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ISSUE 025 CONTENTS
LEADING THE INTERACTIVE REVOLUTION FOR GAMING AROUND THE GLOBE

INTRODUCTION TO BLOODBORNE

MEET THE HUNTER A GUIDE TO COMBAT

ENTER THE CHALICE DUNGEONS TAKING BLOODBORNE ONLINE

FROM THE EDITOR

BORNE FOR GREATNESS?

 INTRODUCTION

FROM SOULS
TO SHOTGUNS
AN INTRODUCTION
TO BLOODBORNE
INTRODUCTION
 INTRODUCTION

FORMAT: PS4
PUBLISHER: SONY
DEVELOPER: FROM SOFTWARE
RELEASED: OUT NOW ONLINE: YES
WEB: WWW.PLAYSTATION.COM/EN-GB/GAMES/
BLOODBORNE-PS4

B
loodborne is a game that’s been
almost impossible to ignore since
it was first announced. Developed
by the same team that brought us the
brutally challenging Dark Souls series
(preceded by Demon’s Souls), we were
pretty much sold from the start on
 INTRODUCTION

this hack-and-slash romp through a

beautifully bleak gothic landscape.
However, Bloodborne is designed
to be that little more welcoming to the
not-so-hardcore crowd and while it’s
certainly not going to be easy – you will
still die an awful lot – there is more of
an emphasis on enjoying the adventure,
and not just surviving it. What exactly
is that adventure about? Well, as
with previous From Software titles, the
developer isn’t giving too much away in
terms of the storyline – that’s for you to
 INTRODUCTION

unravel and figure out for yourself as you

play through the campaign.
All we’ll tell you is that it’s set in
the city of Yharnam, a classic twist on
Victorian London that draws many
a traveller in search of the powerful
medicine rumoured to be found there
– an elixir that beckons your character,
known only as The Hunter, to pay a visit.
Unsurprisingly, all is not quite
sunshine and rainbows and the city has
instead been cursed by an endemic illness
that leads to madness and mutation in
 INTRODUCTION

“THERE IS MORE OF AN EMPHASIS ON

ENJOYING THE ADVENTURE AND NOT
JUST SURVIVING IT”

a variety of grotesque and brilliantly

inventive ways. As the game begins you
know little more than that you wake up
on doctor’s table, are swiftly killed by a
werewolf and resurrected with weapons
courtesy of some impish minions known
as Messengers – and so you head off into
 INTRODUCTION

the city ready to kill whatever man or

monster crosses your path, while trying
to unravel the mysteries and secrets that
Yharnam hides within its darkened walls.
Much like those Souls games, you’ll
need to have 360-degree vision as
enemies can jump from the shadows
without warning and, once again,
there’s nothing as handy as a mini-
map or objective markers to hold your
hand. However, Bloodborne does swing
the combat a little more in your favour,
with added agility and firearms at your
 INTRODUCTION

“THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG

ANSWERS, ONLY DEATH AND DESPAIR OR
SURVIVAL AND SWEET SATISFACTION”

disposal. The guns are typically weak

and are best used as a tool to knock an
enemy back in absence of Dark Souls’
shield – and it’s more a combination of
well-timed dodge rolls and swings with
your transformable melee weapons that
will provide the meat of the combat.
 INTRODUCTION

This makes Bloodborne feel that little

less challenging once you do get into a
fight, but rest assured you’ll still need to
pick your paths carefully. Do you turn left
to face that baying mob, driven mad by the
hunt for beasts, or turn right and walk into
a showdown with a towering Malformed
Beast that you should probably level
yourself up a bit for first? There are no
right or wrong answers here, only death
and despair or survival and sweet, sweet
satisfaction. Bloodborne is your fight, and
your story alone to tell.
www.FightingSpiritMagazine.co.uk

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 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

MONSTERS,
MECHS AND
BAD TANKS
A LOOK BACK AT SOME
OF FROM SOFTWARE’S
PREVIOUS TITLES
HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

1994-2002 – KING’S FIELD

Although some might say
Bloodborne draws from the Dark
Souls series, which in turn takes its
‘spiritual sequel’ cues from Demon’s
Souls , From Software’s first game,
King’s Field , actually leads the way.
This first-person fantasy adventure
spawned three sequels, confusingly
out of sync in the west where King’s
Field II was the ‘original’ game
released.
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

