The Dark Souls series has spawned an entire genre in its wake, with new Souls-likes branching off in all directions. There are close clones, games with their own take on familiar mechanics, totally different titles that still borrow key aspects of Dark Souls design, and everything in between. FromSoftware itself has even made some of the best Souls games, with Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and hopefully one day Elden Ring, all offering their own evolutions of the same core experience. Much like rock and roll, Souls-likes have evolved into countless sub-genres and been crossed over with practically every type of game, and now the influence of Dark Souls can be felt far and wide across the games industry.
Nioh and The Surge were some of the most successful early Souls-likes by developers other than FromSoftware, and Mortal Shell is the most successful recent example of that trend. However, even some of the biggest franchises in gaming have not escaped the overwhelming influence of Dark Souls on modern game design, with titles like God of War and Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order borrowing heavily from Souls-style worldbuilding, combat, and difficulty. However, for FromSoftware itself, it may be time to move even further away from the tried and true formula, going in totally new directions with future Souls and Souls-like games.
Should Dark Souls 4 come out any time in the foreseeable future, it will need to be drastically different from the previous Dark Souls titles. While classic Dark Souls world building and combat are beloved by countless fans, the series reached its peak in Dark Souls 3 and there is little room left to perfect the same formula again. At the same time, games have evolved, and many Souls-like titles by other developers are doing some things better than FromSoftware ever did. As the genre has evolved and improved, FromSoftware will need to evolve with it.
It is certainly flattering to FromSoftware that massive franchises like God of War have taken inspiration from Dark Souls, while even huge new endeavors like Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order were explicitly compared to FromSoftware’s games. However, these games didn’t just imitate FromSoftware’s winning formula, they improved on it and took it in new directions. Games like Remnant: From The Ashes and Mortal Shell have changed up Dark Souls‘ level design strategies and combat to great success, and that should be a clear symbol to FromSoftware that the genre that it pioneered is steadily moving forward into new horizons.
Of course, as much as FromSoftware is known for repeating themes, NPCs, weapons, and even areas, the studio has a good history with branching out from their normal fare. As much as Dark Souls 3 practically perfected the Souls-like formula, it wouldn’t have been what it was without Bloodborne. Bloodborne is a fantastic example of a studio branching out to try a new style of combat, different art, and an under-used setting. The lessons in fast-paced battles and Lovecraftian enemy design that FromSoftware took away from Bloodborne went directly into Dark Souls 3, making it an even better game.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is no different. In fact, Sekiro is an even bigger change than Bloodborne was, with completely re-imagined combat and a setting that is far removed from the dark fantasy and gothic horror of FromSoftware’s previous entries. Just as Bloodborne shaped Dark Souls 3, Sekiro will undoubtedly shape future FromSoftware titles, including possible Dark Souls entries. The same will almost certainly be true of Elden Ring, although what exactly it will do differently remains to be seen.
It may even be time for Souls-likes to push beyond the boundaries of action-adventure RPGs, and start experimenting with other genres. The difficulty and visceral combat of Souls could apply extremely well to any genre from horror to survival or even PvP-focused games, while FromSoftware’s signature vertical level design could make for excellent puzzlers and stealth titles. For FromSoftware itself to be the studio that takes that kind of leap is fairly unlikely, but if it did, it would certainly be a great game and a much-needed change of pace.
Dark Souls 3 is available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
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