The gothic, Lovecraftian world of Bloodborne is one of the game's defining characteristics. Even in other media forms, it can still be distinctly recognized as Bloodborne, with one fan reimagining the title as an animated series.
Believe it or not, it has been six years since players first wandered the blood-soaked streets of Yharnam, Bloodborne launching for the PS4 in 2015. From the aforementioned unique art direction, to its modifications on the traditional Souls gameplay, FromSoftware created a title that remains in the gaming community's discourse to this day. Naturally, fans have been clamoring for a Bloodborne sequel or remaster on PS5, with new rumors cropping up what feels like every couple of weeks or so. While nothing is surely impossible, the validity of these rumors, and perhaps, the desire to believe in them, vanishes as more and more appear without any official confirmation otherwise.
Berardbro on Twitter has created a beautiful trailer that imagines Bloodborne as an animated series. The fast-paced video is only about 30 seconds long, but Berardbro manages to capture many familar characters, bosses, and locations from Bloodborne in that time. In just the opening seconds, fans can catch glimpses of a Hunter with the iconic saw-cleaver weapon, the dog-like monstrosity, Vicar Amelia, and even the grotesque mass of bodies, The One Reborn. One of Bloodborne's most popular characters is Lady Maria, and even she briefly appears, sitting in her classic pose, legs folded in the Astral Clocktower.
With animation also comes a lot of freedom and artistic liberties, as animators are free to make things in their own style and as detailed as they desire. As some fans point out in Berardbro's comments, the art style is reminiscent of Samurai Jack, an animated series from the 2000s that used simple character designs with strong linework and complex matte-painted backgrounds. The influence here translates very well on Berardbro's work because even though much of the intricate detail of the characters is lost, their essence and key characteristics shine through, still channeling Bloodborne's aesthetic. For example, Father Gascoigne appears in profile in the video, with an exaggerated face and claw-like hands, quickly communicating who the character is and one of his most compelling features—his transformation into beasthood.
A full-fledged Bloodborne animated series would be incredible, as it could potentially flesh out the world, story, and characters. If there is an issue that players have spoken about in the past is FromSoftware's unique storytelling method, where the narrative is often hidden within the game's environments, the cryptic dialogue of NPCs, and in item descriptions. With an animated series, it would have to provide more characterization for the Hunter protagonist, but it could also tackle much of the lore that goes over many players heads while playing. Although this project will probably never happen, fans check out the Bloodborne graphic novel if they want to see the game in a new perspective.
Bloodborne is available on PS4.