1997-2013 – ARMORED CORE

Much like King’s Field, From’s
next big franchise, and its real
breakthrough in the west, also
began life as a PlayStation exclusive,
only Armored Core was a third-
person mech-based brawler that
has seen players piloting a range of
towering and heavily-armed robots
over the years. 2013’s Verdict Day
was the 15th in the series and we
doubt it’s finished yet.
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

FEBRUARY 2009 – DEMON’S SOULS

Another PlayStation-only title,
Demon’s Souls is the game that
probably shaped From Software’s
recent portfolio. Though echoing
many of the traits of fantasy RPGs,
Demon’s Souls was lauded for being
a genuinely challenging title at
a time when gaming was mostly
an FPS-friendly place. It also let
players look into, and interact with,
other gamers’ experiences.
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

SEPTEMBER 2011 – DARK SOULS

Building on the foundations of
Demon’s Souls , Dark Souls was
almost ball-crushingly difficult
for newcomers, which could
put off early adopters short on
perseverance. However, the trick
was that dying was always part of
the learning process and avoiding
those same mistakes to defeat each
enemy was a supremely satisfying
experience for those who battled on.
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

JUNE 2012 – STEEL BATTALION:

HEAVY ARMOR
We could have given a nod to the
decent Chromehounds or mostly
enjoyable Ninja Blade, but we’ve chosen
to acknowledge that even the best can
get it wrong at times – and through a
combination of bad design and Kinect’s
inability to work as accurately as the
devs had wanted on the Xbox 360, Steel
Battalion: Heavy Armor was a nice
idea that was almost totally unplayable.
 HISTORY OF FROM SOFTWARE

MARCH 2014 – DARK SOULS II

Dark Souls II was an equally
intimidating sequel even if it didn’t
rate quite as highly as the first game
(perhaps because original director
Hidetaka Miyazaki was off making
Bloodborne at the time!) but it was
still a great adventure that upped
the production values and added
co-op and PvP elements. A new-gen
Scholar of the First Sin upgrade is
out on 03 April.
 MEET THE HUNTER

MEET THE
HUNTER
GET READY TO BE BORN
INTO A BLOODY BATTLE
MEET THE HUNTER
 MEET THE HUNTER

FRIGHT NIGHT
THIS STORY TRAILER SHOULD HELP TO
SET A RATHER OMINOUS SCENE

A
s befitting the Dark Souls games,
precious little information is given
on the lead character other than a
token name: The Hunter. Presumably
this, along with your clear talent with
a blade, relates to your profession and
during your earliest exploits in Yharnam
and the Hunter’s Dream (a safe refuge
 MEET THE HUNTER

you can respawn in after dying to re-equip

yourself), you’ll meet several people who’ll
give details into a Hunter’s lifestyle.
Indeed, if you see a lit lantern near a
door or window, it’s usually a sign that
there’s an NPC in there which will likely
lead to a conversation and possibly a
side-quest or two. Several of these rather
mysterious characters will suggest that
it’s your job to clean up the streets of the
numerous freaks and creatures roaming
around and offer clues to the city’s
background and your role within it.
 MEET THE HUNTER

“SHAPE YOUR OWN STORY OF SURVIVAL AND

BLOOD-SOAKED HEROISM”

Despite your apparent anonymity, and

the fact you’ll rarely see your own face or
body beneath the broad duster hat and
flowing jacket, Bloodborne still has a
richly detailed customisation process
– one lifted almost entirely from Dark
Souls but that’s just fine with us. You
can choose a male or female lead, and
 MEET THE HUNTER

adjust your looks and features with

numerous sliders but none of these
choices will really define you.
The only notable decision comes in
choosing one of nine Origins stories for
your Hunter (such as Lone Survivor or
Military Veteran), with your selection
providing a few pointers to your past
that will tweak your attributes and
powers slightly in one direction. There’s
no class system to speak of other than
this initial choice, though it will still
have some impact on your playing style.
 MEET THE HUNTER

However, it’s your future

choices on weapons, item
selection and how you
upgrade your stats that will
determine exactly what kind of Hunter
you become.
Once you step into the action, and
your first unavoidable death, you’ll
be given your first choice of weapons,
with one melee option – the iconic Saw
Cleaver our preferred choice – and
either pistol or blunderbuss as your
initial firearm.
 MEET THE HUNTER

