I'm not what you would call a veteran of From Software's games. I first played

I feel now that I’m playing Bloodborne in the way that Souls veterans do. There’s a confidence and cockiness to my movements that I had never thought I’d be capable of exhibiting in these games. Central Yharnam is no longer a scary place crawling with crazed citizens; it’s where I go if I need to collect a few bullets and blood vials quickly. The scythe-wielding witches of the Frontier are just a roar of my blunderbuss away from no longer being an obstacle.

I begin to wonder if all this time my sword and shield build was weighing me down. It has taken multiple things to get to that realisation: the time to discover Bloodborne’s intricacies on my own, without a Twitch audience, without the constraints of a press event, and without walkthroughs to turn to. Most of all, it has taken a game that hasn’t just encouraged me to try a new play style, but required it. Bloodborne may just be the first From Software game that I truly click with. And you know what? I haven’t even used the wooden shield I found.