FromSoftware and “Soulsborne” games have gotten quite a bit of attention this last generation. Before the PS4/Xbox One generation, Dark Souls was still a relatively niche series, only enjoyed by the most hardcore fans. While it’s not necessarily true, the stigma of Dark Souls games being prohibitively difficult is still pervasive even to this day. However, in the last generation, FromSoftware was able to break down some of those walls by expanding beyond the Dark Souls world in various ways.
After Dark Souls 2, FromSoftware released a few standalone games in-between the main franchise, experimenting with various different takes on a Dark Souls experience. Both Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Bloodborne came out in a very strange time for Souls-like games. Each game takes a very different approach to innovating, improving, or altogether changing the dynamic that’s typically found in a Dark Souls game. These two formative games have left a deep impression on FromSoftware, and inspirations from both games will likely filter into future Souls games.
Compared directly to every Dark Souls game before it, even Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a very different game. Both from a thematic/story perspective, as well as a gameplay perspective, Sekiro takes an entirely different approach. Development on Sekiro initially began as a spiritual successor to Tenchu, and that certainly shows in the gameplay mechanics. Sekiro is inherently designed to play much more aggressively compared to Dark Souls, and while elements of defensive mechanics like the posture system encourage strategy, many bosses can be assaulted and beaten with intelligent offense.
Playing as the Wolf, Sekiro players could dash faster and jump (and even wall jump) higher than any previous Souls game to date. Mechanically speaking, the game plays much faster than Dark Souls, and to a lesser extent Bloodborne. Each boss encounter rewards aggressive attacking, since there’s no stamina bar and the posture meter encourages offensive pressure. From a story viewpoint, Sekiro is far more linear compared to any Dark Souls game as well. The story is told through character moments and interactions, rather than the more subtle environmental storytelling found in Dark Souls games. Overall, Sekiro is easily the most different Soulsborne game to date.
On the other hand, Bloodborne was the first step made by FromSoftware to try something new on PlayStation 4. Despite the differences in setting, character builds, and weapons, Bloodborne was actually much closer to traditional Souls games than new players may have expected. There’s far more customization available to the player for character builds, and mechanically speaking, Bloodborne plays a lot like what Dark Souls 3 became. The major differences came in the specific stats, but more importantly the stance swaps with different weapons.
Nearly every weapon in Bloodborne had the ability to swap weapon modes on the fly, changing instantly from a one-handed axe to a polearm in a second. Rather than just sticking to light attack/heavy attack, the extended weapons could change fighting styles completely, allowing for more variety and versatility. For example, Ludwig’s Holy Blade could turn from a quick-thrusting short sword into a heavy buster sword to deal massive damage. The Hunter’s Axe swapped from a strong one-handed weapon into a huge area-of-effect weapon. Bloodborne stuck to the traditional freedom of play that Dark Souls always ascribed to.
Both Sekiro and Bloodborne are Souls-like games, but they really do play like two different games in a good way. Sekiro chases a much more fluid and fast combat experience, reliant on the posture system to push aggressive play against bosses. Bloodborne resembles Dark Souls more than Sekiro, but still has a lot of visual and gameplay flair to make it distinctly its own game. Bloodborne has far less linearity compared to Sekiro in its story, but that’s largely because the narrative in both games follows a different beat. Players can’t create their own character in Sekiro because of its direct characters and story, whereas Bloodborne has a blank slate protagonist just like Dark Souls.
Each game excels in its own area. Bloodborne‘s unique setting and stance-swapping weapons made for an interesting yet familiar tweak on Dark Souls. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice acts as a distinct departure that references the Dark Souls spirit, but endeavors to tell its own direct story with memorable characters and clear direction for players. The gameplay differences each emphasize different desires, different playstyles, each to embody a different type of experience. That’s what makes these games so special, they’re each in their own spheres of influence.
Bloodborne is available now on PS4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply