The "borne" in Bloodborne is an entirely different word from "born". It means "carried by" or "transmitted by" That is, the beast plague is transmitted via blood - the old blood. Basically the game spoils a massive twist in the title. But the two do work well together. "Borne" could be a double ententre, and the idea of something being a host of a disease is often paralelled with women being hosts of children, menstration, etc.
Calling the name of Bloodborne a spoiler because beasthood is transmitted through the blood is the same as calling the name Dark Souls a spoiler because humanity possess a soul from the furtive pygmy, the soul opposite of the Light soul Gwyn possessed, the Dark soul.
Yes and no. Both borne and born came from the verb 'bear', in the sense of 'bring', and always had that double meaning, now obscured because those two meanings have been codified in different (but still pretty similar) words.
Ignore all these dweebs. This is exactly what its all about in a very short eloquent way if you ask me. Its about both blood transmitted knowledge as a Faustian bargain; amniotic fluid\menstruation\child-birth and all the femininely archetypes that tie into the moon. You're right on the money.
paleblood is explicitly the moon presence. there's a note in the lecture hall that says "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood."
@@destihado1 Because it doesn't have a name? 😂 Paleblood is simply a moniker, because of how it makes the moon appear like blood. The boss bar is just a nameless description, "Moon Presence" so it has no true name.
The Doll refers to the Moon Presence as ‘Flora’. “O Flora, of the moon, of the dream. O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients… Let the Hunter be safe, let him/her* find comfort. And let the dream, his/her* captor… …foretell a pleasant awakening… …be, one day, a fond, distant memory…” This isn’t to say you’re incorrect, Paleblood also refers to the Moon Presence, just another interesting fact. *If your character is male, the Doll says him and his, if your character is female, she says her.
That ending note about plagarism and how we see derivative work was honestly such a great way to finish the video. Bloodborne really is an example of how to make something better than the sum of its parts (and wow, those are quite some parts) and I think that alone is worth celebrating.
The other day I was playing Bloodborne with a friend and this is exactly what I said to him. Bloodborne is more than the sum of its parts. Definitely a contender for best game FS ever made, and that's tough to say given that I love most of everything they've done since Demon's Souls onwards.
Miyazaki explains his definition of Paleblood pretty explicitly in an interview - it's the way the sky looks after beating Rom and revealing the ritual.... the sky is pale blue, "like a corpse drained of blood". Thus "Seek Paleblood" = get the sky to turn light blue = reveal the mensis ritual. I know that the moon presence being Paleblood makes more sense in the context of the story, and that the sky is more purple than pale blue, but that's still what he said.
Sometimes I think From stories are GENIUS laziness. Make tons of shit even if it doesn't make sense, and let people DO YOUR JOB by building whatever bullshit story they want to believe. Same as with religion.
I haven’t finished the video, but a huge thing about the note at the beginning of the game is that the Japanese version says that it’s written by your character
I heard about it, it says the handwritten scrawl has a kanji that implies it is your own calligraphy. Biggest mistery in bloodborne will always be how the heck did the character know about paleblood...
@@theragebringer4424There are two possible reasonings: 1. Amnesia (improbable) and 2. Since your character comes from a foreign land, they know about Yharnam and send you there because you're sick. Or you were orchestrated by the Moon Presence.
My interpretation of the true/hidden ending is that both Willem and Lawrence were wrong, it is neither through pure insight or holy blood that will lead man to a new childhood, but rather a special combination of both. If you consider the way the game is typically played, throughout the game you gain strength from blood (bloodechoes) and knowledge from insight. What do the One Third Umbilical Cords do? Give us large bursts of insight with each one used, as if our character has an epiphany with each use. Yet, to survive all the way to the Moon Presence, great strength is required through the use of the Blood. (level 1 runs not-withstanding)
God, every time I see a new upload from this channel I get genuinely excited to watch it. I absolutely LOVE your philisophical discussions and the lens through which you examine games like this. And of course when I saw that you made a video about Bloodborne, a game which I would consider to be one of if not THE greatest game currently in existence, I immediately clicked on it. If I had the financial stability to support you on patreon I 100% would, but since I can't do that at the moment I want to show some genuine appreciation by just letting you know how much these videos not only entertain, but also genuinely enlighten me. The way through which you examine games is unlike any I've personally seen on youtube before and provides such a fresh and interesting perspective on things otherwise talked to death. You truly succeed at providing interesting perspectives on great games. I wish you the best of luck with your next projects and I look forward to watching them!
I think the argument FOR the healing system is that you get punished for NOT using the rallying system. The stamina is so forgiving in this game because even in the midst of battle you should use the rallying mechanic, and not doing so will cost you. I got this from AesirAesthetics btw.
This is the most unique interpretation of Bloodborne I've seen. Bloodborne has become the video game equivalent of the shining at this point with so many different takes on it. Fantastic video.
A series I've seen on yt that has a notable piece of the puzzle is called "A Agony of Effort" To summarize blood borne was inspired by in hospice, a book of poems written by the author of jeckle and Hyde, recounting his experience of being operated on in edinburgh scotland around the birth of modern surgery. Using this framework to explore the way we can dehumanize others and in turn loose our humanity our selves. While the series is a bit slow and repetitive and a bit TO convinced of its own concept, I think when viewed along with the other influences that it does a lot to convey the inspiration and themes bloodborne explores. E X E P T ! his thoughts on paleblood, true or not I feel lack thematic resonance on a surface level. He thinks it alludes to tuberculosis and the pale phlegmy blood patients cough up. This I believe, my question is WHY, why do we seek this specifically.
What an incredible and enlighting interpretation of Bloodborne. Ceave truly is one of the best video game essaysts out there, keep up the good work man!
I mean meeting a symbol for death as the alternative or bad ending to finding meaning within yourself could certainly be seen as a metaphor for how if one falls into nihilism, doesn't find meaning in life, it can result in them taking their own life. The reaper allegory being a "shadow fight" also supports that interpretation.
@GamerZoneSpeaking i'm just saying that Ceave isn't contreversial because i can't find a single comment here saying otherwise maybe "correct" wasn't the right word but that's why i used " "
@GamerZoneSpeaking You’re right but especially in communities with a fanbase so dedicated to accurate representation of vague lore, if even a few people slightly disagreed they would be pretty vocal about it. It’s very common under other videos of bloodborne/other fromsoft games even when they have a “””circlejerk””” community. And even if that wasn’t the case I wouldn’t consider ceave’s fanbase to be like that
if you had told me years ago that the funny mario maker creator i was watching would one day post a 90 minute video about the death of god, and that it'd be one of the greatest youtube videos i'd have ever seen, i'd have laughed in your face. but here we are.
I'll be honest, there's a good chunk of this video that I just do not agree with but I still found it fascinating regardless. If anything, I think the views of Nietzsche are incredibly interesting and so often twisted or misinterpreted by people with ulterior motives. One thing I *do* love about this video and your other videos, though, is how you approach the narratives of games in trying to understand what they *mean.* There's so many Bloodborne videos out there trying to interpret what Paleblood is quite literally but I think you are right in viewing it from a metaphorical and thematic viewpoint, rather than a literal one. I think what I disagree with the most in the video, though, is the idea that Bloodborne is not trying to convince or tell us something. I'd argue that it very much is trying to do so. There is a very common theme throughout the game of people seeking transcendence, of *not* leaving the dead well enough alone. How this causes them to sink further and further into madness. It causes them to commit more and more atrocities, perpetuate the suffering of others just for the sake of this transcendence. They seek something they can never have and continue to do so despite it clearly causing nothing but more suffering. In a metaphorical sense, they're more or less trying to manifest their way out of mortality. They wish to move beyond death itself. But this is impossible for anyone who also wishes to retain their humanity. Mortality is that which *makes* us human. And any actions towards removing ourselves from the inevitability of death only serves to erode our morals, anything that makes us empathetic and human. I think this is likely why Gehrman has the scythe at the end. He is our final step to fighting the literal concept of death. Killing him and the moon presence is the final spilling of blood that completely erases our humanity. Anyway, I'm kind of rambling here.... but man, Bloodborne is truly an incredible game. As much as I love Dark Souls and Elden Ring, Bloodborne just tickles the brainmeats far more than either of those. Sekiro actually comes pretty close and I'd say it actually deals with a lot of similar themes around immortality being antithetical to being human. But yeah.... I don't know how to end this rant so, uh... great job, Cleave!
