I struggle to think of a developer with a reputation for quality higher thanFromSoftware. Without fail, every game the studio has released over the past decade and a half has been remarkable, and there’s no sense that FromSoft has any plans on slowing down anytime soon.
Last week,The Duskbloodswas announced,a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusivedirected by Hidetaka Miyazaki that’s clearly trying toevoke the spirit of Bloodborne. As a relatively recent FromSoft convert, I couldn’t be more excited for it to launch next year, but knowingFromSoftware has its eggs in a lot of different basketsright now has me feeling a little worried.
I love FromSoftware games, but they’re starting to become too much of a good thing.
An Abundance Of FromSoft
Is it possible to havetoo muchof a good thing? I certainly think so. There’s a reason why I don’t eat foot-long corndogs for every meal. Video games are the same way.
SinceDark Souls 2came out in 2014, we’ve been treated to a new FromSoftware game or DLC almost every year. Dark Souls 2 launched in 2014,Bloodborne the year after, Dark Souls 3 the year after that, and Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City the year after that. There was a break in 2018, then in 2019, Game of the Year winnerSekiro: Shadows Die Twicecame out.
Three years later, 2022 saw the long-awaited release ofElden Ring, then Armored Core 6: The Fires of Rubicon came out the year after, thenElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreelaunched last year, and this year has Elden Ring Nightreign. Next year will be The Duskbloods. So yes, there has beena lotof FromSoftware to go around, not to mention the myriad Soulslike titles that took direct inspiration from its works.
Unlike other developers that launch new games every year or so, FromSoftware hasn’t seen much of a dip in quality. A lot of that comes down to the fact that it very rarely does the exact same thing twice, but I am starting to feel like the launch of a new FromSoft game is getting less and less special with each passing year.
FromSoftware titles are also very good at recycling assets and building on mechanics so it can deliver similar experiences, but each one with vastly different settings and mechanical ideas.
I’m really interested in playing Elden Ring Nightreignwhen it comes out next month, however, I am significantly less excited about playing it than I was in the months before Elden Ring launched. I’m less excited for Nightreign than I was for Erdtree too, and it’s not for lack of interest but because it’ll be the third Elden Ring experience we’ve had since 2022. It’s not special anymore, it’s the norm.
Just Eat The Cakes, Man
Am I complaining about having two cakes?I suppose so, but I’m not saying that Nightreign or The Duskbloods will be bad games and that I won’t play them. Given FromSoft’s eye for quality, they most likely won’t be, and I absolutely will. I’m just pointing out that it’s exciting to get a cake because it’s a special occasion. You can eat two cakes every night if you want, but at a certain point, having cake all the time just becomes the norm.
What makes FromSoft games stand out so boldly from the rest of the games released each year is that there’s nothing else that’s like them. Some games get close (Lies of P getsveryclose), but the studio has been able to make a name for itself because it’s refreshing to get something new and inspired. Now that we’ve been given ten plus games and even more substantial DLCs over the course of almost as many years, FromSoftware games just don’t feel as fresh as they once did.
Is FromSoft losing its touch? Absolutely not. I said before that the games haven’t dipped in quality, and I can’t stress how much I believe that. It’s still one of the most talented studios in the industry, and I’m looking forward to playing whatever it puts out next, but that excitement is different now. It’s a passive delight about something new. The cakes are coming to the table, but I’m not putting candles in them or singing Happy Birthday, I’m just going to enjoy eating them once they’re served.
