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Dark Souls was boring, ugly and clunky as shit.

The two long ass ladders are just so out of place and make absolutely no sense in the world.

It's a forgettable area.

Not gonna this game has some stupid ass long ladders. I find the ladders are the laziest was to connect areas because some of them makes zero structural sense.

An old Indie I found really interesting is The Flame in the Flood. A rouge-like rafting survival game where you're trying to outrun a storm and find freedom in the open ocean. It's really stuck with me since playing and has this great Appalachian melancholy atmosphere.

have you played Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom? that's quite wacky! Thank Goodness You're Here is another hilarious title. other games that are an interesting mix of genres: Laika: Aged Through Blood and Minishoot Adventures

This needs more attention!!

Awesome to see this series coming back! As a Level Designer I really like this kind of videos.

Your so right

One day I will finish my No-Death-Run and proudly say that this will be the second game ever I finished 100% (the first being Ender Lillies)

I actually love the Forbidden Woods. I think it might be my favorite level in Bloodborne. The game basically shifts to full survival horror at this level, with a maze of twisting paths and corridors to explore, while your resources slowly deplete. I think the first time I played Bloodborne, I actually made it through almost the entire level without dying. This was because I approached the level very slowly and methodically. It got more and more tense as I got deeper and deeper, and the enemeies became more surreal (transitioning from townsfolk to snake balls to aliens), and my character's coat became increasingly soaked in blood. It was the best kind of terrifying that only a video game can provide.

for a realistic city design it's make no sense

Was thinking how good the level design was just a few days ago after watching a video were the player descended to the sewer, from where you get the hunter set, just by landing on the boards on the way down which obviously got placed for this purpose but are easy to miss even after almost ten years.

13:05 the moment I realized this might be my favorite game

I WANT TO PAY FOR THIS!!! HOW?

Totally agree on how the design sours new players to the game. Bought it back in 2015. Absolutely adored the atmosphere and combat, but Central Yharnam felt like bashing your head against a brick wall. On my first, second and third attempts at starting the game I gave up before reaching any of the bosses, and only when I picked it up years later during Covid did I finally made it to Cleric Beast and unlocked the doll. The extra dumb thing is - by that point I was in possession of several pieces of Madman's Knowledge, and if I knew I had to use it to unlock the Doll, I would've been able to acclimate to the game much sooner.

One of the best level designs ever

Excellent breakdown and analysis, I can't wait for part two. I have very mixed feelings about the Forbidden Woods. I should mention that I have never finished Bloodborne. I've been slowly chipping away at the same save file for about 7 years. It was the first game I got with my PS4, and it's one of my favorite games of all time - due largely to how RUclipsrs (like yourself) have helped me garner a deeper appreciation for its magic even if I haven't played the whole thing. The first time I got to Forbidden Woods, I think I was feeling fatigued, between the twisting and confusing paths to the relentless onslaught of enemies and traps. I made it to that little bridge right before you cross over and can open the shortcut elevator. I talked to the cannibal guy (and I think I ended up fighting him then and there), and then as I went to cross that bridge, I saw a dude with snakes for a head, and freaked out. I don't think I managed to see one of those guys while making it down the windmill. I may have tried to hit him a few times and died, or something along those lines, but either way I ended up back at the lamp without the shortcut open, and I was disheartened. I put the game down, and I think I didn't touch it for another year or two. Again, not because I didn't like it, but just because my experience with these long sprawling games is a slow one. But I do remember that was the last thing I did before I stopped that time. Then when I picked it back up, I left the area, wandered around a bit, cleaned up some side stuff, and eventually realized I needed to head back there and just buckle down. So I did it. I discovered (For the first time) the weird little cave system that leads all the way back to Central Yharnam (and my mind was blown), and I ended up making it through again, across the bridge, and got that shortcut open. It was like a whole new world opened up to me (the area I tend to think of as the proper Forbidden Woods, what will be your part 2). I fucking loved this area. I hated it too, but I just absolutely loved the feeling of exploring it. Eventually made it down to the Shadows of Yharnam and beat those boys in 2 tries I believe. While the first half of Forbidden Woods felt uninviting, the second one didn't. Yes, it felt quite dangerous, but it also felt more mystical, strange, and all around interesting to explore. My memory is that Bergynwerth is immediately after the Shadows of Yharnam, but I don't remember clearly. Maybe there's more gubbins in between and I'm folding them into the Forbidden Woods itself, which is part of why I'm excited for part 2.

I absolutely love Hemwick. To me it's a critical area for BB's overall atmosphere and contributes in interesting ways to the lore.

This channel will be huge one day, this is EXCELLENT quality content. Keep it up, bro🔥

I love the atmosphere of the ocean seen from the hemwick crossing area. There is something unnatural and alien about it. Reminds me of the purple sea in twin peaks season 3

Thanks😊

Don't need to violate that boar like that bro.

