Elden Ring Is More Bloodborne Than You Think
The long-awaited Elden Ring is the next iteration of FromSoftware’s line of role-playing games, and the inspiration it takes from the developer’s previous games is quite evident — Bloodborne in particular, if Elden Ring's recent launch trailer is anything to go by. While 2009’s Demon’s Souls originated many of the mechanics that have appeared in FromSoftware’s games in the intervening years, it was Dark Souls that truly inspired over a decade of successors. If its two sequels or the existence of an entire Soulslike genre aren’t proof of that, fans’ attitudes towards the game should be. Dark Souls' main claim to fame is its difficulty, a challenge that for some players can make Soulslikes scary and even off-putting. For players who enjoy this struggle, however, these games offer an immensely satisfying gameplay experience where mastery is its own reward, and Bloodborne added a number of thematic and artistic twists that seem to have inspired Elden Ring, at least in part.
The Dark Souls series and its siblings have, of course, undergone changes in the past decade. Some commonalities are always present - an emphasis on deliberate actions in combat, dramatic boss fights with terrifying monsters and skillful combatants, and zones full of enemies that respawn whenever the player dies. But beyond the basics, each game has its own identity, leaning into specific mechanics and themes, and stories. Every game’s design draws on previous iterations to some extent, but Elden Ring invokes a particular predecessor in certain gameplay elements and thematic choices - Bloodborne.
Related: Is Elden Ring A Souls Game?
Despite presenting a distinctly unique setting steeped in gothic and cosmic horror, 2015’s Bloodborne is clearly descended
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