like how clear your points are (at least, they're clear to me, hehehe)

[@ImMrAlpaca]

Bloodborne did a lot of things right but also a lot of things that the major fans of the game wont talk about also GREAT quality video

[@brendanlodico9788]

It's weird to do a direct comparison to the first game when the second game had so many changes and came out in between them. That would be a more accurate evolution of design.

[@scragglie]

great video, subbed. bloodborne is my favorite game of all time.

[@paliing]

I would love to see a video that talks about the game design of fear and hunger. Super unique gameplay loop, so simple and on the nose but I've still never seen anything like it.

[@nervousgiraffe9876]

Go watch the video on it by Super Eyepatch Wolf, it’s the perfect balance of informative and unhinged (as expected from someone who’s played FaH)

[@shinyhydreigon7257]

While I disagree with a lot of this video's points I have to say I really like your commentry and the production quality is great on your videos man.

[@taketheleep]

Thank you! Happy to have you here, there's always room for disagreeing perspectives.

[@mintygreenleaf864]

I just beat the game today for the first time. I enjoyed it way more than elden ring which was my first fromsoft game. Bloodborne just feel extra unique and the atmosphere is perfection. Also fuck parry in any other game, bloodborne does it best.

[@flamingmanure]

im the opposite, bb was the first fromsoft game i actually finished, i finished elden ring a few weeks ago and to be quite brutally honest i enjoyed it laughably more than bb, elden ring is the actually unique one, while bb is mostly just ds1 with combat tweaks and a grey gothic beast reskin, literally everything else is the same. ER feels like a completely different type of dark fantasy, or even high fantasy, it doesnt use tragedy and darkness as a crutch to seem adult and mature, like bb does, it is easily my favorite fromsoft game by a gigantic margin. as much as i love bbs vibe, its atmosphere is the most repetitive and least creative in the series by far and doesnt hold a candle to elden ring in art and effort but to each their own, if there were more areas like hemwick, hamlet and cainhurst, it wouldve been my favorite atmosphere, but as it stands the entire game is basically just grey castles, corridors, rooms, hallways and like 2 trillion copy pasted gravestones and statues. parry in bb is abusable mindless idiocy and it kinda ruined alot of bosses and their design from how exploitable it is, the easiest most mindless parry in the series by far, sekiro wipes the floor with bbs parry, and elden souls requires actual skill and risk from you to parry, unlike bb.

[@honest-p9893]

Really great video, Froms improvements in Bloodborne compared to Dark douls always surprises me, Specially in Gameplay

[@flamingmanure]

bb also took a step back in quality in alot of aspects, it improved a few things and made other things far worse, like level design and aesthetic repetitiveness, complete ass shallow build variety, not much exploration incentive since the game forces you to use one weapon only. also while bb improved a few aspects of dark souls combat, it also made a few things about combat worse or more mindless, bb lost the actual strategy part of dark souls combat and replaced it with mindless R1 spam. it takes much more thought and strategy to defeat a boss/heavy enemy in ds1, hell 95% of bbs enemies dont even have poise and the enemy positions in this game are piss poor easy compared to ds1, you can legit just walk up to most enemies in this game and spam R1 till they die, with no thought or consequences, most enemies in the game cannot stop saw cleaver spam. alot of this stuff is the same for ds3 but to a lesser degree since alot of its enemies have some poise atleast, im glad sekiro and especially elden ring combined bbs speed and ds1s strategy into the perfect soulsborne combat, second only to sekiro.

[@honest-p9893]

@@flamingmanure Agreed, I meant more in terms of gameplay feel and animations. Elden Ring and Sekiro have more complicated gameplay and after them, the weaknesses of Blood and Dark 3 become more visible.

[@getdookied-on8136]

I’ve been on Bloodborne a lot lately and have come to really appreciate it so much more than when I first played it.

[@Mina-ld8tk]

I agree on all of this, completely explains why I love Bloodborne so much but can’t make myself like Dark souls or Elden Ring 😅

[@lassie2000]

amazing video dude, good comparison i never thought about. Bloodborne is just too good

[@flamingmanure]

ds1 is better in alot of aspects though, bb fanboys still havent...for a lack of a better word...matured enough to critique bb yet. the game took alot of steps back compared to ds1.

[@beatsxiii6562]

I have to admit I only had this video running in the background while I played DS3!

