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Bloodborne Origin Theory: Vicar Amelia

Bloodborne is one PS4 game that continues to impress me. Not only is the game brutally difficult—making victories all the sweeter—but also the world carries a narrative that could make a classic horror novel. Much of Bloodborne‘s creatures and locale, seem to take inspiration from the works of Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as modern works such as Berserk and the obscure film Brotherhood of the Wolf. While many of the game’s aspects can be traced back to these various works, one iconic beast may have inspirations from mythology as well as one history’s darker moments.

Brotherhood of the Wolf
The clothing in Brotherhood of the Wolf is thought to have inspired the Bloodborne look. Weaponry used in this film are also similar to some of the weapons in the game.

It’s important to note that this connection is a theory; my basis for such is simply fun speculation. However, the points I’m about to lay out are hard to ignore.

For those who lack Bloodborne experience, or only made it to the first boss, Vicar Amelia needs an introduction.

From Bloodborne‘s lore, Vicar Amelia is a member of the Healing Church, a group who uses different types of blood to find ways to cure diseases. What the Church didn’t realize was that by discovering the blood in ancient tombs, they opened up the world to blood-induced transformations. Those closest to the Healing Church often became the most horrid of creatures during the Night of the Hunt.

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Wendigo?

Amelia’s visual design has many layers, literally and metaphorically. First of all, the fact that the beast has the head of a deer, but the maw of a wolf leads me to think that inspiration was drawn from the Wendigo of Native American myth. Wendigo are beasts that were once humans, which emerged from an irresistible urge to consume human flesh. They are an abomination of natural order.

Robert Fiddler, son of Jack Fiddler
Robert Fiddler, Son of Jack Fiddler

In fact, many people were killed when it was determined they were changing into Wendigos. Jack Fiddler was a man who went from tribe to tribe killing these monsters as an act of mercy to save them from changing. The killing of a Wendigo was a practice taken quite seriously, to the point that Fiddler was legendary for his heroics. The Canadian Police, of course, found this behavior to be savage. Fiddler was later arrested for murder, but committed suicide before trial. Leaves one to wonder how many Wendigo went unscathed after his death.

Supernaturals Wendigo
A Wendigo in an early Supernatural episode.

Modern Wendigo have been recently portrayed as having the wolf-like features with the antlers of a deer or moose. They’ve also appeared as skinless, vicious, humanoids with yellow eyes. In media, Wendigo have appeared in the television shows: Supernatural, X-Files and more. Many also believe the Cleric Beast in Bloodborne to be a Wendigo as well.

The Cleric Beast of Bloodborne
The Cleric Beast of Bloodborne

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Amelia DyerVicar Amelia oddly shares a name with one of the most prolific serial killers of Victorian Europe, Amelia Dyer.

Those who met Dyer during the late 1800s, probably saw her as a caring, motherly figure who took in unwanted infants to give them a home. She would often appear as a nun, or a teacher, taking on the burden of caring for many children. A fee was always charged for taking such responsibility, but money had to be made to survive, so most folks obliged to pay her without much thought. Unbeknownst to her customers, there was a reason Amelia Dyer could take in so many infants. The children were killed. Their clothes were often used on the next victims or were sold at various shops.

It is believed that hundreds of children were murdered this way.

Dyer continued to run her baby farms for many years, until she was eventually caught. During the time of her trial, the Thames was searched to find more corpses, babies strangled with white tape. The white tape was typical in Dyer’s murders as she admitted to authorities that’s how they would know which bodies were of her doing. She was hung, like most criminals of the time.

Featured Image
Notice the bandages and ribbon-like hair, all of which are white.

Being that the game takes place in Miyazaki’s impression of that point in history as well as the general darkness of the game’s world, it’s a possibility that the designer wanted to represent the creature hiding beneath Amelia Dyer’s skin. Ironically, Miyazaki’s Amelia is covered in the white ribbons, the second visual aspect of the monster’s design.

Empathetic Mother Figure?  

The third visual feature to point out is how Vicar Amelia cradles her holy symbol. She’s found sobbing over it, the beast blood finally overwhelming her, a prolific member of the Healing Church. However, when she transforms, she continues to carry the symbol, holding on to her belief that the Healing Church is doing good in the long run. The monster cradles that symbol like a baby.

