Bloodborne, a legendary game. In my eyes, the best FromSoft game. The first one I fell in love with. It was this that opened my mind to the murky machinations of Miyazaki and his cohorts, and to this day, it’s still in my blood every time I pick up The Notebook and venture back into “The Land Between” or venture back to Lordran echo.
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But to be a Bloodborne fan is to be damned. The game was released in March 2014 – almost a full decade ago now! – Since then, it’s been largely revamped by its own developer (FromSoft), publisher (Sony), and even various remaster-specific studios that have made a name for themselves over the years (Nixxes, look at you ) ignored. Fans are praying for a version of the game to run above the frustrating 720p/30FPS native to the PS4 version, but they’re forced to make do with modders and data miners showing illegal versions of the game online. We may never get an officially approved PC port. More of a pity.
So imagine my joy when I saw the PS5 Pro applying some hardware-level magic to PS4 games. Imagine how eager I was to install Bloodborne on my PS5 Pro when it arrived last week. Imagine my disappointment as I realized with growing horror what I had gotten here – somewhere I felt a monkey’s paw curl its fingers as Yanan’s majestic The spire reappeared on my screen with a guy in need of an item type grimly grinning.
The only real upgrade when playing Bloodborne on PS5 Pro is a slight “improvement in image quality” (in Sony’s own words). Basically, it makes everything a lot sharper; removes the jaggedness and removes some of the Vaseline smear, and I actually connected with the game in some ways. As a result, text and UI elements look better, some details in the world are clearer, and the giant “you’re dead” message hits harder than ever. It doesn’t exactly make Bloodborne feel like a new game, but more like you’re playing it with a new pair of glasses – everything is sharper and looks better. That’s it.
The frame rate is still a bit unstable. Some textures and colors are still a bit odd (for example, the gold trim on some items and environmental assets in Old Yharnam still looks odd in the gloomy twilight of the earlier game). Amidst the darkness and gloom, some of the atmosphere is still lost due to aging graphics. I can’t help but imagine what Bloodborne would look like if HDR was implemented correctly – when you finally get smart enough and the screen is dark enough, seeing the amygdala staring back at you from the top of a cathedral in the dark would be So you can only make out its vague shape, and see its unfamiliar movements out of the corner of your eye…
well. If you’re waiting for a 60FPS and 4K version of this game, then you’ll need to wait for a remaster or remaster, which may never happen. While Sony is remaking/remaking newer games like TLOU2 or Horizon Zero Dawn (why?), Bloodborne is still out in the cold, rocking back and forth in a squeaky wheelchair , aging significantly with each iteration of hardware.
I’m not the only one who thinks Bloodborne’s acknowledgment, whatever form it takes, will move consoles. I’m sure if the PS5 Pro came with a version of Bloodborne running at 4K/60FPS, people would be snapping up it. Look here, here, and here. Those keen to shell out £700 for a PS5 Pro are exactly who Sony is targeting with such ‘high-end’ technology; the system is sold as enthusiast stuff, for those who can really tell the difference between 30FPS and 60FPS ( Because, you see, not everyone can, nerd).
I’m not even talking about full-on remakes or new offerings here, really, to capitalize on this built-in audience. I think Bloodborne’s patch, allowing it to power the PS5 Pro hardware, will be just as appealing as a brand new game for all FromSoft fans. Audiences have been clamoring for something like this even since the PS4 Pro in 2016. This is a printed money. So, going back to that title, why isn’t Sony even acknowledging Bloodborne now? The best thing we have is the fan effort, and there’s no denying that it does look spectacular.
Rumor has it that FromSoft is currently developing over 20 games. The developer and publisher is known for always keeping its many hardcore fans on fire, and I don’t think I’m the only one praying for one of them to be involved with Bloodborne – a sequel, a remaster, a remake, something.
The world is becoming ruined around us, and now is the perfect time to return to Yharnam and suffer with its inhabitants. Please give us eyes.
