Bloodborne - Post Thoughts, Part 1 - The Blood Starved Beast

It's been a few weeks since I got a platinum trophy in Bloodborne, so needless to say; I enjoyed the game. I also feel comfortable, despite being in the industry; having achieved the highest accolade in the game; to be able to share my thoughts and ultimately my recommendation to what is my favourite game, so far this year. In this analysis, I'm going to restrict my views to the game mechanics and overall gameplay. This means that despite its fantastic music, story and visuals, they wont be factoring on my thoughts unless I find a relation to the Gameplay. I also will be comparing it to Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2 and Demon's Souls on occasion, but more so to outline how the game differs and how it encourages a fresh approach. Whilst it's hard not to draw comparisons, being that they're made by the same developer; I want to stray from the traditional media review of "It's hard like Dark Souls".

So, let's start this first Bloodborne post by getting that quickly out of the way; with my one and only time I got stuck outside of the chalice dungeons (that Abhorrent Beast is another story). Bloodborne is not an easy game. It's not an easy game because it sits in a sea of games that hold your hand, and point you in the right direction (which is fine). It's not an easy game because the player will die often, and more likely frequently, unless they're fully immersed and prepared for whatever is next. It's not an easy game because the player must learn that to die is not necessarily failure; as long as they've learnt something in the process. And probably the hardest of all is that, they need to learn not to get attached to the Blood Echoes they're carrying; because that's the moment they're likely to lose them. I do feel I had an advantage having played and finished the previous games from FromSoftware, these features in particular are consistent throughout the titles. And there are certain exploits as well, for instance, I knew how to deal with the enemies and use obstacles for easy kills. But ultimately the meat and bones of the game are quite different. Despite being extremely excited and scared at the prospect of playing it; I found that in the first 5 or so hours of the game I only died as many times. And nearly all occasions I was simply careless and had gambled on something that didn't pay off. It wasn't until I fought the Blood-Starved Beast, that things got more difficult for me personally.

I'm aware that most people struggled with both the Cleric Beast and Father Gascoigne. I personally didn't because they're quite large and have an easy tell, allowing you to read attacks and dodge fairly comfortably. The B-S Beast on the other hand, whilst having an easy tell didn't necessarily make it any easier to hit it, just to dodge. I spent roughly a day, trying to find another passage, walking into the fight knowing I was going to die and basically farming blood echoes so I could level up. I was dying within seconds or generally just spent far too long avoiding it. For anyone who fought this boss, as a Souls player, I'm near certain they ran into similar difficulties. The problem I discovered was that I was fighting the Blood-Starved Beast like I was playing Dark Souls. But I wasn't. The trouble with the boss is that not only is it large, its fast. It has a huge reach on its attacks (that it was often more viable to dodge towards it than away (this is unique to Bloodborne)). Once a third of it's health is gone, every attack it hits poisons you. And once two thirds have gone, it poisons you just by standing near it. So you're weary of using any potions just in case you die and you've wasted them. And this is while not mentioning that; should the player get caught in one of it's attack patterns; its pretty much game over.

Three things I learnt whilst fighting the boss, that I took with me throughout the rest of the game. Every fight can be made easier by learning to use the weapon transformations correctly. Extended it has a longer reach but slower attack, but attacks can be chained together to create a combo allowing the player to transform mid-battle. This is particularly useful for getting in close with the Blood-Starved Beast and then extending for a couple of extra hits before it runs away. This was also the moment I discovered my favourite aspect of Bloodborne, the health regain. Upon taking damage, if the player manages to hit their opponent back before taking another hit, they can reclaim a portion of their health. What I didn't realize is that you don't necessarily have to wait for the enemy to finish attacking before attempting this. Combined with the Hunter's sidearm, which can briefly interrupt most enemies attack patterns (as well as leaving them completely vulnerable; with a perfectly timed shot, to the visceral attack). And lastly, I discovered that the Pungent Blood Cocktail can lure the Blood-Starved Beast away from you, for some cheap heavy damage. Only it wasn't cheap because the developers made the game in such a way that it was a viable option and ultimately, how I beat the boss in the end (including of course, a few last minute heroics, as always). This lure technique is particularly interesting to me. The other games in the series; focus on being direct and defensive; whilst this seems like a side step to your problems. All of these traits are completely unique to Bloodborne.

