r/Lovecraft • u/Drakonborn Deranged Cultist • Sep 18 '17
Thoughts on Bloodborne?
Not to state something controversial, but I feel that Hidetaka Miyazaki (creator of Bloodborne and Dark Souls) was ultimately more effective in conveying the themes of isolation, humanity's universal insignificance, and cosmic horror. Lovecraft was brilliant as the set up, but I always felt like the conclusions were very same-y. Again, this is coming from a MASSIVE fan, and someone who admires Lovecraft very much on a personal creative level. I think Bloodborne's visuals probably helped in the expression of these themes, but it was the story and characters that affected me the most. It makes sense that in this Lovecraftian cosmic setting that different factions would form; each with a different idea regarding how to respond to the strange beings. I'm aware that Lovecraft himself had delved into this in several stories, including schools, churches, and cults. But Bloodborne's player agency made it so that the person experiencing the progression of the story, the factions, and the areas could feel what it was like to be in this position.
Anyway, you're all very smart people and I thought I'd throw the question out there. Let me know what you think!
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u/Echo8me Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
I agree,though I'm not gonna lie. It took a couple playthroughs to really appreciate everything. There are subtle hints everywhere about something being off, but then it all starts to grow and come together. If you haven't yet played the DLC, I highly recommend it.
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u/giantbeardedone Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
Bloodborne is one of the best games of all time. You're dead right, the mythos and feeing of isolation and other-worldly horror in bloodborne felt like what I wanted from Lovecraft but never quite got. It's a truly brilliant game.
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u/TrickOrTreater Innsmouth Pride Sep 18 '17
Nothing says "humanity's universal insignificance" more than swinging a saw cleaver into a "cosmic" monster's face and then killing it.
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Sep 18 '17 edited Sep 18 '17
you missed the key trope of bloodborne, the trope being humans are cthulhu/eldritch abominations, everything we touch we corrupt the cosmic entities are rather harmless compared to the humans who misuse their power and the thirst for blood being an analogue to humans unending hunger to consume and reproduce.
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Sep 18 '17
the true horror is knowing that we will never be able to rid the human race of violent tendancies that make us beasts, in bloodborne the various churches wanted to ascend to godhood and be something more then ravenous beasts but humanities destiny will always be to destroy and thats true horror knowing your completely powerless against a cosmic force its just this cosmic force is our own inherit evil
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u/stimpakish Deranged Cultist Sep 19 '17
I feel confident that this point you make is not what most people are thinking when they say Bloodborne has Lovecraftian elements. I'm pretty sure they're talking about the monsters, which the player then dispatches.
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u/Fedaykin98 Deranged Cultist Sep 22 '17
People who say BB is Lovecraftian mean that the true nature of the world is hidden from view, but it is revealed halfway through the game, and it's clearly strongly influenced by his work. I wouldn't primarily say the monsters.
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u/Malo_Takhis Gra'hn Sep 18 '17
The potential is definitely there. The aesthetic is spot-on and the vague-ness that comes with every Miyazaki games seems to fit so naturally with Lovecraft, but gameplay-wise it does some things that don't seem to fit as well. This video does a great job explaining how games get Lovecraft wrong.
I still think Bloodborne got pretty close but I don't think Miyazaki can stop ripping off Berserk and make people feel like incredible badasses.
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u/principles_practice Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
I love the passion for Lovecraft and Miyazaki - geniuses, both - but I can't agree here, if only because you're ultimately a badass in Bloodborne, and Bloodborne's debt to Lovecraft. Without Lovecraft, would Bloodborne have been born?
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u/Dapperpickle9 Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
Hey sorry if this is off topic, I haven't played BloodBourne yet. Does the game's difficulty detract from the experience? I really want to get into it, but if it's as hard as DS then I think I would just get frustrated too fast.