People “hate” this level? Nah, that’s a meme. It’s precisely because it’s so well-designed that people have strong opinions and find it memorable. A great thing when many games are afraid to make bold choices.

First time I played DS3, Road of Sacrifices, I said "oh its the Dark Souls 3 version of Forbidden Woods" These are my favorite type of FROMSOFT level, where it starts out as a very normal, linear progression from the previous area(s) but halfway through turns into a hub from which one can go into all kinds of wierd stuff.

Funny you should mention the gate at the start of the area. It's very similar to the gate to the right of the clinic at the very beginning of the game, which I still have not found the other side of.

I got lost so many times in this area. Soooooo many times. I would always get turned around and end up back and the start again. And then the final time I thought to just follow the lanterns. That's the path to get from one end to the other. Gojng off the path is where all the secrets are but it will get you turned around.

Top notch narration! Would you consider removing the hud display?

It is not the Forbidden Woods that I hate as level but the run back to the boss in this level. Even with the shortcut open I despise it.

Do a vid on each level in all soulsborne plz! Thanks !

Thanks for this video! I find the Forbidden Woods to be one of the most effective in the game, along with Yahargul and the Nightmare Frontier. Despite having Platinumed BB and playing through the game half a dozen times, I still get turned around and struggle to find all the shortcuts without having to turn to the wiki. It's also creepy as hell and so sprawling that it sometimes actually feels like being lost in the woods.

Yahar'gul the Unseen Village for me is the worst level by a decent margin. It's interesting if you go there early and fight Paarl, but I much prefer the Nightmare and Frontier. Even the Lecure Hall seems like it had more effort put into it.

People disliked it?

0:55 Me beating my servants for not working hard enough.

this video deserves so many more views. It's very well written and you bring up some interesting and refreshing points that I don't see a lot of people talk about, especially the "hard but fair" part, it was so nice to finally hear someone refute this idea. Great content all around ^^

I hate snakes, they creep me out like crazy. But I love this level, and I love how uncomfortable it makes me with all the snakes. I get why people don’t like it, but it is honestly one of my favorite parts of the game.

ive been playing bloodborne on emulator, i finished ds1 MANY times, and i was like: why do i feel all these things from ds1 but better? more modern? BB has to do with DS1 and Demon souls more than ds3

More and more I find that Bloodborne and Dark Souls seem to attract and resonate with two specific camps of people, and it’s always one or the other. Having played Dark Souls first, I never could fall in love with actually *playing* the game. I found it slow and frustrating in a way that just wasn’t fun to me, and for many of the same points this video brings up. When I got around to trying Bloodborne after being somewhat put off of Fromsoft’s games for a while, it all suddenly just clicked for me. It felt good, whatever way my brain is wired it just apparently isn’t quite cohesive with how Dark Souls plays. But it sure as hell understands and enjoys Bloodborne. I love that there’s a million different reasons for people to love these games, and I think it’s so cool that we can love (or hate) aspects of them so differently

I've lost count of how many times I've played through the Forbidden Woods, but I can still sometimes get lost in it. It is probably my favorite level in the game. I love using the whip, and putting on some old school Castlevania music while trekking through.

Much like blight town, I hated the forbidden woods but quickly developed a strange, kindred feeling towards this area. I think the omnipresent dangers present a certain honesty that, once mastered, I truly appreciated and almost felt at home more than any other section of BB. Perhaps because I started connecting to my character as a hunter and the woods' target-rich environment provided a deeper sense of purpose. Running into Valtr here also encouraged me to press on and attack.

It’s not exactly true that we never see the yharnamites again, they’re still the main enemies in blood moon Yahar’gul even if they do respawn

Goated game

I restarted BB recently and lol I can still see so many phantoms in snake area who seem to get lost.

You’re very right, we should give the forbidden woods more credit. My first oh shit moment was here when seeing the celestial emissaries for the first time, bewildered by aliens in this beast game, such a cool introduction to the cosmic themes

I would love to see Cainhurst get covered next, one of my favorite areas in the game given how it is out of time compared to Yharnam

I'm rather fond of the Forbidden Woods. I'm a fan of the structure of the level. I don't actually like the aesthetics or the enemies in particular, but I enjoy the way the level flows and I enjoy exploring.

With the time gap between videos I was scared you'd stopped making them. Delighted you're still creating!

Hey! Great video, but I think your music threw the analytical tone off because I found it really distracting. When intricacies of game design are being mentioned, I found it off to have droning, dissonant music in the background. Maybe a different pick would have been better. Thanks for all you do!

Bro took a 8 month hiatus, now he’s back though!!

Great stuff