Bloodborne ((Bloodborne #citation)) is interesting in that it has two main mechaincs that reward the player for playing aggressively (Hyper Light Drifter incentivizes reckless play), despite the game being extremely difficult and the player character being relatively weak.

The two mechanics are the use of the gun and the Regain system.

The gun is essentially the counterpart to Dark Souls' ((Dark Souls #citation)) shield. In Dark Souls, the player could create an opening to riposte by deflecting attacks at the correct moment. The shield acts as a static defense, but also acts as a mobile offensive enabler.

In Bloodborne though, there is no static defense. And the gun does no deflecting. But by shooting the enemy - which causes very little damage - the enemy can be knocked back, allowing for a riposte.

This is like someone driving with the horn and the gas pedal instead of the brakes. To make it in the world of Bloodborne, the player must accept that there is very little defense and caution in this harsh and aggressive world.

The Regain system is useful for when you do get hit. Essentially, for a very short period of time after being hit, the player can attack the enemy back to regain some of their lost health. This is a unique reward because the cautionary behavior is to retreat and take more precaution.

But because of the Regain reward structure (Not all rewards are bad), the player is incentivized to immediately attack back in an aggressive factor, despite the large risks involved in doing so.

#toolong