The Level Design of Bloodborne: Central Yharnam
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- The second episode in a series analyzing the level design of Bloodborne's many regions. If you don't like my take on Gascoigne, I've got a tiny music box with your name on it.
See Part 1 of Central Yharnam Design Commentary & Walkthrough - / leepgaming
The Level Design of Bloodborne: Hemwick Charnel Lane - • The Level Design of Bl...
0:00 Introduction & Context
1:45 First Impressions
6:36 The Streets
9:52 The Canals
12:10 The Bosses
14:49 Flaws & Counterpoints
20:40 Conclusion
22:00 Walkthrough & Commentary Video Preview - Ігри
Comment to sign the petition to get Bomber Souls made.
Then watch the first two parts of my walkthrough with commentary of Central Yharnam here:
Part 1 - Introduction & First Lamp: tinyurl.com/2pykd2f8
Part 2 - The Bonfire Scene: tinyurl.com/4rcu8mba
It's a testament to the strength of this game that people are still making content for it all these years later.
Nice video.
ehhhh...i mean not really, alot of ppl make alot content on dying games, frankly the only thing keeping bb relevant at this point, its almost like its life support XD
I would suggest that the tombstones in Gascoigne are to be abused as ‘cover’ to handle the aggression of phase 2 for us new players. Thus educating the player that using any possible advantage to beat the challenge is considered acceptable by the developers
Except he can destroy them with ease. This game tells you, constantly, to be aggressive.
@@xGMV not in phase 2 he doesnt, only in 3, and frankly the aggressive design of bb is one of the reasons its my least favorite, easily the least strategic and most spammy souls game, becomes almost mindless at alot of points.
Just cheese him. I always do.
Won't help. Gascoigne can be killed only by parrying, in second phase you literally can't do anything to him unless you parry. And you cant cheese him too, he doesn't stuck on ladder anymore.
Second boss is the same. This is when I send this game to trash bin. This is the worst game fron From Software, very easy between bosses, and the bosses are the worst in all souls series. You just glide effortlesly through the level and then stuck on boss spending much more time than on whole level itself.
Who could forget the first proper reveal of Central Yharnam after opening the gates? The grand bridge backdropped by the orange sky & the moody atmosphere. Beautiful architecture rising up. Bloodborne is a masterpiece with one of the coolest art directions ever in a game.
good video.
I disagree with the way you see Gascoigne's boss arena tho. The graves, while they can impede or restrict at times the player's movement, they usually act as good cover from Gascoigne's shotgun. They also offer a bit of respite from his unrelenting nature and make him have to run around the graves to get to you. Giving the player more leeway in contrast to the rest of the boss fights in the game. And it is only in his last phase of the fight, when he turns into a beast, that this comfort is removed by way of smashing them to bits. Making it more tense and frenetic, which goes hand in hand with the new panic inducing music that plays. You can run but you can't hide no more, little hunter.
While I do agree that the tombs can be annoying I ultimately think they help more than hinder, especially new players.
Great analysis! You're likely absolutely right about the intention behind the placement of the gravestones, though I think because "panic rolling" is such a thing with new players that's why they can become such a problem, causing abrupt traffic stops in movement. That's why I think it would have made sense to save this style of fight for later in the game when the player is a little more experienced at calmly assessing how to tackle the situation. But again, deliberately bucking the trend of what "makes sense" is part of what makes FromSoft games fun :)
You can get him stuck on the stairs when he’s in beast mode and the music box makes it a much easier fight. My first two play throughs I beat him normally but in the next 20 or so plays I just spam the music box. I eventually got so good at parrying the games a breeze now. Unfortunately, I became so used to the more aggressive play style all the other fromsoft games are harder for me.
yep, Bloodborne and Sekiro can be quite hard at first for people who are used to the Souls games, but once you learn the timing of the parries for each game its much easier@@smelltheglove2038
@@taketheleepI think your assessment is correct but that’s exactly WHY the graves are there: to punish panic-rolling. Father Gascoigne as a boss fight is designed to teach players how to play Bloodborne “correctly” by punishing incorrect styles of play. A lot of his attacks send him very far forward so if you dodge backwards you’ll still get him, teaching players to dodge either to the side or in towards an enemy. Similarly the graves are littered around the arena to teach players not to just run away or spam dodge but hold their ground against an enemy and go on the offensive
@@coqui9879I see it this way as well. Gascoigne is a litmus test for the rest of the game. It can absolutely turn people away. It’s not the hardest fight in the game but it’s pretty rough when you’re still getting your bearings, especially if you don’t yet understand the game’s esoteric systems very well.
On the flip side, he serves more experienced players a refresher course on the game, and is an excellent way to measure the player’s progress.
He was the breaking point for me in my first several attempts at this game, making it feel inaccessible to me for years. Now, it’s my favorite game and I love his fight! I rush through the early game since most builds don’t really get started until after BSB / Amelia, but Gascoigne is my favorite part of that run.
At 17:08, that enemy is telling you how you should approach that area, by taking the stairs. And if you look on how the item placement is made in that alternative path, you gonna find a easy way to kill all the enemies
Fun fact: from that first view of Central Yharnam you can see two boss arenas: the massive bridge is where you fight the Cleric beast, and far below that bridge is the burned chapel where you fight the Blood-Starved Beast. Just another aspect of just how tightly designed that area is.
Just beat Father Gascoigne yesterday (first time playing Bloodborne) and the intricacy of Central Yharnam was really amazing, how you could get to different areas by the sewers/canals or the unlocked shortcuts, just a masterfully designed level. Really looking forward to exploring the following levels. Also the mere mention of the gravestones when fighting Father Gascoigne gave some PTSD
15:41 this is not true. The doll is awoken by having 1 insight. it just so happens that boss encounters give insight
Good catch, thanks for the correction!
@@taketheleep No problem. Looking forward to the next vid
Yep, and there are some of those insight skulls scattered in the deep recesses of the level.
🤓 achtually
while you are correct, it's somewhat unlikely that a new player will both find and use one of the two available madman's knowledge in central yharnam before traveling to the hunter's dream. if the player uses it while there, it will seem to do nothing until revisiting
One thing that wasn't mentioned in this video is the part of central Yharnam behind the locked door to the left of Iosefka's clinic, you reach there via an optional shortcut in the forbidden woods and it lets you access the rest of Iosefka's clinic along with a few streets outside it, still having that central Yharnam level of interconnectivity but with the enemy scaling of forbidden woods, and it shows you the horrors of what Iosefka's imposter has done, oh, and a fun little quest to get to Cainhurst Castle.
I don’t have a source, but I’m pretty sure this level was designed last. That might explain why it’s so good and also why it doesn’t connect with anything else besides the one exit. It’s a real shame that you don’t really have a reason to go back here once you get past father gascoigne.
I went back to Central Yharnam a lot, particularly for NPC quests and blood vial farming. His daughter's quest doesn't end with the pig- there's further dialogue from another little girl (or something pretending to be a little girl) in the house, and Gilbert gives you good advice right until he can't hold it together any more, through about the midpoint of the game. I remember each nook and turn quite fondly now.
I didn’t find Gilbert or Eileen on my first playthrough. Funny how so many people can have a unique experience.
@@pasaniusventris4113Wdym pretending to be a little girl? It's her older sister. You can get another ribbon from her corpse. This time it's not stained by blood.
@@sharavy6851 the way she laughs when she gets the ribbon possibly suggests she might not be! she also isn't mentioned by the first, sane little girl- wouldn't she say "my mother left my sister and i behind" if she was in there? it's just a theory, but an intriguing one!
You can also go back to Iosefka’s clinic to speak with her and then with her imposter through the clinic’s locked door, so you actually have more than one reason to go back after you’ve defeated Gascoigne.
the quality of this video is top notch, congrats!
