Healing Church

Preface Bloodborne, with few exceptions, focuses more on its web of factions than its characters. But given the writing style of Director Hidetaka Miyazaki, these factions in many respects are this game’s characters. There is perhaps no fictional institution better embodying the corruption, elitism, and dehumanization in modern medicine than the Healing Church. Presenting themselves […]

Yharnam

Preface Perhaps the one thing about H.P. Lovecraft known more than his horror is his xenophobia. The man’s fear of the unknown in fiction reflected his same feeling with people in his personal life, particularly foreigners. But despite the discomfort that fact might inspire, Bloodborne‘s director Hidetaka Miyazaki doesn’t shirk away from this element of […]

Djura

Plastered across the gates to Old Yharnam is a small note warning hunters to turn back, citing them as unnecessary in the abandoned town ahead. Fail to heed the message, and a booming voice will resound from atop the old church’s Astral Clocktower, issuing one last warning before unleashing a hailstorm of bullets down upon […]

Izzy

One of the most elusive figures in Yharnam is Izzy. The man made hunting tools and employed a weapon, implying that he was a hunter. However, such tools were derived from the body parts of darkbeasts, including his weapon of choice the Beast Claw. The nature of these inventions reflect a desire to be more […]

Maria

From the very start, Maria was the odd one out. Her close relation to the Queen compared to most in Cainhurst may have made her enhanced physical abilities possible, but this wunderkind never fully embraced her blood’s potential. Her choice of weapon was Rakuyo, an Eastern sword like the Chikage but not wholly reliant on […]

The Executioners

Preface If I had to pick the roughest area of Bloodborne‘s worldbuilding, it would have to be the Executioners. Now, there are many parts of the game which lack narrative polish, at least on the environmental side, and this covenant is hardly far below the standard. On the whole, they are fairly well-integrated into the […]

Cainhurst

Preface Although Castle Cainhurst isn’t as expansive as I would have liked, the story behind it is still probably my favorite in Bloodborne. Gothic, medieval, evil, aristocracy, vampires; what is there not to love? It is one of the few areas which stays true to the horror inspiration the game initially presents while also seamlessly […]

Byrgenwerth

Preface My general impression has been that encountering Willem ranges from confusion to disappointment. Here we get to meet a character so integral to the game’s events, yet the moment of truth proves anticlimactic. It doesn’t help that our time in Byrgenwerth is equally short and uneventful. In that respect, I consider myself in harmony […]

Fishing Hamlet

With not even a known name to add nuance, the Fishing Hamlet seems to have been exactly that: your typical “fishing village”. (漁村) Shipwrecks at sea, a lighthouse on the tallest peak to lead those ships back to dock, shallow waters for dingies in town, nets to haul in catches; everything revolves around a marine […]

Hunter of Hunters

With a name like Hunter of Hunters, it should be no surprise that the covenant is almost as old as the hunters themselves. The Blade of Mercy passed down to the current Hunter of Hunters, Eileen, is made from the same meteoric iron as Gehrman’s Burial Blade, and was decidedly crafted at the old workshop […]