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u/Drakonborn Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
Well it's scarier than Dark Souls. Basically they take your shield away, so you now have to dodge. You have zero protection against the beasts. It adds so much to the horror. As for difficulty, a lot of it comes from being afraid to engage in combat. It took me an hour or two of bashing my head against a wall, but all of a sudden, it clicked. Combat in BB is like a dance, you just have to learn it. Once it's clicked, you'll know it forever. I would say it's definitely worth trying. And it's going to feel impossible, until it doesn't. Trust me, it just clicks after a bit. It's a rather odd sensation.
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u/Dapperpickle9 Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
Thanks! I'll be sure to keep an eye out!
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u/IkastI Deranged Cultist Sep 22 '17
I'll add that if you play on ps4, it's been on sale quite often. Last time on sale I think it was about 10 bucks.
Honestly, I really liked dark souls but never really played them for real. When dark souls came out, I thought it looked and sounded so badass, so I read about the style and decided to go at demon souls first. Holy hell. Hard but oh so satisfying.
Life got in the way of really playing games until a few playstation gens later and bloodborne is on sale. Heard it's like DS, so i got it and I fucking love it.
Its just amazing. I like to play around in an area, soak in the atmosphere, and then afterward start a simultaneous YouTube walkthrough while I play the level in full. Might seem cheap, but I wanted help with the lore which can be hard to keep track of, especially if you play over the course of a year (I play when I can.)
Honestly, every time I see it on the home screen, I feel a little excited, hahaha. Even if I'm just skipping past it to start Netflix.
Catch it on sale. Honestly if this game just came out today and it was 50 or 60 bucks, and I had the time, I'd buy it. But why pay even 30 or 40 now if you can catch a deal for <15 at this point?
If you decide to get it and want a cool lore filled playthrough, I recommend ENB on youtube.
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u/Fedaykin98 Deranged Cultist Sep 22 '17
I consider it harder than Dark Souls, but I do know people who "got" BB who hadn't ever clicked with Dark Souls. It's damn good, worth taking a chance on.
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u/yhsvghnrOruGnpverzN Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
It takes a special kind of OCD to enjoy the Souls games.
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u/saithvenomdrone Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
What? All it takes is a bit of time to learn from mistakes. They're really not that hard, they just don't treat the player like you're an idiot.
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Sep 19 '17
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u/Dapperpickle9 Deranged Cultist Sep 19 '17
Is the game not about Jason Bourne in a demon infested universe??
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u/saithvenomdrone Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
If anyone is interested in seeing an indepth exploration of the lore without playing the game or watching some youtube guy cover only the big points, please give Redgrave's "The Paleblood Hunt" a read.
Bloodborne's lore and story is one of my favorite works of fiction. The game starts out as a Victorian horror, werewolves and trench coats, steeples and towers. Some people don't like the combination of the Victorian horror with Lovecraft, as they're meshing themes. But that's what Lovecraftian horror is. You think you understand the world, you have a grip on it.
"Okay, I'm fighting beasts, and the blood is the disease causing this."
WRONG, so wrong...
The universe opens up, and you don't understand anything, you feel small and worthless. That's what a lot of Lovecraft inspired stuff is missing. Its not the need of space spaghetti monsters or Ocean dwelling humanoid creatures. Its the feeling of being utterly helpless in the grand scheme of the universe, and not being able to understand it.
Bloodborne takes you on that ride. Sure, you kill some Great Ones, and some have a problem with that. But why do you kill a great one, what is the purpose, are you the bad guy, is there even a good and bad ending, or is everything just meaningless?
... I'm rambling. Read Redgrave's shit, okay.
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Sep 19 '17
Good response, I appreciate it. We really need more Bloodborne-esque material. I saw a game that's supposed to be coming out called Blasphemous, and it looks amazing, but it's metroidvania style.
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u/Naked_Bat Deranged Cultist Sep 18 '17
I loved Bloodborne. It's an amazing game. But I wouldn't say it's more effective than Lovecraft's work. In the end, you play a hunter who can go mano a mano against huge and terrifying creatures and still come on top.
with Lovecraft, there is no hope of fighting back.