There’s no clear indication of where

to go or what to do, though some
typically low-level enemies will give you
a chance to test out your new weapons
without too much trouble as you first
start looking around – but you’re pretty
much left to your own devices.
Although the game is designed to
funnel most players down a fairly
similar path, what follows from here
is for you to decide for yourself and to
shape your own story of survival and
blood-soaked heroism.
 HUNTER’S DREAM

HUNTER’S
DREAM
A WELCOME REFUGE FROM
THE BLOODY CARNAGE
 HUNTER’S DREAM

A
s with the Souls games there is
no Pause button in Bloodborne
– though it’s worth noting that it
does auto-save regularly, so you’ll never
lose much progress if you quit out or
die whilst on the toilet (except for your
Blood Echoes currency). However,
there is some refuge in the form of the
Hunter’s Dream, a safe haven that acts
as a central hub for your Hunter and
enables you to modify and upgrade
them away from the action.
You’ll first encounter this place after
your early unavoidable death, which
is where you’ll meet the Messengers
for the first time and be gifted your
initial weapons, but regular returns to
Hunter’s Dream, either post-death or
by using fast travel lamps or Mark of the
Hunter tokens, will grant you access to
some very useful features, as showcased
over the page.
HUNTER’S DREAM
WE’RE FREE!
SIMPLY TURN ON PUSH NOTIFICATIONS TO RECEIVE
ALERTS THE MOMENT A NEW ISSUE HITS AND
DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE!
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 COMBAT GUIDE

FIGHT NIGHT
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH
BLOODBORNE’S COMBAT
COMBAT GUIDE
 COMBAT GUIDE

BORNE TO KILL
THIS GAMEPLAY VIDEO GIVES A
GLIMPSE INTO THE BLOODY ACTION

A
side from the beautifully terrifying
visuals and the engaging mystery
surrounding Yharnam, one of the
great features of Bloodborne is how its
combat manages to be both simple to
pick up and play, yet with enough depth
and dexterity to require true mastery if
you want to make it to the end credits.
 COMBAT GUIDE

Button-mashing will only get you so

far and you’ll need to find a certain
rhythm to suit your preferred playing
style but, crucially, the combat just feels
a little weightier and that much more
aggressive than in the Dark Souls games.
On a basic level you’ll find yourself
equipped with a sword and a firearm.
As mentioned, the guns aren’t all that
powerful and are designed more as a
staggering tool to keep enemies at bay
while you ready your melee weapon
for the kill. In the early stages you
 COMBAT GUIDE

“BLOODBORNE CAN OFTEN FEEL LIKE A FAIR

FIGHT. NOT ALWAYS, OF COURSE…”

won’t need too much more than simple

combinations of the two, with the dodge
roll move (there is no shield here,
remember!) a regular requirement to
keep yourself out of harms reach.
As things progress, besides needing
to upgrade your armoury you’ll also
need to experiment with each weapon’s
 COMBAT GUIDE

transformed state. These are simple

switches at the tap of a button that can
turn your melee weapon into something
slightly different.
For example, the Saw Cleaver has an
extendable handle that turns it from a
close-quarters tool into something with
a greater reach, and all the better for
crowd control or fighting at a distance.
Other weapons might split into dual-
wielding options or hard-hitting two-
handed bludgeons (both at the expense
of your firearm).
 COMBAT GUIDE

The idea is that you’ve

got greater depth to your
attacking options beyond
those basic moves. Molotovs
can also prove a useful weapon, especially
if you find yourself out of your depth in
those early moments, while even a simple
torch can be enough to keep some enemies
at bay for a short respite.
As mentioned, button-mashing isn’t to
be recommended as the enemy AI is pretty
smart and typically more aggressive than
you might be used to, and so you’re better
 COMBAT GUIDE

off learning enemy attack patterns and

looking to dodge and counter rather than
going toe-to-toe.
The game’s Visceral Strike option is
testament to this and if you can time a
firearm shot to hit an attacking enemy,
it will stagger them to the point where
you can land a single brutal blow that
will kill all but the toughest of foes. If
you can get this nailed even mini-boss
battles won’t seem quite so intimidating.
Perhaps the most crucial element to
combat, however, is knowing when to
 COMBAT GUIDE

pick a fight and when to walk the other

way. False bravado earns you little but
lost Blood Echoes when you die and
there’s no shame in seeking the path
of least resistance until you’ve levelled
your Hunter up a notch or two.
If you do find yourself squaring up
for a battle, though, you can feel safe that
Bloodborne has a healthy repertoire of
options and can often actually feel like a
fair fight. Not always, of course, and so
you’d better master a few new tricks by
the time those bigger boss battles roll in!
 COMBAT TIPS