I have never played bloodbrone but clicked on this video because Ive always enjoyed your videos and whatever you had an hour and a half to say about what I assumed would just be some ambiguous key item in a weird ambiguous game, and was gifted with an incredible lecture about religion, art, and how we view and interact with it whether or not its something we have a positive relationship with. Thank you for sharing this work of art, and all the effort that went into it. It inspires me as an artist and creator.
Guy: "so, what is bloodborne about?" Ceave: "well, first we need to kill God" Guy: "and then?" Ceave: "Then you can play the game.... where you kill God"
The way you structure your videos and work towards your conclusions is so unique and engaging, I have honestly not had this much fun with hour long video essays for an eternity. I'm really glad I stumbled over your channel.
i LOVE the analysis of the themes and story in this video (i had a real "oh" moment when you pointed out the symbolism of the angel pouring blood into a skull), but i'm a little confused by the initial gameplay analysis regarding the healing system. i was surprised when you said there's no way to get back your health when you run out of blood, because a different video i'd watched (hbomberguy's "Bloodborne is genius and here's why") said the opposite. in fact, it praised bloodborne for having a system very similar to the game you compared it to. when you lose health, you can gain it back if you attack very shortly thereafter, which encourages an aggressive playstyle. you can even see it happening during the gascoigne fight at around 34:19 - you take a hit, and your health bar depletes, but there's still a pink bar remaining where you lost your health, showing that it can be regained. then, you hit him a few times, and the health comes back. i understand that this would be hard to see without the UI up most of the time, but i'm surprised you hadn't seen that in previous playthroughs. otherwise, it's really a stunningly well put together video! i don't want to downplay that with this comment. "perspective" was a great word to add to this channel name, because your videos really give me a whole new perspective on media that i never would have thought of before, and i love it so much. i'm SO pleased you're back from your hiatus; there's really nothing else quite like these videos out there. keep it up, man - you're very appreciated, and your efforts do not go unnoticed. edit: someone cleared this up for me in the replies, it makes more sense to talk about it the way ceave does if you’ve played the game
I'm sure he's aware of this but it doesn't have anything to do with the blood vial system he's talking about. It's a great mechanic but it only works in the middle of combat, and only when you can safely counter. Limited heals and needing to farm is a very well known issue in bb for newer players.
Somehow you have managed to be my childhood UA-camr with mariomarker, and grow into one I still watch today. I don’t know if it’s your style just growing with me, or that I just like whatever you create, but it’s kinda cool to have followed you online for so long. (Since the cow farm video I think) Can’t wait to see what stuff you do next. I cannot stress enough that without you and a few others, my channel wouldn’t exist. My online life and presence would be completely different had I never found you, and I am very grateful I did. Hope your videos start doing better again.
The earlier stuff is on ceave gaming, it's mainly Mario maker & challenge run focused, but there's some analysis stuff mixed in! (And the Mario stuff is also great, Especially if you like the recurring phrases in the ceave essays!)
Regarding blood vials, my own take and the reason why I don't hate the system is that they are so common a drop, that they facilitate long stretches of exploration without rest, something estus flasks do not allow. If you're a patient and methodical hunter, you can clear out areas and rarely die outside of boss battles, which then allows you to develop a large enough stockpile that the lack of vials never becomes an issue. 37:49 - The transformation is based on the bosses' HP, with 3 phases in total.
A few notes, observations i think others have shared. Borne; is the word for transmitted, or carried, like a virus or plague, the beast plague. Not birth. Paleblood almost explicitly represents the moon prescence as we have a note in the lecture hall i believe that specifically references the fella. Conversely, “seek the paleblood” and “ascend the hunt”. Can elude to you having the three umbilical cords and becoming a eldritch god newly born. The healing church delved deep blow to find the ancient crypts, thereafter finding the “healing” blood. It wasnt so much a parallel of the christian faith as opposed to a scientific cult passing the cursed blood off as a miracle. If we look other lore breakdowns this seems to be the general consensus with solid backing from ingame sources. Otherwise, this is a solid breakdown
The lack of views for this is criminal, UA-cam really did you dirty. Over all the years I’ve watched your stuff, this is the point that makes you be my first ever patreon supportee because damn, this shouldn’t discourage you from making these deep dives
If I were to guess, there probably aren't a whole lot of people looking for or willing to click on an hour and a half long analysis video on UA-cam. It's unfortunate, but content like this does target kind of a niche audience. I love stuff like this, though, so I very much appreciate that it exists!
@@Saberfox17this is absolutely not the case? UA-cam loves longform content thats why the majority of content on the platform these days is longform. Its all over the algo
The real issue is that he took a two-year break. No social media promotes the rewatching of infrequently-posting channels because they want to maximize watch time, engagement, and time spent.
Ceave I had a really bad day. Seeing that my most favourite youtuber analysis my most favourite game, is exactly the thing I needed. Thanks for cheering me up and dor your amazing content!
This is the greatest rollercoaster I've ever been on! I did not care one bit about Bloodbourne before, but now I feel like I've seen it through so many frameworks, each more fascinating than the last. At times it felt like one of those conspiracy theory videos, but then it all begins to make perfect sense in the last 30 minutes. Amazingly done!
That's the neat thing about From Software. They're some of the most lore heavy games humanity has ever made. They just don't spoon feed you *any* of it. You have to hunt within the game to fully understand the events transpiring during the game.
@@flamingdeathbanana Lore channels are a blessing and a curse. They often have very insighful ideas, but they also have incorrect ones that got into the head-cannon along the good ones, and are very hard to get challenged. For example, the idea the Great Ones can't bear children is one idea that most people think as a fact in the lore of Bloodborne. All comes from the note 'all great-ones lose their child, and yearn for a surrogate' (or something like that). But Bloodborne is full of children of the Gods: Ebrietas alone seems to have two dozens at least. And our mission (even if that is somewhat obscured) is to kill one of those children, Mergo, that wouldn't be necessary if they simply died after being born. In fact, it looks to me that Great Ones can bear children just fine, but they lose them because other Great Ones kill them, or use unwitting pawns (our player character) to achieve just that.
@@juanausensi499 I dunno who ever said that the Great Ones can't have children. We see it 4 times in the story. 2 of the times they actively have a child during the story.
I can not, for the life of me, understand how this isn't more popular. This was masterful. What culture! What knowledge! I can not compose a comment able to express the awe this video left me in!
Over the past few months, Ceave, you have written some exquisite breakdowns of video games into a summation of parts that I never consider when playing. All at once, I can enjoy some of the best games in history, thrilling stories, surprisingly intense and intricate philosophy that make these games more than just how they play or how much money they make. Being able to find this in games is a talent, but being able to communicate these high end ideas, regardless of your belief in them, in a polished and logical manner as you have here is great. When I started watching your Mario Maker content, I enjoyed hearing your technical knowledge of one game; here, you have constructed arguments and theses on well hidden themes in the most notable games in a beautiful way. Needless to say, I've really enjoyed your content, and I hope you are doing what you enjoy. (No need to subject yourself to uninteresting projects or frustrating community discussions if you don't enjoy them, after all.)
After watching, I can safely say that this is comfortably within one of my top 20 videos of all time. Art, God, and human suffering, three of the most central ideas to humanity in general, this video tackles them all and nails them directly on the head. Amazing video, nearly perfection. 10/10.
Man, Ceave was COOKIN' with this one! Actually was reading about the Beast of Gevaudan something like a year or so ago and while completely not expecting that to come up in a Bloodborne video essay, I immediately knew what you were talking about once you started that section. Another amazingly well done video!
HOORAY, god man, this is an amazing video and has definitely risen to the top of my favourite videos, I was not expecting the link back to Beast of Gévaudan, I’d been fascinated by that story a few months back and to see it pop up as such a pivotal thing aswell was amazing, keep up the good work.
This channel is so great. Its like a nostalgia trip cuz ur voice and style is so ingrained in my mind from ur mario maker vids i watched as a kid. but as a young adult now the vudeos u make on this channel are right up my alley and are abt all the games i love so dearly
Correction: As long as you don't kill Iosefka when visiting her clinic, you can still gain the Third Umbilical Cord after Rom. You have 4 Umbilical Cords overall. The one from the Abandoned Workshop, one from Arianna if you either dont take her blood or just don't save Adella, one from Iosefka if you don't kill her until after Rom, and lastly from Mergo after killing Mergo's Wetnurse.
the theme and overall flow of your videos makes them feel like a journey. By the end of it I always feel sad but somehow optimistic, it's a super weird mix but I love it so much, and it's in a way the original media doesn't even evoke. It's a crazy difference from when I used to watch your mario maker vids a few years ago and i'm 100% here for it
Wonderful video. I''ve thought a lot (and considered making a UA-cam video essay about) the religious themes in the Dark Souls games, how those games juxtapose Buddhist and Christian ideas of death, how the Christ-like sacrifice of Gwynn isn't what saves the world, but what damns it... but I'd never really considered the similar themes in Bloodborne. Also, it's not *really* the focus of this video but I've always found it fascinating how different play styles lead to vastly different experiences with Bloodborne's bosses - I've literally never died to Ludwig, but I've heard many others describe him as one of the hardest bosses in the game. The boss that has killed me the most across five or six playthroughs is actually Rom.
