Table of Contents
amazon Bloodborne The Old Hunters reviews
Overview of the Expansion
“The Old Hunters” is set in a series of new areas that are seamlessly integrated into the world of “Bloodborne.” These areas, known as the Hunter’s Nightmare, are twisted reflections of existing locations within the game, filled with even more grotesque creatures, powerful enemies, and nightmarish environments. The expansion delves into the tragic history of the hunters who once protected Yharnam and explores the origins of the Bloodborne world’s hunting culture. The narrative is rich with lore, revealing the backstory of several key characters and events that were only hinted at in the base game.
The expansion is designed for players who have advanced in the main game, with difficulty scaling appropriately for higher-level characters. However, it can be accessed relatively early in the game, though doing so poses significant challenges for less-prepared players. The DLC is packed with content, including new weapons, armor sets, runes, and spells (called “Hunter Tools”), all of which provide new strategies and gameplay styles for players to explore. The addition of new bosses, each unique and more formidable than those in the base game, is one of the expansion’s highlights, offering some of the most memorable encounters in the entire “Soulsborne” series.
World and Atmosphere
One of the standout features of “Bloodborne: The Old Hunters” is its masterful world design and atmosphere. The expansion’s environments are crafted with the same meticulous attention to detail as the base game, creating a cohesive yet increasingly horrifying world. The Hunter’s Nightmare, the primary setting of the DLC, is a distorted version of Yharnam, where familiar locations are twisted into grotesque parodies of their original forms. This setting reflects the descent into madness experienced by the hunters who became trapped in this nightmarish world.
The architecture and layout of the new areas are hauntingly beautiful, with gothic spires, crumbling cathedrals, and labyrinthine passages that evoke a sense of dread and awe. The color palette is darker and more subdued than in the base game, with muted tones of gray, black, and crimson dominating the landscape. The world is filled with unsettling imagery, from blood-soaked altars to grotesque statues, all of which contribute to the oppressive atmosphere that permeates the expansion.
The level design in “The Old Hunters” is intricate and interconnected, with numerous shortcuts, hidden paths, and secret areas that encourage exploration. The world is dense with environmental storytelling, where every location, object, and enemy has a story to tell. The expansion’s lore is woven into the fabric of the environment, with cryptic messages, scattered notes, and visual cues that provide hints about the tragic history of the hunters and the horrific experiments that led to the creation of the nightmare.
The soundtrack of “The Old Hunters” further enhances the atmosphere, with hauntingly beautiful orchestral compositions that evoke a sense of melancholy, despair, and terror. The music is perfectly matched to the tone of the game, with each area and boss fight featuring unique themes that heighten the emotional impact of the experience. The sound design is equally impressive, with ambient noises, enemy growls, and the sound of weapons clashing all contributing to the immersive experience.
Gameplay Mechanics
“The Old Hunters” introduces several new gameplay mechanics and refinements that build upon the core mechanics of “Bloodborne.” At its heart, the expansion retains the fast-paced, aggressive combat that made the base game so beloved, but it also adds layers of depth and complexity that challenge even the most seasoned players.
New Weapons and Combat Styles
One of the most significant additions in “The Old Hunters” is the array of new weapons, known as Trick Weapons. These weapons are not only visually stunning but also introduce unique combat styles and mechanics that encourage experimentation. Each Trick Weapon has two forms, which can be switched between during combat, offering a range of attack options and strategic possibilities.
For example, the Whirligig Saw is a massive, two-handed weapon that can transform into a spinning buzzsaw, dealing devastating damage to enemies in close proximity. The Beast Cutter, another new weapon, starts as a long, heavy blade that can be extended into a flexible, whip-like weapon, allowing for crowd control and long-range attacks. The Church Pick, a versatile weapon with a fast, thrusting attack in its sword form and a powerful, sweeping attack in its scythe form, exemplifies the creative weapon design in the expansion.
These new weapons are not just for show; they introduce new gameplay strategies that can change the way players approach combat. Some weapons are particularly effective against certain enemy types, while others excel in specific situations, such as crowd control or boss fights. The variety of weapons available in “The Old Hunters” encourages players to experiment with different loadouts and playstyles, adding depth and replayability to the game.
