Bloodborne is one of the most highly-anticipated games to be coming out in 2015. The PlayStation 4 exclusive may also be one of the most difficult, especially if you are not familiar with the Souls series. From Software decided to team up, once again, with Future Press, to release an official strategy guide for the RPG. So is the upcoming Bloodborne Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide worth buying? Let’s take a look at several factors that may ultimately influence your decision.
About Bloodborne
First, let’s talk about what kind of game Bloodborne is. If you aren’t familiar with Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls, those games are designed to give players a sense of accomplishment that normally can’t be felt in a majority of other games, especially in this modern era of titles that have been made deliberately easy.
To do so, From Software decided to put difficult enemies and deadly obstacles for the player to overcome. As a result, you can die in every encounter in your journey if you become to careless, which leads to a lot of tension.
The Souls games are also known for their unique multiplayer as you can summon for help under special circumstances. Invaders can also join your game and attempt to kill you for your own benefits. You will also find hints written by other players and ghosts of others in the same area.
Bloodborne retains most of the elements of Demon’s Souls or Dark Souls while adding some new twists. The main modifications come from the combat as it will now reward more aggressive players as sitting back will get you ambushed by a group. You will also be able to regain health by defeating an enemy. With that said, you can expect to still die a lot, even if you are a veteran of the series.
The spiritual successor looks to be another excellent experience. So, even if you haven’t played the previous Souls game, the PS4 exclusive is definitely worth purchasing if you are looking for something that is more challenging but also more rewarding than your average game.
What the Guide Covers
As good as the upcoming videogame may be, most gamers may not have the patient or skills to get the most out of their experience. While dying over and over again is part of the game’s mechanics, it can be a frustrated experience if you don’t know how to beat a particular boss, enemy or section. This is where the Bloodborne Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide could come in.
The official strategy guide should cover every nook and cranny of the videogame, starting with a training manual to help newcomers and veterans understand some of the unique mechanics in the RPG. There will also be detailed maps to help you define hidden paths, items, enemy encounters, traps and other key locations.
As for combat, the Bloodborne guide provides a bestiary that will help you eliminate the deadly enemies in the most efficient ways possible. It should also list the attack ranges, hidden damage modifiers, swing speeds and other properties of your weapons (as well as equipment) in order to make sure you are equipped to take on the hardest challenges.
Overall, the book gives you the option to seek 100 percent completion, including finding all the non-playable characters, beating all the quests and even a walkthrough for taking on the randomly-generated Chalice Dungeon.
Other Extras
Future Press is going to go above and beyond with their latest work as well. Along with 400 pages of comprehensive coverage, the publisher is also packing in a “bonus chest.” The extras include an exclusive dynamic theme for the PlayStation 4 as you will be able to see the Hunter’s Mark when browsing through the system menus.
There will also be an exclusive interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, the director behind the upcoming game in addition to Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. Last but not least, the book will have an index exploring the lore of the world in addition to artwork being plastered on every page.
Impact on Bloodborne Patch Updates
As you can see, the Bloodborne strategy guide has more than enough content to justify a purchase. However, there are a few notable factors that you may want to consider before buying. One of which is the potential impact of new patch releases. In the previous Souls games, From Software would release title updates to fix balance issues such as a weapon being too strong or a boss encounter being too tough.
Because of that, these title updates would make some of the printed statistics from the guide outdated. As long as you keep an eye out for the patches, however, these changes should be nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Online Resources
Another potential factor you may want to consider is the Internet. A lot of the information from the guide will eventually trickle down to websites. With that said, you should be able to get an early advantage over other players, especially if you are engaging in player versus player battles, as it should take some time before a comprehensive free online guide is made available as opposed to the official printed guide.
Final Verdict
Future Press is considered by many to be the best game guide makers in the business. So there should be little doubt that their latest product is going to be another excellent product. If you want access to the full guide at the launch of the videogame and/or interested in the extras, then this is a must buy to go along with Bloodborne. You can preorder it with this page on Amazon.
If you don’t plan on getting the videogame on the first day of availability and/or don’t care about any of the bonus chest content, it may be best to hold off on the purchase of the guide and wait until the information is available for free online.
The Bloodborne Collector’s Edition Strategy Guide will be hitting stores on the 24th of March. Of course, that is also the same day as the release of the videogame on the PlayStation 4.
