In recent years, you’d be hard pressed to find a “best games ever” list not to include a FromSoft contribution. The studio, it seems can do no wrong. To many the jewel in that particular crown is it’s gothic come cosmic horror masterpiece, Bloodborne. Released back in 2015, Edge magazine wrote gushingly of Miyazaki’s Lovercraftian love letter that it was a “dazzling work of dark, abject horror that cements Miyazaki as one of the all-time greats”. It picked up GOTY awards from GameTrailers, Eurogamerm, Destrucictoid and Edge. The latter later labelling it as the fourth best game ever made.
A Hunter Must Hunt
Fans have been crying out for a sequel ever since. Many even thought this was teased heavily in From’s VR premier Déraciné. But in a spectacular show of poise from the inimitably tight lipped developer, no further allusions have been forthcoming. Whilst fan theories are rife, and undergo resurgence every so often, nothing concrete has emerged. So it is with only a little surprise that one fan has taken matters into their own hands. But it might not be quite what you expected.
Lilymeister, known as @b0tster on Twitter has created a “demake” of Bloodborne. Collaborating with level designer @art_mino, they have developed what they have dubbed a “PSX version”.
Bloodborne for the PSX in all it’s polygon perfection
This project is nothing new, and started life way back in 2017. But production halted when files crucial to the work were lost. Thankfully, it has since been brought back from the dead. Lilymeister has been putting out a series of developer tweets to mark the renewed progress. Charecters and enemies alike bear clear resemblance to the 2015 classic; the Hunter stalks his prey in that unmistakable tricorn hat and duster coat combo, the terrifying werewolves of Yarnham just as menacing in retro polygon perfection. Truly, this is a labour of love.
And just like the fashion, projectiles and gun play have not been forgotten. The devs tease full character customisation is on the way, although whether we can expect the player created monstrosities that plague the typical Soulsborne experience is yet to be revealed. The DuelShock controls are out, in favour of something more suited to the times. Good news on the frame-rate, however, which it seems is a little smoother than one might have enjoyed on an an actual OG Playstation. These days frame-rate is a hygiene factor in gaming, and it’s one throwback we’re glad to see didn’t make the cut.
The truth is, as each day passes it’s becoming less and less likely that From have any further plans for this unique IP. Even hopes of a PS5 update to address some of the once bemoaned frame-rate issues have been all but abandoned. Modder Lance McDonald has already created a 60fps patch for Bloodborne, but outside of these incredible fan projects we can expect little else. That’s not to say we’re ungrateful, and whilst it might not be Bloodborne Kart, we are excited to see more from this exceptional development.
Source; PlayStation Lifestyle
“Video games are great. I should know, I’ve played some.”
Olly S, July 2020