IGN First Coverage Bloodborne Wiki » Art of Bloodborne » IGN First Coverage

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Basic Information

The IGN First month long coverage of Bloodborne for February 2015. IGN First schedule was as follow: first week - news every day, while following weeks were about 3 news a week for the rest of the month.

The IGN First was extensively covered on the News Blog on day to day basis. Information displayed on the wiki will follow the same day to day format.

DAY 1 - February 2nd: Bloodborne: The first 18 minutes

IGN Video & Article: [YT] Bloodborne: The First 18 Minutes - IGN First; Bloodborne: The First 18 Minutes - IGN First. The opening 18 minutes of Bloodborne throws you right into the deep-end with a mysterious, nightmarish cinematic. Once you gain control of your character, you'll die at the hands of a vicious beast, explore the bright and colorful hub world, and enter the treacherous town of Yharnam. Note: the capture is from a slightly older build and the game is still under development, so definitely be aware of that if you notice a rough edge or two.

Other Articles: Bloodborne's First 19 Minutes Analysis; Menus, Attributes, Weapons, Mechanics and More [broken]

Discussion: IGN First: Bloodborne - Discussion Megathread - Reddit Thread; Bloodborne gameplay: The Fisrt 18 minutes - NeoGaf Thread

Notable Information: Different post-alpha HUD in the top left corner. Hunter's Dream was named Dream Refuge in pre-release build. Arcane icon is pictured as an apple. Eileen the Crow was situated near caged dogs before Dry Dock in Central Yharnam which makes her easier to find than in retail version of the game.

DAY 2 - February 3rd: Bloodborne Hands-On: We were punished and we liked it

IGN Article: Bloodborne Hands-On: We Were Punished and We Liked It - IGN First by Marty Sliva, Bloodborne’s dark tone and brutal difficulty are readily apparent in the spiritual Souls sequel’s opening hours. The brooding action-RPG is packed with the same barrier to entry, environmental storytelling, and bosses that seem to be ripped straight from the deepest depths of your nightmares that fans of the Souls series loved throughout the past console generation. But for all of the great things that Bloodborne shares with the iconic trilogy, it’s the ways it differed that really impressed me throughout my time with the first two hours of the PlayStation 4 exclusive.

DAY 3 - February 4th: Bloodborne: Exploring its Vast Character Creator

IGN Video & Article: [YT] Bloodborne: Exploring its Vast Character Creator - IGN First; Bloodborne: Exploring its Vast Character Creator - IGN First by Marty Sliva. We're continuing strong through the first week of February's IGN First on Bloodborne with a dip into its robust character creator. Personalizing your wandering hero has always been an important facet of the Souls series, but Bloodborne definitely goes even deeper with a larger suite of customization options.

DAY 4 - February 5th: Inside the Mind of Bloodborne and Dark Souls’ Creator

IGN Article: Inside the Mind of Bloodborne and Dark Souls’ Creator - IGN First by Marty Sliva. Hidetaka Miyazaki is one of the most influential game directors of the last generation, but he’ll never tell you that. Director on Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, he helped put From Software on the AAA developer map by creating beautiful, punishing, and incredibly rewarding games that remind us what it was like to sit in front of our NES’ and chip away at the classics. During our IGN First trip to Tokyo for Bloodborne, we spent a day at From Software and sat down with Miyazaki himself. Our discussion traveled from Bloodborne’s inception, to the rise of speed runs and streaming, and even to which games he’s looking forward to in 2015. Sit back and relax, this one’s a doozy.

