I had the same frustrations that all players who start their first From Software game experience. I died a lot. I couldn't tell you how many times I've been killed in Bloodborne since I've started, but you know what? I don't care. The reason I'm writing this is because recently I've been browsing Amazon and other places to buy Bloodborne (cause I only have the digital release, and I want to have a physical copy at some point) and I was curious what the people who have rated this game, or any other soulsborne game, low ratings are saying about it. It made me laugh to read that a vast majority of them were rating the game really badly because of things in the game that I think are brilliant.
Obviously the biggest one you're probably expecting is that the games are too difficult. A lot of people would even say unfair or cheap. I have to respectfully disagree. I would equate this to if an average person were to go into a boxing ring with a professional boxer. When they got their butt kicked by the boxer, would they come out of the fight claiming the boxer cheated or was unfair? Well, they would probably not say anything since they'll be unconscious, but when they eventually wake up, if they were to say that, most people would look at them and say "What did you expect? You fought a professional boxer."
I use this analogy when I'm talking about Bloodborne because this is a game that has a set difficulty level, meaning that, at least your first time playing, the game is the same difficulty for everyone. Just as a professional boxer will have the same peak level of performance regardless of who they fight, Bloodborne is the same for all players. Why then, do people criticize the game for its difficulty while others praise the game for the same level of difficulty? I think the answer lies in personal perception/patience (or a lack thereof).
One thing that people complain about in regards to the difficulty is the open-endedness of the level design, meaning that the game is not clear where you should go at any given moment. I absolutely love this, which is interesting because if you were to ask me 5 years ago, when the game came out, if I loved that kind of gameplay, I would have likely said no. One other thing that frustrates people who first pick this game up is the lack of a map system in the game. This forces you to learn the level design by memory. Goodness, isn't that awful? Sarcasm is kind of hard to convey in written form I realize. No, it's not awful because this map is constructed in such a way that, for the most part, it's not to difficult to remember the level design, and in most cases, you'll remember the enemy placements for one reason or another. I have most of Bloodborne's levels and it's enemy placements memorized, save for a few, because the game does such a good job of constructing the levels in a way that is memorable for the player. There are exceptions, like the Nightmare Frontier, which is probably my least favorite area in Bloodborne, mostly because everything looks the same and it's difficult to find where you are at many points in that level. The enemies and boss in that area are great, but the area itself is not for me. In fact, if I don't have to fight Amygdala, I prefer to just skip him so I don't have to run through that area again.
I'm sure there are a plethora of other reasons that people dream up to say why they don't enjoy the Souls games in general. I think there are legitimate reasons, and I also understand that these games just aren't for everyone. Honestly, if you don't like them, that is totally fine, but if you don't enjoy them, just leave the rest of of us in peace and let us enjoy them. You already know that if you talk to a Souls fan and you bring up the fact the games are too hard, you're just stoking a fire. In my humble opinion, these games certainly are hard, but once you get used to them, they generally aren't. There are some parts of each game that still get me every time, but for the most part, they are fairly manageable, especially if you're doing plot crucial bosses only.
So, yes, I love the Soulsborne games (save for DS2, but that's a different story) and I'm happy I finally was able to get into the franchise, because I certainly think I would be in the complaining boat if I was still in high school. I didn't use to like difficult games, but Soulsborne have shown me a new part of myself, which is super fun. So if you don't like the games, that's fine, but that doesn't make them bad or poorly designed. There are areas of every game that are more poorly designed, just like every game ever created, but for the most part, they are very well crafted and fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment