Description
Book Synopsis In the vein of their cult-classic dark fantasy titles Demon''s Souls (2009) and the Dark Souls franchise (2011, 2014, 2016), game developers FromSoftware released the bleak Gothic horror Bloodborne in 2015. Players are cast in the role of hunters in a hostile land, probing the shadowy city of Yharnam in search of paleblood. The game achieved iconic status as both a horror and an action title for its rich lore and for the continuity of story elements through all aspects of game design.
This first full-length study examines Bloodborne''s themes of dangerous knowledge and fatal pride and its aesthetics in the context of other works on game studies, horror and the Gothic. The book''s three parts focus on lore and narrative, the game''s nightmarish world, and its mechanics.
Table of Contents
- Introduction 1
- Part I. Lore
- 1. Hunters 16
- 2. Healers 33
- 3. Kin 52
- Part II. World
- 4. City 78
- 5. Environs 99
- 6. Nightmare 120
- Part III. Mechanics
- 7. Insight 140
- 8. Echoes 157
- 9. Dreams 175
- Conclusion 191
- Chapter Notes 199
- Bibliography 203
- Index 207
