With the potential for a Bloodborne PS5 remake on the near-horizon, a multitude of amendments to the original experience are certainly in order. While FromSoftware’s 2015 Sony exclusive may have been a smash hit, becoming like its predecessors emblematic of the dev’s prowess in the adoption of the “SoulsBorne” tagline, Bloodborne isn’t without its faults. From improved co-op mechanics to a more balanced armory, here are the 5 things a Bloodborne remake should take into consideration before release…
5 Load Times
Even after the April 2015 update, Bloodborne still loads rather long for a relatively dated title. It may not be as long as Grand Theft Auto V, but when passing back and forth between Yarnham and the Hunter’s Dream (not to mention simply dying), the long load times downgrade this experience still to this day. While this issue could be amended with an SSD, not every PS4 owner is willing or has the money to mod their console, nor is it that viable given the next-gen PlayStation is right on our doorstep.
As one Reddit user aptly notes in a comment on a post discussing the many faults with the base game:
Given that this rumored Bloodborne remake is supposedly coming to the PS5, which will have an integrated SSD installed, there’s no doubt the game will load much faster. Though, hopefully, this quality assurance concerning load times is taken very seriously and made even more lightning-fast by the developer.
4 Blood Vial Farming & Skippable Items
Like Fallout’s stimpaks, blood vials in Bloodborne are utterly essential for survival. With their ever-increasing value at the Bath Messenger in the Hunter’s Dream, rising after the player defeats Vicar Amelia and again after beating Rom, blood vials aren’t simple to come by and nor are they cheap. While the best way to farm for blood vials is to simply sweep through previously-visited sections of Yarnham, there has to be a more streamlined and less time-consuming approach included in the remake. A similar issue can be said of Demon’s Souls, the remake of which will most assuredly have to consider like the Bloodborne iteration redefining grinding for healing potions.
In this same vein, Bloodborne is packed with a multitude of items, many of them completely missable due to the game’s varied progress routes. Bloodborne’s immense amount of optional bosses and side quests might be a huge draw to the series, but it likewise invites many ways for losing out on awesome items and even some side quests. The remake could make these constraints less detrimental and maybe even imbue more fluidity to their acquisition. In this sense, specific items missed after defeating a boss could potentially still be found later on if, say, the player defeated an optional opponent that’s off the beaten path.
3 Weapon Balance & Playstyle Flexibility
There is no denying that the weapons and parrying mechanics are what makes Bloodborne shine even in the ebon bowels of Yarnham, but some better balancing is certainly in order for any potential remake. A Change.org petition from 3 years prior proves that these very issues are the biggest drawbacks of the game, specifically that of certain weapons, like the Saw Cleaver, Rakuyo, Kos Parasite, and Whirligig Saw - among many others.
Additionally, as weapons balancing is already mismatched, so too is playstyle flexibility. In the aforementioned Reddit post, OP notes how Bloodborne has such a limited armory when compared to previous FromSoftware titles, highlighting the fact that only 28 varied weapon modes exist in the game combined with only 9 Hunter Tool “spells.” The remake should focus on adding much more content in the form of death-bringing, as well as a more fundamental alteration for trick weapon movesets, which would invite more intriguing combat scenarios and playstyles.
2 Chalice Dungeons
Although Chalice Dungeons are a big part of what keeps players playing Bloodborne still to this day, an improved set of even more underground systems would completely round out the experience. This, coupled with more varied boss battles would also alleviate the repetitiveness of current Chalice Dungeons.
1 Co-Op & PvP Functionality
The ability to enter a friend’s world and assist them against certain bosses is an incredible and unforgettable experience, but the remake could make some much-needed amendments to the existing system. First and foremost, the limit of only 3 players in one session should get boosted to 4 and that fourth entrant could potentially be a PvP “rival” of sorts, making co-op experiences that much more difficult. The remake should also get rid of equalizing player stats in co-op, as a diminished health bar really only matters in PvP experiences.
In addition, limiting changes to only one world makes sense, but why not fuse them for better collaboration? For instance, if you were to join a friend’s world who hasn’t defeated Rom yet (but you already have in your world), then you should be able to meet with the Cannibal and still have that experience cross over into your world. And vice versa, if said friend joined your world, Rom could be fought again only as a far more difficult offshoot, which when defeated would then carry over into their own world. Co-op functionality could scale and work as a completely new and awesome way of experiencing Bloodborne with cooperative playstyles and companionship in mind rather than limiting it to only one player being rewarded.
Though it’s still only rumors and has yet to be set in stone, a Bloodborne remake would make for an amazing addition to the slate of PS5 releases. And, although it is extremely desired, maybe a Bloodborne sequel isn’t necessary just yet. Let’s first see how the PS5 itself and developers handle a remake before augmenting into a sequel arguably one of this generation’s best PlayStation exclusives.
NEXT: Unofficial Patch For Bloodborne Lets The Game Run At 60 FPS
