bloodborne

Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for the PlayStation 4.

Bloodborne was inspired by the literary works of authors H. P. Lovecraft and Bram Stoker and the architectural design of real-world locations in countries such as Romania, the Czech Republic, and Scotland.

Plot

Bloodborne takes place in Yharnam, a decrepit Gothic city known for its medical advances around the practice of blood ministration. Over the years, many travelers journey to the city seeking the remedy to cure their afflictions; the player's character journeys to Yharnam seeking the cure, something known as Paleblood, for an unspecified illness. However, upon arriving in the city, it is discovered that Yharnam is plagued with an endemic illness that has transformed most of its citizens into bestial creatures. The player must navigate the streets of Yharnam during the night of The Hunt and overcome its violently deranged inhabitants and horrifying monsters to stop the source of the plague and escape the Nightmare. Long ago, the residents of Yharnam began worshipping ancient, eldritch cosmic beings known as the Great Ones after scholars from the College of Byrgenwerth discovered something referred to as a "medium" in the ruins of an ancient, highly advanced civilization, on top of which Yharnam was built. The Great Ones provided the healing blood Yharnam was famous for, which is also the source of the plague.

a Hunter is being operated on by an old man, who explains that he is performing a blood transfusion to allow them to sign a "contract", mentioning a mysterious condition referred to as Paleblood. He warns the Hunter that they will go on a strange journey that may seem like a bad dream. The Hunter blacks out and awakens as a large, flesh-torn beast rises from the floor and menaces them. A sudden fire forces the beast's retreat, and then little creatures ("Messengers") crawl over the Hunter as they black out again. the Hunter then awakens on an operating table in a different clinic in Yharnam.

The Hunter finds their first lantern, which when lit transports them to a spectral realm called the Hunter's Dream, where they encounter Gehrman, an elderly wheelchair-using man who provides advice, and the Doll, a living doll who assists the player in leveling up. Gehrman explains that to obtain the blood they seek and escape the dream, they must hunt down the beasts raging through Yharnam and halt the source of the plague.

While traveling Central Yharnam, the Hunter is told to seek out the Healing Church because of its connection to blood ministration, which is linked to the plague. The Hunter encounters Father Gascoigne, who seeks to kill them to prevent them from transforming into a beast, but becomes a monster himself. The Hunter moves through to the Cathedral Ward and enters the Grand Cathedral, where they encounter Vicar Amelia, now a massive beast. The Hunter comes into contact with an artifact, the skull of a beast, that bids them to visit Byrgenwerth, only accessible through the Forbidden Woods. Arriving at Byrgenwerth after defeating the Shadows of Yharnam, the Hunter slays Rom, a cosmic kin.

With Rom's death, the Hunter gains access to a higher degree of perception and sees Queen Yharnam, an ancient being from the dead civilization who supposedly bore Mergo, the source of the Nightmare. With their new perception, the Hunter can venture to the previously hidden village of Yahar'gul, where the now-visible Great Ones reside to be researched and worshipped by the School of Mensis. The scholars sought to build a vessel for a Great One, known as The One Reborn. After defeating it, the player accesses the spectral realm called the Nightmare of Mensis, where they discover the insane head of the scholars, Micolash. After killing him, the player encounters Mergo and their guardian.

After slaying Mergo's Wet Nurse and letting Mergo die, the game's final phase is initiated. When the Hunter returns to the Hunter's Dream, Gehrman offers to return them to the waking world in the morning. At this point, three different endings are possible, depending on the player's actions.