40:55 Rhetorical question aside, the point of the door is to act as a back entrance to Djura, as you can befriend him if you sneak up and don't kill any of the beasts near him, which he gives you the Powder Keg Hunter Badge and a gesture as a parting gift. Darkbeast Paarl is an awkwardly placed boss though, and the explanation for this seems to be that he was a later addition to the game. People datamined an old list of bosses from the game's Alpha network test, and Paarl isn't included in the main game line-up. However, the Chalice Dungeons list includes the Darkbeast (large) boss, so it seems that he was a Chalice Dungeon exclusive boss before being brought up to the main game, resulting in his location and rewards being a bit haphazardly put together.
Actually you're way overthinking it. Anything related to the celestials aka the alien race / kin in the game has paleblood and looks pale because it's blood isn't fiery red like ours. Anything that has the paleblood inside them looks incredibly pale as expected all the way up to and including the last boss in the game. So that note just tells you to play the game until it's finished. The whole story is kicked off with Yharnam, the healing church and blood ministration. Blood that does not come from them but from the great ones / celestials they discovered below Yharnam. And anyone that used it becomes pale blooded but your goal is to get to the source and that's what you do.
By Nietzsche’s pregnant godly drop of blood, is that my channel in the Patreon credits?!? All jokes aside this video was amazing and Ceave never fails to make me learn obscure facts about French movies while I am trying to learn about the story of Bloodborne. 5 out of 5 fuzzies!
I just wanted to leave a comment thanking you for these videos. I think they've helped me to look at things I enjoy through a much more objective lens - its helped me articulate things much better where I usually have a difficult time doing so.
I dont think the blood has anything to do with Christianity or the church. It’s far too myopic for souls games. It’s like saying saving private Ryan was about capitalism or something. Blood is the symbol of life’s spirit. And beasts have the key. The side of ourselves we’ve blocked off, and put underground. We thought we were evolving by locking it away when in actuality we need it to be a part of us. Hunters aren’t allowed not because it’s inherently bad…it’s because they couldn’t handle it. We’re hunting for the lost treasure to save us. The external thing to solve our problems. But really it’s not been about the hunt. It’s about the 3rd answer, the solution coming from ourselves when we tame old blood which is its own primordial spirit wanting to take over whatever it resides in (hence beasts). But naw man…it doesn’t have anything to do with faith. Bloodborne is the internal world and we’re defeating our OWN old god that we need to integrate into ourselves to rebirth something new. I still don’t understand why it’s called ‘pale’ blood but only thing I can think of is alchemy and red, black & white transformation
“Seek paleblood” means find the moon presence. It’s a little more obscure in English but in Japanese the note is explicitly in your handwriting and later on there is a note on a bridge that says “Behold. A paleblood sky!” It has a good view of the moon so when the blood moon descends the note makes more sense. Then when we fight German the blood moon descends in the dream and the moon presence appears. Then if we defeat the moon presence the only great one left in this world is our infant form and the stray amygdala. It’s not even clear if the beast scourge exists in the real world since it could easily have been a dream since the opening.
If you don't confront Djura on your first trip through Old Yharnam, kill the blood starved beast, kil Paarl and then walk up to Djura from behind he will have dialogue with you and give you his hunters badge without having to fight him. You guys actually kind of become friends, it's cute.
incredible work, this allready is a colossal ammount of research but i would love to direct you (and every other bloodborne fan) to charred thermos' works on bloodbornes relationship to 15th century medical science and surgery, its incredible how many details are hidden in plain sight
As a Christian I just want to thank you for talking about aspects of my religion in a very respectful way and not just expressing your own views in a aggressive and agenda-driven way. I'll admit that over my two playthroughs of Bloodborne I never really made the connection between Christianity and the themes of Bloodborne and it was very interesting to hear your research. Again just want to thank you for treating these topics with respect as I'm sure not many others would. Great video! 😁👍
It must have been an enormous effort to nail the structure and pacing of your script like this - with such a multifaceted topic to cover. Another insane video!
I've seen so many analysis videos on Bloodborne on every single aspect, but you touched upon many matters that really tied it beautifully into the overall themes of religion. Your ending ideas on the concept of "self-so" and "escaping the bind of prescriptive ethics" is a large topic in traditional Daoism as it was struggling to express itself under a stifled system in Ancient China (both Confucianism and Daoism were reacting to this "fallen society" narrative in different ways). I imagine since Miyazaki is Japanese his ideas may be more inline with what is found in the Zhuangzi, about the natural emergence of concepts instead of always chasing after the shadows of "great people" and modeling one's behavior and life so entirely on them. You did a wonderful job here, expressing each character as a symbol rather than... well a character does contextualize a great amount, while I can't say I fully agree with this view, you certainly provided ample supporting circumstances to build further upon.
I just rediscovered you after vague memories of watching a bunch of your mario challenges years ago, and what a rediscovery it was. Loving some of the pieces you've got on this channel and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to watch a nice breakdown of my favorite game of all time.
27:17 It wasn't Byrgenwerth who came in contact with Ebrietas but the Choir many years later, after the Healing Church was established. At Byrgenwerth they encountered Ebrietas only partially via the phantasms, and only years after the initial expedition in the old labyrinth the Choir was able to retrieve the Isz Chalice and finally meet her in person: "Remnant of the eldritch Truth encountered at Byrgenwerth. Use phantasms, the invertebrates known to be augurs of the Great Ones, to partially summon abandoned Ebrietas. The initial encounter marked the start of an inquiry into the cosmos from within the old labyrinth, and led to the establishment of the Choir." - Augur of Ebrietas found in Byrgenwerth lecture building "Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth."- Choir garb "The Great Isz Chalice became the cornerstone of the Choir, the elite delegation of the Healing Church. It was also the first Great Chalice brought back to the surface since the time of Byrgenwerth, and allowed the Choir to have audience with Ebrietas" - Great Isz Chalice dropped by Ebrietas
Ceave, it’s been ages. The 20-hour video essay on why Untitled Goose Game is a revolutionary piece of Marxist art STILL hasn’t come out. I KNOW you’re making it. WHY are you withholding it from us????? Like, do you just not care about us? Is that what it is? I don’t know, I’m just grasping at straws, but it seems to me like you just don’t care about us… shaking my smh.🙄
Untitled Goose Game came out in 2019. That’s 5 years ago. You think a game as complex and intrinsic as Untitled Goose Game can be properly and accurately dissected and explained in 5 years? Hell, I bet it’ll take a century for us to understand the game’s title alone.
Always love how you can take a game I've never played in a genre that just doesn't appeal to me and give this really in depth explanation of exactly *why* it's rich and complex and has a whole host of elements that I can immediately see why it does appeal to so many.
an amazing dissection of what's probably an amazing game I've never played. Always a treat seeing an upload of yours. Philosophical and religious topics aren't the most popular nowadays indeed, but I for one greatly enjoy the amount of effort you put into debating them. That's why we discuss; to gain a perspective we didn't have before.
What incredible timing! I just finished my first playthrough of Bloodborne last week and it was a fast favorite. Looking forward to hearing your perspective on it.
The note in the clinic "seek paleblood to transcend the hunt" is missing the key tect from the original Japanese: "written in your own hand" It's interesting whats missed in translation. Last Protagonist does really good videos on the comparison between the English, Korean, and Japanese versions of the game.
I’m a Christian and I thought this video was incredibly well crafted and interesting. I certainly had my disagreements with the points Bloodbourne is trying to make but I don’t want to come at you or any of the creators for exploring the ideas. Fantastically paced video! Hope these comments are filled with much love even from people who disagree!
