Bloodborne is currently receiving a fan-made makeover in the style of a PlayStation 1 “demake.” Although the demake genre is generally overshadowed by remakes and remasters, it has acquired a niche but loyal following among gamers. These projects are almost always undergone by private individuals or indie developers and have become steadily more impressive as the original games themselves become more technologically advanced. As an example, while it did not seem like a huge leap for Rare to port Donkey Kong Country onto the Game Boy Color in 2000, it was particularly impressive when Ed Fries de-made Halo onto the Atari 2600.
It makes logical sense that demakes are happening more often as technology moves forward; after all, each new console leaves one “older" console in its place. However, they also represent the nostalgia that many gamers feel when reflecting on their earliest gaming memories. For this reason, consoles like the PS1, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Atari 2600 are the usual suspects when looking for demakes. While demakes such as The Last of Us on the PS1 are among the most popular, other demakes shift platforms and genres entirely, such as when Bethesda introduced Fallout: New Vegas by first demaking the game in the style of the original Dragon Quest for NES.
Developer and Unreal Engine 4 Tech Artist Lilith Walther recently provided the latest look at Bloodborne PSX on Twitter, where she showcased loading screens, multiple level-entrances, save points, combat, voice acting, and more. The demake is also immediately recognizable as Bloodborne due to the player character’s appearance and the combat aesthetics. In her tweets, Walther demonstrates how to take down multiple Scourge Beasts, which appear to be just as relentless and deadly as fans remember them. It should be noted, however, that although Bloodborne PSX perfectly imitates the PS1 style, an original PS1 console would not actually be able to run the game.
While the game’s features are undoubtedly impressive–particularly the faithful recreation of the stamina bar–the game’s overall aesthetics are hauntingly accurate for such retro textures. This bears emphasis specifically because the aesthetic of the original Bloodborne is one of its most unique and defining features. Although Walther’s recent tweets restrict the environment to maze-like caverns reminiscent of the original Doom on the Super Nintendo or perhaps even Spawn: The Eternal on PS1, the character and enemy models in conjunction with the sound design evoke the same feeling as Bloodborne on PS4.
It remains to be seen when Bloodborne PSX will be publicly available, although Walther has stated that it will be released someday. However, it is clear even from these short previews that it is a promising title to keep an eye on for fans of demakes and of PS1 classics alike. Hopefully, it will also capture the attention of gamers who may be unaware that the demake genre even exists. Although demakes can be difficult to track down, they can be wonderful experiences for fans of the original titles and provide a fresh take on some of the gaming community’s most treasured memories.
Source: Lilith Walther