None of these tips are hard-and-fast rules. Part of the beauty of Bloodborne is it can be played any way you want. You could play it all guns/saws blazin' and, whilst is may not be the most effective way to get through the game, it might work better for some players than others. The game is actually very receptive to different play styles, and openly encourages experimentation with different weapons and an RPG-style ability levelling up system. The reason there's no instruction booklet with Bloodborne is because you're meant to discover this world for yourself. It's placing you in character, since your digital avatar gets no context as to the world they're entering than you do from that brief opening cut scene. So the only way you'll discover things is by trying them out. Wonder what's down that ladder? Only one way to find out (especially because there's no map in the game). Interested as to what the most effective way of taking down a certain enemy is? Better try that sort of attack, then, and you might just stumble across a hitherto-undiscovered ability or weakness. Particularly on the bosses, try everything. Some things work better than other, but just see.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