As a philosophy student I found this interpretation of Nietzsche and Bloodborne very interesting, I had not considered it before. The game always seemed like it fundamentally focused on Lovecraftian Horror and maternity/femenine suffering to me, so it is curious to see an anti-clerical interpretation of the game - although the more I think about it, it was hiding in plain sight, lol. Of course, it doesn't remove those other themes from the discussion, it only adds to the discussion about the game. On that note, I do think that Miyazaki taking inspiration from Christianity is not that strange - as someone who enjoys JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, that series also explores Christian themes to say the least at points, and I bring it up as an example of Japanese stories touching on Christian themes. It happens more often than you'd think. The Wikipedia article about "Christianity in Japan" seems like a good summary of Christianity's role in Japanese society, and therefore, in Miyazaki's environment. I find that you also veered into absurdism when discussing the "rejection of meaning" as a consequence of "pale blood" - which makes sense. Camus, the poster boy of absurdism, cites Nietzsche multiple times in his "The Myth of Sisyphus". I also think the Sisyphean imagery is fundamental to all Fromsoftware games from narrative to game design - so that's a neat little connection! Your explanation of master morality and slave morality was also a pretty nice way of "adapting" Nietzsche's ideas to be easily understandable to 21st century people who might not be acquainted to the context of his wider works and ideas. If I had one criticism of the video, I would say that the sections discussing gameplay/mechanics feel slightly disconnected from the more hermeneutic side of the discussion, and I think perhaps those areas would've benefitted from being discussed together with the thematic value of the game - then again, this implementation of it might've been the most efficient way of presenting your thoughts, given how much work you said you put into the video, so perhaps I'm wrong. It did also tie into the thoughts on originality and inspiration that you presented. While I have strong opinions on the recent plagiarism debacles, I do think discussing positive examples of taking inspiration is always a good idea, any excuse is good to appreciate enjoyable and meaningful art. Overall a very interesting video and I hope it encourages people to look into the philosophy of Nietzsche - it's certainly an intense place to fall into the rabbit hole of philosophy, but it's not a bad one. On that note, props on reading the Genealogy of Morals. Nietzsche's style is notoriously difficult, and I don't know how acquainted you are with philosophical texts, but even if you have previous experience with them, interpretaing Nietzsche is a challenge.
First of all, I love your videos. They are very well made and thank you for that. Second of all. I am a Christian and this is the first time someone's actually thought to put a warning for the people that want it for this kind of video. Thanks for being a great channel and thank you for your perspective. Have a great day Ceave. ps. Just finished the great video. That was really well done. interesting to think about.
i'm new here (thank you to t b skyen for posting on his community board about this video), and i have to say that i've never subscribed to a channel so fast in my life. this was beautiful. well-done, well-made, exploratory, inquisitive, and thoughtful. the depths to which you went to explain these concepts and link all of these ideas was well-thought out and easy to understand. i'm being completely sincere when i say i've never felt more introspective while watching a video. i genuinely paused multiple times to mull thoughts over in my head. i understood the concept of bloodborne's messages about birth, underlying tones about assault, and the trauma of childbirth, but never stepped back to look at the even BIGGER picture. you painted each segment perfectly, and fully (and respectfully! not religious, myself, but it's still nice to see someone handling situations like this with tact and grace) explained the religious subtexts was truly thought-provoking. the way you draw connections between concepts in reality and in-game is beautiful, and you have a very soothing voice that makes it all the better to listen to. you should absolutely feel pride in this. here's to the many hours i will spend listening to your explanations, theories, and connections! 🎉
I always assumed it was the blood of great ones, so the message is saying “become a great one to transcend the hunt”. The ending kinda made me think that at least.
All this time I thought the way your character healed was they dramatically break the vial in their fist and that somehow heals them instead of, you know, stabbing themselves in the leg with a needle. Now it makes WAY more sense.
one more thing Miyazaki is inspired heavily is berserk, it also deals with similar themes as that of Bloodborne. I strongly believe without berserk there would be no form software.
Hey man, this is one of those kinda downer comments, but I woke up today missin' my dog, and I appreciate y'all makin' this content, showed up first thing in my feed, helps dull the pain my man.
The story is about you getting trapped in a time loop inside a love craft universe. The full moon only lasts for one night, but because you stuck there you are in an infinite loop
You should check out Signalis if you want another game with incredibly strong themes that are delivered in a somewhat unusual way. It's frankly incredible and I'd love to see an analysis like this for that gem! Great video
that would take a while, i have played it and it is a well made game in my opinion, but the 6 item limit is painful on top of being kinda pointless and nowhere is both a bit to long and annoying, i haven't finished it but i think i can say now that it is a monument of the brilliance and flaw's of old horror titles, mainly re 1, 2 & 3 and sh 1, 2, 3 & 4.
One of my favourite Bloodborne references is Amygdala being named after a part of a brain, which is one of the oldest formed and is responsible for flight or fight reactions, as well as 'negative' emotions - agression, fear. Of course it's a horrendous simplification but I wonder what does it mean symbolically? Should it mean that church rules through fear and only after defeating the institution we can see the mechanism how we were kept in fear by the church? That isn't so far away from truth I believe. Look, what I say is, I definitely would engage in second Bloodborne video that would talk about all the loose ends that didn't find the way to this script ;)
The thought and care put into all of your videos is astoudning. Exploring topics, such as the ones discussed in this video, from an unbiased and respectful place derived from genuine curiosity is no easy feat. I applaud you and your craftmenship, well done my friend.
Bloodborne is a wonderful game. Your analisis is fantastic but (in my humble opinion) there is also a general reference to Berserk wich you didn't acknowledge (but you did find a lot of reference wich I couldn't even imagine so gg). Wonderful video as always. I didn't expect a video about Bloodborne since is far away from the content from before you came back but I love this. Now I wonder if you know about games like Darkest Dungeon, Control or something else. These two games in particular made me question the nature of us human and the universe in a strange way. Way to go superstar!
Following the line of thought in the video, what can we take from the various monsters fought in Bloodborne, what do they symbolize? I'm tempted to say their strangeness is emblematic of how how a self-built morality is a deeply foreign, almost alien, concept to most of us. Their hostility symbolizes the various dangers associated with some philosophical paths, maybe something in there about how contending with monstrous ideas during our effort to codify our own morality carries the risk of us becoming a monster ourselves. Like that other Nietzsche quote that Baldur's Gate used. IDK, maybe that's a little on the nose, but it's what popped into my head after watching this video.
After you beat Rom the game says "seek the nightmare newborn." Also a note we find later states "Nightmarish rituals crave a newborn. Find one, and silence its harrowing cry." So the initial note is not the only objective we're given.
It's so cool how your creative work on youtube evolved right along with my interests, from mario maker and challenge runs, to thoughtful game design analysis. Thank you so much for the amazing work you create!
I find it sad when many other Christians attack other people and even ourselves. We are supposed to love our neighbors, including the ones that are sinful in a biblical standpoint. Everyones sinners, so just love them
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The "borne" in Bloodborne is an entirely different word from "born". It means "carried by" or "transmitted by"
That is, the beast plague is transmitted via blood - the old blood. Basically the game spoils a massive twist in the title.
But the two do work well together. "Borne" could be a double ententre, and the idea of something being a host of a disease is often paralelled with women being hosts of children, menstration, etc.
The plague being "bloodborne" is actually a lie. Otherwise the prostitute would have been the first to succumb
Calling the name of Bloodborne a spoiler because beasthood is transmitted through the blood is the same as calling the name Dark Souls a spoiler because humanity possess a soul from the furtive pygmy, the soul opposite of the Light soul Gwyn possessed, the Dark soul.
Who the fuck thought it was "born" and not "borne"?
Yes and no. Both borne and born came from the verb 'bear', in the sense of 'bring', and always had that double meaning, now obscured because those two meanings have been codified in different (but still pretty similar) words.
Ignore all these dweebs. This is exactly what its all about in a very short eloquent way if you ask me. Its about both blood transmitted knowledge as a Faustian bargain; amniotic fluid\menstruation\child-birth and all the femininely archetypes that tie into the moon. You're right on the money.
paleblood is explicitly the moon presence. there's a note in the lecture hall that says "The nameless moon presence beckoned by Laurence and his associates. Paleblood."
In Japanese its arguably even more explicit
If the moon presence is nameless, why call it Paleblood.
@@destihado1just search the actual Japanese translation, a lot of words/text were changed and made thinks more muddy for English speakers…
@@destihado1 Because it doesn't have a name? 😂
Paleblood is simply a moniker, because of how it makes the moon appear like blood. The boss bar is just a nameless description, "Moon Presence" so it has no true name.
The Doll refers to the Moon Presence as ‘Flora’.
“O Flora, of the moon, of the dream.
O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients…
Let the Hunter be safe, let him/her* find comfort.
And let the dream, his/her* captor…
…foretell a pleasant awakening…
…be, one day, a fond, distant memory…”
This isn’t to say you’re incorrect, Paleblood also refers to the Moon Presence, just another interesting fact.
*If your character is male, the Doll says him and his, if your character is female, she says her.