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters – Owning many very successful game lines in the past, such as Tenchu, Armored Core, Another Century’s Episode but today, when it comes to FromSoftware, most gamers only mention the Souls series (including Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls II), because of its insanely difficult but indescribable difficulty level!
2016 may be another successful year for FromSoftware when Dark Souls III launches in April. Still, when 2015 isn’t over, this Japanese developer makes everyone remember: they have another equally interesting game, with the release of the Bloodborne: The Old Hunters expansion for Bloodborne.
Talking about Bloodborne, this PS4 exclusive game is not in the Souls series, but thanks to its inheritance of many important factors, it is still considered a worthy “successor.”
Therefore, the release of the Bloodborne: The Old Hunters expansion pack could help fans forget about the release date of Dark Souls III, to remember that another unfinished journey awaits them.
So, whether Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is attractive enough for the “hunters” to return to their “dream”?
Having made DLCs whose content is sometimes even better than the original game, such as the three parts “Lost Crowns” for Dark Souls II or “Artorias of the Abyss” for Dark Souls, should go to Bloodborne: The Old Hunters. It seems that FromSoftware has gathered a lot of previous experience to create a “worthwhile” expansion as expected by fans.
The first thing that players can feel as soon as they “encounter” the new content is the difficulty.
Yes, Bloodborne is inherently difficult, but with Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, the level of challenge for players goes up a notch, and that’s the biggest fan attraction in this expansion.
Besides some old enemies, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters brings many new monsters and bosses with extremely disgusting shapes.
It can be said, through the hideous looks of the bosses’ players’ faces, we can see that FromSoftware’s design level has increased by one notch.
Of course, they not only have “appearance,” but their fear is also evident in the fighting phase, especially when the player confronts five new bosses.
In addition to dealing with serious damage and complex combo attacks, the bosses in the game will sometimes make you wonder, “How difficult will this journey be?” when possessing many wide-area damage attacks.
Because of that, most boss fights are tough.
Even many normal monsters are enough to annoy you when they go together or have their advantages that cause inhibition to the player, such as the ability to use Arcane spell skills.
Overall, with more challenges than before, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters deserves an experience not to be missed for real hunters.
Inherently an expansion, so of course, The Old Hunters will add more new content for players.
In addition to the new types of enemies or bosses, hunters will have the opportunity to find ten more weapons and new costumes or dig deeper into the storyline.
Like the original, the plot in Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is still attractive only to those interested and learn the pieces to create a complete picture.
This expansion will give the player’s character a kick start at Hunter’s Nightmare, a fantasy version of Cathedral Ward.
Here, players will be faced with Old Hunters, the first hunters to fail due to being put into this “nightmare” place, causing them to lose their mind and become madmen.
Of course, the new areas in this expansion will run the risk of being similar to the Chalice dungeons, which only challenge players but don’t have much plot value.
Fortunately, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters, though not much, still brings important details for players to understand more about the dark world in Bloodborne.
Here, you will have a better view of the madness of the metamorphic hunters or face Ludwig, the first hunter of the Healing Church and the owner of the legendary Holy Blade sword.
These are all extremely valuable experiences for those who have spent a lot of effort understanding the Bloodborne plot.
Although providing new content and practical challenges for the experienced “hunters,” unfortunately, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters has some objective limitations to make this expansion perfect.
The first point that annoys players is the approach to Bloodborne: The Old Hunters.
Although this expansion does not affect the plot or Bloodborne endings, this new content is located in the main content.
That means that if you “miss” the end of the game, you must play in the next New Game + levels (with increasing difficulty) and have to go through many tough battles to get to Hunter’s Nightmare.
Next is the artificial intelligence (AI) of NPC teammates. Although this expansion changed the design, making it easier for players to summon hunters right before boss fights (similar to decent players), they could barely help. Much useful for you in battles because you don’t get stuck by objects; you will also head into the fight without any strategy.
And finally, the rest of the player’s discomfort is still the angle, when they often switch to close-ups if the player enters a dead end and is stuck there, causing inhibition, especially in confrontations with big bosses.
where can you get a Bloodborne The Old Hunters online
PS4 Bloodborne The Old Hunters Edition [Japanese]: Buy it now
Bloodborne: The Old Hunters – PS4 [Digital Code]: Buy it now
Bloodborne The Old Hunters Collector’s Edition Guide: Buy it now