Alternatives to Bloodborne

 

Alternatives to Bloodborne

So Bloodborne came out. Critics are going insane over it, Let’s Players are covering it, Speed  Runners are setting world records and oh yeah, it is a PS4 exclusive with no chance of coming to PC in the near future. It is one big heart break for fellow Dark Souls lovers. The short version is that Sony financed the development of Bloodborne on the conditions of an exclusive title, much like their first game: Demon’s Souls. There is little we can do besides start petitions and cry our selves to sleep at night when it comes to getting this fantastic game onto PC.

However, there are things we can do to get the same feel of a dark and gritty world without buying a PS4…

5. Watch the films! 

It should come as no surprise that Bloodborne was heavily inspired by monster films of old. What better way to get out your urges to see werewolves than seeing Underworld, An American Werewolf in London or even Teen Wolf. Need vampires? Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Blade or even From Dusk Till Dawn. Need zombies or crazy people? Check out Night of the living dead, The Mist, Evil Dead, The Horde etc. Most of these films you can find on Netflix and it’ll save you tons of money from buying a PS4, best part is you won’t have to suffer through hours and hours of dying to trash monsters before dying to the main boss. You could say they are saving you a ton of self inflicted pain! As an added bonus there is a Luchador named El Santo who fights vampires and other monsters that is available on YouTube(I’ve already checked it out and it is glorious).

4. Read the Books!
The main reason this comes after movies is the fact that there is a ton of content to satisfy the twisted horror lust that many who love Bloodborne have(Myself included). I can not recommend H.P. Lovecraft‘s work enough, if you wish for dark, twisted setting that are drowning in insanity then look no further. If you are looking for something a bit longer then Stephen King is your next best bet. Need something more in the monster hunting genre then Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter is a great one. Even the classics of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula etc. will take you to that abyss filled of grief and horror.

3. Play other horror games!

More than likely you’ve already rolled your eyes at this list because Bloodborne is still Bloodborne and nothing but itself can compare. Well here are a few suggestions that will come close! Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is one of the big ones that comes to mind. You may not play as a hunter but being a Vampire is still friggin amazing. In this horror rpg you choose a type of vampire and pour points into stats as you go along. There are plenty of choices to be made that will affect the rest of the game and one of gaming most frightening areas. Next to Masquerade are the classics such as Castlevania, Diablo, Monster Hunter. Let’s not forget From Software’s earlier games Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls 1 & 2, if you have not played these games, it’s a great place to begin!

2. Table Top Board Games

You could always turn to table top board games as well to get your fill. Betrayal at House on the Hill is a great game where one party member gets chosen to be the villain and the survivors must attempt to flee while completing objectives along the way. Arkham Horror is an amazing game based off of the Lovecraft mythos that will take up quite a bit of time but leave you and your friends having a blast(Even if you get devoured). Dungeons and Dragon’s Ravenloft is a great game where adventurers must fight to either escape or subdue the master of Ravenloft.

1. Table Top RPGS

This may confuse a few people but there is a difference between board games and RPGs. The main difference being that in RPGS you can full control over your character and their attributes. Obviously, Dungeons and Dragons is a great choice for experiencing monster slaying as they are the grandfather of most RPGs today.  Granted, the D&D system can be a bit overpowered and limiting when it comes to character creation and the setting overall. If you are looking for something much closer to home, I would high recommend Savage Worlds: Rippers. This table top RPG focuses on the Victorian era, classic monsters, crunchy rules that Savage Worlds is known for and a very very grim setting that allows you to take pieces of monsters and apply it to your own body to gain their abilities at the cost of your sanity. I can not recommend this setting if you truly want a Bloodborne experience. I actually had more than playing this since it included my friends in our campaign and the possibilities were endless.

 

^ It’s kind of like that…a lot.

I hope you enjoyed our list of alternatives to Bloodborne! Do you have any other recommendations or comments about the list, let us know! Thanks for reading and we hope you also get over your Bloodborne cravings!