This past weekend we got to try The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s new game. Despite some connection problems, inevitable since it was a server test, it was an experience that let us assess what this new game from one of the most distinctive studios working today has to offer. Because the most interesting thing is that, although FromSoftware has a very particular style, they always bring something different. And this time was no exception, with something that may recall Elden Ring: Nightreign, but owes more to Sekiro and Bloodborne than it seems.
A game designed to smack you into other people
While The Duskbloods is a mix of PvP and PvE, the important part is the former. The whole PvE side is a formality where we have to manage our resources well. It’s the part where we can improve our character, gain a certain advantage (or not), and keep improving our standing. But the game really begins when we have to face our rivals.
Although FromSoftware has insisted that it’s possible to make it all the way to the end of each match without facing any other player, this isn’t exactly true. While it’s possible to do so, it means forming alliances and making sure not to face rivals directly. The game’s system allows our rivals to face each other and, with luck, for us to simply survive while they fight or we all ignore one another, but the whole game pushes toward one outcome: confrontation.
Because the game is divided into different phases, there’s a strict time limit. And at the end of each phase one player will be sacrificed. That means that, whether you like it or not, there’s always a reason to get more points and try to stay in the match. Even someone who doesn’t want to face other players or get involved will soon feel compelled if they fall behind, because that’s The Duskbloods’ big trick: it isn’t necessary to face other players until the end of each match, but the system itself encourages confrontations to happen so you don’t get knocked out of the match.
An evolution of what we already know
And it’s precisely in fights against other players where the game shines most. Although against AI-controlled enemies it’s possible to notice some details of the game, like the slightly stiffer movement or the greater emphasis on the game’s verticality, it isn’t until we face other players that it becomes obvious what’s different about this game.
From what we’ve been able to play, The Duskbloods seems subtly different from what we’ve seen in previous FromSoftware games. Especially when it comes to the chances of getting out of difficult situations. Although there are dodges and our character moves and jumps quickly, when we face human rivals with attacks similar to our own, that advantage drops off sharply. Making it practically impossible to rely exclusively on our reflexes: we have to avoid being in the places where they can hit us.
That’s the most interesting thing about The Duskbloods. It doesn’t feel like a parry or a dodge at the right time can get us out of most situations. With large-caliber firearms, enemies as mobile as we are, and far fewer iframes than in previous games, the battle feels harsher. Fairer. And that’s what’s interesting.
Because it seems that this is where FromSoftware’s future may lie. That the next iteration after Bloodborne and Sekiro, a game more focused on action and that strips back the RPG elements, could go in this direction: fully embracing it as a one-on-one fight where what matters is spacing and timing. Something that in The Duskbloods seems like it could happen in some frantic and hugely interesting player-versus-player fights that we’re eager to try in its final version, whenever that may be.