+ click to read whole interview | more interviews on its respective wiki page

A candid conversation with From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki by Marty Sliva. Hidetaka Miyazaki is one of the most influential game directors of the last generation, but he’ll never tell you that. Director on Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, he helped put From Software on the AAA developer map by creating beautiful, punishing, and incredibly rewarding games that remind us what it was like to sit in front of our NES’ and chip away at the classics. During our IGN First trip to Tokyo for Bloodborne, we spent a day at From Software and sat down with Miyazaki himself. Our discussion traveled from Bloodborne’s inception, to the rise of speed runs and streaming, and even to which games he’s looking forward to in 2015. Sit back and relax, this one’s a doozy. On How Bloodborne Came to Be “To speak precisely on the timing, it was just about when we were wrapping up Prepare to Die when Sony approached From Software," Hidetaka Miyazaki told us. His response to Sony? "Why don't we start talking about next-gen?" But of course, the world of Bloodborne was something that Miyazaki had been thinking about for quite some time. “...the game mechanics, or the gothic theme for example, those were some areas or concepts that were always brewing, and one of the areas that I always wanted to achieve in my career, and I knew that when that trigger was pulled, this was it.” On Inspirations for the Setting The world of Bloodborne is brimming with influences from our own history. From the aesthetics of Victorian London, to the mass hysteria of the Black Plague, it feels familiar while still maintaining an air of mystery. When I asked Miyazaki about his history with...well...history, he responded, “The short answer to your question is...not necessarily did I really study the history during my student years. However, it has always been an area of interest, naturally as you can see with my games. One thing I'd like to emphasize is that because they are areas of interest, and because they have significant roles in human history, there isn't really a specific element that I'd like to pursue or I would like to connect to as an inspiration, specifically because if I did, I would dig too deep into that particular angle of history or incident, and it's more or less a hybrid. I touch these points lightly, intentionally.” On Reading Books Before Playing Games Miyazaki’s love for reading is immediately apparent when you hear him speak. He explained to us, “Growing up, as a kid, I loved to read. I liked to read books that were above my range. I always tried to aim higher and read difficult books. What would happen is, although I could read them, sometimes -- because I was so young -- I couldn't read TOO deep into them. Maybe I would understand half of the story? What would happen is that my imagination would help fill the other half, and that imagination element would just blow up. That's kind of the part I enjoyed as well, filling the gaps of where I didn't understand the readings, where my imagination took me eventually to think that I understood what I was reading.” He elaborated, “It kind of relates to what I'm doing in my creations. In addition to that, I studied Sociolology and Psychology, and, after school, I revisited those themes, and this is the fruit of what you're experiencing now.” When asked if he played games a lot as a kid, his answer surprised. “Growing up, I was restricted at home from playing video games until I reached University. This is a reason why I stumble when I'm asked this question. There was a board game called Sorcery which is one of my favorites and I would often revisit the game. It's not a video game but it definitely stands out in my mind as a game that impacted me.” Unsurprisingly, he elaborated on another physical game he enjoyed, “I've been a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, and for them to have come this far is very meaningful to me.” On How Development on PS3 Informed PS4 Miyazaki began his career developing games for the PlayStation 3. Years later, he’s on a brand-new piece of hardware. We asked him about that leap in technology. “...the PS3, at that time, was revolutionary for introducing the network features and functionality, hence, that kind of explains why Demon's Souls and Dark Souls were designed in those ways. Now, fast forwarding to PS4, the Share feature is obviously adding onto that network connectivity and capability and the sharing of the experience. This is an area which plays a theme in Bloodborne where for example, sharing dungeons will be one of the key factors.”

On Speed Runs and Streaming Beneath the initial layer of extreme difficulty and opaque storytelling, the Souls community has rallied around mind-boggling speed runs and long-form streams of the games. And you know what, Miyazaki is a huge fan of this. When asked if he predicted this community during development, he cheerfully replied, “I'm very well aware of how players are enjoying the speed runs. I would like to correct that I'm nowhere near perfect and that was nowhere near what I was aiming for or expected. That was actually behavior by the consumer base that I did not anticipate. I have watched those and I actually enjoy that kind of...almost...interaction, in some ways and that is also at the core of my thinking or philosophy upon game design.” In terms of streaming the entire game on services like Twitch, he sees both the positives and negatives. “Of course, there are areas or storylines for example that I would like for the users to experience or take away from Bloodborne, but there's always kind of a thought that it would be interesting from my or the team's point of view as well, where the gamers take it and how they get creative and how they want to play.” He continued, “I see it as almost an interaction between the two, in terms of, ‘Oh, I actually didn't think of that, but you took it in a different way and found YOUR way or interpretation of how you would like to enjoy Bloodborne.’” On Bloodborne’s Ties to Demon’s Souls Between the ties to Sony, the faster combat, and the presence of a Nexus-like hub world, Bloodborne definitely feels like a follow-up to Demon’s Souls. When asked, Miyazaki told us, “Just reflecting on your question and the history of my development...it carries the DNA. It carries the DNA of Demon's Souls and its very specific level design. And even in Bloodborne, the upper maps, the maps above ground, are all along the lines of Demon's Souls and very specifically designed.” But that’s not to say there’s nothing new in Bloodborne. Specifically, the procedurally-generated Chalice Dungeon throws a curveball at what most Souls fans expect from the bespoke level design of the games. Miyazaki resumed, “In terms of Chalice Dungeon, yes, there is an element of randomness. However, once, for example, a Chalice Dungeon is created, you can lock that. Once you've locked it, you can go back and play it time and time again and learn it. So, on those terms, it's still along the lines of a Demon's Souls experience. But, we did want to have some sort of variance with a new IP like Bloodborne, to throw something new into the mix.” With a smile, he concluded, “Hopefully, it will resonate with the people and the fans will appreciate it.” On Horror What genre does Miyazaki consider the themes of Bloodborne to fall under? We asked if he was a big fan of horror, and his reply surprised us. “I'm not necessarily a fan of horror genre of movies or books. I do like reading in general but I'm not specific in terms of genres. If I had to call out a genre, I would say dark fantasy. I do like taking things in from text and letting my imagination explore and run with the stories. What you see is the full combination of a lot of those elements combined with the core theme of the game.” On whether he’d ever tackle a lighter, more family-friendly tone in a video game, he smiled and replied, “It's funny you say that because I get asked this question quite frequently, and my answer to this has always been that I've always had an interest in doing something colorful or heartwarming, but no one believes me.” “Admittedly, games like [Bloodborne], which are dark and somber, are kind of my expertise and that's what I go back to, those are my roots and probably something I'll continue doing. However, I've always had an interest in doing something that's more child-friendly or more colorful and lively. For example, games like PoPoLoCrois on PS1, Ico on PS2...those games stand out from my point of view, just as examples, of something I'd like to explore given the opportunities.” On Quickening the Pace of Combat The first thing most people think when they get their hands on Bloodborne usually revolves around the more aggressive-nature of combat. According to Miyazaki, “There are two reasons for this. I wanted to differentiate from the previous series and I wanted to consider the hunt your nightmare theme. Considering the hunt your nightmare theme and the massive challenges in the game, adding the speed element and proactive battles, I thought this was a better match for Bloodborne. I felt that by adding the faster paced proactive combat players would gain a sense of accomplishment by overcoming those battles.”

