I just... I'm not playing it for fun or a sense of exploration, I'm only playing for the sake of saying I've beaten it, much like the other Souls games.

I don't mind the combat, but sometimes you just get an enemy that'll track your evade and kill you anyway 'just 'cause', and I dunno man it's just deflating.

How are you guys finding it? I'm still playing it like a Souls game, because even though you can dash a bit... come on, it's a Souls ass Souls game! I don't think it favours getting stuck in and evading, because like I said you'll just get killed anyway, and I think I'm starting to miss blocking way more than I thought I would!

It's just a total slog, and after finishing DS 1 and 2 all within the last year or so, maybe I'm just burnt out, but i wondered how you guys are holding up with 'another' one of these games!

I found it difficult at first but I definitely got the hang of it sometime early and cruised through the rest of the game. The auto tracking attacks that you mentioned aren't that big of a deal if you evade at the right times, especially when your invincibility frames are occurring. I would say the most challenging, and frustrating, things for me were getting stuck on level geometry while evading (fucking Shadow of Yarhnam) and running out of vials and ammo because I died too many times in a row on a boss.

I would say the thing that really broke my way of thinking was when I started to realize that you can use the dash as an offensive move. Instead of playing the more traditional Souls style of waiting for an attack and then retaliate you can just dash in/around them and go ham before they have a chance to even hit you. It might be because I was playing with the blades (which has an insanely good dash attack), but for the second half of the game most enemies never even got a swing off before I had finished them off, and bosses were missing left and right because I was just moving faster than they could track me.

Its okay but I haven't concentrated on it too much. I've been focused on DOA 5 and Senran Kagura Estival Versus a lot lately.

I've been handling it alright. Feels odd to me because I've beaten most of the bosses so far (I'm not done yet) within a couple tries. A few of them on the second try. I had more trouble with bosses in DS2 I think? I know I summoned help a few times. And so I'm not sure if the game is easier, or because of the lack of shield use, it has trained me to dodge better. The regain system hasn't really made me play more aggressively because the little bit of healing doesn't compare to getting hit even by a single attack and almost dying. The enemies are getting quite nasty as the game goes on.

But in terms of general Souls type gameplay, I don't think I'm tired of it yet. Playing all the games so close together would absolutely have an affect on someone as the various games aren't that different. You are basically playing the same game but in a different world. And aside from Bloodborne's mostly the same building/urban type environments and color, it has continued to surprise me with awesome looking areas (and just incredible visuals in general), weirder and weirder monsters, and weirder changes to the world and stuff. There is some variety in the game but it isn't like Souls/Zelda where "Here is the Fire area!" "Here is the Snow area!" "Here is the Forest area!".. though, admittedly, that stuff does kind of come up. hehe

Awesome game so far.

The exploration and seeing new enemies is the fun part imo. I've long stop caring about beating a game because it is "hard." I got to the 3rd boss and it killed me instantly and I immediately started summoning people to help me. I find that more fun. Just summon people when things get annoying.

See summoning has been hella busted for me. I've managed to summon ONCE and that's it. Which is a bummer because I'm totally not opposed to getting an extra hand to just plow through stuff.

I've completed Demon's Souls and played a bit of Dark Souls and I'm having no trouble "adjusting."

I'd say it's even easier. I don't understand all the people having such a hard time. Yeah it's a souls ass souls game. Don't know what you expected

@shalashaskauk666: i dont understand why you're playing it then. Finish the extra level in rayman legends if you want to prove yourself on something truly difficult AND have fun :)

Difficult at first but after I got to grips with the controls and the game mechanics it became a lot more fun. There are plenty of games I'd consider playing just to beat them but once a game becomes a chore I tend to just leave it. The third boss was murdering me over and over again until I finally went for co-op, either way if you stick with it you will start to gain more experience and better gear and weapons.

I just deleted it. I dunno man I enjoyed the rest of the games in the series but I just don't like the direction they went with this one. Also, just like the whole grimdark shit doesn't do it for me anymore. I like stuff that's fun and happy.

Well the previous 2 games I completed within 3 days of buying them, whereas this one I've just stopped playing numerous times. I'm still enjoying it, and admittedly I do have more going on that prevents me from my usual barrel-through-in-a-few-long-sessions approach to gaming, but I also think there's something about it that makes it not as smooth an experience as the original Dark Souls--almost as though it's subtly telling me it'd be better to not play for too long lest I get tired of it. The road is somewhat more bumpy and not suited to long journeys. Again, that could simply be me being in a different mindset with other things going on, but that's my feeling so far.

git gud

*scratches head*

What part of the 3 Souls games was "fun and happy?"

I like it but I feel like it's a lot more limiting than previous games. There is just less combat variety this time around. Before you could shield if you wanted to and some boss encounters were better handled with a shield than with dashing. Also sometimes you just wanted to block. In BB I feel like my gun is mostly useless in boss encounters where I just don't see a way to stagger them. The world, while pretty great, is also a little samey. The victorian steampunk aspect is really cool but there was something really awesome about the previous games where you exited a cave into a dense forest, and then cloud covered mountaintops, so on and so forth.