[@JLchevz]

Bloodborne is just a masterpiece. Very memorable.

[@Synchro-tq1mo]

Solid video , but i heavily disagree in terms on level design

[@Nero_9000]

I like Bloodborne, haven't finished it yet, but I like it, the only reason why i like Bloodborne is combat, weapons and outfits, but theres more to it, its like an itch, I don't know why but I would always be coming back to play some Bloodborne just like many other

[@ratgutsnorthwind9154]

Blood borne is imply my favorite in the series. I bounced off of dark souls 1 due to me being very young when it came out. I played dark souls 3 nest and loved it to bits which promted me to get bloodborne. I still cant see any other from soft game the same after playing that particular entry it just had the right tone alonh with gameplay

[@Shmover34]

I still prefer Dark Souls to Bloodborne but I admit it's not because of many tangible things. It's the atmosphere, the tone, the desolation. Probably the nostalgia. The one thing it does better though is the world and the lack of fast travel. Area's connect together and loop back instead of just within an area. It's the bloodborne elevator but applied to the whole world.

[@Malibooyahhh]

Nice bloodborne video, subscribed

[@ZappForThat]

I'm a little late-just found your channel-but I wanted to share some thoughts & feedback on this video. I dig the info you're sharing, but I'm not sure abt the framing. You've definitely highlighted a ton of interesting differences b/t the two games. However, where you frame the differences as linear development progression from "good" to "great," I think you could instead highlight how the design goals of each game are different b/c they aim to achieve different outcomes. IMO the differences in mechanics/game-feel help emphasize & guide the player towards play-styles that are complimentary to the overall design goals of their respective games. This is something I feel like was lost in your comparison, in part b/c Bloodorne IS much newer than DS1-and that game-consumers generally think abt games like "software" (that improves each generation, more pixels, numbers go up, etc) instead of "art" (that can exist to say something independently, regardless how advanced/old the graphics/tech is). Of course games are always a blend of these goals-nothing is that cut & dry-but I still think it's largely a true statement. I guess I bring all this up b/c I think the general game-consumer biases pretty heavily towards that "software evaluation" mental-model, mostly b/c they don't know other ways to engage w/ games as art/media/literacy. So, to that end, I'd love to see more videos like this from you-especially if you switch up the framing a bit. IMO less emphasis on "finding the objective best" (A vs B), & more emphasis on how each looked at the same design problem(s) and chose to solve them in different ways, ultimately leading to different & interesting results/flavors/experiences. Regardless, this is good stuff-I'm looking forward to more.

[@taketheleep]

Thanks for the feedback, friend. What you're describing is closer to how I usually structure a lot of my other videos, but wanted to lean more into a direct comparison for this one, even though (as you've pointed out) that structure has some inherent problems. But I'm always happy to hear from people who appreciate the work even if certain aspects of it didn't resonate with you!

[@joestack1921]

I promise this isn’t a brag; I just think it’s interesting. But I’ve never had that problem with Dark Souls 1’s parry. Against stronger enemies like the Black knights early on, I default to parries as the safer option because it reduces my exposure to the danger. I learned early on that I had a harder time fighting them normally since they drained my stamina so fast. I guess it’s just a different skill set. I got good at parrying a few specific enemies every time. Ok maybe this is a brag lol

[@taketheleep]

Have you considered that you may be the chosen one?

[@RealVergilSparda]

i still think dark souls 1's world is much better, although bloodborne is more atmospheric it cant possibly come close to the interconnection dark souls 1 had, bloodborne is like the basic standard for a fromsoft world

[@flamingmanure]

actually, ds1 is far more atmospheric than bb, bb felt like the least creative fromsoft game in atmosphere and environments. the entire game can be summarized as 30 hours of grey castles, churches, hallways, corridors, rooms, and the same gravestones and statues copy pasted all over, which got boring incredibly fast. theres legit more variety and color pallet usage in limgrave and undead burg alone than the entirety of bb combined, which is kinda laughable to be honest, i feel crazy sometimes after seeing so many ppl praise its atmosphere, it really confuses me how ppl say it has actually good atmosphere, to each their own though.

