Leaving behind the medieval and indeed nightmarish milieu of the studio’s Souls series, From Software’s upcoming RPG Bloodborne drags the familiar third-person gameplay kicking and screaming into a Victorian setting. And during the company’s TGS conference, Studio Japan revealed that the much-anticipated title will release on February 6th, 2015.
While we already knew that the PlayStation 4 exclusive would debut in its native region of Japan on February 5th, it’s nice to know that Sony has aligned the two release dates so that they’re rubbing shoulders with one another — more often than not, US and EU gamers have to wait for a few months before a Japanese title weaves its way west.
In tandem with the announcement, Studio Japan also lifted the lid on a limited edition collector’s edition for Bloodborne. At $79.99, the premium bundle includes the RPG’s official soundtrack, an art book and a copy of the game enclosed in a glossy steelbook. Admittedly, it’s not the most lavish of collector’s edition, but ardent fans will surely find some grotesque sketches lurking beneath the pages of the aforementioned art book.
Much has been said about Bloodborne’s visual style — primarily because it hones a similar aesthetic as the Souls series. But one of the ways in which it differentiates itself from Hidetaka Miyazaki’s excruciating franchise is through the fast-paced combat, a system that actively encourages players to transform weapons to slice and dice their way through some of the abominations glimpsed in the trailer.
Speaking of which, the recently-released footage also briefly hints at the multiplayer elements in the game, with two players collaborating to take down a rather stubborn boss — much like Dark Souls’ excellent co-op mechanic, then.
Bloodborne will release exclusively on PlayStation 4 on February 6th, 2015. Until then, be sure to check out the horrifying footage above.
