FromSoftware is best known in the modern age for its genre-creatingSoulsgames, and it’s easy to say that the studio mastered them almost right out of the gate withDark Souls. But withArmored Core 6, the company reminded players that they had a past beforeDemon’s Souls, and have not lost sight of what made it excellent.
However, after over a decade of the expected, the release of the massiveElden Ringmay have wrung the developers for ideas. It’d be hard to blame fans, then, for wanting to see FromSoft retry their hand at a genre they have previously done or try out something new entirely. Luckily, the souls of their most recent successes would be easier to transfer to another style of game than one would think.
Mow Down Dozens Of Monsters At A Time
Games To Take Inspiration From:
FromSoft games are known for slow, methodical combat, with smaller, manageable fights. Musou games, on the other hand, emulate the true breadth of an all-out war by having playersscour a battlefieldwhile taking on dozens of enemies at a time. These types of games typically involve hack-and-slash gameplay, which is actually a style of game that FromSoft is fairly well versed in, from games such asOtogiback on the PS2. Conflicts between factions are not an unfamiliar story element in FromSoft’s repertoire either, though inSoulsgames they’re usually relegated to lore.
So, why not bring those conflicts to the forefront and take a queue from games likeFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes,Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, or Arslan: Warriors of Legend?Sure, these games emphasize their stories with somefun power fantasies, but FromSoft’s spin on the genre could simply avoid imbuing the player character with immense power from the start. Resulting in a more difficult take on this style of game.
Make Every Bullet Count
FPS games typically rely on fast-paced action to drive players forward in their worlds. However, some games in this genre, likeF.E.A.R., are interspersed with genuine scares and an eerie atmosphere that players mustnavigate to stay alive. FromSoft has actually dabbled in the first-person perspective with games likeEcho Nightand its sequels, so bringing those experiences to the realm of an FPS wouldn’t be a completely new venture, but one worth giving a try, nonetheless.
What’s more, it’s been proven that an FPS story can be mature, complex, and interesting, while also providing some fun mechanics that make the game wholly unique. A game likeImmortals of Aveumis an example of this and even swaps the genre’s traditional gun for magic, something that would be a perfect bridge forSoulsplayers who prefer to playas a spell-caster. Finally, add some of the goofiness of a game likeFar Cry 3to give the game a range of emotional tones, and FromSoft has a recipe for success.
Go Toe-To-Toe With The Enemy
1999’sFrame Gridewas FromSoft’s attempt at a 3D fighting game, with players free to move their mech around the stage in any direction, similar to a game likeDragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi. However, the developer might have had more success in the space by tightening the perspective, making something more likeSoul Calibur.Players would be dodging punches by rotating to the side of their opponent, creating an opening for the perfect counter-attack. Another avenue to go down would be a game likeSamurai Showdown, where the name of the game is to master the weapon-based melee combat to capitalize on an opponent making the wrong move.
Another key aspect of a FromSoft game these days is blood. Whether it’s dripping off of one of the many large, grotesque bosses, or spraying out of the body of a ghoul, it’s a great, and often satisfying indication that the player is doing something right. TheMortal Kombatseries, with its disgustingly cool fatalities, is really the only mature fighting game in the space currently, and could frankly use some competition.
It’s Not All About Scares
Kuonwas FromSoftware’s original take on the survival-horror genre, and while itgot middling reviews, it was a solid attempt at the genre that largely holds up. But this is a post-Resident Evil 4world, where developers have spent the last 20 years building the genre into what it is today. For instance, set pieces like the Leviathan dragging Isaac through the halls of the USG Ishimura inDead Spaceare loud, bombastic, and still incredibly scary.
However, it shouldn’t be understated howimportant a story isto a modern FromSoft game, however hard they may try to bury it in pretense. That’s whySilent Hill 2is such a good example of how to do it. Over the years since its release, players have picked apart the game’s story, finding symbolic parallels between the main character, James Sunderland, and the settings he visits or the enemies he fights throughout the game. That’s by design, and it’s something that FromSoft should take note of if they ever give the genre another try.
Take On Eldritch Horrors With Friends
An MMO is probably the most straightforward way to go after the incredibly successful release ofElden Ringproved that an open world in the Soulslike genreis entirely possible. Mods have also let eager players The Lands Between with friends. The only thing left is to fill the game with an endless stream of quests as well as theSoulsgames' many factions for the player to join.Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Rebornis a perfect example of a direction that can be taken, with its post-post-apocalypse setting and dire, world-changing storylines.
Games like FF14,World of Warcraft, andGuild Wars 2also carry some incredibly far-reaching lore. Something that FromSoftware is no stranger to.Soulsgames are already filled to the brim with world-building and side character backstories that are largely given to players in unconventional ways, like item descriptions. So, just assign some of thatlore to NPCsand FromSoftare has got themselves an MMO.
