Joaby is as massive a 'Souls fan as I know. He's good at it and he knows the ins and outs of the design principles of those games. He also makes fun of me because I drop the controller almost always less than 20-minutes into any of the experiences and throw my hands up in frustration. So he's reviewed the game for us in both written form and as a video review on his own YouTube channel.

Still, it's not exactly the same as the Dark or Demon's Souls games. There are differences -- and these differences are significant. Bloodborne pushes the pace of the action in a way the Souls games never did -- when you lose health in Bloodborne, the health bar stays full for a moment, and you have a brief opportunity to regain some (or all) of it by pressing the attack. If you don't attack inside 3ish seconds or if you get hit again you'll lose that health, and the best way to get it back will be via Blood Vials (there are other ways, but Blood Vials are the primary method).

This changes how you approach combat in the game. The risk/reward scenario is different -- health lost isn't gone for good, so taking damage isn't cause for concern. There are absolutely bosses where (provided you aren't staggered for too long) taking a hit to get in close to them is better than hanging back and waiting for an opportunity to strike that might not come.

That's just a slice of his in-depth and thoughtful review of a game that does nothing but destroy your soul (in my humble opinion).

Click here for our full Bloodborne written and video review.