Bloodborne's first area is an absolute b*tch. Like a really awful, trial-by-fire-style foray into what it's like when a developer erects a massive brick wall for you to smash your head against to progress. You can tell it was purely to see who was going to give up and who'd stay the course - much like the original Dark Souls and its out-of-nowhere Asylum Demon boss fight - but for Bloodborne not only do you have to survive a large half-hour long expanse of around 30 enemies in total, but before you can save again you're up against an overgrown werewolf boss. The brilliant thing about the Cleric Beast is you just knew he was going to appear in front of you. Why else would the developer funnel you down an eerie walkway in the hope of finding salvation at the end? Ardent Souls players might have felled him first time, whilst for others combining his encounter with the aforementioned stretch was just too much. On the other hand, as any who've played can attest, defeating a boss in any of FromSoftware's games is one of the most overwhelmingly positive feelings in the history of the medium.