My success came on Saturday March 28th. After a few days of completely avoiding the fight; I went in determined to beat the beast. I hurled a Pungent Blood Cocktail at it as soon as it came into view. Almost immediately applied fire damage to my Saw Cleaver and started to inflict as much damage as I could without being careless. Quickly I'd dropped it's health to about half. But it started to get weary and wouldn't let up on it's attacks. So I had to bide my time and plan out my antidote uses only when absolutely necessary. My plan had worked but I very quickly ran out of cocktails and antidotes; so I had to be even more careful. And then as I saw it's health drop to roughly a sixth, I remember the shock of unthinkable (but apparently very, very thinkable). I'd been poisoned with no antidotes and having got so close I couldn't believe I was about to leave the room in defeat. So with nothing left to lose I sprinted towards the beast and slammed him into the corner of the room. He was trapped and I just kept hitting him. As we traded blows, the health I lost was almost regained immediately in my reckless abandon. I distinctly remember it raising its arm to do the pounce attack, if it got away in this moment; I almost certainly couldn't win. And on instinct I fired my sidearm, thinking "Sit back down". My health was dropping but so was his and I killed it with just enough time to run and activate the Lamp, which would send me back to the Hunter's Dream safely. This boss battle was the most intense and frustrating thing I've felt in a video game for a long time. The day I spent in prior dreaming about maybe beating it. This whilst I was purposely avoiding it, like a school bully coming to take my lunch money. And to ultimately beat it, as the poison was eating up my health, in my sheer animosity. It was an incredibly satisfying moment that seems very rare in gaming today; and for me personally, something that FromSoftware has dominion over within the AAA space.

I'd like to return to Bloodborne at another point to elaborate further on this fantastic game. You'll notice how I've had to combat the ties to the souls series; by reflecting on how it isn't like them. This is because those ties bind it to the souls series; and despite its movement and overall feel being similar; the end game is a different prospect that deserves recognition to be stood apart.

Looking back at Portal and it's Learning System

Until recently, I wasn't sure what my particular compulsion and driving force for playing a game was. I play a multitude of games of course; and I try very hard to finish most games I play, mainly due to having spent the money on it. So I always try to make the most out of what I'm playing even if I'm not necessarily enjoying it, but I tend to know what I am going to enjoy. Most games I've found that I do enjoy, create a strong iteration process to keep me invested. And I've similarly found that; Designing Iterative mechanics is what I excel at best. It's with this in mind that I visit one of my personal favourite games for both general puzzle design and iterative design, Portal. 

Portal is a first-person puzzle game. In Portal, the player is given a tool called the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (or Portal Gun). The Portal Gun can project 2 opposing sides of a doorway, which allow the player to teleport across any visible distance within a 3 dimensional space. The game is presented as multiple test chambers within a laboratory. Each new test chamber has a new puzzle for the player to solve, using the portal gun. The game features an overarching comical storyline where the player’s avatar Chell; is being coerced into doing these puzzles by a sentient robot called GlaDos, with the promise of having cake at the end.

The player is given a rewarding learning system, where they are educated in practice and never told what to do. The basics are taught entirely through the game and level design. The Portal Gun itself, can project both ends of a doorway, though the player learns that the portals don’t simply carry objects through. The game features a complex physics mechanic; so that any force acting upon the player (or an object), is carried through the portals also. This starts with placing cubes upon pressure sensitive pads and culminates with using gravity and an imaginative use of portals; to gain extreme velocity, which propels the player (or objects) through the air. Over the course of the game, the player is continuously taught new rules and exploits to these mechanics. Consequently, the player is only ever given the tools to succeed. This is constantly shown to the player through feedback in the environment. Everything in each test chamber is there for a reason and once the player figures out how all the pieces fit together, they will have solved the puzzle. However, these effortless mechanics usually become complex in execution; when the player is relying on being instinctive and doing multiple versions of these mechanics in one swift movement. This is when Portal is at its exceptional (and perplexing) best.

The entire of Portal could be seen as a tutorial in a traditional system. This is because; the player is only ever learning new techniques to solve puzzles. The learning methods of Portal make it unique in this way. This is expertly crafted in the early levels, as the game makes it near impossible to not solve the puzzle, despite offering new circumstances every time and despite never revealing any hints (like on screen text or video). The feedback in the environment is all the player ever needs to be able to solve the puzzle, as everything in the test chambers is there for a reason. For instance, it’s very important to help the player understand how the portals work without actually telling them. Thus, the first time you enter a portal, it’s clear that the portals are indeed portals and not simply a tunnel. This principle is further conceived when the player can see themselves within a portal, as the opposite faces them. The player then must walk around that same room and see that there is no possible way that it can be nothing other than a teleportation device, as the portals have no rear.

The early levels are very simple in practice but are actually excellent in implementation. This is because, it’s difficult for the player to play wrong and get stuck. They’re never told exactly what each object does, but rather subtly influenced through previous solutions. In the opening 10 test chambers, the player learns that:-

• The portals can be used to traverse impossible distances, 
• The portals are equal parts of the same doorway (ensuring that the player can choose to walk through either end), 
• The portals can be placed on any plane as long as it has a white surface (all early levels have white walls, ceilings and floors), 
• The portals cannot be placed upon black planes (this colour pallet also makes it easily distinguishable at a distance), 
• The cubes can be picked up and placed upon switches to open doorways, move platforms and/or activate machinery, 
• The portals can be used to teleport more than just the player (objects such as cubes and light pellets), 
• The momentum acting upon the player (or an object) as they enter a portal is equal to that which is carried out the opposite side, 
• Light pellets can rebound continuously off any surface and are also required to activate doorways or platforms, 
• Walking through a lift is required to complete a puzzle and when the player does, it eliminates the use of portals and removes any existing portals, 
• They cannot be hurt from falling. 

