It goes without saying thatBloodborneis easily one of the bestFromSoftwaregames ever made, and a must-have for anyone who owns a PS4. While the barrier to entry might seem massive, a bit of research and a good grasp of the game mechanics are all that is required to makeBloodbornea highly accessible gaming experience that offers players a ton of freedom when it comes to choosing a playstyle, selecting a weapon, and deciding the order in which they want to do certain things.
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Speaking of freedom, one can’t help but mention the sheer number of thrilling places one can explore inBloodborne, allowing the level designers of FromSoftware to show why they are certainly the best in the business. However, not all the areas in this game boast this high level of quality — in fact, exploring some areas can prove to be a massive chore at times.
10WORST: Hemwick Charnel Lane
Bloodbornepretty much nails every area in the game… except for those themed around forests, which are just lame to explore.
Hemwick Charnel Lane is a prime example of an area that feels like an absolute chore to get through — something that is quite rare in an otherwise excellently designed game. The fact that the boss of the area is the worst and easiest boss in the entirety ofBloodbornecertainly doesn’t help matters.
9BEST: Cathedral Ward
Cathedral Ward stands out as one ofBloodborne’s more memorable areas, mainly due to the sheer number of paths players can take from this one location. It also contains Oedon Chapel, where the player can engage in some truly exciting interactions with a host of NPCs.
It’s too bad that Cathedral Ward leads off to two of the most boring areas in the game. Hemwick is one, and the other is…
8WORST: Forbidden Woods
The Forbidden Woods are an absolute drag to get through due to how long they are. It doesn’t help that the shortcuts present throughout the woods are rather well-hidden, and most people won’t even be able to find them areas at all.
So, it’s obviously frustrating if you slog through this long and boring level, only to die further on and are forced to start from the very beginning… again.
7BEST: Central Yharnam
Hands down,Bloodbornehas one of the most entertaining and educative starting areas in a video game. Central Yharnam is an absolute blast to explore, allowing the player to get used to the controls and playstyle ofBloodbornewhile simultaneously facing a large number of challenging encounters.
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By the time players cross Central Yharnam anddefeat Gascoigne, they’ll definitely be up to date with the fast-paced nature ofBloodborne’s combat.
6WORST: Byrgenwerth
Throughout the entire game, Byrgenwerth is hyped up as a massive research center which served as a hub for a number of experiments, some of them being quite inhumane to boot.
However, to finally reach this area proves to be kind of a letdown. The entire place is quite sparse, with only a few enemy encounters, out of which only one with a rather powerful hunter proves to be memorable. Everything else in Byrgenwerth is largely forgettable.
5BEST: Hunter’s Nightmare
OnlyThe Old HuntersDLC would be capable of doing a Nightmare area right. Walking through a twisted version of the Cathedral Ward and seeing beasts engage in fights with tough-as-nails hunters proves to be quite an entertaining endeavor.
This area itself is jam-packed with a ton of content. It challenges the player at every step of the way, capping off the entire experience with a boss fight against a transformed Ludwig that is simply incredible.
4WORST: Nightmare Of Mensis
There are two Nightmare areas in the base game ofBloodborne, and both of these locations are literally a nightmare to explore. The Nightmare of Mensis serves as the final area that one needs to conquer before the endgame, and it’s one of the most stressful areas to walk through in all ofBloodborne.
While there are several things that can be blamed for the nerve-wracking nature of this area, the elephant in the room is definitely the Brain of Mensis, which constantly tries to Frenzy the player every time they fall in its cone of vision. Even trying to kill this entity in payback is a whole different challenge altogether, mainly due to theWinter Lanterns that stand in way of the player’s revenge.
3BEST: Research Hall
The Research Hall is arguably the best main area inThe Old HuntersDLC, and this is mainly due to how perfectly layered every part of it feels.
Rotating the staircase to access a whole bunch of new areas and gain access to a slew of items is definitely one of the most satisfying parts of this area — well, that and facing off against the awesome Lady Maria.
2WORST: Nightmare Frontier
Bar none, the Nightmare Frontier is the worst area inBloodborne, serving as the quintessential poison swamp area that FromSoftware just has to put in every game they release. The combination of this poison swamp, boulder-throwing Yetis, and a bunch of annoying Winter Lanterns make this area beyond annoying to traverse.
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The fight against Amygdalamight be great in its own right, but it certainly doesn’t make up for the absolute slog that preceded it.
1BEST: Hunter’s Dream
The Hunter’s Dream is one of the best hub areas that FromSoftware has ever designed. Going back to this area always feels like a serene experience, in no small part due to how exquisitely the music and visuals complement each other.
Players can easily find themselves lost for a while as they roam around this beautiful hub andtry to uncover as many secrets as possible… there are quite a few intriguing tidbits that can be found throughout the Hunter’s Dream .
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