(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Bloodborne
The Witcher 3
In the alley, only a faint glitter is seen from an extinct lamp. Apart from this feeble fire, the alley sets in darkness. Gently I sneak forward, unsure of what awaits me. The only certainty is that what is waiting is hardly good. My steps do not fail to emit the knuckle cobblestones that blend with the sound of crackling fire. I go further in the dark. And of course it happens. Encountered, expected, yet shocking, surprising. A loud roar sounds and over me springs a creature whose stomach I do not know. A greedy, abominable beast who has only one purpose in life: prompt to tear me to pieces in a rush of aggression and bloodthirst.
Roleplaying game 2015. The Bloodborne role-playing game is certainly not for delicate souls. The game is the latest play by Japanese author Hidetaka Miyazaki and will be the revolutionary
the point of this criticism. However, my text will stand out from my usual critical scribbles in that this time I will try to process two titles simultaneously, namely Bloodborne and The Witcher 3. Two titles that have in common that they are each separate on a modern role-playing game. A role-playing game for the new generation of game consoles and perhaps also for a new generation of role players. My criticism will of course include a comparative aspect, but at the same time I will also look at what the two titles say about the role-playing game in 2015. It is unreasonable to draw too consistent conclusions based on just two role-playing games, but not nevertheless, we are dealing with two so eloquent and influential titles that at the same time they can be well used to say something general about the genre. And now back to the bloodshed.
Pest Infection. In Bloodborne you land in the middle of a Gothic world populated by cruel vultures and rats the size of a cow, but it is above all blood-infected beasts that we must meet and defeat on our way. The story is set in a medieval universe represented by the city of Yharnam, a place where people go to be cured of all kinds of ills, as the city has a reputation for being a leader when it comes to healing using blood. But something has gone wrong in Yharnam, and the place has now been hit by a plague-like disease in which humans are infected in droves through the bloodstream and transformed into aggressive, blood-hungry creatures. It may not be decidedly zombies that are at stake, but Bloodborne certainly has a lot in common with TV series like True Blood and The Walking Dead. Most of all, however, Bloodborne is related to games like Dark Souls and Demons' Souls. These are games that are all created by Japanese Hidetaka Miyazaki. Miyazaki has undoubtedly been one of the biggest Asian auteurs in the gaming industry in recent years. A man who is notoriously notorious for wanting to challenge his gaming audience on the verge of sadism.
Die again and again. As a player, you examine the city of Yharnam and slowly learn more about the history of the place, which, for example, reveals that the city's residents long ago began to worship prehistoric creatures called "The Great Ones". It was these creatures that enabled the knowledge that led to the healings, but it was also the very creatures that are now to blame for the plague that threatens to destroy city life. The good apparently always carries the evil in it. Discovery and storytelling are undoubtedly important elements of Bloodborne, but there is no doubt that the battle itself, the very act of fighting, is the overriding element of the game. If you want to get just a little bit into the story and further in the game, you have to excel in the game's combat system. For players without the great knowledge of the genre, it will be a big mouthful, for the combat system in Bloodborne is complex and the enemies are certainly not easy. You will die just to die again and again. However, as one gets the hang of the fighting techniques, the satisfaction will also be considerable. The most important thing is to decode the enemy's movement and battle patterns. How does he act? How does he hit? What do his movements consist of? A lot of time is spent decoding this before you even enter the fight. Of course, one can get better weapons over time and rise in levels, which is probably one of the most elementary traits in the role-playing genre, but that does not change the fact that it is skill in fighting that is crucial to ensure success in game. By implementing a "regain system" that enables you to get some health points back after an enemy hits you, if you quickly hit him right after, the developers have also made sure that you as a player have to to be more aggressive and use an offensive style of play. One simply cannot defend oneself through Bloodborne.
Tolkien. Let me now briefly turn my attention to the role-playing game The Witcher 3, before I make some comparative comments on the two titles.
In The Witcher 3, you take on the role of the hunter Geralt, who is looking for a woman who is close to him. The game takes place in a kingdom called "The Northern Realms", which is currently plagued by an army of ghost knights seeking the same woman as Geralt. Thus the hunt has begun, and a Tolkien battle between good and evil can begin.
Unlike Bloodborne, the story unfolds more in The Witcher 3. Matches are still a key element, but here also different types of tasks must be solved that do not involve combat and appeal more to the player's curiosity and strategic thinking. This applies, for example, to a search for flowers to be used in the magic potions that are a central part of the game or something as down-to-earth as finding a missing goat.
Middle Ages. The Witcher 3 also has, to a greater extent, an open – and on a huge scale – world that can be explored more freely than is the case in Bloodborne. Thus, a lot of time can go by just riding around on his horse and getting a feel for the alluring universe.
Both titles have in common that they take place in archetypal role-playing universes, which are typically based on the Middle Ages and revolve around alchemy, the occult, knights, ghosts, magic and the field of tension between rationality and faith. The monstrous is also to be found in both titles, understood as the unnatural elements that are a basic component of both games.
More action. It is equally telling that the games find inspiration in the literature. The Witcher 3 is carried by a specific starting point in the works of Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, while Bloodborne – and in particular the universe of the game – is clearly inspired by the writing of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Lovecraft.
Where Bloodborne mostly rewards hard work, discipline and a desire to complete his fighting techniques, The Witcher 3 is a game that is rather grounded in curious
and the player's alertness. However, both games express a tendency towards the more action-oriented role-playing games. There are, of course, more calm and strategic titles in the role-playing game market, but it is significant that it is primarily action-based role-playing games like Bloodborne and The Witcher 3 that sell and are most talked about. It is in the victories of the battles that the reward is found.
Bloodborne has been released for Playstation 4, while The Witcher 3 has been released for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4. The games cost about 400 kroner each.
Moestrup is a game critic in Ny Tid.