None of these rules are ever taught to the player. Instead, the player learns that they are ultimately the only solution or indicated through environmental feedback. This natural education really helps the player understand the rules of play within the space of Portal.

Additionally, in these opening test chambers, the player is only armed with the ability to shoot one side of the portal. This is firstly to limit the control of the player within the room, but also that they may learn that both ends of the portal are also the entrance. For this logic, it may seem that it would have been useful to colour both portals the same. But in fact, some puzzles require the player to know which portal is placed where (should the player need to move from A to B to C quickly; A and C’s portal will need to be of the same colour), so it is more important that the player can associate a coloured portal with a button. In this case, the left mouse button shoots the blue portal. But there’s a lot of colour co-ordination for the player to associate with in the game. For instance, the test chambers and turrets are in black and white. This is while most of what the player can influence will have a colour, such as blue and yellow for the portals, orange for the player avatar and red for the switches.

In this same approach, Portal’s feedback often over-emphasizes important features, despite the already basic layout. This is clearly to identify their significance to the player. For example:-

• Most objects in the game are unnecessarily large, such as the cubes and switches, 
• Switches are on raised ground and have dotted lines that point to their corresponding use, 
• The clear indication of black and white in a test chamber usually dictates how the player will move through it. For example, the player will realize that a white plane amongst black planes is crucial to the puzzle. In the same way, that a black plane amongst white is limiting the use for a reason, 
• Glass panels are to help the player see a section of the room without being able to directly influence it at that moment, 
• Large test chambers will usually require the player to launch themselves across the room. 

In practice, the first time the player is required to use momentum to project through the air (or flinging as it is referred to); they enter into a test with dark tiles everywhere. Immediately, the player’s attention is drawn to look upwards as the wall above them starts to move forward on a mechanical arm. This wall is white allowing the player to shoot the blue portal on to it. In front of the player, a large descent where at its base, is the corresponding yellow portal. As there are no other options or directions to go; the player’s only destination is down. When dropping the player can see through air resistance in the view; that they are gaining velocity as gravity pulls them towards the ground. The player hits the portal and is carried out the opposite side with enough momentum; to cross the descent they just jumped down. The player then has to do this a second time, as another wall as been brought forward, now at a slight curve. This time the jump is a greater distance, as is the drop below. The player will see that not only does the curve project them in an upward trajectory, but also at a faster rate.

Again, there is no indication to the player how to solve this puzzle. It, at this early stage, is simply the only possible solution for the player - the only wall that the portals can be placed and the only direction that the portals can project. At this point, the player’s only unused mechanic is the secondary portal. Still, despite revealing these few mechanics in the opening test chambers, the player is never subject to any more, only ever new questions for these same rules.

I'm unsure if I can convey this brilliance in words alone and I'd highly recommend revisiting Portal with it's Developer Commentary, which elaborates this further. What I can say is that this realisation of 'Iterative Design', is going to be my personal incentive for future projects. And I will use the learning mechanisms of Portal as a blue print for how to educate the player.

Looking back at Skyrunner, my Final University Project

This is a brief look back at my final project in University. Having been in the industry for a few years now, I feel comfortable looking back on something I probably didn't appreciate as much as I should have at the time. I really enjoyed making the game but I've struggled ever since to work on something truly meaningful, and one that I believe in. This is mainly due to a lack of insight into the design process. But I too lacked this insight when I made this game. This is the first of many posts in which I'm going to try and refocus my attention on becoming a Games Designer. So I'm going to outline the following; what I set out to do, what I achieved, what I would have included if I had more time and how I would make it now. It's close to 3 years since I finished University. But in my final year, I was finally given an opportunity to create something that was completely of my own design. I'm not sure if prior to this moment I fully understood what a Games Designer was, but I definitely knew at this moment. And this actually changed my outlook on games. The process of coming up with mechanics and features for games was something I'd not been used to, as I'd always been given limitations in briefs. Myself and a friend Daniel, set to work on creating something that we could build our image upon. The image we wanted to convey was that of determination, dedication and passion.

In the September of 2011, we began work on a game called Skyrunner. A 3D Adventure Platformer. We opted to create the game in UDK, which neither of us had worked in before, but we believed that we were more likely to create a game that worked due to kismet (the visual scripter), as opposed to learning to code and create something in Unity (which we'd both worked in our previous projects). Our main goal of the project was to create a landscape that would both tell an epic story and feature memorable platforming. This would come in the form of the main traversal mechanic of skydiving. 