Even when she becomes a beast, she holds on to that pendant.
Even when she becomes a beast, she holds on to that pendant.

It was this mannerism that solidified the connection between Bloodborne‘s Vicar Amelia and Amelia Dyer for me. The slaughter of infants for financial gain is definitely a trait that was monstrous and Vicar Amelia personifies these sins in history. Yet this motherly stance of the beast continues to hammer in the idea that these monsters were once normal people, proving that there are few one can truly trust. Pity conflicts with the need to hunt in Bloodborne, making encounters like this one all the more memorable.

An early concept image for Bloodborne.
An early concept image for Bloodborne.

What started as mere name association became an interesting web of details and design elements. It goes to show that the minds behind Bloodborne and their previous titles are putting tons of detail into each aspect of their games, while also leaving enough blank space for imagination to fill in the holes. Miyazaki has claimed that his games usually pull from how he approached literature as a child, reading the gist of the words and filling in the blanks with his own musings. In Bloodborne, the vagueness of the story and the dark world of Yharnham forces players to fill in these holes with dark thoughts, often leaving true, residual horror.

concept

Alex’s Take: Sony E3 2014

The PS3 was the most powerful game system of the last console generation. It boasted better graphics, more disc space, and free online play. In fact, the only thing keeping me from the PS3 was its initial high price point. When the PS4 released with a lower price tag than the Xbox One, I knew something awesome had happened at Sony.

Sony’s  live press event this year continued last year’s jabs at Microsoft. It wasn’t nearly as often or mean-spirited like last time, but their jokes still had the crowd rolling. Many new titles of established franchises were shown alongside a few unique ones. PlayStation Now and PlayStation TV were also discussed, but several questions still remain.

The biggest game discussed was Bungie’s Destiny, which was told to have more bonuses and will overall be better on the PlayStation 4. In fact, Sony will be offering a white, 500 GB PS4, bundled with Destiny and 30 days of PlayStation Plus on September 9th later this year. Furthering this almost awkward love for Sony, PS4 owners can play the Alpha test starting June12; the beta tests will hit July 17th and Destiny will be released on PS4 first.

Following Destiny was a mysterious game, The Order: 1866. This game appeared on the cover of Game Informer, blasting out of hiding to woo gamers with its strange and dark art direction. Gameplay footage shown at Sony’s press event proved to be intense. The player, instead of a flashlight, held out a lantern with a single candle guiding his way. Stumbling upon an obvious zombie, the character stared in horror as it devoured some poor sap. Then, the zombie transformed into a Mr. Hyde-esque creature that chased the player and slapped him around.

Screenshot from stage demo
Screenshot from stage demo

All seemed bleak for the hero, until the magical triangle button appeared on screen. Lucky for the hero, the player hit that button, giving the hero the will he needed to take a health potion. While the art direction and story is intriguing in The Order, I wish quick quick-time events would fade away.

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Several games were given the remake treatment. Alongside a new film trailer, the original Ratchet and Clank is getting remade for the PS4. This won’t be an average graphics update either. Sony boasted that the game will get all new assets and set pieces, making the game the best it could ever be. Grim Fandango, a point and click adventure of the past, will also be getting a remake. The crowd exploded at this news, making me feel bad for never playing it. Other games being ported to the PS4 include The Last of Us and Grand Theft Auto 5. Feeling a bit jaded, the PS Vita will be receiving Minecraft and several of the indie titles with its big brother.

There were some shining gems in the press event. Of course there were several sequels and things we’ve seen before, but these games showed a uniqueness not seen in the others. Entwined is a beautiful game about two spirits in love and is available now for $9.99. Bloodborne, the darkest game shown, could be a super-spiritual successor to the Dark Souls franchise. ABZU comes from the makers of the award winning Journey. No Man’s Sky, creates a first person space adventure that lets the player take off to visit other planets. Sony ended their event with a trailer for Uncharted 4, presumably the last game starring Nathan Drake or as I like to say Indiana Croft.

While they didn’t show as many new games as Microsoft showed, Sony did put on a good show. Personally, I think a little too much time was spent on services and television shows. I was even more depressed when absolutely nothing was shared about Square Enix’s big sequels: Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, two games that will force many gamers to buy a PS4.

Screenshot from Warosu.org
Image from Warosu.org