Incredible video, would not be at all opposed yo you analyzing every single level of this masterpiece and making this a full series, congrats!
Central Yharnam is the best starting area in all of the souls games, it does the best job of showing off the games mood. I feel it conveys what the world is set in the best, and while the Limgrave reveal with the gigantic Golden Tree is just incredible. The orange sky, victorian spires, and black silhouettes of the buildings are so strong, Yharnams presentation is already off to stellar start.
The twists and turns and secrets hidden behind boxes you can break the shortcuts you unlock are so creative. And the bosses, ohhhhh the bosses. Cleric Beast is one hell of a way to start off a boss fight in the game (depending on who you fight first). But Cleric Beast jumping over the gate wall into the arena with the Wendigo design with that ear piercing scream and the orange sky and sun giving the eerie vibe of Yharnam to the battle is one of the most memorable moments in the whole game. And don’t even get me started on his theme holy shit, I love it so much. When you say Bloodborne that’s the first ost that comes to mind for me. Same goes for Gascoigne ost, fight, visuals, are just incredible Cleric and Father show you the two types of bosses you’ll be fighting thought-out the whole game and do a great job of that.
Some good points raised here, Cleric Beast jumping over the wall as you walk down the bridge is so f**king cool the first time & is a real “oh shit” moment. So memorable.
Cleric beats jumping onto the bridge is very similar to Taurus demon, I love Central yharnam, one of the best areas, however it's my 2nd fav intro level first being a tie btw limgrave/stormveil and undead burg/parish
This video is great and I sincerely hope it gets the attention it deserves. Keep it up!!!
I love how quality videos are still being made about bloodborne after so many years. Good shit!
Been watching all your fromsoft videos and they're all fantastic. Hope to see more :D
When he paused the shot, it became a serious delve into deep, quality analysis. Nice one!
I really dig this and I'm looking forward to seeing you cover the other locations.
what a great video. glad I found your channel
Holy shit your channel is what I was looking for brother you saved my game dev life your content is so high quality you need to be proud of what you made from what I seen so far your content is so good it’s rivals gmtk you need more credit for what are you doing ❤❤❤❤❤❤
Beautiful examination
great video! Even though I have a lot of nostalgia for Boletaria and Undead Burg as introductory areas, I love how Yharnam is a clear evolution and improvement. Boletaria was the inner workings of a haunted fortress, while Undead Burg spread itself out hinting at the urban sprawl surrounding such a place. But Yharnam focuses the player's attention on the city and its inhabitants. It hints a bit at those "normal days" with its avenues and alleys, but everything is now clearly transformed and monstrous
My favorite game of all time. An excellent analysis - I wish I could experience central yarnham for the first time again. What an atmospheric, creepy, Gothic masterpiece
I was gonna ask for Hemwick and lo and behold! You've already done it 🙌
😎
Using mad mans knowledge gives you access to the doll without having to fight a boss
Personally, for me, the feeling I got when entering Central Yharnam was one very much of suffocation. Exiting a clinic to instantly be greeted with nothing less than a very small, enclosed, dilapidated graveyard certainly gave me the feeling of "Even if you make it out of one place, never believe you are free". Then to exit the graveyard to be met with a small pathway that leads in only one direction and to immediately be greeted by enemies. I also personally feel that the "tutorial" zones of other souls game are much more forgiving, and to be immediately greeted by enemies with attacks that seem much faster and wild in comparison to those of other souls-games, it very much sets the feeling that "Hey, these enemies are quick and unforgiving, and you don't have a shield to hide behind this time". Overall, it makes for a very daunting opening, but one also very immersed in a heavy, all-encompassing atmosphere that is unmatched by other souls games. I also feel that the unnatural orangish-hued sky adds to that feeling of suffocation, immediately giving the feeling that things are not normal and you are not safe.
This channel is infuriatingly underrated. Keep it up man, this channel is bound to blow up soon.