It feels odd that DS2 was really the culmination of everything they learned so far from Demons and Dark Souls, and then Bloodborne kinda skips all that as if it's the Treyarch release. Some new ideas, some old ideas missing, new setting, familiar mechanics. IF anything I think Bloodborne has the worst camera and healing system out of all 4 games. I used to be a big fan of the grasses in Demons over the estus in Dark, but a weird amalgamation of the two is just the worst possible outcome - a limited amount of heals that you have to grind for.

Dark Souls was a while ago. And like I said im in a different place with my tastes between then and now. Also at least Dark Souls had Solaire. That dude was positive as fuck. :p

Souls games are not made for everyone. If you are not having fun just drop it, you will by no means get "cred" for beating these games. Considering most souls fan will tell you, these games are not that hard. If you want bragging rights for beating a game go play Ninja Gaiden 1/2 on master ninja. Those games are fucking brutal.

I just want to point out that you don't sometimes get enemies that track your evade, some attacks are intentionally prolonged with windup to punish an early or panic dodge. You don't always have to evade through an attack either, many can be avoided simply with distance. But then you're baiting a long range attack! I find managing (and sometimes testing the limits of) this behavior is still quite fun. The only thing deterring me from exploration are the load times.

The comparatively low stamina cost of evasion and more generous invulnerability frames allow for an aggressive and active playstyle, once I realized that I had a much easier time. Before that I was being very conservative with my dodges (old habit from previous games and MH), a ton of enemies in this game will tear you up if you try to wait them out without dodging or attacking.

This game is also dark in an oppressive way, I find it much more pronounced than in previous games and I understand how it can turn some people away. I don't really mind the samey environment since it retains a high amount of detail and is always filled with the ambient and atmosphere of "this is a bad fucking scene", gives me the same feeling as the Tower of Latria in Demon's Souls which I was a big fan of.

I like it better than Demon's and both Dark Souls. Also yeah as someone that has beat Ninja Gaiden on Master Ninja the souls games ain't shit in terms of difficulty compared to that.

Like any other Souls game, it gets on my nerves the first time around (looking at you Blood Starved Beast). But I have managed to adjust, and am doing well, for the most part. And I'm actually enjoying the atmosphere of this game more than the other Souls games. Mostly because I really dig the whole 'Dark Victorian London' theme they've got going here. As such, I am having a blast with exploration.

Hey....any game that lets me whoop on werewolves with a pimp cane and a top hat is OK in my book.

I feel like I'm yelling at my screen more often than I did with any of the other souls games. I'm really enjoying it but I don't know, maybe my patience is just dwindling. It doesn't help that the bosses have so much damn health. Some of those fights get drawn out way longer than they ever did in Dark or Demon's Souls.

i don't think i could play more than 1 souls game in a year and not get burnt out myself.

@bullydemise: word!

Enjoying it in terms of the combat. I love being dumb and aggressive. I just wish the game wasn't so opposed to just telling me where the hell I need to go. The story certainly doesn't give any sort of direction and the samey environments aren't exactly amazing at guiding you to relevant places. I think I've killed about 2 or 3 story bosses and maybe 6-8 optional ones.

I've never found the Souls games to be all that difficult. I feel like if you're not enjoying the journey or progression there isn't much left to enjoy.

@confusedowl: I feel like everyone who says bosses have a lot of health don't know about being able to visceral attack them. So if you didn't know when the big bosses (Cleric, Amalia) look like they're reeling over in pain go up and light attack their face. The the smaller bosses (Goscaigne, Yharnam Shadows) are easily parried and riposted.

Well I just beat the first boss today. I've always admitted I suck at these games but they are such a pallette cleanse from everything else.

I'm having a lot of trouble with the camera while locked on to bosses. Seems like it loves to spin around and zoom in and out while you're trying to focus. Not a huge fan of the rest of it as someone who played a bunch of Souls games leading up to release. It's an alright game but the worst Souls game.

As for the dodging, use those i-frames. Get a feel for when you're invincible during your dodge (it's actually quite generous compared to DS2) and the combat becomes more manageable. The enemy behavior is designed for you to manage your dodges in this way, with big guys doing feints to get you to doge early or having big sweep attacks that you have to dodge through, not away from.

Also, and this is something I see a lot with people who are used to the sword n' board souls style, don't play defensively anymore. You need to get that out of your head. Dodge to the sides instead of dodging backwards, and try to get to the enemies' backs. Learn the enemy patterns and take advantage of openings as soon as you see them.

Yeah. That is until you actually get to finish his quest.

Maybe you should have finished it a different way because my game where I followed through his quest ended with the two of us triumphantly defeating Gwyn together.

I'm enjoying Bloodborne so far. The "difficulty" has never been the appeal of these games to me; I love the feel of the combat primarily, but also discovering the lore of the world over time is super interesting to me.

I like it. It's a little more dark and grim in the colour pallet than what I want, but I can live with that. If you feel you can't dodge correctly because tracking attacks, then you just need to practice timing. Learn to use the i-frames, those are your best friend in this game.

