As fulfilling as FromSoftware games can be, I don’t know anyone who didn’t want to pull their hair out when trying to get around the first Dark Souls’ Blighttown – the game’s roll-dodging platforming was, in general, sort of infamous, even if it’s beloved in a meme-y way nowadays. But the studio is cooking up more robust movement options in its upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game, PvPvE-oriented The Duskbloods.
Frequent FromSoft director Hidetaka Miyazaki delved into the game via a new Creator’s Voice blog, explaining that the pseudo-vampiric group we play as, called the Bloodsworn, “possess superhuman abilities thanks to special blood” that’ll mean we won’t need to deal with clunky platforming anymore. (Fingers crossed).
“Even basic character actions in this game such as sprinting, super jump, and double jump are designed to be dynamic and stress free and are complemented by each character’s own unique weapons and abilities, allowing for a wide range of creativity,” Miyazaki explained. Rather than custom protags, The Duskbloods has around a dozen premade characters to choose from who are all customizable to some extent.
As is the case with all of the studio’s games, there’s an in-universe reason as to why the group are so agile this time around. “The Bloodsworn are a group whose members have achieved super-human abilities through the power of special blood,” Miyazaki continued. “As a general concept, they’re similar to vampires, but they are not portrayed as the horrifying monsters you might associate with traditional vampirism… Also, and while this isn’t directly related to the Bloodsworn themselves, the setting allows for the depiction of firearms and such, and every character is equipped with some means of attacking from a distance. I feel this is one of the game’s unique aspects when compared with our previous titles. I hope these new action elements are one area that players will enjoy.”
The Duskbloods’ winged rat “elderly gentleman” was actually FromSoftware’s rare attempt at something “Nintendo-esque” and “cute”
