#5. BLOODBORNE
By 2015, the Souls template was starting to wear (somewhat) thin – at least that’s what many felt after the somewhat divisive Dark Souls 2 – but with Bloodborne, FromSoftware demonstrated just how versatile that format can be, and just how talented they are as developers- and in the process created what may be the greatest game they have ever made. Bloodborne retains all the strengths of the Dark Souls games –atmosphere, level design, difficulty, and lore – and actually makes all of that doubly stronger. Most importantly though, it carves out a very distinct identity of its own despite being built on a very familiar formula, thanks to its Lovecraftian aesthetic, a haunting and engaging story, and what is some of the most satisfying combat we’ve ever seen in a game. Bloodborne is a high watermark of perfection in game design that will probably never be topped.
