Ludification of the Uncanny in Bloodborne and the Post-Weimarian Legacy in Lovecraftian Horror Videogames
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Cinema of the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), understood through the prism of its tormented Expressionism and the raw realism of Neue Sachlichkeit, is resurrected in the 21st century through the videogame Bloodborne (FromSoftware, 2015). Beyond tracing aesthetic influences (oblique architecture, distressing chiaroscuro, liminal figures), this article reflects on how this action title subverts the passivity of the traditional spectator and reinterprets Weimarian narrative. In the videogame, the streets of Yharnam—which resemble the oblique labyrinths recalling The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari—are interactive prisons where players embody the human/beast duality inherited from monstrous doppelgängers. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining film analysis, theories of the uncanny, and ludonarrative studies, this article reveals how Bloodborne translates post-war alienation, corruption, and the collective unconscious fear of otherness into gameplay mechanics. By forcing irreversible ethical choices (sacrificing civilians for survival, bargaining with amoral gods), the videogame transcends mere aesthetic homage and updates Kracauer’s warnings: horror is not fantasy; it is symptomatic of societies on the brink of collapse. Thus, Bloodborne emerges as a distorted mirror of our era, its digital plagues and bloody polarizations echoing historical pandemics and contemporary identity crises. In this sense, Weimar’s legacy is not repeated—it is played.
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