The Duskbloods surprised a lot of people when it was announced at the Nintendo Direct recently, and many Souls fans instantly compared it to Bloodborne. While it bears some similarities, this new game is probably going to take a lot of features from many past entries, namely Elden Ring, and put its own spin on them.
FromSoftware has a history of carrying themes over its games, iterating and evolving ideas to create ever more complex and fascinating mythologies. Elden Ring in particular expanded on some niche aspects and made them core pillars of its world, and The Duskbloods seems to be focusing on one in particular.
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The Symbology of Hands Is Key to the Lore of Both the Duskbloods and Elden Ring
The Duskbloods Nintendo Switch 2 Direct trailer gave the community a quick look at the direction of Miyazaki’s upcoming title. While there was a lot to take in, the trailer spent much of its opening focusing on how a character out of frame seemed to pass a mark onto the hand of a player character, leaving them with a wheel-shaped rune which is somehow related to the moon.
Many people got into the Soulslike genre through 2022’s Elden Ring, a game that fixated a lot on hands and cosmic imagery. Hand symbolism was present in previous FromSoftware games, but not to the extent it was in Elden Ring. Guided to become the Elden Lord of a new age by either the Two or Three Fingers, as well as being beset by Bloody Finger invaders, the game laid the groundwork for including more anatomical themes.
Being chosen by the Fingers was a big part of the game’s lore. As representatives of the Greater Will, they conferred great power on an Empyrean to shape the Lands Between, with the Three Fingers going so far as to physically embrace their chosen one. The Duskbloods may not be going for such an explicit approach, but it does seem tied to the cosmos and fate.
The Hand and the Wheel Are Connected
Mentioned explicitly in the trailer was “turn the wheel,” accompanied by the symbol on the back of the character’s hand. The exact meaning of the phrase according to the no doubt complex story of The Duskbloods is not known yet, but it does reflect some past themes of FromSoftware games.
Hand symbolism was present in previous FromSoftware games, but not to the extent it was in Elden Ring.
Wheels are symbolic of motions and cycles, and being grafted onto a hand, a part of the body that manipulates, indicates someone is handing control of fate to this character. The hand turns the wheel, and the fate of humanity is reached. Where in Elden Ring, the Fingers provided guidance through signals, the hand is now the player’s own to shape the world as they see fit.
Depending on how they are held, hands symbolize power, strength and action, but also peace. It may be surprising to think of peace as a theme after watching such a visceral trailer, but a typical ending for FromSoftware games is restoring balace to a broken world. Peace is achieved once the struggle is over, and hands are a fantastic representation of different stages of conflict.
This wheel rune could also be what imparts power to certain characters, as it is mentioned that they have taken life from someone in order to live themselves. Plenty of abilities were shown off in the trailer, and FromSoftware is always careful to tie gameplay mechanics to the lore, so perhaps these abilities are manifested through whatever is transferred onto the hand. There will be more details to come about The Duskbloods, and so far only the surface has been scratched on a fascinating new IP.