OUR TOP
COMBAT TIPS
l If you find yourself low on ammo heading into a
fight, tapping up on the D-pad will grant you five extra
Quicksilver bullets in exchange for a small amount of
health – health you can quickly snag back using the
Regain system if you’re lucky.
l Don’t hold back on Blood Vials! They’re in surprisingly
good supply and can be used in the middle of combat for
 COMBAT TIPS

a crucial health boost – and if you do run low you can

always resort to Regain for a health hit.
l Using the left stick you can use a ‘lunge’ attack from
greater distance. If you can lure enemies into tight
spaces this can be a great way to take out a dangerous
foe without them getting close to you.
l Don’t forget to repair and strengthen your weapons.
If you find your melee weapons are dealing less damage,
you probably need a trip to Hunter’s Dream to sharpen
those blades once again.
BLOOD RELATIONS
 CHALICE DUNGEONS

GOING
UNDERGROUND
TACKLING BLOODBORNE’S
CHALICE DUNGEONS
CHALICE DUNGEONS
 CHALICE DUNGEONS

A
s an extension of Yharnam,
beneath its already grim surface
lurks a multi-tiered network of
inhuman ruins known as the Chalice
Dungeons. Originally home to a
graveyard and a place of slumber for
the city’s natives, to access these
you’ll need to perform a ritual with a
holy chalice – but each time you enter,
the dungeon could be a completely
different proposition.
The Chalice Dungeons are like a
bonus game mode offering a maze of
 CHALICE DUNGEONS

monsters and treasure in the ultimate

risk-reward quest. Bloodborne offers
up a handful of standard maps, or
dungeons that will be the same each
time you access them. However, as long
as you can get yourself online it also
gives you the option for procedurally-
generated dungeons that randomise
the layout, appearance and enemies
(type, number and location) within it.
These maps can range from dark
hallways and rocky corridors, to
ornate ballrooms, murky swamps and
 CHALICE DUNGEONS

“IF YOU CAN GET OUT ALIVE THERE ARE

SOME PRETTY SWEET REWARDS IN TERMS OF
LOOT AND UPGRADES FOR YOUR TROUBLES”

more – though none of them will be

particularly welcoming, with plenty of
hidden traps and other quick and easy
reasons to die. However, if you can get
out alive there are some pretty sweet
rewards in terms of loot and upgrades
for your troubles.
 CHALICE DUNGEONS

You can play the Chalice

Dungeons in single-player
or in co-op, and you can
also share your generated
maps over the Network for others to
play, or download their maps to try
out for yourself.
We’d recommend exploring the
fiendish maps with friends if you
can, because Bloodborne is rarely a
game for the faint hearted and there’s
always some solace in knowing you’re
not alone in the dark!
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

FRIENDS
IN NEED
A BRIEF GUIDE TO
BLOODBORNE’S ONLINE OPTIONS
BLOODBORNE ONLINE
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

M
uch like the Dark Souls series,
multiplayer isn’t a huge component
of the Bloodborne experience, and
possibly not something everyone would
embrace, but the option to call in allies to
play through sections in co-op is certainly
welcome. You can use the Bell Maidens
to call up on up to two other friends (or
strangers) to join you for a boss fight, and
there’s no shortage of occasions where a
lone warrior wouldn’t appreciate a little
back-up – or at least someone else to draw
the wrath of your powerful foe.
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

You can also play through the Chalice

Dungeons in a three-player team, though
how co-operative you want to be is up
to you. It is worth sticking together,
however, as players can vanish if the host
dies, if they wander off and get killed or
if the host doesn’t appreciate their efforts
and chooses to banish them. At various
other moments in the campaign you will
also be able to call upon various NPCs for
some additional AI support.
The option for player-versus-player
multiplayer comes through the option to
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