On How the Hell Multiplayer Works Multiplayer has always been a bit of a mystery in the Souls games. In light of recent trailers that showcased three human players teaming up to fight a single boss, fans theorized that there might be a more streamlined, jump into a friend’s game kind of multiplayer this time around. Well, that’s not the case, as Miyazaki clarified. “You still have to go through the matchmaking process. However, there is a workaround where you can use keywords or a secret word and share them with friends. And of course, you can use Chalice Dungeons where you can share your chalice Dungeon with a limited number of friends.” On His Influence on Gaming as a Whole Despite the monumental success of his games, Miyazaki is a quiet, and humble creator. When asked how he felt about the Souls games being some of the most influential of the past generations, smiled and responded, “I'm very humbled and grateful to even be considered that influential in the industry. I feel that may be a bit exaggerated. I have been influenced by many games in the industry and am grateful and honored to be a part of the games industry.” After a moment of silence, he finished with a laugh, “I often get criticized for not answering this question well *laughter* On Where Games Will Be in Five Years “If I knew the answer to that question I would tell you! (laughs)” On the Rise of Virtual Reality It seems like a trade show can’t go by without news regarding some form of VR, whether it be Oculus, Morpheus, or anyone else. Miyazaki understands the appeal, saying, “I feel that the devices are such impactful pieces of technology that..it's a game-changer by itself, the delivery and the experience. Business aside, from the point of view of a creator, I would like to be a part of that exploration, of that movement and process. Fingers crossed, as an outsider, that it takes off. Still, as a creator, I'd like to be a part of that movement. Looking back at when the PS1 and N64 came out, polygons were the big thing, and suddenly the experience of 3D on your screen was made a reality.” He continued on the future of the technology, “I'm very excited for the possibility of Oculus and Morpheus to explore another phase, a new angle, of innovation, and how could I deliver content, game-specific content. That's something that really excites me.” On His Most Anticipated Games of 2015 We finished off our time with Miyazaki by focusing on life after Bloodborne. Once the game is out the door, what is he looking forwarding to playing? “Just specifically from the game industry point of view, I'm looking forward to E3 for example, and specifically, being domestic developers, games like Metal Gear Solid V...obviously being open world, something new. And Zelda, again open world and a very new approach that they're taking. [Those are] probably the two pillar titles that I'm looking forward to. From a consumer point of view, Evolve is one I want to get my hands on and start playing. Left 4 Dead is something I really enjoyed in the past and I'd like to, if I have the time, explore Evolve as well.” On What’s Next But of course, as much as he’d love to sit down and play games for the rest of 2015, that probably isn’t going to happen. He concluded with a smile, “Realistically speaking, once I've wrapped this, anytime I have extra time on my hands, I will start to create or develop or design something new, because that's the most exciting thing.” Marty Sliva is an Editor at IGN. He is ready to die, die, and die some more in Bloodborne.

