The game takes place in the gothic, ruined city of Yharnam which is rumoured to house a potent medical remedy. Over the years, many travellers make pilgrimages to the city seeking the remedy to cure their afflictions; the player takes the role as one of these travellers. Upon arriving in Yharnam, however, it is discovered that the city is plagued with an endemic illness that has malformed most of its denizens into bestial creatures. The player must navigate the streets of Yharnam and overcome its violently deranged inhabitants and horrifying monsters in order to survive.