E3 2014: Sony Goes Viral with Bloodborne

From the makers of Dark Souls, From Software, comes a new IP; Bloodborne. The initial setting suggests a steampunk or Victorian time period, possibly set in London. In this dark, and frankly disturbing, teaser trailer we see a world undergoing some sort of decay. Freakishly disfigured humans meander under some sort of malaise, and undead dogs roam the streets. Meanwhile, heavily armed groups are chopping up and harvesting corpses. Towards the end of the trailer, we see an armored figure holding a torch, the first character that may seem to be any type of hero, walking into a dark room unawares of a large predator behind him. Fade to black comes with a tease for a 2015 release date. 

While the trailer does little to shed light on what the gameplay might be like, From Software is best known for games which are gruelingly difficult but have tight and rewarding combat systems. Story and lore can be hard to pick out, but their worlds tend to ooze atmosphere.

Interestingly, while there is a boon of new IPs this year, there seems to be a convergence of sorts on this type of game and setting: Project Beast, The Order: 1886, and Bloodborne could arguably all take place in the same world. Hopefully as we learn more about each of these games, they will begin to take on their own character and feel, leading to a breadth of gameplay experiences, rather than directly competing with each other and flooding a market. Is there room for so much death and decay? At least some of you think so. 

Can't wait for Bloodborne! #4PNE3

— Brian Baker (@TheBigWazu) June 10, 2014