DAY 5 - February 6th: Making Bloodborne: Part 1 - Souls Evolved

IGN Video & Article: [YT] Making Bloodborne: Part 1 - Souls Evolved; [YT] Bloodborne Has Shields - IGN News;Making Bloodborne: Part 1 - Souls Evolved - IGN First by Marty Sliva. A highlight of our trip to Tokyo was being able to visit the offices of both From Software, as well as Sony Japan Studio. Through hours of interviews, and some amazing footage from around the offices and Tokyo itself, we were able to put together an intriguing look at the developers took the basic framework of the Souls series, and built upon it on the PlayStation 4 for Bloodborne.

+ click to read whole transcript | Whole Making Bloodborne coverage on its respective wiki page

1. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio: When we started this new project, the idea and core philosophy started by reflecting on the success we had with Demon's Souls. We thought it really delivered a totally new kind of experience to players. By revisiting this collaboration, and creating something for this new piece of hardware, our goal was to deliver another brand new kind of experience to the players. 2. Yasunori Ogura, PR, From Software: I think Demon's Souls is a representative title in many ways from our point of view. Again, we shifted the dynamics of the game design. It's not like we calculated our global success, but it came as result of focusing on a game with a sense of accomplishment. And I think that resonated well with players worldwide. 3. Ryo Fujimaki, Lead Graphic Artist, From Software: Bloodborne was produced with the idea that the world, the characters, and the player will become a single entity, allowing the player to create a world of their own to enjoy. Under this theme, the player progresses through a variety of different situations. Some beautiful and extravagant, while others are dark and depressing. 4. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio: The game is set in a massive and cursed city called Yharnam, which is inspired by 19th century gothic horror traditions. This city had originally been home to an illness called the Scourge of the Beast, and when the hero comes to Yharnam, that plague has really started to spread through the city like a pandemic. So the player becomes a hunter, hunting these beasts, and the story begins from there. 5. Tetsu Takahashi, 2D Designer, From Software: In Bloodborne, I tried to depict the fear or panic people feel when faced with the unknown or something they don't understand. In this period without advanced medicine, plagues and disasters would fall into those categories. Also, I tried to depict the darkness that is born from a damaged psyche. 6. Ryo Fujimaki, Lead Graphic Artist, From Software: Characters in Bloodborne are greatly influenced by the concepts of the Victorian era. The culture and detailed designs of the Victorian era are reflected in the characters, along with a little dash of our own inspiration.

7. Tetsu Takahashi, 2D Designer, From Software: There are the professional hunters who hunt the beasts in Yharnam. They're members of organizations like guilds or the church and they hunt these beasts according to their particular organization's principles. While creating these designs, I thought about how to bring these hunters to life in different ways, through their unique expertise and personal preferences. 8. Ryo Fujimaki, Lead Graphic Artist, From Software: With the PS4's performance, we were able to render precise designs, use new forms of lighting,and add post effects much more freely. 9. Jun Ito, Programmer, From Software: I don't think the basic process for creating a game has changed much, but the memory storage and the number of CPU cores had much bigger increases during the transition from PS3 to PS4 versus the transition from PS2 to PS3. The PS4 is a wonderful device that is very easy to create with. 10. Tetsu Takahashi, 2D Designer, From Software: PS4 allows us to create very detailed graphics which were impossible with the previous hardware. However, it also means that there's a greater expectation for highly detailed designs. 11. Jun Ito, Programmer, From Software: We spent a lot of CPU power on simulating fabric, so all our time and effort as programmers will be rewarded if players feel the world has a softness to it. Up until now we've worked in worlds, that feature a lot of armor, but this time we've created a world full of fabric allowing for ease of movement. 12. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio: One of the underlying core concepts for the game is the intense life-or-death combat, so part of that was making the combat more aggressive and offensive for the player. In coming up with a new combat style compared to Demon's Souls, on thing we really wanted to do was intensify the close-range attacks, and also make the encounters a lot faster paced.