Thanks for the hype up!
Great video. I subscribed and I wish you keep growing :)
Gracias!
J’espère vraiment que tu continueras cette série de vidéos. C’est une mine d’or pour un amoureux de Bloodborne comme moi.
Merci beaucoup! Je suis très heureux de savoir que vous avez apprécié.
Love this serious and peaceful content of bloodborne, respect and admiration for the game, no memes, thank you so much for this.
Thank you! Happy to hear the style resonated with you.
My first time I actually used the tombstones to prevent *Father Gascoigne* from moving around.
Yup, you said it.
Excellent video, excited to have found a new channel!
One addition I have for the flaws section would be: the need to farm for blood vials. They just feel a bit like a punishment to bad/new players. I like the idea of acquiring more healing while exploring for sure, though Lies of P showed how to better do that imo, but I just feel like the annoyance to newer players is far outweighed by the continued exploration. I mean its what made me set the game down and go play DS2 instead on my first play through.
Thank you.
I think another fitting analogy in that music line is that the First level is like the overture of a musical where we are getting little motifs of what to expect and be called back to later in the game.
This is a great analogy! I love when musicals or even concept albums use that technique so it's cool to see a similar idea be discussed about games as well.
I really want to play this game
I believe that when it comes to introducing players to enemies and guiding them through levels, Central Yharnam does offer alternate paths that guide you through. At the bonfire crowd section, there is a path in front of a carriage with a gunman sleeping next to it. I believe the sleeping gunman is an intentional choice made to intrigue the player, as it is one of the only enemies that doesn't immediately attack at that point in the game. Right next to him is a staircase that leads to a path that basically allows the player to avoid the crowd, and as the player travels along the path, enemies slowly make their way up to the path via another staircase, and the narrow path splits the enemies up, making the enemies much easier to manage. I also think the player is meant to be intimidated by the crowd, forcing the player to turn back which would make the sleeping gunman noticeable in the first place.
You've nailed a lot of the points I discuss in the second part of my commentary/walkthrough of this level (not yet published) that specifically looks at the bonfire scene and the different approaches you can take to it. Absolutely agree about the placement and non aggressive stance of the rifleman, and the strategy you're describing I'm pretty sure is the way I eventually cleared this area on my first playthrough. Thanks for the comment!
As not a particularly great souls-like players, I can tell you Father Gascoigne's area actually made him easier for me. I didn't find the tombstones an obstacle for myself, but a great one for him. Unlike all the others with nowhere to run and hide, there's a lot of stuff to get him stuck behind, or otherwise just slow him down. You can get ample distance from him to catch your breath, heal, and figure out what you're doing. The open arenas make for a relentless challenge. It's an interesting point of contrast. I found Bloodborne on the whole the most accessible of of the games, getting much further in it than I did in any other souls-like. So while you make points of friction with souls-like veterans, it might just be that they're really geared towards the less skilled. Player's own expectations are often a impediment to enjoying something new for what it is, rather than what they expect or want it to be.
I quite liked not having the ability to level up at the start. It reinforces to me that all I need to be doing is learning base mechanics and exploring. No pressure that i may be spending my points wrong too, before i know whats going on or where I'm lacking.... Either way all the early levels would have gone to stamina as always
You can actually level up before fighting the cleric beast as there is a madman's knowledge item that can be found in the canals.
The lighting always gave me a sense of a lurking danger in the beauty. Like the ocean almost. It's beautiful but you know something is off and you don't know what it is.
If you walk up the stairs on the left of the bonfire it will beak up a lot of the enemy’s and make it a lot more doable
Central Yharnam has one of the best level design that I’ve ever played
A game that will never see light of day and forever kept dark on the POS Station 3.
I love central yarnham its gothic style housing is awesome my favorite starting weapon is the axe i love that it switches from long to short and then im always in the best outfit
I've tried the ax but it's too slow for me. I'm trying to break out from my dependence on the saw cleaver and try a different weapon but the enemies are so damn fast and aggressive.
