There are likely a plethora of fans of high-profile developers like FromSoftware who want more original works rather than seeing the writers, programmers, and artists to retread old ground. However, the massive success of Bloodborne, along with the receptions to sequels like the relatively underwhelming Dark Souls 2, is one of the clearest examples that this fan request is best for developers as well.
Even stronger games that were sequels, like Dark Souls 3, still fell slightly short critically for the way that it built so much of itself off of the original Dark Souls as opposed to breaking out its own identity on its own. These are all criticisms that developers often don’t have to worry about whenever it comes to delving into new IPs, similar to when FromSoftware first introduced Bloodborne to the world.
By the time Bloodborne launched, the Souls series was already seven games deep, coming from way back to the earliest interpretations of the genre started in FromSoftware’s early King’s Field series. However, even with multiple years of development and new iterations of the same formula spanning across multiple generations of consoles, Bloodborne still managed to completely change the established mechanics. The sharpest focus of change on the expansion of familiar concepts from the larger series is the way that the PS4 exclusive title takes the usually slow and measured combat and speeds up the pace.
Aggression in the Souls series has always spelled out doom for any players who take too many risks in combat, only to find that stepping out from behind a shield at the wrong time will instantly end a fight. This concept is almost completely turned on its head in the spin-off title where faster dodges with increased invincibility frames make avoiding hits the priority over blocking. Similarly, having the player’s attacks heal recently taken damage means that the entire dynamic of Bloodborne‘s unique bosses are on a completely different level than any other Souls-like.
The overall reception of the sequel to Dark Souls was strikingly different than the original, with many fans marking the game as a disappointment for Dark Souls 2‘s overly tanky bosses, bland art design, and frustrating farming methods. Of course, not every player who jumped into the game when it first released, or when Scholar of the First Sin enhanced the experience, feel this same way, but the game is still often seen as the least favorite among fans of the series. From this perspective, it becomes all the more understandable how well Bloodborne performed when it released to not only be better than the previous FromSoftware title, but to be one of the best games the developer would ever release.
For players who prefer Dark Souls 2 over any other game in the series, or even over the numerous other Souls-likes available, that opinion is still perfectly valid. The game still looks at first glance like a Souls-like and is unique enough to set itself apart from the rest of that series, and some fans may prefer those new concepts enough to place it higher on their own personal rankings. However, it can’t be argued that Dark Souls 2 is the least embraced by the community as a whole, which in turn led FromSoftware to make Dark Souls 3 out of obligation to regain some goodwill for the franchise.
Unfortunately, even Dark Souls 3 isn’t without its own issues, especially when it comes to the overall atmosphere and lore that it brings to the series. One early critique that the latest game in the series received when it first released was that it didn’t just lean heavily on inspirations to the original Dark Souls, but that it referenced the first game enough to almost become a copy. Notable areas, like Anor Londo where Aldritch is fought, are recreated as a reference to the original, but without much of the atmosphere or the intricate layout that made the castle so interesting to traverse in the first place.
These references didn’t stop at a handful of boss designs or revisited areas either, as the entire “plot” that leads the player to eventually hunt down the Lords of Cinder seems to repeat itself from the original. For fans that dive into the lore of the series, this isn’t much of a surprise thanks to the way that the entire world of Dark Souls revolves around the Cycle of Fire, making repetition an obvious choice for the theme. However, as players begin to notice call backs to the original cropping up in all of Dark Souls 3‘s side-quests and world building content, it becomes clear that the game has a bit of an identity crisis.
By taking players out of the familiar worlds of Lordran and Lothric, Bloodborne was able to avoid the pitfalls that Dark Souls 3 would eventually fall into only a few years later. Every piece of lore expanding text, cryptic line of dialogue, and environmental detail in each of Bloodborne‘s best areas are able to start from scratch and build out an identity all its own, without being bogged down by the previous series. This same trend is equally true for the original Dark Souls, the spiritual predecessor Demon’s Souls, and even Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the most recent FromSoftware release.
With lore as dense as those found in many of these titles, its no wonder that many of them never received a numbered sequel, instead opting for spiritual successors or unrelated titles altogether. Working on new IPs truly grants developers more creative chances, from both a gameplay perspective, where FromSoftware is allowed to break from the formula, and a lore perspective that allows for developing and exploring a brand new world. This has been the case specifically for FromSoftware with titles like Bloodborne and the more recent hit with Sekiro, but can also apply to any developer that feels like it might be stagnating as AAA and indie titles alike fail to stray from their comfort zones.
Bloodborne is available now on PS4.
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