Review: Bloodborne: The Old Hunters

All Nightmare Long

While many gamers out there are fighting the good fight against DLC, From Software is certainly making the case for it. Dark Souls had one of the most fantastic add-ons of all time in the form of Artorias of the Abyss, which came months after release, and delivered a sufficiently packed universe that added on to the core game. Additionally, all three Dark Souls II packs brought something interesting to the table, and each h💝ad their own distinct feel.

By contrast the new Bloodborne DLC isn’t nearly as good as it could have been, but it’s more Bloodborne, which is going to be m꧋ore than enough for most ꦡof you out there.

Bloodborne: The Old Hunters (PS4)
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: November 24, 2015
MSRP: $19.99 (requires core game)

Throughout my complete five hour playthrough of The Old Hunters, I couldn’t help but think that most of it could have just been in the full game. In fact, a lot of layouts are straight-up reused, not only from an aesthetic standpoint, but in a literal sense. The grand cathedral steps are recreated and only slightly altered, and roughly half of the DLC feels like it could have just been an extension of Yharnam. In some ways that’s perfectly fine as it matches up with the rest of the experience, but in others, it’s underwhelming.

The enemies in particular are new, but a chunk of them aren’t as memorable as the foes from other Souls DLCs, in the sense that I didn’t really have to alter my tactics to confront them — a large reason why I love add-ons for previous iterations. The biggest draw of course is the abundance of the titular Hunters, humanoid enemies that operate similarly to the player character. Sure there were a handful of them in the base game, but here, they’re front and center, ready to flip some of your own tactics on you. Other enemies aren’t as iconic, as there’s a decent amount of repeats, from werewolves, to the Cthulu-esque giants, to standard infected townsfolk.

The zones are a mixed bag as well. It wasn’t until the last stretch of the DLC that I really saw something unique, even if everything up to that point was well designed. Most areas are open, and in the latter half, there’s a decent amount of exploration and puzzle solving required. There’s also a few mysterious NPCs to deal with, which is a Souls tradition, and I’m happy it was carried over here.

So how are the boss fights? Par for the course, really. While I won’t spoil anything, the first major encounter is heavily entwined in the game’s lore, and this hulking monstrosity is a sufficient challenge if you’re going at it solo. The rest of the boss fights are down down to earth, featuring smaller enemies that mirror the encounters with the aforementioned Hunters. I wasn’t blown away by any of them, but I enjoyed the fights all the same, mostly because of the fact that I’m a sucker for smaller scale battles. In all, you’re getting roughly five hours worth of content for the core story (about 10 if you do everything), 10 weapons (including a new, good shield), and five bosses. The new “League” update is available to everyone, and augments the 🍸overall package qu🔴ite well.

I might sound down on a lot of aspects of The Old Hunters, but ultimately, it will satiate most fans out there. The fact that it was supposed to be two DLCs that were merged into one makes sense, as part of it feels like cut content, and the other half seems like wholly original work. While I’m glad I had an excuse to drop into the world of Yharnam once again, there’s a part of me that feels disappointed that this will be the last, and only add-on for Bloodborne.

If you’re curious as to how to access the DLC, check out the video above.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}