FromSoftware is making bold moves with a genre switch-up for Elden Ring: Nightreign, with the game leaning into the co-op elements of its predecessor and adding a roguelike twist. However, it’s likely that FromSoftware will return to crafting more traditional soulslikes in the future, but they may still differ greatly from Elden Ring. As such, the developer may want to look towards a competitor within the same genre for a feature that could help a future game feel as robust as Elden Ring, while still retaining a smaller scope.
Given how huge Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree DLC are in terms of sheer content, it’s not surprising that director Hidetaka Miyazaki has stated the studio’s next soulslike will not share its same scale and that Elden Ring is the limit of what can realistically be achieved. While this might be somewhat disappointing for fans who were hoping to see how far FromSoftware can take the Elden Ring formula, the next FromSoftware soulslike may still be able to squeeze in nearly as much content. Lies of P‘s Weapon Assembly feature shows that a soulslike can do a lot to stretch build diversity even with a limited arsenal, and FromSoftware may want to take note of this for its next game.
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The Next FromSoftware Soulslike Can Use Lies of P’s Weapon Assembly Feature to Maintain Build Diversity
A Smaller-Scale Soulslike Doesn’t Have to Sacrifice Elden Ring’s Broad Range of Playstyle Options
The base game of Elden Ring has an impressive 308 weapons for players to discover and craft builds around, with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC adding a hefty 100 more. Given the nature of Elden Ring‘s open world, the size of this arsenal makes sense, as a vast world lends itself to hidden gear as rewards for players who explore every inch of it. However, with it seeming unlikely that FromSoftware will attempt another open world on the same scale as Elden Ring‘s anytime soon, the arsenal size of its next soulslike may need to be cut back as a result.
Conversely, Lies of P features 40 weapons—29 normal weapons and 11 special weapons—which is a far cry from the number Elden Ring boasts. This number can be deceiving at first glance, as Lies of P‘s normal weapons can be broken down into their handle and their blade and reconfigured using the Weapon Assembly system to create new combinations of blades and handles with different stats and Fable Arts. Even as a fairly linear game, Lies of P feels like it gives players a greater variety of build types to utilize thanks to the combinations the Weapon Assembly system offers.
Special weapons in Lies of P cannot be dismantled into a blade and handle for use in the Weapon Assembly system.
Lies of P’s Weapon Assembly Mechanic Can Help Make the Most of a Limited Arsenal
Lies of P‘s Weapon Assembly system greatly stretches the value of the 29 normal weapons it features, making its arsenal feel a lot more robust than it might seem. FromSoftware’s Bloodborne did something similar with its Trick Weapons that could change forms for different play styles, and Lies of P clearly draws inspiration from this title. FromSoftware could take this design full circle and introduce its own version of the Weapon Assembly system in a future, linear soulslike to create the illusion of a larger weapons arsenal while leaving the experimentation of weapon combos up to the player.
FromSoftware has always pushed the envelope when it comes to iterating upon the soulslike formula, and its first original post-Elden Ring soulslike will likely do the same. Despite having such a large shadow to step out of after Elden Ring, incorporating a trick like Lies of P‘s Weapon Assembly could make this future game still feel as robust as Elden Ring without approaching the same development resources necessary to achieve its scale. A happy medium like this can enable FromSoftware to maintain its development timelines while still contributing to the evolution of the soulslike formula.
From Software
- Date Founded
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November 1, 1986
- Headquarters
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Tokyo, Japan
- CEO
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Hidetaka Miyazaki
- Parent Company
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Kadokawa
- Known For
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Dark Souls, Armored Core