I'm alive! I have also beat the first boss (I think it's the first one...but, you know...) after... oh, I don't know, I probably played for five hours, but I'm super slow so it was not a lot of progression.

I'm obviously not qualified to say much at this point ... but ... this is a lot like Dark Souls 1. The level design is very, very interconnected, and progression relies mostly upon unlocking shortcuts to make world traversal more bearable, just like DkS and DeS.

It is already clear to me that a more talented level design team is behind Bloodborne than Dks2. In my five hours or so I have unlocked the equivalent of 3 of Dark Souls' bonfires; but one was basically at the very start of the game (it's tiny tutorial, I guess), and the other one so far seems to just be an end-of-boss-room-convenience thing. So yeah, neither of those make much of a difference, so I've effectively unlocked 1 "bonfire" (they're lanterns here). The rest of my progress has been unlocking varying shortcuts.

The hub world, however, like in Demon's Souls, is cut off from the rest of the world so far as I can tell. Also, like Demon's Souls, from what I can tell there is no upgrading of armor, and weapon upgrading seems very straightforward. This is sort of like the simplified system I talked about wanting after Dks2's high complexity. Also as some of you may have heard, "sword and board" is not really a thing here. I don't have a shield yet. Some enemies have them, so I may come across one eventually. I have a "Trick weapon" and a pistol. The pistol is used as parrying was in the Souls games: stun the enemy with a well timed shot and respond with massive damage. The trick weapon is your primary handed weapon but it can transform. There are 3 options at the start (once you die once and get to the hub): the weapon that has been used in all preview coverage (the saw cleaver thing), an axe, and a cane. I picked the cane because it looked the least weapon-y. I'm glad I did. I basically acts like a sword/beating stick, but it transforms into a chain whip, and that attack is highly necessary for dealing with groups of mobs. I want to keep writing stuff but I should wrap up this first post. There's just so much to say though!

Yharnam feels ... very much alive so far. There are people locked in their homes to whom you can speak (mostly they mock you, and pity you for being locked outside on a "night of the hunt"). Enemies roam around, and not in a small meaningless way either. There is a major intersection in one of the first primary areas and I had a hell of a time fighting there. New enemies seemed to keep showing up. The combat so far is thrilling and different enough from the Souls games.

I read almost no preview coverage and watched few videos, and I'm glad. Being surprised again in a world that From (and clearly Miyazaki) has created is a feeling unlike any other.

I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, folks, but so far I think Bloodborne is a very, very good game. I still highly enjoyed my time with Dark Souls 2, but to me Bloodborne already has a more essential feeling to it. You can bet I am diving back in to play it some more after this post!

Oh, I had one bout of jolly co-operation last night. Co-op has changed; you need to use a consumable item to partake now; the item seems rare-ish, but you get one every time you encounter a boss, so for every failed boss attempt (I believe) you should be able to have a chance to summon help. It seems to me that they've designed it in such a way where you will be more reluctant to call for help throughout an entire world since you risk wasting finite items, and instead save it for bosses. This is one of several changes, not necessarily better or worse, but different enough. Bloodborne is certainly its own game from what I've seen so far.

As you all know, I am a believer in certain games being system sellers (Shadow of the Colossus for PS2, for example), and I think Bloodborne is probably going to be one of those games for PS4. It already has its hooks in me.

Back to the hunt!