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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99View Prime Day Deals Donkey Kong Bananza Switch 2 stock Recommended reading Action RPGs Bloodborne's notoriously difficult Orphan of Kos fight even gave Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her a run for his money, who agrees it's "definitely the hardest boss" in the action RPG Action Games Even if it isn't a Soulslike, Phantom Blade Zero still wants to channel that "pre-Elden Ring" FromSoftware level design with secrets and layers The Witcher Even though "it works for all FromSoft games," The Witcher 3 devs quickly discovered that forcing you to fight ridiculously strong enemies "was a bad idea" Action RPGs Elden Ring Nightreign director had concerns "about not necessarily being able to play slow like previous titles," but FromSoftware "wanted to create something new" Action RPGs For a free update, The First Berserker: Khazan devs cooked up a Soulslike challenge so brutal that even a lead designer said "I probably wouldn't play that" Action RPGs Bleed builds dominated Elden Ring at launch, and now FromSoftware has specifically nerfed bleed and frost in Nightreign after they were "way too strong" in the network test Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 director found something that "makes the game feel 10 times better" mid-development, then painfully realized they had to apply it to "like 1,100" different attacks Action RPGs Bloodborne looks almost unrecognizable in these "never-before-seen design planning maps and alpha layouts," showing FromSoftware's evolution of an iconic hidden shortcut Catherine Lewis 10 July 2025 Yharnam changed a lot throughout its development When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment) It might just be the understatement of the year to say that games take an awful lot of work to make, but perhaps nothing puts that into perspective more than these "never-before-seen design planning maps and alpha layouts" for Bloodborne, which make Yharnam almost recognizable. Documented in a new guided tour by FromSoftware expert and creator of Bloodborne's old 60fps mod, Lance MacDonald, we can see how much the world of FromSoftware's 2015 action RPG changed, particularly around the starting area of Iosefka's Clinic and the hidden Forbidden Woods shortcut that eventually loops back to it later in the game. In MacDonald's YouTube video, we see Bloodborne's beginnings in a very gray and very blocky form. Early test maps show the basic layout of the start of our adventure, with some noticeable differences. For example, in the earliest iteration, MacDonald shows that the room where you actually start your journey in the final version of the action RPG didn't even exist. You may like Bloodborne's notoriously difficult Orphan of Kos fight even gave Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her a run for his money, who agrees it's "definitely the hardest boss" in the action RPG Even if it isn't a Soulslike, Phantom Blade Zero still wants to channel that "pre-Elden Ring" FromSoftware level design with secrets and layers Even though "it works for all FromSoft games," The Witcher 3 devs quickly discovered that forcing you to fight ridiculously strong enemies "was a bad idea" However, other design decisions, like the rooftops being connected to the second floor of Iosefka's Clinic, were already in place, although they were initially accessible right from the beginning of the game rather than later on. unseen history of bloodborne's most iconic shortcut - YouTube This old layout also would have allowed players to explore an area inaccessible in the final version, by rolling onto a different rooftop and jumping through a broken window to head inside and look out over a load of pyramids on sticks (representing trees), which would eventually become the graveyard we're more familiar with. The evolution of the Forbidden Woods shortcut is also particularly interesting, with one test map showing what eventually became the poisonous swamp hidden in a cave (which you have to pass through to get back to the Clinic's new area) as a more artificial-looking cave-like path. Travelling from the woods, after passing through this cave, you'd find a couple of ladders leading you to the rooftops near the Clinic, showing that the whole idea came up early in Bloodborne's development, even if it was refined a fair bit before becoming the path we know today. All in all, MacDonald's guided tour is a fascinating watch – it's well worth a look for some insight into Bloodborne's history. Even though Yharnam and its surrounding areas look very different in these early test maps, it's very cool to see which parts remain familiar if you squint your eyes to look past those chunky blocks. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Bloodborne's notoriously difficult Orphan of Kos fight even gave Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her a run for his money, who agrees it's "definitely the hardest boss" in the action RPG. See more PS5 News FromSoftware PlayStation Catherine Lewis Social Links Navigation Deputy News Editor I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Bloodborne's notoriously difficult Orphan of Kos fight even gave Elden Ring legend Let Me Solo Her a run for his money, who agrees it's "definitely the hardest boss" in the action RPG Even if it isn't a Soulslike, Phantom Blade Zero still wants to channel that "pre-Elden Ring" FromSoftware level design with secrets and layers Even though "it works for all FromSoft games," The Witcher 3 devs quickly discovered that forcing you to fight ridiculously strong enemies "was a bad idea" Elden Ring Nightreign director had concerns "about not necessarily being able to play slow like previous titles," but FromSoftware "wanted to create something new" For a free update, The First Berserker: Khazan devs cooked up a Soulslike challenge so brutal that even a lead designer said "I probably wouldn't play that" Bleed builds dominated Elden Ring at launch, and now FromSoftware has specifically nerfed bleed and frost in Nightreign after they were "way too strong" in the network test Latest in Action RPGs SpongeBob SquarePants' Sandy is a barbarian in the tabletop-inspired Diablo-like Nickelodeon action RPG Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny Borderlands 4 will have a "very ambitious" endgame, but not everyone is happy about having less skill points as creative director argues "you lose build diversity" with too many As Borderlands 4 fans create a skill tree planner months before launch, creative director issues a reminder that "the game isn't done yet" and their builds are "subject to change" With Monster Hunter Wilds "Overwhelmingly Negative" in recent Steam reviews due to optimization, Capcom cancels panel on "everything you need to know about optimization" following statement on dev harassment "It is a turning point in our universe": Gearbox explains Borderlands 4's deliberately less-stupid story, and it feels weird to actually be interested in a Borderlands plot Borderlands 4's jetpack and grappling hook were prophesied 6 years ago through a Borderlands 3 joke poking fun at the era's FPS tropes by shooting them into space Latest in News As if Switch games weren't already expensive, Nintendo is now getting rid of one of the only ways to get discounted first-party games after already killing off its reward points scheme Solo Leveling is joining One Piece by getting a live-action adaptation on Netflix, and Jin-woo has already been cast The Big Bang Theory is entering the multiverse with a wild, sci-fi spin-off involving an X-Men screenwriter After making almost $2bn in China, the highest-grossing animated film of all time is getting a US release in August An Arkane Studios AAA game entered production at the end of 2024, meaning Marvel's Blade might not be as far along as we all hoped As filming wraps on Daredevil: Born Again season 2, Krysten Ritter teases her long-awaited Marvel return as Jessica Jones: "I think the fans are going to be very, very thrilled" GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy" Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse" Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic" Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat" FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special" Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU" Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber" M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion" 28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy” Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation" Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever" Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date" Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling" Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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