Yarntown brings Bloodborne to PC in a cutesy 16-bit style
Don't be fooled by its cutesy look
Yarntown sounds like a really lovely time. Hearing just the name, I'd think of an adorable little village filled with houses made from yarn, held together with knitting needles. It's very much not that, however, it's actually a cutesy 16-bit version of FromSoftware's PS4 exclusive, Bloodborne, made by Max Mraz. It's an impressive feat, too - Max has recreated Bloodborne's very first area, Central Yharnam, in excellent detail, right down to the area's big bosses.
Here's me getting my ass whooped by the Cleric Beast:
When the game starts, you're plopped into the game's hub, the Hunter's Dream, complete with the Doll who levels you up, and the freaky little ghosty dudes that pop out of the ground. You don't get to choose your weapon, you're just given a regular sword and pistol to hunt with, though you can collect Bloodstone Shards to level them up, which is a nice touch that I didn't expect.
Once I actually got out of the Dream and loaded into Yharnam, it took me a minute or two to orient myself in the world. After a few confused steps I started to realise what way around I was looking at it all, it's weird having a map you know so well completed shifted in perspective. When I finally got my bearings it became clear what a fab job Max Mraz has done in remapping it all, right down to placing those pesky enemies that like to jump out at you.
Yarntown is missing a few enemy types that you'd usually see sauntering around. The werewolf-like creatures aren't there, for one, though I have to say I was honestly more relieved than I was disappointed. It made the Cleric Beast a lot easier to stroll down to, you know, before it killed me.
Central Yharnam's meaner boss, Father Gascoigne, is in there too, and you're even able to level up your character with your Blood Echoes to make it a bit easier to take him on. Don't do what I did, though, and forget that there's a stamina meter that will deplete very quickly if you get too trigger-happy with those rolls.
Yarntown is available free from Itch.io if you'd like a go yourself. Obviously this isn't real Bloodborne on PC (all we have right now are rumours about that), but it's a bloody good option for those of us who fancy a Bloodborne fix.