That ending note about plagarism and how we see derivative work was honestly such a great way to finish the video. Bloodborne really is an example of how to make something better than the sum of its parts (and wow, those are quite some parts) and I think that alone is worth celebrating.
Yeah, it's not about if it's derivative, but about making it something unique through that.
As was said, nothing exists in a vacuum.
The other day I was playing Bloodborne with a friend and this is exactly what I said to him. Bloodborne is more than the sum of its parts. Definitely a contender for best game FS ever made, and that's tough to say given that I love most of everything they've done since Demon's Souls onwards.
Miyazaki explains his definition of Paleblood pretty explicitly in an interview - it's the way the sky looks after beating Rom and revealing the ritual.... the sky is pale blue, "like a corpse drained of blood". Thus "Seek Paleblood" = get the sky to turn light blue = reveal the mensis ritual. I know that the moon presence being Paleblood makes more sense in the context of the story, and that the sky is more purple than pale blue, but that's still what he said.
Sometimes I think From stories are GENIUS laziness. Make tons of shit even if it doesn't make sense, and let people DO YOUR JOB by building whatever bullshit story they want to believe. Same as with religion.
I haven’t finished the video, but a huge thing about the note at the beginning of the game is that the Japanese version says that it’s written by your character
I heard about it, it says the handwritten scrawl has a kanji that implies it is your own calligraphy. Biggest mistery in bloodborne will always be how the heck did the character know about paleblood...
@@theragebringer4424There are two possible reasonings: 1. Amnesia (improbable) and 2. Since your character comes from a foreign land, they know about Yharnam and send you there because you're sick.
Or you were orchestrated by the Moon Presence.
My interpretation of the true/hidden ending is that both Willem and Lawrence were wrong, it is neither through pure insight or holy blood that will lead man to a new childhood, but rather a special combination of both. If you consider the way the game is typically played, throughout the game you gain strength from blood (bloodechoes) and knowledge from insight. What do the One Third Umbilical Cords do? Give us large bursts of insight with each one used, as if our character has an epiphany with each use. Yet, to survive all the way to the Moon Presence, great strength is required through the use of the Blood.
(level 1 runs not-withstanding)
God, every time I see a new upload from this channel I get genuinely excited to watch it. I absolutely LOVE your philisophical discussions and the lens through which you examine games like this. And of course when I saw that you made a video about Bloodborne, a game which I would consider to be one of if not THE greatest game currently in existence, I immediately clicked on it. If I had the financial stability to support you on patreon I 100% would, but since I can't do that at the moment I want to show some genuine appreciation by just letting you know how much these videos not only entertain, but also genuinely enlighten me. The way through which you examine games is unlike any I've personally seen on youtube before and provides such a fresh and interesting perspective on things otherwise talked to death. You truly succeed at providing interesting perspectives on great games. I wish you the best of luck with your next projects and I look forward to watching them!
I think the argument FOR the healing system is that you get punished for NOT using the rallying system. The stamina is so forgiving in this game because even in the midst of battle you should use the rallying mechanic, and not doing so will cost you. I got this from AesirAesthetics btw.
This is the most unique interpretation of Bloodborne I've seen. Bloodborne has become the video game equivalent of the shining at this point with so many different takes on it. Fantastic video.
A series I've seen on yt that has a notable piece of the puzzle is called "A Agony of Effort"
To summarize blood borne was inspired by in hospice, a book of poems written by the author of jeckle and Hyde, recounting his experience of being operated on in edinburgh scotland around the birth of modern surgery. Using this framework to explore the way we can dehumanize others and in turn loose our humanity our selves.
While the series is a bit slow and repetitive and a bit TO convinced of its own concept, I think when viewed along with the other influences that it does a lot to convey the inspiration and themes bloodborne explores. E X E P T ! his thoughts on paleblood, true or not I feel lack thematic resonance on a surface level. He thinks it alludes to tuberculosis and the pale phlegmy blood patients cough up. This I believe, my question is WHY, why do we seek this specifically.
What an incredible and enlighting interpretation of Bloodborne. Ceave truly is one of the best video game essaysts out there, keep up the good work man!
I mean meeting a symbol for death as the alternative or bad ending to finding meaning within yourself could certainly be seen as a metaphor for how if one falls into nihilism, doesn't find meaning in life, it can result in them taking their own life. The reaper allegory being a "shadow fight" also supports that interpretation.
Ceave really is a rare gem of a creator that can do a video about anything while still feeling "correct" about the subject
@GamerZoneSpeaking what does that mean?
@GamerZoneSpeaking i'm just saying that Ceave isn't contreversial because i can't find a single comment here saying otherwise
maybe "correct" wasn't the right word but that's why i used " "
@GamerZoneSpeakingbut you’re a fan of Ceave, and you’re doing the opposite of circle jerking, so maybe the problem isn’t as bad as you think?
@GamerZoneSpeaking
You’re right but especially in communities with a fanbase so dedicated to accurate representation of vague lore, if even a few people slightly disagreed they would be pretty vocal about it. It’s very common under other videos of bloodborne/other fromsoft games even when they have a “””circlejerk””” community. And even if that wasn’t the case I wouldn’t consider ceave’s fanbase to be like that
maybe not always correct but his points are definitely super insightful
if you had told me years ago that the funny mario maker creator i was watching would one day post a 90 minute video about the death of god, and that it'd be one of the greatest youtube videos i'd have ever seen, i'd have laughed in your face. but here we are.
Yeah, lol. Was not expecting it but I'm here for it haha
I'll be honest, there's a good chunk of this video that I just do not agree with but I still found it fascinating regardless. If anything, I think the views of Nietzsche are incredibly interesting and so often twisted or misinterpreted by people with ulterior motives. One thing I *do* love about this video and your other videos, though, is how you approach the narratives of games in trying to understand what they *mean.* There's so many Bloodborne videos out there trying to interpret what Paleblood is quite literally but I think you are right in viewing it from a metaphorical and thematic viewpoint, rather than a literal one.
I think what I disagree with the most in the video, though, is the idea that Bloodborne is not trying to convince or tell us something. I'd argue that it very much is trying to do so. There is a very common theme throughout the game of people seeking transcendence, of *not* leaving the dead well enough alone. How this causes them to sink further and further into madness. It causes them to commit more and more atrocities, perpetuate the suffering of others just for the sake of this transcendence. They seek something they can never have and continue to do so despite it clearly causing nothing but more suffering.
In a metaphorical sense, they're more or less trying to manifest their way out of mortality. They wish to move beyond death itself.
But this is impossible for anyone who also wishes to retain their humanity. Mortality is that which *makes* us human. And any actions towards removing ourselves from the inevitability of death only serves to erode our morals, anything that makes us empathetic and human.
I think this is likely why Gehrman has the scythe at the end. He is our final step to fighting the literal concept of death. Killing him and the moon presence is the final spilling of blood that completely erases our humanity.
Anyway, I'm kind of rambling here.... but man, Bloodborne is truly an incredible game. As much as I love Dark Souls and Elden Ring, Bloodborne just tickles the brainmeats far more than either of those. Sekiro actually comes pretty close and I'd say it actually deals with a lot of similar themes around immortality being antithetical to being human. But yeah.... I don't know how to end this rant so, uh... great job, Cleave!
Completely agree, bloodborne just hits differently, it's screaming at us to play and understand it. I simply can't put it down!
I completley agree with this. Transcending your humanity in Bloodborne always felt like the bad thing to do
Beautifully said!
I have never played bloodbrone but clicked on this video because Ive always enjoyed your videos and whatever you had an hour and a half to say about what I assumed would just be some ambiguous key item in a weird ambiguous game, and was gifted with an incredible lecture about religion, art, and how we view and interact with it whether or not its something we have a positive relationship with.
Thank you for sharing this work of art, and all the effort that went into it. It inspires me as an artist and creator.
Guy: "so, what is bloodborne about?"
Ceave: "well, first we need to kill God"
Guy: "and then?"