“THE BELL MAIDEN CAN SUMMON A HUMAN

INVADER TO JOIN ANOTHER PERSON’S
ONGOING ADVENTURE”

invade another person’s game. If you have

this turned on (and it is easily switched off
if you don’t want this extra hassle), the Bell
Maiden can summon a human invader to
join another person’s ongoing adventure
and it becomes a simple stand-off to see
who the last Hunter standing is – with the
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

invader getting a healthy reward if they

can kill the host.
The more asynchronous forms of
multiplayer first introduced in Demon’s
Souls are also available, with Messengers
able to leave messages that can pop up
in other Hunters’ games. You can also
see the tombstones of players who have
previously died in the same area that
you’re in (which you can interact with
to learn from their mistakes) and watch
phantoms of those currently playing the
same location in (near) real time.
 BLOODBORNE ONLINE

“FOR MANY BLOODBORNE IS AN ADVENTURE

YOU’LL WANT TO EXPERIENCE ALONE BUT
THE ONLINE OPTIONS ARE SOLID”

It’s certainly not a multiplayer to rival

the mainstream, and for many Bloodborne
is an adventure you’ll want to experience
alone, but the online options are a solid part
of the package and, if nothing else, these
smaller touches are a nice reminder that
you’re not completely alone out there.
 MUSIC OF BLOODBORNE

THE MUSIC OF
BLOODBORNE
A LITTLE AURAL PLEASURE
TO EASE THE TENSION
 MUSIC OF BLOODBORNE

TRACKS OF MY FEARS
A HAUNTING RECORDING FROM
BLOODBORNE’S SOUNDTRACK
 CLOSING VERDICT

CLOSING
VERDICT
CLOSING VERDICT
 CLOSING VERDICT

READY FOR LAUNCH

A LITTLE DEVELOPER INSIGHT AHEAD
OF THE GAME HITTING THE SHELVES

W
e mentioned how we were pretty
much sold on Bloodborne at a
very early stage – well we’re well
and truly hooked now. To simply pigeon-
hole it as “Dark Souls with a slightly
more welcoming entry level” would be
to do the game a disservice. It’s still a
brutally tough and frequently punishing
 CLOSING VERDICT

(not to mention surreal) experience but

once again there’s a feeling that failure
is all part of the learning curve.
The extra freedom afforded to the
player by the reworked combat system
neatly shifts the gameplay more towards
controlled aggression rather a constant
fear of death. Though maybe not on a
par with The Order: 1886, it’s still a
hugely impressive visual achievement
(and a far better game to go with it) and
the sense of horror and despair is never
too far from your eyes, or your soul.
 CLOSING VERDICT

“IT’S CERTAINLY A WORTHY NEW CHAMPION

FOR THE PS4, AND THE NEW-GENERATION
CONSOLES AS A WHOLE”

As a result of this, and the simple fact

that no matter how good you think you
are you will die an awful lot, we wouldn’t
quite go so far as to call Bloodborne
‘fun’ – but as an experience it’s about as
compelling, challenging and rewarding
as anything we’ve played of late, and it’s
 CLOSING VERDICT

certainly a worthy new champion for the

PS4, and the new-generation consoles as
a whole.
If you own a PS4 it’s definitely worth
a play, and if you haven’t bloodied your
hands with those Dark Souls games and
feel battered, bruised and possibly bored
with it after an hour or two, PLEASE
persevere with it, because there will
come a time when everything clicks into
place, you’ll discover your own formula
for success amidst all the death and
finally be able to embrace Bloodborne as
 CLOSING VERDICT

something the gaming world

really could do with a lot
more of.
If you don’t own a PS4,
well then it sucks to be you right now.
We’re not quite ready to champion
Bloodborne as a single reason to spend
a few hundred notes on a brand new
console but Xbox, Nintendo and PC
gamers are certainly missing out on
one of the best games of the year so far.
It will crush you, smash you into
pieces, kick you when you’re down and
 CLOSING VERDICT

“TO ENDURE, SURVIVE AND THRIVE

IN BLOODBORNE IS ONE OF THE MOST
SATISFYING GAMING EXPERIENCES”

often leave you utterly bewildered and

lost in the darkness, but to endure,
survive and thrive in Bloodborne is
one of the most satisfying gaming
experiences you’re likely to encounter.
So, put Candy Crush down, grow a
pair and come join the fight.
 NEXT ISSUE

JOY
DIVISION
ISSUE 025 THE MAGAZINE TEAM Bianca Trent
www.download-gamer.today Editor 08453 306540 bianca@
Ian Collen – [email protected] uncookedmedia.com
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