@etinarcadiaego7424 yes it's a bit slow but in my opinion a reliable weapon that and ludvigs hammer I think it's called
The design of the big bonfire setpiece is so baffling. Just like you pointed out about Gascoigne's arena, there isn't another time in the game when the only path forward is through a meat grinder of 13 enemies!
There are side paths and the enemy that will shoot most players in the back is there to deliberately draw your attention to one of them. Also you pick up pebbles, which can be used to lure enemies one at a time.
actually, the canal system has actually been replicated in one other bloodborne area. You know it! You love it! It's nightmare frontier!
I’m in the middle of my first play through right now. The 2 werewolves on the great bridge gave me trouble, and they were so far from the lamp that I just went a different way and found Gascoigne first. I was annoyed at not being able to level, so after 1 death to him I farmed my way to level 20. I used the tombstones to block his gunshots, and spammed molotovs in the second phase.
Also it wasn’t until after Gascoigne that I realized the people in the windows do more than yell at you. I had been skipping them.
Edit: I saw someone already made this pointer after sending this comment. But I'm keeping it anyway.
Only critique I have is that the Doll doesn't awaken because of a Boss. You need at least 1 Insight to have the Doll awakened, which in most cases, players will get their first thing of Insight from one of the two starting bosses. Very well done video and I think everything was explained very well!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for the fact check!
Some people say Bloodborne needs remake, but how can you remake something that's already looks this amazing.
Playing through it now for the first time, and I agree. But it needs a patch for 60fps and a resolution bump.
@@Fleshfeast definitely, that's all the game needs, 60fps and higher resolution
60 fps.
For me it looks awful on my ps5. It looks better when I run it on ps4 and I’ve read online other people have that same issue too
It looks terrible. Horrible flickering everywhere you look and choppy motion. It's artistically perfect, but held back technically. It needs a remaster, not a remake.
The upgrade system feels so natural in this game. You can find the necessary shards to upgrade your weapon to +10 just by playing through instead of actively finding them or looking up a guide. This shouldn't be so impressive, but I didn't feel this way for DS3 or Elden Ring.
Bro, you have way too little followers! Your video is grade a.
And jokes on you, i will watch both!
On the note of not being pleased with the design of Father Gascoigne's arena, I'd argue that it is a tough-love or "school of hard knocks" approach to teaching new players how to fight beasts. On my first playthrough, the larges beasts of early Yharnam (outside of the Cleric Beast room) would tear me apart when I would simply dodge backwards. Father G fights in a similar manner when he goes feral; backing away gets punished. I believe the tombstones, are there to force players to learn to not dodge backwards. Father G tore me apart for so long until I learned that Bloodborne wanted me to parry more than dodge.
Dodging is important, but when the boss backs you into a corner, in an arena made of corners, parrying becomes your best tool. The tombstones are not present in other fights because they should have served their purpose against Father Gascoigne.
When it comes to the color, i always felt that it was to make the world look like classic paintings like "the scream"
Very cool comparison! Never would have thought of that but there are definitely some similarities there.
Though I do appreciate the intricacy of Central Yharnam, I remember feeling a great sense of freedom/relief once progressing beyond it. Like escaping a hazy and cluttered maze.
I definitely spent quite a bit of time here on my first playthrough and you're right, there is a real sense of escape after finally moving on from it.
Fromsoft's game design generally always has an amazingly well built and complex first level, with subsequent places never really reaching that peak of complexity in design again
16:47 that's not quite true. There's a mad man's knowledge skull near the sewers among a group of crows that you can use to gain invite that will allow you to use the doll to level up without having to fight father Gascoigne or the beast
I don't really think having access to the doll earlier would help players new to Fromsoft games. If I've learned anything from invading new players in Elden Ring. They will almost always put useless points into strength and dex before they understand that health is important. Hell, I've watched Asmongold(and others) make that same mistake over and over with each new souls game he's played.. lol
I always thought the "bonfire scene" was meant to make you use pebbles/cocktails and think outside the box by aggroing single enemies, I remember it doing that for me at least
To interact with the doll, you need at least 1 insight. You don't have to fight the boss. You can find madmans knowledge somewhere around the sewers
I never got lost once in the whole game. And it's one of the less games i actually look at the background scenery.
