Few games have had quite the impact on the video game industry asDark Soulshas. Love them or hate them, From Software’s titular franchise has left an indelible mark, one that has changed the landscape forever and inspired anentire genre: the Souls-like.
Stunningly simple yet tremendously challenging,Dark Soulsseemingly revived the idea that a video game is supposed to actually be really, really difficult. It’s an idea that fans have responded remarkably well to, and has inspired other developers to take similar chances on their own games.
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Will Fans Ever See A New Dark Souls?
Yet, despite all of this success and groundbreaking work, the future for theDark Soulsfranchise looks a little bit bleak. From Software has still been hard at work creating some truly astonishing video games, such asSekiro,and are now working on it next game alongside George R.R. Martin inElden Ring.But people are always going to ask: when’s the nextDark Souls?
Looking at From Software’s usual development cycle, even if the developer gets to work on the (currently unannounced) next entry in theDark Soulsseries immediately afterElden Ring, fans are looking at quite a few years between now and then. This is especially true considering From Software have shownalmost nothing ofElden Ring, suggesting that it’s still probably quite a ways off.
Dark Souls Is Still Influencing Games Today
While fans might not see anotherDark Soulsgame in the near future (and if they do, it might benothing like pastDark Soulsgames), they don’t need to look very far to see the ripples it’s had through the medium. From a gameplay perspective,Dark Soulshas changed expectations for a melee-action game. That’s not to say each and every single melee-action game needs to take some pages out of From Software’s playbook, but every developer knows that its game is now going to be compared toDark Soulsif it bears any kind of similarity.
That’s a comparison that can elevate or one that can deflate; it really depends on how each developer treats that expectation. A game likeJedi: Fallen Orderdecided to take the gameplay formula ofDark Soulsand tell a story in theStar Warsuniverse with it, to some very solid reception. Others, likeNioh,took the basic combat ofDark Soulsand put its own spin on it, using the bones of something already great to make something new and special.
But one thing that other developers haven’t necessarily borrowed as much from From Software is an aspect that has arguably been just as important to the franchise’s success as the gameplay: the worldbuilding/storytelling. From Software has always had a very unique way of doing this, letting players piece together the story themselves instead of simply telling it to them. It gives each and every world in theDark Soulsfranchise a feeling of discovery, and combined with the rewarding level design of these games, it makes every world one that players want to explore. They want to dig through every nook and cranny to learn something new about the world, orfind a secret area hidden away in Souls-likegames, somewhere dark.
Other games haven’t really made use of this, at least not to the same effect. It’s a risky method of telling the story, because it’s a method where a player has to really engage if they want to get anything out of it. But, it’s something that’s made players fall in love with the world, has helpedDark Soulscreate such a legacy, and is a method of storytelling that more games should make use of.
Whether or not fans ever do end up getting anotherDark Soulsgame, it’s pretty obvious that no one is going to be forgetting these games anytime soon. (Plus, fans just got apretty awesomeDemon’s SoulsRemake.) Part of the reasonDark Soulshas gained such massive popularity is because it’s a game that took chances. One of the important things to keep in mind when making art of any kind is that once those chances have paid off… it’s no longer taking a chance to do the same thing, is it?
Clearly, From Software wants to keep innovating, keep improving, and keep blowing minds. Maybe From Software’s taken a step away fromDark Soulsso that it’s able to look at it withfresh eyes and fresh ideasdown the road. Maybe the break is something a bit more permanent. Regardless, anticipation is mounting for the developer’s next project.
Demon’s Soulsis available now on PS5.
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