It was a wild ride but my journey through the nightmare is complete. Unfortunately, it's happened a tad premature. As I approached the final boss, I had a feeling it was him but I had to be certain.

Bloodborne is one of this year's most highly-anticipated console exclusives. Does it live up to its forebearers? Matt Maguire files the following tear-sopped review.

Harsh but fair; Terrific level design; You can bring friends into your game; Terrifically imaginative

Long load times; Some minor camera issues; Difficulty and reticence can be off-putting

An invigorated spirit occupying a reassuringly recognisable body, Dark Souls' life force flows through Bloodborne's revitalised veins. Intelligent and intense, it's simply PS4's best exclusive game.

Another masterpiece - Dark Souls reborn; Gothic visuals rendered in extraordinary detail; Firearms are effective; explosive new weapons in your arsenal; Randomised chalice dungeons boost the game's length

Less incentive to experiment with different classes; You cant level up at; or warp between; lamp checkpoints

Purgatory. Getting the chance to re-live every painful moment, every mistake you ever made, a thousand of times. The time your first pet died, that day you realised Santa Claus wasn't real, the first time you got dumped: every classic stomach-sinking moment on a constant loop. For ever.

Smart level design; Consistent; satisfying mechanics; Thick; moody atmosphere

Frequently frustrating; Obscure style may annoy

One thing's for sure though, Sony has done very well for themselves by nailing Bloodborne down as a PS4 exclusive. As enjoyable as Infamous, DriveClub (eventually) and Killzone were, they never rode such a continuous wave of hype after release.

Rewarding enemy encounters; The game world design is stunning; Regain system encourages aggressive style

Long loading times; Combo variation is very limited; Attack interruptions can be inconsistent

Among that esoteric breed of people who class themselves as committed gamers, no developer currently inspires greater reverence than the Japanese company From Software. It's famed for its no-compromise approach, and anyone who has played the action-RPGs Demon's Souls or Dark Souls will testify that...

Gloriously gothic and creepy; imbued with a weird logic of its own; more action-based than previous From Software games; challenging and deeply satisfying

May be too hard for some (particularly in its initial stages); occasional frame-rate issues; camera can go haywire; long death screen loading time

Bloodborne is truly a remarkable game, more appealing than its predecessors, more cohesive, and more satisfying from a mechanical point of view. It also has a compelling atmosphere and a captivating world to explore, full of beautiful vistas and horrific creatures to battle, as well as an ample...

Great visuals and art direction; Engrossing atmosphere; Solid combat; Very good level design; Very challenging

Very long loading times; Occasional wonky camera angles; The controls misfire from time to time; Obfuscated story; Very challenging

In the last console generation, From Software rose to prominence based off of the success of a few games. These games, specifically Demon's Souls and Dark Souls , gained notoriety for their harsh fail states and the rather cryptic means by which they convey their mechanics and narrative, favoring a...

It is still utterly fantastic to play. It is still one of the best action fighting mechanics in gaming. It still invokes that deadly and intense sense of failure matched with the heady highs of success that few other games (if not any entertainment) can match.

Your adventure begins with some sort of medical procedure being performed on you, presumably with your approval. Something about becoming a "hunter." Much like the Souls series before it, Bloodborne is pretty vague, but still has an overarching story and a variety of characters that you'll encounter...

Rewarding; challenging combat; Massive and intricate maps; Procedural Chalice Dungeons ensures replayability

No real defensive options; Long loading times