13. Ryo Fujimaki, Lead Graphic Artist, From Software: We focused on the various reactions each character makes, so they can react to the player's actions. To do so, we have to tweaked the game to ensure the player feels well challenged. Most of our focus during development has been on gameplay-related elements, including things like a deep sense of immersion, a great sense of achievement and deadly combat. 14. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio: We wanted these encounters and battles to be so intense that if you just stand and wait, you'll get overwhelmed and killed right away. We wanted to encourage players to not hide and wait, but instead to be more aggressive and proactive in battle. That's why we decided to equip player with a melee weapon and firearm, and not a shield. To add to all that, and encourage players to be more aggressive we have introduced the new Regain system, where players can regain some of their lost health if they successfully counter-attack within a certain window of time. There are shields in the game. However if you're always standing back and guarding, you'll die very quickly. So you have to incorporate it into your strategy of how you play and fight. 15. Yasunori Ogura, PR, From Software: I think for anybody who is involved in game creation or in the creative field, their ultimate goal is to make something memorable or that lingers in the player's memory. How you get there is probably the difference. From our point of view, a lot of people use the word "difficulty" to describe elements of what we do in our games. Sense of accomplishment. Overcoming your fears. A lot of keywords that tie back into Bloodborne are certainly driving factors at From Software. 16. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio: What I really hope players take away from this game is, when we sat down with the team at From Software, one of our biggest goals was to make a game that not only Demon's Souls fans could enjoy, of course, but that new players could get into as well. I think it's going to be a really fun experience for players, so if we can get even one new person to try it out, whether they're more of an action game fan, or an action RPG fan, I think they'll really like it. I'm grateful for the chance to talk about the game and get people excited about the launch. Thank you very much.

DAY 6 - February 9th: Bloodborne Developer Walkthrough: The First 18 Minutes

IGN Video: [YT] Bloodborne Developer Walkthrough: The First 18 Minutes - IGN First. Same first 18 minutes footage, but this time with Sony Japan Producer Masaaki Yamagiwa acting as our tour guide. Discover the secrets of the game's opening, from the creepy cinematic and your first death, to the twisting alleys of Yharnam.

+ click to read whole transcript | [Made for /r/bloodbornethegame]

Masaaki Yamagiwa, Producer, Japan Studio My name is Masaaki Yamagiwa, and I am the SCE Japan Studio Producer for Bloodborne. Today, I would like to walk you through the beginning of Bloodborne. The game begins with the main character arriving in Yharnam for a specific purpose. In this scene you see the character about to get a blood transfusion after signing a contract with the doctor. In the actual game, the contract is signed when you complete the "Character Creation" process. This cutscene is pretty horrific, but it's a very crucial part of the story. For now, let's enjoy the scene. Try to imagine what this could all mean. Okay, now our character is awake. This is where the gameplay begins. We're currently in the Iosefka Clinic. Having undergone a blood transfusion, the main character's memories have become clouded and he has forgotten why he came to the city. The Blood Minister from before is nowhere to be found. All right, let's get moving. Yharnam is a cursed city overrun by the plague of the beast, and beasts like this can be found roaming all over the city. The beast is coming after me now. I had no weapons to fight with, so now I'm dead. This place is called the Hunter's Dream, the dream world of the hunters. This Hunter's Dream serves as the player's home base. Here you can level-up your character, strengthen your weapons, warp to different locations in Yharnam and more. That's just a doll. For now, I'll just say that she's a key character in the game. Something is calling us from the ground. These are "messengers," and they serve the hunters. The player is allowed to choose one trick weapon from three options at the start of the game. Let's go with the saw cleaver. You can of course acquire other various weapons as you proceed through the game. And from a different group of messengers, you can choose from two types of firearms. Let's try the Hunter's Blunderbuss. These messengers give you the Notebook item. This lets you leave behind messages with your messengers to exchange information with other players. Now let's equip the weapons we've received. I'll equip a trick weapon in my right hand and a gun in my left. Actually you can equip up to two weapons per hand to swap between. These are the fountain messengers. You can use the Blood Echoes acquired by defeating enemies to trade for weapons, armor and items here. It's basically an item shop. This is a Headstone of Awakening. It allows you to warp to various places within Yharnam, the real world. Let's leave the dream and go back to the real world. And now we're awake. The lamp to the right of the character is what connects the real world with the Hunter's Dream. There's the beast that killed me earlier. Now that I am armed with my trick weapon and firearm, I should be able to beat it. This time I was able to defeat the beast. When you defeat enemies, you obtain Blood Echoes. A second ago, you could see that enemy's eyes were glowing. That means it stole your Blood Echoes. In this game, you'll drop all your Blood Echoes if you are killed by an enemy. If you return to the place you died, you can get them back. But sometimes a nearby enemy will snatch up your Blood Echoes before you can return. That means that you can win your Blood Echoes back by killing the enemy that took them. Now we are outside. This area is called Central Yharnam. The ominous color of the sky foreshadows the hardships that await you. We're under attack. You can change your trick weapon's form like this. When you Saw Cleaver changes form, its range and swing change as well. To succeed in battle, knowing when to use each form is crucial. Let's pull the lever here. A ladder dropped down, so let's climb up it. We just heard a chilling scream, like a beast howling. It came from that bridge over there. I'm going to try to make my way there. Here's a lamp. If we light it, we'll link this location to the Hunter's Dream. Lamps like this are located throughout Yharnam. Once a lamp is lit, you can access that location any time from the Hunter's Dream. When you see a lit window like this, that means there's someone inside. Get close to the window to hear what they have to say.