[@samuel.jpg.1080p]

i love how professional your commentary is but I think comparing what supposedly Bloodborne "fix" what Dark Souls failed to do is unnecessary. True that both games, on paper, have a large similarity on how they play, etc but in essence, it's very different. Both have strength and weakness. Case in point, when you point out parry works better in Bloodborne, I have to ask, better in what? Sure, it's easier to do in Bloodborne and the game encourages you to do so more than Dark Souls do but you can also argue it's a weakness, right? by making it so easy, you erase the risk-reward factor in it. Now, it's more like reward-reward, because even if you fail to parry, you can still make enemies stagger and you can still follow it up with other attacks. It's better if you just compare Elden Ring to Dark Souls because Elden Ring have more Dark Souls DNA in it and one can argue it's generally Dark Souls but open world.

[@flamingmanure]

bb fanboys still havent matured enough to critique their favorite game yet, it says alot about the fanbase when they are literally the only ones that make straight comparisons like this and ofcourse dick ride the game to no end without a peep about its negatives and shortfalls, which it has alot, just as much as ds1 and arguably more.

[@samuel.jpg.1080p]

@@flamingmanure i wouldn't say the entire Bloodborne fanboy are to blame but I do admit some hardcore fanboys are so blinded by their bias. As much as I love Bloodborne, it does have many weaknesses and comparing this game to Dark Souls is bad because both play very differently, even if both are directed by the same guy. I would say tho, some of the Fromsoftware fanboys are also often to blame. Some are so fixated on their bubble that they don't see any problems in Fromsoftware games as if they're perfect or if a certain game design is objectively bad, they would just say "it's intentionally bad" without any solid argument

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

Parrying is so damn easy in DS1.......its easy mode. You wanna talk about hard to parry, play DS2.

[@etinarcadiaego7424]

I always play ganes with the gamma turned all the way down as to me, dark equals realistic. Just my preference. Especially with games like Bloodborne and Resident Evil 2 (2019.)

[@salzburysteak]

I feel like this is an issue with philosophy and not inherent quality. It seems dark souls didn’t resonate with you as much as Bloodborne and you correlated that to good vs bad when it’s really just difference in ideals and structure. A lot of your reasonings came down to bloodborne is more convenient/easier therefore better. Parry is not inherently better in Bloodborne it’s just a different approach which was taken to contend with the ramping up of combat speed. Also some of the issues stated were fixed even within dark souls. Bad light in tomb? Fixed in the abyss dlc. I think this is a good video but examining bias over objectivity is important.

[@masson5775]

I only played Bloodborne DS3 and Sekiro out of the FS games, and got 100% on all of them + dlcs, and i get the praise, but for me BB is the worst out of these three, i can’t pinpoint all of the reasons, but i just don’t feel like it’s strengths outways what for me are weaknesses, especially in the main game. If you think otherwise i would like to discuss it here, bc i’ve tried to get why people think it’s so good. For me i think it’s just the best. No main game boss took me more than 3 tries (except ebrietas) and i feel like it’s quite easy to dodge spam on most fights, maybe that’s it, i really like bosses that you almost can’t beat without learning most of its moveset, and there are some BB bosses where i don’t even know 2 moves even after beating them 3 times.

[@fanmovie357]

Not sure if it is same for eveyone who prefers BB, but the reason I like BB more than any other Soulslike is the setting and combat. The gothic and lovecraftnian world and its level design makes it far more interesting to me than any type of Medieval setting, The combination of the rally system, trick weapons and the sidestep all together make the combat far more in line to what I like than the other games, Bosses are not big on the reasons I like these games in actuality I kinda dont like them unless they are a hunter boss ( and the fight against the bloody crow in grand cathedral is my favorite fight in the whole game ).

[@masson5775]

@@fanmovie357 i really like the setting, but it’s usually not a big factor for me, i don’t like medieval settings and i liked Ds3 way more based on gameplay. I LOVE the combat in BB and the trick weapons, but i think the game doesn’t make the most of it until the dlc, for me it was to easy when you stop dodging backwards and start dodging sideways, so for me it was really easy to just dodge spam in most bosses and beat them outhealing their attacks, which made me not have to learn their moveset which is my favorite part of these games. The only boss that I consider one of the best in souls without having to learn them is Gherman because i really love that fight, but Maria for example i just panic dodged and beat her on my second try, so for me she is not as good as people say. Idk i think the game could’ve been way more

[@taketheleep]

Similar feelings to @fanmovie357 for me. The setting in Bloodborne is phenomenal, the world and everything behind it is fascinating, and the combat made it a bit more enjoyable to travel through all of that. I still thought quite a few of its bosses were pretty difficult, but definitely agree that the hunter-based bosses were in large part much more compelling than the many beast variations. Taking that enemy type and making it more of a focus in the DLC was definitely the right choice and did make for some more engaging enemies and encounters for sure.

