Reviving Gothic aesthetics, and packed full of bloodthirsty vampire action, The Duskbloods certainly looks to be taking a lot of inspiration from a previous FromSoftware title. But the similarities may be more surface-level than they seem, and upon digging a little deeper, it could be more Elden Ring: Nightreign than Bloodborne 2.
In a short X post following the reveal, FromSoftware announced that The Duskbloods will be a “PVPVE focused multiplayer action game.” This would diverge significantly from the studio’s design philosophy of the past, indicating that this new game is keen to have an identity of its own rather than chase the coat-tails of a predecessor.
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The Duskbloods’ Focus on Multiplayer Makes It Akin to Nightreign
Surprising everyone, The Duskbloods was revealed in the Nintendo Direct livestream on April 2. Three minutes of teases about what the game is led many people to one conclusion – it’s like Bloodborne 2. With themes of vampirism, lunar cycles, and ferocious beasts set on a Victorian backdrop, it’s easy to see the comparison.
However, Bloodborne, and many older FromSoftware titles, have always put singleplayer first. Invasions and co-op existed, but they were extras to the core experience. Nightreign’s announcement at the Game Awards broke this trend last year, and now FromSoftware appears to be doubling down on diversifying their traditional game design principles.
The trailer is full of clues that show plenty of similarities between The Duskbloods and Nightreign. While yet unconfirmed, there are many characters featured with very distinct appearances and abilities. These could be like the preset classes of Nightreign, rather than the customizable characters of FromSoftware’s past games. Certain abilities also look familiar to Nightreign, like when one character levitates a group of enemies.
Movement is also seemingly more fluid. Several shots show the player characters leaping from high points, leaping through the air firing their gun, reminiscent of Nightreign removing fall damage, incentivizing players to take the plunge into new areas.
The gameplay seems to be fast-paced, but it is clearly evolving the formula away from Bloodborne’s more rigid design goals. Nightreign’s own trailer drew attention to how it was leveraging mechanics from past Miyazaki games, such as Sekiro’s deflecting, which The Duskbloods is also doing. At one point, the player character blocks an attack with their gun hand, which stands in stark contrast to Bloodborne’s unique philosophy among Soulslikes of punishing shields.
The Duskbloods Also Draws Inspiration From Elden Ring and Sekiro
A lot of influences have come together to create The Duskbloods‘ world, some of which might be overlooked at first glance. Though the look of the game is very 19th century, there are plenty of shots that show things that are completely new. At one point, an armored warrior in a swamp walks toward the camera, before taking off on a very rustic jetpack.
The trailer is also full of small nods to FromSoftware’s catalogue, including a monk-like character who would not be out of place in Sekiro. The color palette may be dark and gloomy, but the trailer isn’t afraid to show shots of more saturated environments reminiscent of the regions of Elden Ring. The more steampunk elements stand out even more, as this is a style that FromSoftware has not pursued before, and the implications for gameplay are exciting already.
Whatever The Duskbloods ends up being, it clearly wants its own identity, not just Bloodborne on the Switch. Given that there are two upcoming games with a multiplayer-first approach by FromSoftware, perhaps the studio doesn’t want to be stuck repeating its past, and as a result, it decided it’s time to raise the bar on Soulslike design principles. The Duskbloods is not Bloodborne 2, and that’s probably for the best.