This man's name is Gilbert, and he's afflicted with a severe illness. Many of Yharnam's residents have locked themselves inside their homes for fear of the beasts. Keep your eyes peeled for other people hiding like this. Some may even have useful information to aid in your quest. There is an item next to the dead body. You can obtain items by picking them up off the ground or from defeated enemies. Here's and enemy equipped with a shield. You can change your trick weapon's form even during your attack combos like this. Transforming your weapon during combos like this can knock an enemy's shield away, so use your combos strategically to get the upper hand. Here is a mob patrolling the street. These people were originally Yharnam residents who banded together to hunt the beasts but they've started to become beasts themselves. They've lost all human reason and gone mad. They even think you are a beast and try to come after you. I took some damage, so I'll use a healing item called a Blood Vial to recover some HP. Here's another group of enemies. Let's try to move closer without them noticing us. I pulled off a sneak attack. The second attack here is called a Visceral Attack. If you use a charge attack from behind, you can knock the enemy off balance. When the enemy stumbles, time your next attack just right to pull off a Visceral Attack. A giant mob has gathered at the end of the road here, executing a larger beast. There too many to fight head-on, so let's go around. I see an item. Let's go grab it. I just got ambushed. I am sure you Demon's Souls fans out there will enjoy these kinds of surprise enemy placements. And again, attacked from a blind spot. It is very important to remember where enemies are located. This game is designed so that even if you're not that good at action games you can still progress if you learn from your mistakes and hone your strategies. A bell is tolling. It means the beast hunt has begun. A giant mob that was hanging around before has now started to disperse to go back to hunting down beasts. Let's use this opening to get across the street here. The enemy hasn't noticed me yet. Now's my chance. Now let's head down into the street. I'd like to show how to perform a Visceral Attack with a firearm. If you fire your weapon right as the enemy is about to attack, the enemy will lose its balance leaving an opening for you to perform a Visceral Attack. A lot of enemies have left the area already, but there are still quite a few hanging around here. This is one of the tougher spots in Central Yharnam. A lot of players died here during the alpha test and at our consumer hands-on events. It's hard to fight multiple enemies at once, so the trick is to carefully take them down one by one. Here comes a dog. These dogs are tricky because their movements are so quick. The good thing is they're small, so gunshots can knock them away from you. I'll try to use the gun to take care of this dog. I managed to take out the dog. Let's keep up the pace and clear out the rest of the crowd. There's a pesky enemy shooting me from above. Finally made my way across the main street. In the alpha test code, we only had the route down over to the right. But in the full game, there's another path beyond these coffins. The world of Yharnam is very large and complex, with many shortcuts and secret paths like this in each stage. Exploring and finding hidden routes like this is one of the fun parts of the game. Since we're here already, let's jump down and see what's here. I see someone. Let's see what she has to say. She's a veteran hunter. She gave me a Bold Hunter's Mark as a token of gift. This handy item allows you to reawaken at a lamp after dying, without losing your Blood Echoes. The dog is barking next to the house. It must sense someone hiding inside. There are a lot of dogs locked up in cages here. Don't let your guard down. Sometimes a dog will bust its way out of its cage and come attack you. I just opened a shortcut door that was locked from the other side.

I just got ambushed by a guy hiding in the dark, but I was able to use the Regain system to get my health back. The Regain system is a special ability hunters have where you can take damage but get your health back if you counterattack an enemy within a certain amount of time. The Regain system rewards players for being more aggressive and exchanging blow for blow with the enemy. This gate can't be opened from the other side. Actually the area on the other side is where we saw the lamp next to Gilbert's house. So we've opened a shortcut to the very beginning of the stage. Since we've made it back to the lamp, let's take a break and head to the Hunter's Dream for a moment. The door to the house that was closed earlier is now open. There is someone inside so let's go talk to him. This character's name is Gehrman, and he provides hints about the story. Remember to speak with him often, to see what new information he might have. At the fireplace, you can use the Workshop to fortify your weapons. But right now we don't have the materials to upgrade anything yet. Let's use the headstone to return to reality. We've lit two lamps so far, so there are two destinations listed here. Let's go back to where we just came from. I'll take the left route through the open gate. Let's go inside the dark house again. This building has two floors, so let's check upstairs. Now we're on the bridge where those beastly howls came from earlier. A gigantic beast just jumped down from the rooftop. This boss is called the Cleric Beast. This was the beast that was howling when I climbed the ladder earlier. Its weak point is its head. You can switch the target lock between its head and its chest, so I'm going to focus on attacking its head. The boss has a variety of attacks including swinging his arms to the sides smashing down at you, grabbing you, and pouncing on you. The key to beating him is learning his attack patterns and figuring out when he is vulnerable to attacks. I'll try to get closer as I roll to dodge his attacks. I attacked the arm for major damage, and caused him to recoil in pain. Here's my opening to attack and do a lot of damage. Unfortunately, I ended up dying. But I don't want to spoil the fun for you just yet by beating him in this video. I want you to experience this intense boss fight and the huge sense of accomplishment first-hand when you defeat him on your own. I hope you all enjoyed that. It was fun introducing lots of new things about the game. We have much more in store for you in the rest of the game, so I hope you're as excited for the launch as we are. Thank you for watching!

