Combat and Control

So I'm finally pulling this blog up from six feet under. Hopefully, with enough energy, I can keep this blog going. 

I know this sounds obvious but it needs to be said: gameplay is the most important part of a game. If a game is not fun to play, then it's most likely not a good game. No matter how thought-out the story is or how many endings there are, a game will end. The only games that live on are multiplayer games, fighting/racing games, and games with addicting combat. I want to focus on talking about the last point because it is the difference between why I love Bloodborne so much and dislike The Witcher 3 so much (I’m sure you’re surprised now, huh?)

Just a note to start off, I’m going to completely focus on the combat aspect of both Bloodborne and Witcher 3. I know that there are many amazing qualities and also glaring flaws in each game, but I feel like those aspects don’t really affect my opinion of either game as much. So please bear with me.

I’ve played all the PS3 and PS4 From Software games. From Demon’s Souls all the way to finishing my first play through of Bloodborne just a couple of weeks ago (I know, I’m slow). The games are completely combat centric. Heck, sometimes secret areas of the game are revealed by hitting random walls. Other than pressing the A button to talk, the game was mainly about hitting things and trying not to get hit by those same things. The game would not progress (and as a player, YOU would not progress) unless you were successful in combat. It relied on reading your enemies and timing attacks at just the right moment to overcome them.

None of this would be fun if controlling your character was a chore.  Thankfully, From Software gets this right and perfects it. The movement of your character is fluid. The controls are tight. After the short time with the game, character control and combat become second nature. Sure, there will be different enemies with different attacks, but the player will develop a sense of confidence.

There are many things I found wrong with Bloodborne during my playthrough. But the combat always shined. The main reason was because controlling my character was easy.

Despite all the praise The Witcher 3 is getting, I cannot put this game over Bloodborne. All because of controls. I find myself fighting Geralt in trying to get from place to place. I compare moving to Geralt to driving a car. He has this odd slow down and actually has some type of turning radius that really irrates me. Don’t get me started on trying to control him when swimming either.

It’s a shame that the controls in The Witcher  are so bad because if they could just tighten them up, the game would be golden. The amount of combat options you have are quite vast. Most enemies require strategy which is pretty cool. But I get less and less invested in the quests now and more and more invested in how fast I can complete a quest.

With the controls being so…odd… I find myself not wanting to explore. I find myself wanting to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. I want to love the world but it’s hard to love a world when walking around is a chore. There is so much in this vast, open world that begs for me to pay attention. There are beautiful trees, serene lakes, and rocky hills. All of these amazingly crafted environments sadly only serve as a hindrance to my journeys. Every time I die due to a tree or rock in my way is another reason for me to just stop playing. But I can’t.

There is so much love put into this game, I feel guilty not playing it. So I can’t wait until I finish the game. But each new area is a realm of a new horror. The more there is to do in the game, the more I dread it. If only Geralt could walk like a human instead of a tank.

And also Gwent. I love Gwent. I need more Gwent. Gwent. Gwent. Gwent. Gwent. Gwent. Gwent.