Ceave: "Then you can play the game.... where you kill God"
The way you structure your videos and work towards your conclusions is so unique and engaging, I have honestly not had this much fun with hour long video essays for an eternity. I'm really glad I stumbled over your channel.
i LOVE the analysis of the themes and story in this video (i had a real "oh" moment when you pointed out the symbolism of the angel pouring blood into a skull), but i'm a little confused by the initial gameplay analysis regarding the healing system. i was surprised when you said there's no way to get back your health when you run out of blood, because a different video i'd watched (hbomberguy's "Bloodborne is genius and here's why") said the opposite. in fact, it praised bloodborne for having a system very similar to the game you compared it to. when you lose health, you can gain it back if you attack very shortly thereafter, which encourages an aggressive playstyle. you can even see it happening during the gascoigne fight at around 34:19 - you take a hit, and your health bar depletes, but there's still a pink bar remaining where you lost your health, showing that it can be regained. then, you hit him a few times, and the health comes back. i understand that this would be hard to see without the UI up most of the time, but i'm surprised you hadn't seen that in previous playthroughs.
otherwise, it's really a stunningly well put together video! i don't want to downplay that with this comment. "perspective" was a great word to add to this channel name, because your videos really give me a whole new perspective on media that i never would have thought of before, and i love it so much. i'm SO pleased you're back from your hiatus; there's really nothing else quite like these videos out there. keep it up, man - you're very appreciated, and your efforts do not go unnoticed.
edit: someone cleared this up for me in the replies, it makes more sense to talk about it the way ceave does if you’ve played the game
I'm sure he's aware of this but it doesn't have anything to do with the blood vial system he's talking about. It's a great mechanic but it only works in the middle of combat, and only when you can safely counter. Limited heals and needing to farm is a very well known issue in bb for newer players.
@@Shmover34 ohh good to know, thank you!
Somehow you have managed to be my childhood UA-camr with mariomarker, and grow into one I still watch today.
I don’t know if it’s your style just growing with me, or that I just like whatever you create, but it’s kinda cool to have followed you online for so long. (Since the cow farm video I think)
Can’t wait to see what stuff you do next. I cannot stress enough that without you and a few others, my channel wouldn’t exist. My online life and presence would be completely different had I never found you, and I am very grateful I did.
Hope your videos start doing better again.
The earliest vid of his I can see is RE4 retrospective, how do I find his earlier stuff?
@@dinoseen3226 His main channel, Ceave Gaming, is his Mario maker channel and the majority of his popularity.
The earlier stuff is on ceave gaming, it's mainly Mario maker & challenge run focused, but there's some analysis stuff mixed in! (And the Mario stuff is also great, Especially if you like the recurring phrases in the ceave essays!)
Ceave I'm so glad you split the channels, I've been enjoying this one so much, every video a masterpiece.
Regarding blood vials, my own take and the reason why I don't hate the system is that they are so common a drop, that they facilitate long stretches of exploration without rest, something estus flasks do not allow. If you're a patient and methodical hunter, you can clear out areas and rarely die outside of boss battles, which then allows you to develop a large enough stockpile that the lack of vials never becomes an issue.
37:49 - The transformation is based on the bosses' HP, with 3 phases in total.
A few notes, observations i think others have shared.
Borne; is the word for transmitted, or carried, like a virus or plague, the beast plague. Not birth.
Paleblood almost explicitly represents the moon prescence as we have a note in the lecture hall i believe that specifically references the fella. Conversely, “seek the paleblood” and “ascend the hunt”. Can elude to you having the three umbilical cords and becoming a eldritch god newly born.
The healing church delved deep blow to find the ancient crypts, thereafter finding the “healing” blood. It wasnt so much a parallel of the christian faith as opposed to a scientific cult passing the cursed blood off as a miracle. If we look other lore breakdowns this seems to be the general consensus with solid backing from ingame sources.
Otherwise, this is a solid breakdown
The lack of views for this is criminal, UA-cam really did you dirty. Over all the years I’ve watched your stuff, this is the point that makes you be my first ever patreon supportee because damn, this shouldn’t discourage you from making these deep dives
If I were to guess, there probably aren't a whole lot of people looking for or willing to click on an hour and a half long analysis video on UA-cam.
It's unfortunate, but content like this does target kind of a niche audience. I love stuff like this, though, so I very much appreciate that it exists!
@@Saberfox17this is absolutely not the case? UA-cam loves longform content thats why the majority of content on the platform these days is longform. Its all over the algo
The real issue is that he took a two-year break. No social media promotes the rewatching of infrequently-posting channels because they want to maximize watch time, engagement, and time spent.
@@iantaakalla8180That's why he created a 2nd channel. This one is fresh.
(And also Hbomberguy is a miracle then lol)
Ceave I had a really bad day.
Seeing that my most favourite youtuber analysis my most favourite game, is exactly the thing I needed.
Thanks for cheering me up and dor your amazing content!
This is the greatest rollercoaster I've ever been on! I did not care one bit about Bloodbourne before, but now I feel like I've seen it through so many frameworks, each more fascinating than the last. At times it felt like one of those conspiracy theory videos, but then it all begins to make perfect sense in the last 30 minutes. Amazingly done!
That's the neat thing about From Software. They're some of the most lore heavy games humanity has ever made. They just don't spoon feed you *any* of it. You have to hunt within the game to fully understand the events transpiring during the game.
@@bvoyelrOr just wait a couple weeks after the game's release for Lore channels to tell you the game's story.
@@flamingdeathbanana Lore channels are a blessing and a curse. They often have very insighful ideas, but they also have incorrect ones that got into the head-cannon along the good ones, and are very hard to get challenged.
For example, the idea the Great Ones can't bear children is one idea that most people think as a fact in the lore of Bloodborne. All comes from the note 'all great-ones lose their child, and yearn for a surrogate' (or something like that). But Bloodborne is full of children of the Gods: Ebrietas alone seems to have two dozens at least. And our mission (even if that is somewhat obscured) is to kill one of those children, Mergo, that wouldn't be necessary if they simply died after being born. In fact, it looks to me that Great Ones can bear children just fine, but they lose them because other Great Ones kill them, or use unwitting pawns (our player character) to achieve just that.
@@juanausensi499 I dunno who ever said that the Great Ones can't have children. We see it 4 times in the story. 2 of the times they actively have a child during the story.
@@flamingdeathbanana i don't remember exactly, but i read that in some wikis and watched in some videos.
I can not, for the life of me, understand how this isn't more popular.
This was masterful. What culture! What knowledge!
I can not compose a comment able to express the awe this video left me in!
These usually come up first the moment they upload. The fact it took 2 days to come on my feed has put this channel on my bell, a very rare treat.
This video made me realize how little Nietzche understood about history of religion.
Over the past few months, Ceave, you have written some exquisite breakdowns of video games into a summation of parts that I never consider when playing. All at once, I can enjoy some of the best games in history, thrilling stories, surprisingly intense and intricate philosophy that make these games more than just how they play or how much money they make. Being able to find this in games is a talent, but being able to communicate these high end ideas, regardless of your belief in them, in a polished and logical manner as you have here is great. When I started watching your Mario Maker content, I enjoyed hearing your technical knowledge of one game; here, you have constructed arguments and theses on well hidden themes in the most notable games in a beautiful way. Needless to say, I've really enjoyed your content, and I hope you are doing what you enjoy. (No need to subject yourself to uninteresting projects or frustrating community discussions if you don't enjoy them, after all.)
Bloodborne is a horror game about spending a night in england
How is it that every sigle video you put out is better than the last? Thank you for continuing to create masterpieces
After watching, I can safely say that this is comfortably within one of my top 20 videos of all time.
Art, God, and human suffering, three of the most central ideas to humanity in general, this video tackles them all and nails them directly on the head.
Amazing video, nearly perfection. 10/10.
Man, Ceave was COOKIN' with this one! Actually was reading about the Beast of Gevaudan something like a year or so ago and while completely not expecting that to come up in a Bloodborne video essay, I immediately knew what you were talking about once you started that section. Another amazingly well done video!
HOORAY, god man, this is an amazing video and has definitely risen to the top of my favourite videos, I was not expecting the link back to Beast of Gévaudan, I’d been fascinated by that story a few months back and to see it pop up as such a pivotal thing aswell was amazing, keep up the good work.
This channel is so great. Its like a nostalgia trip cuz ur voice and style is so ingrained in my mind from ur mario maker vids i watched as a kid. but as a young adult now the vudeos u make on this channel are right up my alley and are abt all the games i love so dearly
Correction: As long as you don't kill Iosefka when visiting her clinic, you can still gain the Third Umbilical Cord after Rom. You have 4 Umbilical Cords overall. The one from the Abandoned Workshop, one from Arianna if you either dont take her blood or just don't save Adella, one from Iosefka if you don't kill her until after Rom, and lastly from Mergo after killing Mergo's Wetnurse.