DAY 7 - February 11th: Bloodborne's Gorgeous, Gothic Environments

IGN Video: [YT] Bloodborne's Gorgeous, Gothic Environments - IGN First. Join us on a visual tour of the gorgeous, gothic environments of Bloodborne. We venture far outside the confines of Yharnam and show you some never-before-seen locations that you'll most likely be suffering thousands of deaths across. Bonus: The video is accompanied by a song from the soundtrack that provides a perfect dark, moody tone.

Other Links: Album of Screencaps from "Bloodborne's Gorgeous, Gothic Environments" video.

DAY 8 - February 13th: Bloodborne's Haunting Music

IGN Video & Article: [YT] Bloodborne's Haunting Music - IGN First; Bloodborne's Haunting Music - IGN First by Marty Sliva. Like From Software's games before it, Bloodborne is punctuated with epic, brutal, and memorable boss battles. But while the art and combat design are both part of the reason why these encounters are so iconic, there's an unsung hero to the Souls series: its incredible music. That's why we're happy to debut a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into producing one of these tracks. Seeing the song emanate an entire orchestra alongside a choir makes you appreciate the piece even more.

Other Articles: The Otherworldly Music of Bloodborne. Hello everyone, this is Chuck Doud, the Director Of Music for Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios America. The score was recorded in London at Abbey Road and Air Studios. It was performed by a 65 piece orchestra, a 32 piece choir, and multiple vocal and instrumental soloists. Over 90 minutes of music was mixed at our recording studios here at the Playstation headquarters in San Mateo. The music was composed by in-house composers at From Software as well as the multiple guest composers.

DAY 9 - February 17th: Bloodborne's Devastating Weapons in Action

IGN Video: [YT] Bloodborne's Devastating Weapons in Action - IGN First. To defeat the terrifying beasts in Bloodborne, you're gonna need a variety of awesome weapons. Check out this montage of the tools at your disposal as you slice through the creatures that stalk Yharnam.

DAY 10 - February 19th: Bloodborne Story Trailer

IGN Video: [YT] Bloodborne Story Trailer - IGN First. Discover what plagues the city of Yharnam in From Software's much-anticipated action-RPG.

Other Article: Bloodborne: Story Trailer Hints at Dark Secrets. Today as part of IGN First we revealed our brand new story trailer for Bloodborne, the PS4-exclusive Action RPG from developers FromSoftware and SCE Japan Studio. This trailer introduces some of the characters you’ll meet along the way as you venture into the depths of the cursed city of Yharnam, and hints at some of the dark secrets waiting to be uncovered by brave hunters.

Other Links: Album of Screencaps from "Bloodborne Story Trailer" video.

DAY 11 - February 20th: Bloodborne's Horrifying Monsters and Mini-Bosses

IGN Video: [YT] Bloodborne's Horrifying Monsters and Mini-Bosses - IGN First. From Software has made a name for itself by populating its worlds with some of the most terrifying and memorable creatures to ever haunt a video game. Bloodborne looks to be no different.

Other Links: Album of Screencaps from "Bloodborne's Horrifying Monsters and Mini-Bosses" video.

DAY 12 - February 23rd: Making Bloodborne: Part 2 - A PS4 Exclusive

IGN Video: [YT] Making Bloodborne: Part 2 - A PS4 Exclusive. Sony and From Software detail co-developing Bloodborne for the PlayStation 4 in Part 2 of our behind-the-scenes series.

Other Article: The Making of Bloodborne, Part 2. Today, with IGN First’s special Bloodborne coverage entering its final week, we get to learn more about the collaboration between Japan Studio and From Software that once, long ago, led to Demon’s Souls and now leads to the dark world of Bloodborne. Watch the new video above.

