“Oh, this explains why I keep getting my ass kicked.”

The game never explains any of that, it leaves it to you to figure it out. Or, for another example: There’s a point where a new enemy shows up in familiar areas. Bloodborne knows the player is starting to feel cocky, having established a sense of control. This enemy can kill you with a single attack, and he probably will—that’s the point. And when he kills you, something entirely unexpected happens.

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That sort of unforeseen moment, a mixture of fear and delight, is commonplace in Bloodborne. The game enjoys pulling the rug out from under you the moment you get comfortable, resulting in head-scratching and “omg wtf” texts to friends.

The head-scratching even extends to your character sheet, though not for the best of reasons. Bloodborne is an uncomfortably simple game when it comes to player customization. You just don’t have many options at first. It’s far too many hours before Bloodborne reveals weapon, clothing, and item options to enable significant divergence from other players. You can level up a character dozens of times without realizing magic is eventually part of your repertoire, since the game doesn’t make spells available until many hours in. There’s little reason to dump points into the arcane stat that drives these spells, meaning players may have to grind for hours to make them viable. Bloodborne’s setup ensures newcomers have viable builds, but it also means veterans are locked in for a while, and you can’t do much until entering the inevitable New Game Plus.

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And here’s a potentially controversial statement: I think this game’s pretty easy. It’s difficult to tell how much that has to do with my 200-plus hours of investment into these games and how much is about Bloodborne itself. The early hours are the best hours, as you’re coming to grips with the game’s combat system, making mistakes, and slowly but surely getting better. Eventually, though, it becomes a pushover. It’s possible to argue that’s intentional, as though the game is stepping out of the way and saying “Hey, you’ve got this. Go have fun, kid.” (Previous Souls games have been guilty of this, too.)

It’s not fun to stroll into a boss and walk all over them. On paper, that sounds great! “Ha ha, gotcha, game!” But that’s not what I’m here for. Those text messages I showed you only exist because we overcame a tremendous challenge, and there’s not much challenging about the game’s final hours, moments that should test everything players have learned up until that point. Instead, it gets kinda boring, and I got anxious to simply finish it. That’s not how I felt when I entered Bloodborne.

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That said, depending on the ending you get, Bloodborne reveals one hell of a great fight as it closes out. Just as I was stomping on through, I was suddenly getting smacked around. Gasping for air in the final moments was welcome, and it made the ending feel earned.

(P.S. There’s a “secret” ending that most players consider the “true” ending. Just look up how to unlock it, since you’ll never figure it out on your own.)

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Even when it’s over, it’s not actually over, if you want more. There are now multiple ways to keep playing the game after “beating” it. There’s New Game Plus, in which your character’s skills and equipment carry over, and enemies are harder than ever. You have access to the weapons and equipment you collected, providing an opportunity to develop a unique character in the way the game didn’t allow before. There are also Chalice Dungeons, randomized death traps designed to let you run around with friends and find some of the game’s best loot. Being able to run around with other people is so tremendously fun, and significantly alters the way you approach enemy encounters. I imagine I’ll be spending a lot of time down there.

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If you made it this far and haven’t played a game like this, you might be thinking, “Maybe this is is the one for me, and it’s time to see what all these folks are raving about.” I’d encourage you to do so, if only because I was in your situation about a year ago. It only took a few hours with Dark Souls before I was a convert, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. Is Bloodborne a good entry point? I don’t know. It’s a different kind of Souls game, yes, but still a Souls game, which means that it’s punishing and demanding. Bloodborne is what it is, and the Souls games have hardly ever compromised. They’re better for it.

Where does Bloodborne ultimately rank, then, among the Souls games? No idea. It’s a question for another day, when Bloodborne’s had more time to sink in. Ask in a few weeks.

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But more importantly, does that really matter? Not at all. Bloodborne is a fantastic game all its own, and requires no experience with anything else to enjoy and appreciate. It may be a riff on an existing idea, but it forges a standalone identity. It’s special, and there’s little else like it.

I could write about Bloodborne for another thousand words. I’ll certainly be doing that in the weeks and months ahead, as players around the world unlock more of its hidden secrets. Can I really transform into a beast? What other sects and covenants can I join? Does the game significantly change as players beat it over and over again? It’s uncommon to finish a game and still have so many burning questions about what’s left to be discovered, but that’s the kind of game Bloodborne is.

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Phew. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a New Game Plus mode that’s calling my name.

You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.