This channel is literally a playlist of all my favorite UA-cam videos
Oh wow - Bloodborne and Ceave... the best of combinations... :) Thank you
the theme and overall flow of your videos makes them feel like a journey. By the end of it I always feel sad but somehow optimistic, it's a super weird mix but I love it so much, and it's in a way the original media doesn't even evoke. It's a crazy difference from when I used to watch your mario maker vids a few years ago and i'm 100% here for it
I have to say that these videos are some of the highest quality on youtube, and this is probably my favourite channel
Wonderful video. I''ve thought a lot (and considered making a UA-cam video essay about) the religious themes in the Dark Souls games, how those games juxtapose Buddhist and Christian ideas of death, how the Christ-like sacrifice of Gwynn isn't what saves the world, but what damns it... but I'd never really considered the similar themes in Bloodborne.
Also, it's not *really* the focus of this video but I've always found it fascinating how different play styles lead to vastly different experiences with Bloodborne's bosses - I've literally never died to Ludwig, but I've heard many others describe him as one of the hardest bosses in the game. The boss that has killed me the most across five or six playthroughs is actually Rom.
40:55 Rhetorical question aside, the point of the door is to act as a back entrance to Djura, as you can befriend him if you sneak up and don't kill any of the beasts near him, which he gives you the Powder Keg Hunter Badge and a gesture as a parting gift.
Darkbeast Paarl is an awkwardly placed boss though, and the explanation for this seems to be that he was a later addition to the game. People datamined an old list of bosses from the game's Alpha network test, and Paarl isn't included in the main game line-up. However, the Chalice Dungeons list includes the Darkbeast (large) boss, so it seems that he was a Chalice Dungeon exclusive boss before being brought up to the main game, resulting in his location and rewards being a bit haphazardly put together.
Interesting take with some good points. This will make a fine addition to my collection.
Ooooo, I love the Souls series. Great to see one of my favorite UA-camrs back
Actually you're way overthinking it. Anything related to the celestials aka the alien race / kin in the game has paleblood and looks pale because it's blood isn't fiery red like ours. Anything that has the paleblood inside them looks incredibly pale as expected all the way up to and including the last boss in the game. So that note just tells you to play the game until it's finished. The whole story is kicked off with Yharnam, the healing church and blood ministration. Blood that does not come from them but from the great ones / celestials they discovered below Yharnam. And anyone that used it becomes pale blooded but your goal is to get to the source and that's what you do.
By Nietzsche’s pregnant godly drop of blood, is that my channel in the Patreon credits?!? All jokes aside this video was amazing and Ceave never fails to make me learn obscure facts about French movies while I am trying to learn about the story of Bloodborne. 5 out of 5 fuzzies!
I just wanted to leave a comment thanking you for these videos. I think they've helped me to look at things I enjoy through a much more objective lens - its helped me articulate things much better where I usually have a difficult time doing so.
I dont think the blood has anything to do with Christianity or the church. It’s far too myopic for souls games. It’s like saying saving private Ryan was about capitalism or something. Blood is the symbol of life’s spirit. And beasts have the key. The side of ourselves we’ve blocked off, and put underground. We thought we were evolving by locking it away when in actuality we need it to be a part of us. Hunters aren’t allowed not because it’s inherently bad…it’s because they couldn’t handle it. We’re hunting for the lost treasure to save us. The external thing to solve our problems. But really it’s not been about the hunt. It’s about the 3rd answer, the solution coming from ourselves when we tame old blood which is its own primordial spirit wanting to take over whatever it resides in (hence beasts). But naw man…it doesn’t have anything to do with faith.
Bloodborne is the internal world and we’re defeating our OWN old god that we need to integrate into ourselves to rebirth something new.
I still don’t understand why it’s called ‘pale’ blood but only thing I can think of is alchemy and red, black & white transformation
“Seek paleblood” means find the moon presence. It’s a little more obscure in English but in Japanese the note is explicitly in your handwriting and later on there is a note on a bridge that says “Behold. A paleblood sky!” It has a good view of the moon so when the blood moon descends the note makes more sense. Then when we fight German the blood moon descends in the dream and the moon presence appears. Then if we defeat the moon presence the only great one left in this world is our infant form and the stray amygdala. It’s not even clear if the beast scourge exists in the real world since it could easily have been a dream since the opening.
If you don't confront Djura on your first trip through Old Yharnam, kill the blood starved beast, kil Paarl and then walk up to Djura from behind he will have dialogue with you and give you his hunters badge without having to fight him. You guys actually kind of become friends, it's cute.
incredible work, this allready is a colossal ammount of research but i would love to direct you (and every other bloodborne fan) to charred thermos' works on bloodbornes relationship to 15th century medical science and surgery, its incredible how many details are hidden in plain sight
As a Christian I just want to thank you for talking about aspects of my religion in a very respectful way and not just expressing your own views in a aggressive and agenda-driven way. I'll admit that over my two playthroughs of Bloodborne I never really made the connection between Christianity and the themes of Bloodborne and it was very interesting to hear your research. Again just want to thank you for treating these topics with respect as I'm sure not many others would. Great video! 😁👍
It must have been an enormous effort to nail the structure and pacing of your script like this - with such a multifaceted topic to cover. Another insane video!
Saw on your Patreon that this video underperformed so I figured I'd leave a comment. Keep making great videos even if UA-cam doesn't like it.
I've seen so many analysis videos on Bloodborne on every single aspect, but you touched upon many matters that really tied it beautifully into the overall themes of religion. Your ending ideas on the concept of "self-so" and "escaping the bind of prescriptive ethics" is a large topic in traditional Daoism as it was struggling to express itself under a stifled system in Ancient China (both Confucianism and Daoism were reacting to this "fallen society" narrative in different ways). I imagine since Miyazaki is Japanese his ideas may be more inline with what is found in the Zhuangzi, about the natural emergence of concepts instead of always chasing after the shadows of "great people" and modeling one's behavior and life so entirely on them.
You did a wonderful job here, expressing each character as a symbol rather than... well a character does contextualize a great amount, while I can't say I fully agree with this view, you certainly provided ample supporting circumstances to build further upon.
I just rediscovered you after vague memories of watching a bunch of your mario challenges years ago, and what a rediscovery it was. Loving some of the pieces you've got on this channel and I couldn't turn down the opportunity to watch a nice breakdown of my favorite game of all time.
Great video so far, only about 30 minutes in, i really dig the humor you pull out of nowhere. New subscription for me.
Man, I love all of this channel's videos, you just dont miss
Ceave beloved has returned yet again to save our souls 🙏❤️
27:17 It wasn't Byrgenwerth who came in contact with Ebrietas but the Choir many years later, after the Healing Church was established. At Byrgenwerth they encountered Ebrietas only partially via the phantasms, and only years after the initial expedition in the old labyrinth the Choir was able to retrieve the Isz Chalice and finally meet her in person:
"Remnant of the eldritch Truth encountered at Byrgenwerth.
Use phantasms, the invertebrates known to be augurs of the Great Ones, to partially summon abandoned Ebrietas.
The initial encounter marked the start of an inquiry into the cosmos from within the old labyrinth, and led to the establishment of the Choir." - Augur of Ebrietas found in Byrgenwerth lecture building
"Members of the Choir are both the highest-ranking clerics of the Healing Church, and scholars who continue the work that began at Byrgenwerth."- Choir garb
"The Great Isz Chalice became the cornerstone of the Choir, the elite delegation of the Healing Church.
It was also the first Great Chalice brought back to the surface since the time of Byrgenwerth, and allowed the Choir to have audience with Ebrietas" - Great Isz Chalice dropped by Ebrietas
Ceave, it’s been ages. The 20-hour video essay on why Untitled Goose Game is a revolutionary piece of Marxist art STILL hasn’t come out. I KNOW you’re making it. WHY are you withholding it from us????? Like, do you just not care about us? Is that what it is? I don’t know, I’m just grasping at straws, but it seems to me like you just don’t care about us… shaking my smh.🙄
Untitled Goose Game came out in 2019. That’s 5 years ago. You think a game as complex and intrinsic as Untitled Goose Game can be properly and accurately dissected and explained in 5 years?
Hell, I bet it’ll take a century for us to understand the game’s title alone.
Always love how you can take a game I've never played in a genre that just doesn't appeal to me and give this really in depth explanation of exactly *why* it's rich and complex and has a whole host of elements that I can immediately see why it does appeal to so many.
an amazing dissection of what's probably an amazing game I've never played. Always a treat seeing an upload of yours. Philosophical and religious topics aren't the most popular nowadays indeed, but I for one greatly enjoy the amount of effort you put into debating them. That's why we discuss; to gain a perspective we didn't have before.
Bloodborne is about overcoming numerous obstacles to acquire the best drip.
What incredible timing! I just finished my first playthrough of Bloodborne last week and it was a fast favorite. Looking forward to hearing your perspective on it.
You just became my favorite channel on youtube, this was so well made and so interesting ! Thanks a ton !