Greatest area ever
Do upper cathedral ward
I want to play this again so bad but despite owning it as a PC gamer I have been spoiled too much by things like Lies of P running at a smooth 120 and cannot return to an original PS4 load times and 30fps if you're lucky. I just hope that when the remake does come we don't have to wait as long to get it as we seem to be for Demon Souls.
Part 2 coming very soon!
This game is a masterpiece full stop
When you treat Cathedral Ward, Iosefska's Clinic, and Central Yharnam as one whole area it feels a lot more logical and sprawling in its design. I don't think that's an accident either. It makes the side paths/shortcuts, secrets, lore, etc., become that much more interconnected. You could go even further to say the Abandoned Workshop and Church Workshop also aid in this if they're considered. That hidden door in Central Yharnam would have led right to the bridge where you fight the Cleric Beast if it were made into an actual shortcut in the final release of the game. That alone should make it clear that Bloodborne's level design is just as complex as Dark Souls' is. It's just presented and laid out to express kind of game Miyazaki wanted Bloodborne to be. Central Yharnam and its extended areas are some of the best starting areas of any Soulsborne game for what they teach the player alone. Even progressing the night cycle after killing Amelia or killing Bloodstarved Beast and coming back shows how different the game becomes under different circumstances. Miyazaki's design philosophy only improved with Bloodborne, building on what he'd learned with Dark Souls 1.
Jim Halpert explains Bloodborne
👨🏻💼
Your voice reminds me of charred thermos, really hope that guy is okay
Bloodborne doesn’t need a RE4 level remake. Maybe a slightly polished 60fps ps5 version will suffice.
YES, that color palate was very disorienting when I first played. Colors all bled into eachother but everything seemed very detailed at the same time. I had the same problem with sekiro on ps4, but that went away when I got it on PC. I think it's a resolution/texture streaming thing.
I’m probably not the first person to say it, but you don’t need to interact with a boss to use the doll.
Just as random, and not told, is that you can find some madman’s knowledge in the sewers, head to the dream and level before the boss’s
The bonfire area isn't bad if you take the side path and lure the enemies 1 by 1 with pebbles.
Or you can easily run away and come back when you feel better prepared by the time you get to Father G. I love coming back after the first few bosses and taking on all 20 guys at once.
Good vid. Not trying to be mean when I say this, but complaining about the terrain in the Gascoigne fight is synonymous with saying you never fought the Capra demon.
Edit: on further reflection I'm thinking maybe Yharnam is the best area in any souls game. Anyone agree/disagree? Cheers
Bloodborne was my first fromsoft game and I literally spend about 6 to 8 hours in central yarnam. Tried to figure out how the game is beeing played by my own without any tips from the internet. Very confusing gamestyle for beginners.
Should have been more boss fights like fatha G, mensis would have been a better fight with a transformation.
I just wish fromsoft would Partner with sony again for this kind of project.
You sound like Jim Halpert
😎
Better design than 99% of souls levels
Too bad I don’t have a PlayStation 😢
better design than 99% of bloodborne levels too lmao its just one of their best levels period its not exclusive to dark souls
stop, i don't want to play it again, i still have to make another elden ring character for DLC... ;-;
yeesh bb fanboys man, yall are really fighting to keep this game relevant.
fairplay to bloodborne but ds3 did it better with Lothric Castle
Central Yharnam's level design is the sole reason why I haven't gotten into Bloodbourne. It's a cluttered jumbled mess and obnoxious to deal with and I can't be asked