Even though I do like the game really well, I think it's kinda sad that you can't really do different build anymore. I've heard you can somehow go in different directions later, around NG+, but that's kinda late for that stuff IMO.

I love playing it so fresh, there is just so much stuff I don't understand and the sense of mystery is awesome.

Dude, what. Play video games you like playing. Don't play an entire franchise of games just because it's the hot new thing if you don't actually enjoy playing them.

I seem to be in the minority of people who are cruising through this game without any real problem. I've beaten six-seven bosses and most of them, I beat on the first try...odd to me because I don't feel its a "skill" thing and I also don't play much souls at all, (maybe 20 hours with each when they came out.) Almost feels like I am missing something. I guess the combat system and encounters are just making instant sense to me? I have no idea. Almost feels like its based solely on that parry system and or staying on top of your enemy's constantly.

I'm in the same boat as you. Except I dump most of my videogame time on either Souls games or XCOM. Still, I think this is the easiest Souls game yet. I haven't encountered any boss that gave me much trouble. In fact, I only died to two of them at all so far. The others first try. I guess you can increase difficulty by getting Insight to at least 45, but at that point you're not taking away the fact that they can be staggered. Which is all the reason why it is easy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is bad at all. I much rather stagger them and kill them the way it was 'intended' than having to go through 15-30 minute boss fights because of a gigantic health pool. But still, I would've preferred if there was more to it. For instance, if you had to do a certain amount of damage, then they go into a specific attack animation that you need to parry, then you need to attack a critical spot somewhere after that, and then they stagger. That would be cool. Instead it's just, 'do a certain amount of damage and they'll stagger' or 'parry and they'll stagger'. It just seems like a Souls game designed to get new players in, rather than surprise and challenge the shit out of existing fans. That said, I haven't tried NG+, it may be where the challenge is at. And again, not saying it is bad. I still like this game better than Demon's Souls. But not too sure about DS and even less sure about DSII.

It is all gameplay style. People who played the other games in the uber aggressive, I only dodge no shield, I love dual wielding and parrying way will basically roll into bloodborne and be kings. Everyone (like me) who played more conservatively, methodically, always waited for openings before attacking, never really liked parrying, etc etc are going to have a hard time with bosses because you just cant play bloodborne that way it doesn't work. So we have to learn a totally new playstyle to be effective, not only that but it is a style that is opposite of the way we likely used to play.

@y2ken: On my first playthough Solaire totally lost his shit in Lost Izalith after finding the Sunlight Maggot. Was kinda disheartening watching the only real positive person in the game lose his collective shit over a larva with a really shiny ass.

On my second playthrough I managed to do what you did, I later found out why, but I never really took it as the his resolution due to the cyclical nature of these games.

Personally I'm adoring the setting, but I'm a sucker of Lovecraft. Other than that, the lack of weapons/different armor/builds is kind of a bummer. And I'm straight up not liking the combat as much. It's still good, but DS2 was near perfect for my taste.

But I'm still loving this game. If they'd release Bloodborne 2 tomorrow, I'd be all over it. Might not be my favorite of the series, but...still better than 99% of other games.

It was super frustrating for a few hours for me, but once I beat the Cleric Beast I found that I "got" the flow of the game, and progressed at a decent clip.

I'm at a point where I can fight the final boss, but I'm dinking around getting other stuff done before I go for it (although I fought the last dude already and oh boy, that's no joke)

i would advise not locking on as much, if you're the type of player who locks on 100% of the time. i would also recommend you kick your feet up and have a good time with it and use some patience! or it's gonna be miserable

Yup. You're too old.

I'm starting to think evades are overrated. Especially the ones that are assigned to the same button as "sprint", since there is always a small delay before you can run and a delay between a run and a roll. It can also cause a problem of fake hit detection and targeting, similar to what you said. Just once I'd like a try a game in which you evade by running, to see how well it works. The protagonist would run instantly and with athletic speed, leaning their body slightly to distance their self from potential attacks and hazards. There would be a regenerating stamina system so that the player wouldn't be running all the time.

Finally beat Father Gascoigne. Before I did was right where you were feeling. Maybe the magic was gone, maybe I got my fill from dark souls (couldn't get in to DS2, but I also played them back to back) but when I finally got the patterns down and had that racing moment of trying to hit him 3 more times without him hitting me once and pulling it off I am back into it. That was the feeling I was waiting for! I can't wait to run into the next boss now.

These games have great natural highs.

@karkarov: But the thing is I did play like you're saying in Demon's Souls. I waited nearly every moment out. Hell, I went through half the game with fat roll fluted armor.

Sorry not trying to sound like I'm oh so great at these games or anything so don't think I'm being like that.

If anyone thinks that they are too old for this game, then they should check out Jeff Green play it while he recovers from his back injury. You're never too old. https://www.youtube.com/user/Greenspeakachu/videos

He's doing surprisingly well compared to his Dark Souls 2 playthrough.

Don't play a game just to say you've played it. That's akin to being a dreaded "follower". To be honest, I went into dark souls for the same reason, but then I realized that I actually loved it. If you're not having fun/the game isnt really rewarding to you, don't play it.