The note in the clinic "seek paleblood to transcend the hunt" is missing the key tect from the original Japanese: "written in your own hand"
It's interesting whats missed in translation.
Last Protagonist does really good videos on the comparison between the English, Korean, and Japanese versions of the game.
I’m a Christian and I thought this video was incredibly well crafted and interesting. I certainly had my disagreements with the points Bloodbourne is trying to make but I don’t want to come at you or any of the creators for exploring the ideas. Fantastically paced video! Hope these comments are filled with much love even from people who disagree!
not religious at all and have never played the game, but found this really interesting and facinating
This is one of the best Bloodborne videos Ive ever seen. And Im obsessed with Bloodborne videos.
As a philosophy student I found this interpretation of Nietzsche and Bloodborne very interesting, I had not considered it before. The game always seemed like it fundamentally focused on Lovecraftian Horror and maternity/femenine suffering to me, so it is curious to see an anti-clerical interpretation of the game - although the more I think about it, it was hiding in plain sight, lol. Of course, it doesn't remove those other themes from the discussion, it only adds to the discussion about the game. On that note, I do think that Miyazaki taking inspiration from Christianity is not that strange - as someone who enjoys JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, that series also explores Christian themes to say the least at points, and I bring it up as an example of Japanese stories touching on Christian themes. It happens more often than you'd think. The Wikipedia article about "Christianity in Japan" seems like a good summary of Christianity's role in Japanese society, and therefore, in Miyazaki's environment.
I find that you also veered into absurdism when discussing the "rejection of meaning" as a consequence of "pale blood" - which makes sense. Camus, the poster boy of absurdism, cites Nietzsche multiple times in his "The Myth of Sisyphus". I also think the Sisyphean imagery is fundamental to all Fromsoftware games from narrative to game design - so that's a neat little connection! Your explanation of master morality and slave morality was also a pretty nice way of "adapting" Nietzsche's ideas to be easily understandable to 21st century people who might not be acquainted to the context of his wider works and ideas.
If I had one criticism of the video, I would say that the sections discussing gameplay/mechanics feel slightly disconnected from the more hermeneutic side of the discussion, and I think perhaps those areas would've benefitted from being discussed together with the thematic value of the game - then again, this implementation of it might've been the most efficient way of presenting your thoughts, given how much work you said you put into the video, so perhaps I'm wrong. It did also tie into the thoughts on originality and inspiration that you presented. While I have strong opinions on the recent plagiarism debacles, I do think discussing positive examples of taking inspiration is always a good idea, any excuse is good to appreciate enjoyable and meaningful art.
Overall a very interesting video and I hope it encourages people to look into the philosophy of Nietzsche - it's certainly an intense place to fall into the rabbit hole of philosophy, but it's not a bad one. On that note, props on reading the Genealogy of Morals. Nietzsche's style is notoriously difficult, and I don't know how acquainted you are with philosophical texts, but even if you have previous experience with them, interpretaing Nietzsche is a challenge.
The chad of Video Essays is back, we stan Ceave
vial - a small container, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used especially for holding liquid medicines
vile - extremely unpleasant
First of all, I love your videos. They are very well made and thank you for that. Second of all. I am a Christian and this is the first time someone's actually thought to put a warning for the people that want it for this kind of video. Thanks for being a great channel and thank you for your perspective. Have a great day Ceave.
ps. Just finished the great video. That was really well done. interesting to think about.
thanks 18th century wolf for being a murderer
i'm new here (thank you to t b skyen for posting on his community board about this video), and i have to say that i've never subscribed to a channel so fast in my life.
this was beautiful. well-done, well-made, exploratory, inquisitive, and thoughtful. the depths to which you went to explain these concepts and link all of these ideas was well-thought out and easy to understand.
i'm being completely sincere when i say i've never felt more introspective while watching a video. i genuinely paused multiple times to mull thoughts over in my head.
i understood the concept of bloodborne's messages about birth, underlying tones about assault, and the trauma of childbirth, but never stepped back to look at the even BIGGER picture. you painted each segment perfectly, and fully (and respectfully! not religious, myself, but it's still nice to see someone handling situations like this with tact and grace) explained the religious subtexts was truly thought-provoking.
the way you draw connections between concepts in reality and in-game is beautiful, and you have a very soothing voice that makes it all the better to listen to.
you should absolutely feel pride in this.
here's to the many hours i will spend listening to your explanations, theories, and connections! 🎉
I always assumed it was the blood of great ones, so the message is saying “become a great one to transcend the hunt”. The ending kinda made me think that at least.
All this time I thought the way your character healed was they dramatically break the vial in their fist and that somehow heals them instead of, you know, stabbing themselves in the leg with a needle. Now it makes WAY more sense.
I waited a bit for the thumbnail to change so i could get a better sense of the video topic amd wasnt let down. Very good video as always!
Ceaves videos are just game suggestions for me at this point
one more thing Miyazaki is inspired heavily is berserk, it also deals with similar themes as that of Bloodborne. I strongly believe without berserk there would be no form software.
Genuinely, how tf does this channel only have 40k?
I always assumed the message to seek pale blood wasnt meant for our character. But rather the doctor who was operating on our character at the start.
Hey man, this is one of those kinda downer comments, but I woke up today missin' my dog, and I appreciate y'all makin' this content, showed up first thing in my feed, helps dull the pain my man.
We suffer anyway. Choosing our suffering is the one agency we have.
Isn't Paleblood another name for the Moon Presence? If so, the ending you become the cosmic slug is what that note describes.
The story is about you getting trapped in a time loop inside a love craft universe. The full moon only lasts for one night, but because you stuck there you are in an infinite loop
You should check out Signalis if you want another game with incredibly strong themes that are delivered in a somewhat unusual way. It's frankly incredible and I'd love to see an analysis like this for that gem! Great video
that would take a while,
i have played it and it is a well made game in my opinion, but the 6 item limit is painful on top of being kinda pointless and nowhere is both a bit to long and annoying,
i haven't finished it but i think i can say now that it is a monument of the brilliance and flaw's of old horror titles, mainly re 1, 2 & 3 and sh 1, 2, 3 & 4.
One of my favourite Bloodborne references is Amygdala being named after a part of a brain, which is one of the oldest formed and is responsible for flight or fight reactions, as well as 'negative' emotions - agression, fear. Of course it's a horrendous simplification but I wonder what does it mean symbolically? Should it mean that church rules through fear and only after defeating the institution we can see the mechanism how we were kept in fear by the church? That isn't so far away from truth I believe.
Look, what I say is, I definitely would engage in second Bloodborne video that would talk about all the loose ends that didn't find the way to this script ;)
Bloodborne and Ceave, what a perfect day
The thought and care put into all of your videos is astoudning. Exploring topics, such as the ones discussed in this video, from an unbiased and respectful place derived from genuine curiosity is no easy feat. I applaud you and your craftmenship, well done my friend.
Bloodborne is a wonderful game. Your analisis is fantastic but (in my humble opinion) there is also a general reference to Berserk wich you didn't acknowledge (but you did find a lot of reference wich I couldn't even imagine so gg). Wonderful video as always. I didn't expect a video about Bloodborne since is far away from the content from before you came back but I love this. Now I wonder if you know about games like Darkest Dungeon, Control or something else. These two games in particular made me question the nature of us human and the universe in a strange way.
Way to go superstar!
This video is the reason I love UA-cam.
Thanks for your effort, ideas, and time!
Great work, chap!
I love how you keep changing the names of your videos.
Personally I liked this ones first name better
Pale blood is the blood of the aliens. The paler the better. Squid ending ftw.
Following the line of thought in the video, what can we take from the various monsters fought in Bloodborne, what do they symbolize? I'm tempted to say their strangeness is emblematic of how how a self-built morality is a deeply foreign, almost alien, concept to most of us. Their hostility symbolizes the various dangers associated with some philosophical paths, maybe something in there about how contending with monstrous ideas during our effort to codify our own morality carries the risk of us becoming a monster ourselves. Like that other Nietzsche quote that Baldur's Gate used. IDK, maybe that's a little on the nose, but it's what popped into my head after watching this video.
After you beat Rom the game says "seek the nightmare newborn." Also a note we find later states "Nightmarish rituals crave a newborn. Find one, and silence its harrowing cry." So the initial note is not the only objective we're given.
It's so cool how your creative work on youtube evolved right along with my interests, from mario maker and challenge runs, to thoughtful game design analysis. Thank you so much for the amazing work you create!
I find it sad when many other Christians attack other people and even ourselves. We are supposed to love our neighbors, including the ones that are sinful in a biblical standpoint. Everyones sinners, so just love them