Bloodborne: The Old Hunters PS4 Review: Sins of the Past [Update: Final Thoughts and Score!]

This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.

[Editor's note: Since reviewers were locked out of The Old Hunters' helpful co-op functionality until shortly before the Monday embargo, this piece was originally posted as a review-in-progress. If you've already read the first section and want to check out the second, click on this handy link.]

It should be clear at this point that From Software is no slouch when it comes to DLC.

The expansions for both Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 brought about some of the best content found in each game—content that went beyond simply "more Dark Souls." If anything, From Software uses DLC as a way to address criticisms heaped upon the core game: Dark Souls 2 in particular benefited the most from this approach, with each chapter of the expansion trilogy giving players certain types of content the original release lacked.

Bloodborne's The Old Hunters isn't quite as ambitious as the DLC from their last release, but, as with Dark Souls 2, it certainly seems designed to address certain issues underlined in its mostly positive reviews. Keeping in mind I'm a little foggy about Bloodborne's official lore, The Old Hunters appears to take place before the events of the original game, and, as with Dark Souls' Artorias of The Abyss expansion, reuses old environments in a way that somehow escapes feeling like a cynical choice.

But it's this trip to the past that justifies some recycling, if only to subvert expectations—something From Software has always excelled at. Though you may recognize certain landmarks and buildings from the Cathedral Ward area of the original game, so much has been shifted and rearranged that you can't always rely on your prior knowledge. And this applies to the enemies as well, who've flipped roles in The Old Hunters. The pathetic, insane humans you used to cut through like butter are now nearly as powerful as the NPC Hunters from the core game, while the more beast-like foes cower and whimper until you end their lives. With the most common enemies being smarter, faster, and tougher this time around, progress is hard-won in The Old Hunters—at times, I had to employ NFL tactics and find the most efficient way to blitz past these obstacles in the direction of a new checkpoint or shortcut.

As you were probably expecting, yes, The Old Hunters is pretty tough. While you can access this new area after killing Vicar Amelia—Bloodborne's first "trial by fire" boss—what I've encountered so far has been pretty tough for a character much further along in the game than that. Thankfully, The Old Hunters offers a few safety nets for those who might find the overall challenge too intimidating. An item given to players before accessing the DLC allows them to summon NPC hunters to help with tricky encounters and bosses, and enemies seem to yield many more blood vials than usual—which meant I never needed to head back to an early area and farm for more. What tells me this is a deliberate decision from From is the fact that an incredibly easy enemy before the first boss' gate always gives up five vials when slain. Seeing as you usually dump a ton of resources into Bloodborne's boss fights, this bit of assistance definitely cut down on needless busywork.

As of this writing, I've only finished off the first boss—a two-form abomination that makes for one of Bloodborne's most creatively hideous monsters—and have definitely enjoyed dipping back into the terrible land of Yharnam once again. Bloodborne is one of those games that really gets to me, and the DLC is no different; when entering some new area, I always find myself instinctively leaning back into the couch and gripping the DualShock extra tight in anticipation of whatever new horrors are waiting to leap out at me. For me, the Bloodborne flame still burns, and unlocking a shortcut that makes navigation much more manageable feels just as rewarding now as it did in Dark Souls four years ago. Simply put, The Old Hunters is going to have to screw up pretty bad after these first 4-5 hours for me to think it's anything but great.

The Towering Terror

Though The Old Hunters leans a bit on recycled content for its first chunk, what follows after the first boss amounts to completely new content. Bloodborne has always leaned on horror as a means of increasing tension, but the Healing Church's research lab really doubles-down on this aspect, similar to the core game's Unseen Village. Before Bloodborne released, it was hinted the tone of the game would be similar to that of Demon's Souls' Tower of Latria: a dank, decaying prison shrouded in shadows and filled with dangerous enemies. The second half of The Old Hunters essentially feels like Bloodborne's version of this stage, as much of it involves exploring a densely packed tower overflowing with abominations that shine a light on some fairly interesting lore.

And this second half of The Old Hunters provides a nice contrast to the first in terms of atmosphere, environment, and combat. Your initial entry into the DLC will have you fighting fast and lethal enemies in wide-open spaces, but, following this, you'll be stuck in more cramped confines with hordes of monsters that may be slow and stupid, but still do a spectacular job of catching you off guard. After sticking with Bloodborne for more than 100 hours at this point, it's especially impressive to see From find a new angle for their Gothic horror setting; at no point does The Old Hunters ever feel like a rehash of ideas explored previously. Plus, the sheer amount of non-hostile NPCs do much to give these new areas a good deal of personality missing from the back half of Bloodborne—there, few humans have their wits intact enough to say anything of value.

Bloodborne veterans may be a bit disappointed to find that the new weapons and armor aren't exactly game-changers, though. There's definitely an assortment of cool new duds for your character to wear, but what you roll with still boils down to the outfit that looks best. And even though you've probably found and upgraded your weapon of choice by the time you reach The Old Hunters, the new assortment found in the DLC has its charms: I was particularly fond of what's essentially a buzzsaw on a stick, but, as cool as it is, I'll have to wait a while before it measures up to the +9 axe I've been rocking since the beginning of Bloodborne. Some of these new weapons rely on the mostly underused Bloodtinge and Arcane stats, but Bloodborne remains a game in which a direct approach is incentivized. It's nice to have a few more options, but, as always, Strength and Skill are king when it comes to building characters.

Ultimately, The Old Hunters lives up to the high standard set by From Software with their previous DLC. The asking price may seem a little steep, but it presents a pretty substantial chunk of content: Unless you're a Bloodborne master, expect to get at least 10-15 hours out of it—possibly more if you want to take on the optional boss and explore every nook and cranny of its twisted world. And it's also heartening to know that, despite working on the same style of RPG for more than six years, From hasn't lost their magic; their work still feels as special as it did back when Dark Souls surprised the world just a handful of years ago. It's a little sad that they're closing the book on Bloodborne so soon, but playing The Old Hunters definitely makes me excited for their next project. Bring on Dark Souls 3!