FromSoftware's latest shook things up in a way that only mattered if you knew where they were in the first place. Where Dark Souls had class builds and variation in everything from clothing types to combat approaches, Bloodborne streamlines everything, ensuring you're always steamrolling ahead and pounding enemies into oblivion - reclaiming lost health if you have the gall to strike back right away. The difficulty curve is razor-sharp as always, with one of the most unforgiving and off-putting (but endlessly satisfying) opening level-runs in recent memory, but after that you'll get stuck into the loop of hoovering up Blood Echoes to upgrade weapons and exploring the environment, it's like a Lovecraftian Dark Souls III. Combat tweaks include dashing around enemies far faster than before, meaning once you've nailed the feel of movement you'll be finishing off waves of them in a blur of bloodied blades and gunpowder, and although enemy attacks can decimate your life bar if you're not careful, Bloodborne's gorgeously dank and gothic world is one that invites you to see every inch of it.
