As a Souls fan I do have my doubts about Bloodborne. Ditching the usefulness of shields and making the combat faster does worry me that it will go more towards twitch based combat instead of the careful tactical dance that I love the series for.
I don't know about reviewers. It's probably linear, not open world, set in its ways apart from the changes to combat. It probably won't look amazing nor run flawlessly. It all depends on whether the game can capture the spirit of the early 2 souls games. Dark souls 2 came close yet was lacking in parts.
The biggest problem it can have is reducing the number of deaths you face. Having to do sections over and over had its function to learn the environments inside out which got you involved in the story told through the world design. With faster combat and less deaths, you won't have the time to soak in the world.
Anyway I'll see tonight who is right about the Order. I can't pass up a good cinematic game, it's been too long. Got it installed and ready to go.