The last thing I expected to see at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct this week wasa new FromSoftware exclusive, let alone aBloodbornespiritual successor. But then came the startling reveal ofThe Duskbloods, a steampunk Soulslike with retro-futuristic jetpacks and an obsession with blood that feels oh-so Yharnam.
While it might feel a bit strange to see the developer behind two of Sony’s best exclusives team up with Nintendo, especially considering thatFromSoftware got its start in the ‘90s with the PlayStation-exclusive King’s Field and Armored Core, it’s not the first time it’s happened.
23 Years Ago, FromSoft Released A Little-Known GameCube Title
In 2002, FromSoftware — under publisher Activision — released the GameCube exclusive Lost Kingdoms (or Rune, in Japan), a card-based RPG following princess Katia on a journey to find her father.
We’d see the seeds of a few familiar themes planted here, years before the Soulslike genre was so much as a twinkle in Hidetaka Miyazaki’s eye. Most notably, the plot follows the king’s disappearance amidst his investigation of the all-consuming black fog swallowing the realm, which he discovers was ushered in by the God of Destruction.Demon’s Soulslikewise tells the tale of a cosmic deity known only as the Old One being reawakened, suffocating Boletaria in a grey fog.
C’mon Nintendo, put Lost Kingdoms on Switch 2.You’re already bringing GameCube to NSO.
While its critical reception was middling, withan average score of just 72, it was successful enough that a sequel launched only one year later. It takes place generations after Katia’s story, who is now remembered as a heroic queen, with us stepping into the boots of Tara Grimface, a thief on a mission to steal the runestones in Kendaria. We’d see FromSoftware take a similar approach in theDark Soulssequels, which are likewise set generations in the future, with heroes of old remembered as mythical legends.
It Also Developed A Few Nintendo DS Games
In 2007, armed with expertise in handhelds, thanks to FromSoftware’s work on the PSP ports of King’s Field, it released two games for the Nintendo DS — Nanpure VOW and Iraroji VOW. The former is a collection of 300 sudoku puzzles, and the latter 300 illustration logic puzzles. These are far from what you’d expect of FromSoftware today, but even back then, it was a strange tangent from the more action-driven RPGs and mecha games it was known for.
Jump ahead to 2009, the same year that Demon’s Souls was released (along with the Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Blade, a more traditionalNinja Gaiden-like game), and FromSoftware would release two more DS games, once again deviating from its usual flair.
The first was Inugamike no Ichizoku, a visual novel based on the classic 1950 Seishi Yokomizo mystery novel The Inugami Curse, which was also adapted as a movie in 1976 and 2006. It follows Kosuke Kindaichi, a Sherlock-style detective on the trail of a notorious serial killer (and if you haven’t already, you should check out The Honjin Murders, which introduced Kindaichi in the ’40s). The second game is another stylish monochromatic murder mystery called Yatsu Hakamura, centred on the manifestation of a centuries-old grudge, once again following the famous Japanese detective.
FromSoftware Hasn’t Made A Nintendo Game In 16 Years
FromSoftware is rekindling an old partnership with Nintendo after nearly two decades, while also returning to handheld consoles (not counting ports or the Steam Deck) for the first time since 2011.
Yes, it’s bizarre that Bloodborne 2, in all but name, is a Switch exclusive, but Nintendo’s creativity has always ignited a spark in FromSoftware, leading to some of its most inventive and unique releases across its 38-year history. Maybe The Duskbloods, bringing the two back into proximity after so long apart, will light a fire under the Soulslike genre and inspire another generation of games. Either way, there’s a storied history between the two that shouldn’t be pushed to the wayside as we eagerly await what comes next.
