Bloodborne is all about challenge and accomplishment, like Dark Souls

By Dave Cook

Bloodborne developer From Software makes some pretty difficult games that reward perseverance with a sense of real accomplishment. Thankfully, director of the new PS4 exclusive Hidetaka Miyazaki has stressed that it’s being created with those values firmly in mind.

It follows my analysis of this leaked Bloodborne PS4 gameplay footage. I’m a Dark Souls nut, so I’ve cast my fanatical eye over the video to offer some theories.

Now, speaking with 4Gamer, Miyazaki said that the From Software of today is quite a different team from when he helmed Demon’s Souls, given that it has more resources and multiple projects on the go at once.

When asked if the studio’s mentality towards Bloodborne has changed due to its status as a triple-a PS4 exclusive, he replied, “Well, it is difficult to say. As for Bloodborne, the development scale is now big in its own way, but on the other hand we still have habits that are strongly with us.

“Rather than it being conscious, it is something that feels natural, and at the same time, there are cases where the notion of a little shifting the axis is a result.”

He added that it’s important to the team that its games still feel “From-like” in nature, bearing all of the traits that have made the studio’s output so endearing in the last generation.

“I think that there are many aspects to it,” he went on, “in the sense of something being something special. Are we even sure of what actually defines what special is? I don’t think it can be pin pointed. As to what I think special means, I hope special is the type of company we can be.”

No matter where the shifting industry takes From Software or what Bloodborne’s exclusivity means, Miyazaki wants to retain the hallmarks of the Dark Souls series.

“First of all we have a new hardware, and with that a new title. I think this game will become very challenging for us as we move forward.

“But on the other hand, what’s at the base, for instance, is still an attempt to create a game that you as well as people who like games will enjoy, and an attempt to let you play a game that will provide a sense of accomplishment and a challenge. That’s what we have done so far, and has not changed at all.”

Are you relieved that challenge remains core to Bloodborne? Let us know below.