Taking loads of inspiration from Aztec Mythology, what we developed was a story in which the world as we knew it, had been destroyed by the Gods. And what was left of humanity, lived in the floating islands of the clouds above. Enter the Red Kites, a small tribe of about 20 people, who are looking for the next leader of the village, as the current Elder feels her life is slipping away. The tribe now look to 3 chosen ones who are the great descendants of the original 3 survivors. The Builder, The Healer and The Warrior. The Warrior's descendant is either Rau or his sister Kaki depending on what Gender the player chooses. And it's up to the player then to confront the trials ahead and take their mantle as the new Tribe Leader. 

In creating the game, we wanted to reflect this story more than just a cutscene. So at the start of the game, the player is in a dream sequence of Rau (or Kaki). They play a simple side scrolling platformer where the story is depicted through epic statues behind the immediate action. This also served as tutorial to introduce the player to mechanics. Once the player, has finished this section they enter the village. 

The Village is something that in hindsight we probably didn't need to work on as much as we did. We created every character, giving them all unique looks and personalties through as little as a paragraph. This was generally for the player to develop an understanding of the inner rivalries between the houses of the chosen. And set the stage for what was to come. We also included a side quest in which the resident musician has lost his music sheets, which serve as collectibles throughout the game. Each one has its own poem that we wrote to further explain the story.

Once the player has navigated some difficult platforming (and gathered the music sheets if they choose to). The real challenge begins. The player must dive into a large floating pillar like structure in the sky. As they fall through the pillar the player will need to dodge an all manner of objects such as giant gears, spears and pits of lava. This was probably the most difficult scenario to program. The main trouble we had was that we needed to change the character controller options for the player, in order for them to control Rau as he was falling. Furthermore, it was nearly impossible to predict, if the player had died, where the traps might be aligned; making every subsequent trip a guess. Thankfully, people were enjoying the prospect of beating the Pillar despite its difficulty, having seen that both Dan and I were able to beat it, making it look easy. 

Initially, we had planned for there to be 3 puzzles that would be between each skydiving section but due to time constraints and the fact it was already pushing 30-40 minutes of play; we cut out the final 2 puzzles. Which didn't seem to really matter as no one could solve the puzzle anyway and so we had to create a shortcut to bypass the puzzle completely. Also in keeping with the storyline, the big boss and God of Death, Mictlan, is attempting to stop Rau from progressing and has destroyed the tail end of the pillar leaving Rau to fall to his death before he is saved from an unlikely source. 

At this moment we have a closing cutscene, in which the player is told that the quest has only just begun. We learn that there are more survivors in neighbouring lands and Rau that must unite them to stop Mictlan from finishing the job.

Despite it's length, we had planned for so much more in the game. Rau was going to be able to control wind, by pulling and pushing objects and also to stop him from dying from skydiving. We also ran out of time, with getting Kaki also playable in the game, despite having all her animations setup and ready. We were also going to have a boss battle with Rau's new abilities against Micltan, who was also ready for the game.

We had planned to continue with the game. But ultimately found that the year we dedicated to it, was merely a stepping stone to a much bigger project that we couldn't undertake. In my own revisions of the game, I would have cut out a lot of the village and the villagers that inhabited it. This took a great deal of time to create their conversations and interactions with the player. We should have focused more on the skydiving element, adding in new mechanics and the puzzles which were already built (like the gauntlet), which never made it in.

Now, I would completely revamp the game entirely. For one, the storyline would change slightly and focus on Rau and Kaki's relationship with their father who took the challenge and never returned. The art style would change to something more oriental. And mechanically, the game would feature completely new controls and interesting combat.  New mechanics would include:

• The player would fight indirectly through use of elements, as a Rain Maker. So Rau or Kaki would dance around trying to avoid the enemies, whilst summoning the weather.
• The player would not only fight beasts and creatures, but also ride some of the larger ones.
• Rau would be able to transform into a God under direct sunlight, taking on the form of a phoenix allowing him to fly between areas.
• Lastly, the game would feature a song, which tied slightly to the story and is essentially the prayer, the oath and the creed of the Red Kites. The player would be able to make Rau or Kaki sing this song at any point with a dedicated button. This song will reveal secrets in the world by opening hidden passages and call beasts to aid the player when they are in danger. But most importantly of all, if sung when confronted with other people in the world; there response will tell the player if they are friend or foe.

I'm not sure if I will ever make this game. More likely, I will borrow elements of it should I ever decide to attempt something more ambitious. For now though, I'll sign off with the original gameplay video for the game. The song is Demons by Dry the River.

If you would like to play the game, the game is available for a free download on both PC and Mac through this site. http://www.indiedb.com/games/skyrunner