[@elsalaxander2888]

BB is good😊

[@everilliem3292]

I dont think this is a fair comparison at all, they are an entire generation apart..... I feel ds1 world design is on par with Bloodborne overall, if not better, remembered nightmare of Mensis and frontier exists.... The combat also serves a different purpose for each game, it's comparing apples and oranges honestly imo. Parrying is fine, yes it's high risk, high reward, that's the point. Staggering with a shot to get a visceral is fun sure, but there's zero risk at all for most enemies in the game. It's very intentionally designed around fast combat, and to give you that "rush" when you land a cool shot, then dash in fir the visceral... it's all about flow, and fast pacing, parrying would not fit into BB, especially with the monsters roaming yarnham.

[@rohansensei5708]

I dunno why every upgrade from Bloodborne is abondoned in Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring

[@flamingmanure]

because they arent upgrades, and ds3 and especially elden ring did alot of things much better than bb.

[@yolomcswagons4069]

I think your wrong

[@scragglie]

well i think hes right

[@flamingmanure]

@@scragglie well i think bb fanboys are angsty teens with an inferiority complex regarding elden souls. when are u guys gonna learn to critique your own favorite game?

[@shanegamble3678]

You’re

[@PublicDudeBaby]

Git Gud

[@solongus1513]

Sure buddy

[@flamingmanure]

is it me or do bb fanboys have a massive inferiority complex regarding elden souls? a few things that are much better in ds1 than in bb: not combat, but combat design, most of bbs combat boils down to mindless spam of R1 and parrying in comparison to DS1's calculative and strategic combat, im glad ER combined both. boss creativity: most bb bosses are generic flailing clawed amalgamated beasts with a couple of kin and 2 hunters, laughable compared to DS1's creative boss design. atmosphere: bbs atmosphere is superb, but laughably repetitive, legit theres more and better color usage in ds1's first 10 hours than the entirety of bb level design: bbs level design is nowhere near as good as ds1, and bb started the trend of decreased bonfire distances and not much environmental dangers "focus" or what i like to call "limited": alot of bb fanboys say that its a more focused game (which it isnt, souls is just as focused, that focus is applied to build depth and diversity, which it is dozens of times better at than bb) focus in atmosphere, narrative and colorscheme, i heard these 3 being said alot but to me they are all negatives, bbs obsession with "blood blood blood blood blood blood blood" is borderline ironically funny,i mean ffs blood shards/chunks/slabs? i kinda loled first time i saw that. colorscheme: theres legit more and better color usage in limgrave alone than the entirety of bb combined, enough said, even if you prefer bbs muted 2 tone colorscheme, u cannot deny that it took laughably more artistic effort to make elden souls than to make bb. theres legit more effort put into DS1 shield designs alone than all of bbs weapons/armor/guns. frankly, the only thing bb is better than ds1 at is combat options and bosses, and even then, bb has the worst lowest quality main boss stretch between all the games, shadow into rom into one reborn into micolash....just ewwwww. not a single fromsoft game out there has such bad bosses back to back. a little advice for the bb fanboys, u guys have the worst reputation between all the games, stop pathetically comparing and pretending bb is better than any of the other games and just call it your favorite souls game, not a single other fromsoft fanbase makes such egregious comparison videos like this, you arent gonna convince the fanbase that bb is the best souls game, so just get over that and move on. final note: bb copy pasted everything from DS1, therefore the title of this video is silly and really showcases the laughable bias of the bb fanbase in particular, no wonder u guys are known as the worst fanbase in fromsoft.

[@Null_Simplex]

It’s not that serious.

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

Bro, you gonna dis Dark Souls but you cant even upload a video beyond 480p?!

[@flamingmanure]

bb fanboys have an inferiority complex regarding dark souls, since bb is largly irrelevant and barely talked about other than its own fanbase, while ds1 is literally the most influential game in the modern era, and frankly did many things much better than bb.

[@a_fuckin_spacemarine7514]

@@flamingmanure I love BloodBorne, it may be my personal fav, but DS1 is a fuckin LEGEND!