+ click to read whole transcript | Whole Making Bloodborne coverage on its respective wiki page

1. Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios: We have a history in Japan Studio to try new ideas, Japanese "devs" in general are trying to find their own niche so that they can still be relevant to the larger audience than just their home market and the culture that Japan Studio has I believe is good fit in these new situations. 2. Masami Yamato, Head of external development, Japan Studio: The Internal Development group has creators including Fumito Ueda and Keiichiro Toyama in it, and they take plenty of time to develop truly unique and special games. I think they are the pillar of first party development, the bones of Japan Studio. The external Development group functions as the muscle, suggesting the board possibilities of new game experience in a faster cycle. We started this project because we had been hoping to create a new game with Miyazaki-san and From Software since the success of Demon's Souls in Japan and other regions. 3. Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios: Game came out in Japan with pretty low key they are not too much in a marketing of thinking, people actually I clearly remember it was consumers in Japan who bought just the game and found out how great and how deep the game is, despite the insure in very difficulty. 4. Yasunori Ogura, PR, From Software: This is From Software's 26th year in the game industry. Starting off with the PS1 generation. The kind of sense of accomplishment that is at the core of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls is actually something that we strived for in one of our first games, King's Field. So from the very beginning we've tried to make games that retain that core tenet of providing a sense of accomplishment. After the PS2 came around, we started working on a variety of games. But we decided we wanted to go back to those roots, and that how we came up with Demon's Souls. This core tenet is something that I think we'll continue to carry throughout future From Software games.

5. Masami Yamato, Head of external development, Japan Studio: Usually, developers come up to us with their ideas to start a new project. Bloodborne was a bit of a special case. As we had a strong desire to work with Miyazaki-san, we brought the idea to From Software. 6. Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios: There are lots of ideas thrown and discussed between Japan Studio and From Software but when it came to me it was already pitch hard, very dark, kinda dark setup and more moody and beautiful. And what Miyazaki-san talked about, he doesn't necessarily want to make the game harder or more difficult from the difficulty standpoint in rather he would like to players feel that at any time they might die. He wanted to make the battle, combat more active so that players go more aggressive, and risk and reward dynamic view are changed much higher. 7. Yasunori Ogura, PR, From Software: In collaboration with PlayStation to create Bloodborne, from the fan's perspective, I think it probably resembles the development of Demon's Souls. With Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and this time around with Bloodborne, each game has its own taste, or style, while being similar in various ways. 8. Masami Yamato, Head of external development, Japan Studio: Japan is a very different market and not all games that are successful here do as well globally. To make an analogy, you can go to Kyoto and watch a sunset in that beautiful setting, and you can go to the US west coast and watch the sunset sink into the horizon. Both of them possess their own unique beauty that can touch people's hearts. I think that among game creators as well, there are lots of very talented people, regardless of birthplace, nationality or race, who have the vision to create games that touch people's hearts around the world. And Miyazaki-san is undoubtedly one of those people. He creates games which resonate with people regardless of the fact that they were made in Japan or that there are cultural differences between Japan and other countries. That's why Miyazaki-san's titles are well received all over the world.

9. Yasunori Ogura, PR, From Software: From Software is often thought of as a “different” kind of developer. We don't really think of ourselves as being that different. We just want to make games that are fun and that fans can enjoy playing. That's why we do what we do. I think that vision is very strong. We're very grateful to have partners that enable us to continue to maintain that focus. 10. Shuhei Yoshida, President, SCE Worldwide Studios: Game used to be challenging, game used to really challenge your skills, effort and "creativities" back in the days. And overtime more games have become kinder, more easier in giving hand-holding to consumers and that's all great with broaden audience of new players and casual players. But at the same time there are always the consumers who remember the time we spent a lot of time to understand and solve challenging games, overalls times and Bloodborne and the Souls games are really bringing back those memories of you as a game players, I myself spent hours and hours playing Miyzaki-san's game and I don't regret any moment, not a bit so enjoy.

DAY 13 - February 25th: Bloodborne Month Finale Teaser

IGN Teaser: Bloodborne Month Finale Teaser

DAY 14 - February 27th: Bloodborne's Darkbeast Boss Gameplay

IGN Video & Article: [YT] Bloodborne's Darkbeast Boss Gameplay - IGN First. A lone hunter tries to survive in this first footage of the Darkbeast boss battle.

Other Article: SPOILERS: New Bloodborne Boss Revealed. Today I would like to introduce a brand new boss enemy from the game. Just like in Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne will feature many boss enemies of all shapes and sizes, and there will be a variety of ways to defeat them. So I think you will find that the gameplay in Bloodborne is rich and diverse. I am happy to introduce a new boss character called “Darkbeast.” This electric beast emerges from giant skeletal remains. With lightning coursing through its body, it bombards the player with its erratic and off-speed movements.