With the PS5 finally launching and Sony looking to fill its library with exclusive titles to incentivize players to jump into next-gen, now seems like the best time to get started on Bloodborne 2. In the same way that Bloodborne was one of the first titles that showed the limits of what PS4 could do, a sequel can do the same for Sony’s new console, showing off new graphical performance and the lengths haptic feedback can go.
While FromSoftware doesn’t seem to have plans for a Bloodborne 2 any time soon, with the future of the series up to Sony, the fan outcry for a sequel will likely eventually push the companies together again. Looking at both the developer’s history with improving games through sequels and connected series, like Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls, along with the possibilities available on PS5, a Bloodborne sequel could far surpass the original.
One of the best aspects of the original Bloodborne is its incredible trick weapons which have two separate modes of attack, essentially doubling the number of weapons due to these unique combinations. However, while the weapons are one of the game’s most impressive strengths, there is still room for improvement on Bloodborne 2‘s firearms and likely more ideas for new melee weapons. A number of new weapon types could also come organically from other changes in the sequel, like changing locations or moving forward or backwards in time to find new evolutions of hunter trick weapons.
Beyond simply adding new features to the saw cleaver or making upgraded versions of popular weapons like Ludwig’s Holy Blade, the game can lean into the PS5’s controls to create new ways to attack. The new technology that comes with DualSense’s haptic feedback, where the game can make each button press require more or less pressure depending on in-game variables, can be used in reverse as well. An upgraded version of the light-press/heavy-press mechanic that Sony has developed since the PS2, FromSoftware can lean into these features to give trick weapons different functions based on how the players pull the trigger on the controller.
Along with new weapons, new locations would also make for a welcome addition to the series, with Bloodborne 2 leaving Yharnam behind and exploring more of the Lovecraftian world outside of the initial city. It would be interesting to see how the rest of the world has been affected by the events leading up to the first game and if the influence of Byrenwerth and the Healing Church has extended further out into the world. This could also open the door for more horror inspired monsters and twisted characters to appear as new great ones and new infections spread through new areas.
The Old Hunters DLC from the original Bloodborne shows exactly how much more inventive some of the locations and enemies FromSoftware can get with the series. Combining this with the endless possibilities available in the Cthulhu mythos to draw from, and the next game could look and feel entirely different from its predecessor. There are already a number of excellent locations in Bloodborne, and the power that the PS5 can offer the series could pave the way for even more impressive level designs outside of the limitations of the previous console.
While the DualSense controller and the SSD’s quick load times have been on the forefront of the conversation for next-gen features, PS5’s 3D Audio may be a game changer for certain genres. With Bloodborne‘s leaning towards horror in the first game, making worlds creepy with dark environments with only moans and screams filling the ambient sound, it would be one of the best titles to take advantage of PS5’s features. The atmosphere of Bloodborne 2 could be massively improved with the textured feelin offered by haptic feedback, but the feeling of wandering through a horrible, oppressive location is made all the more terrifying with 3D Audio.
This creepy level of horror that doesn’t rely much on jumpscares in order to bring the terror is one of Bloodborne‘s strongest aspects that puts it over more conventional titles in the genre. It’s the fact that the game’s atmosphere that makes trekking through locales like The Old Hunters‘ Fishing Hamlet so memorable with a constantly working effect from the ambient noise of the churning environment driving the terror. These are the kind of creep factors that are hard to get used to or grow numb to, and with the added immersion that PS5 offers, Bloodborne 2 can easily make for an incredibly terrifying experience.
A question on many players’ minds, beyond what weapons will appear or where Bloodborne 2 will take place, involves the “true” ending of the original title and what it means for the player character. For those unaware or who have repressed the strange ending, Bloodborne‘s final ending involves defeating the Moon Presence, the game’s true final boss, and becoming an infant Great One that looks like a little squid. As a par for the course as far as FromSoftware’s ambiguous endings goes, it’s hard to tell if this is a happy ending for the Hunter or anyone else left in the world after the hunt ends.
Some sort of acknowledgment of this ending would definitely be welcome in Bloodborne 2, whether it’s something as small as a piece of flavor text on a random item, or if players run into these infant Great Ones. Exactly how this is approached is up to FromSoftware, but considering how previous games have gone, recycling the Soul of Cinder final boss could be a way to cap off the series. A level of finality like this may be the best choice if the developer wants to continue moving forward with new IPs like Elden Ring instead of having to go back and work on previous series in order to appease fans. It’s really the existence of this ambiguous ending that has players wanting more in the first place, as the minimalist storytelling often raises more questions than it answers.
Bloodborne is currently available on PS4 and PS5.
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