I used to loath this area but my recent play-though this past couple weeks really hit me with the transition to cosmic horror, and I have a new found love for it. Remembering how freaked out I was by the little kin aliens was peak fromsoft storytelling and game design.
Funnily this is probably the best level in Bloodborne. My main gripe with most of Bloodborne is that it’s linear for the most part, Cainhurst is just point A to Point B, same with hemwick, fishing hamlet, old yharnam etc. Forbidden Woods is probably the only level where that feeling of being lost sets in. Incredible atmosphere as well and always secrets pocketed everywhere.
I honestly love this level I think it's great in it's way it confuses you as I find even if I get lost I still end up somewhat where I need to be. Plus it's a perfect transition into the more unhinged side to bloodborne.
When I first played Bloodborne, I got stuck in the windmill where the snake heads first appear. Too far to back-track to the lamp and spend my blood-echoes, and too fearful of what lay ahead. I put it down for a long time but thankfully came back and of course found that critical shortcut immediately after. It remains one of my all-time favorites and I think you nailed it with how this level marks a key transition.
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.
I love this level, and am a bit disheartened that a lot of people hate it. It checks so many of the boxes of what I want from a Souls level: its challenging, full of rewarding loot, has some of the coolest secrets in the game (Iosefka's Clinic and the Beggar), encounters are varied in both the enemies you're fighting and the spaces you're fighting them in, there's tons of branching paths, wacky traps, and the tone/atmosphere is distinct and thick. I'm also generally a big fan of oppressive areas that demand you pay close attention, and use your tools + the environment you're in effectively, and the Forbidden Woods is excellent at this. I worry the backlash to levels like these is part of why Sekiro and Elden Ring are so full to the brim with checkpoints (though there are also many other valid reasons for that shift), and I hope if Fromsoft continue making this style of game that they'll consider making more areas in this vein.
I think if it weren't for the snake enemies a lot more people would appreciate this level. They're just annoying not even hard. That and the snake section can be so disorienting. It only takes a little bit of shit to ruin the whole dish for a lot of people.
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
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 TH-camrs (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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Apologies in advance for the PTSD this video causes for everyone who hates this level.
Just got through this bullshit last night, lmao
I do not accept your apology, as I do not have PTSD for this level.
When you get to Sekiro, however...
I used to loath this area but my recent play-though this past couple weeks really hit me with the transition to cosmic horror, and I have a new found love for it. Remembering how freaked out I was by the little kin aliens was peak fromsoft storytelling and game design.
Funnily this is probably the best level in Bloodborne. My main gripe with most of Bloodborne is that it’s linear for the most part, Cainhurst is just point A to Point B, same with hemwick, fishing hamlet, old yharnam etc. Forbidden Woods is probably the only level where that feeling of being lost sets in. Incredible atmosphere as well and always secrets pocketed everywhere.
I honestly love this level I think it's great in it's way it confuses you as I find even if I get lost I still end up somewhat where I need to be. Plus it's a perfect transition into the more unhinged side to bloodborne.
When I first played Bloodborne, I got stuck in the windmill where the snake heads first appear. Too far to back-track to the lamp and spend my blood-echoes, and too fearful of what lay ahead. I put it down for a long time but thankfully came back and of course found that critical shortcut immediately after. It remains one of my all-time favorites and I think you nailed it with how this level marks a key transition.
This channel will be huge one day, this is EXCELLENT quality content. Keep it up, bro🔥
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.
With the time gap between videos I was scared you'd stopped making them. Delighted you're still creating!
I love this level, and am a bit disheartened that a lot of people hate it. It checks so many of the boxes of what I want from a Souls level: its challenging, full of rewarding loot, has some of the coolest secrets in the game (Iosefka's Clinic and the Beggar), encounters are varied in both the enemies you're fighting and the spaces you're fighting them in, there's tons of branching paths, wacky traps, and the tone/atmosphere is distinct and thick. I'm also generally a big fan of oppressive areas that demand you pay close attention, and use your tools + the environment you're in effectively, and the Forbidden Woods is excellent at this. I worry the backlash to levels like these is part of why Sekiro and Elden Ring are so full to the brim with checkpoints (though there are also many other valid reasons for that shift), and I hope if Fromsoft continue making this style of game that they'll consider making more areas in this vein.
I just hate the snake section other than that it's my favourite farming spot
I think if it weren't for the snake enemies a lot more people would appreciate this level. They're just annoying not even hard. That and the snake section can be so disorienting. It only takes a little bit of shit to ruin the whole dish for a lot of people.
The mainstream only cares about the bosses these days. Thats why.
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
Awesome to see this series coming back! As a Level Designer I really like this kind of videos.
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 TH-camrs (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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Great stuff
Top notch narration! Would you consider removing the hud display?
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.
0:55 Me beating my servants for not working hard enough.
I restarted BB recently and lol I can still see so many phantoms in snake area who seem to get lost.
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.
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.
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
They don't feel like actual people, more so shadows or projections
Do a vid on each level in all soulsborne plz! Thanks !
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!!
I’m very gay bro.
Don't need to violate that boar like that bro.
People disliked it?
Goated game
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.
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.
The two long ass ladders are just so out of place and make absolutely no sense in the world.
Hawk tuah spit on that thing
…
The world has truly become a worse place since his last upload