By announcing The Duskbloods and Elden Ring, Nintendo is opening up to new horizons, while also playing on Sony's toes. Particularly on the multiplayer side, with a title that's more like Nightreign than Bloodborne 2.
The Duskbloods, the From Software game we weren't expecting on Switch 2
Among the myriad of games unveiled during the Nintendo Direct dedicated to the Switch 2, The Duskbloods is certainly the most surprising announcement. From Software and Nintendo are collaborating for the first time with a title we weren't expecting on the Japanese manufacturer's next hybrid console. And for good reason, the Soulslike range is more geared towards the hardware of a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, as well as its players.
But Nintendo has the ambition with its Switch 2 to put more emphasis on multiplayer. This is thanks to better network power, an overhaul of the online infrastructure (via Nintendo Online 2.0), an optimization of the local multiplayer mode, and that famous C button (for Chat) that has been so talked about. As expected, it allows you to communicate vocally with your friends during games. And this is one of the points raised by game director Hidetaka Miyazaki during the game's presentation: PvPvE multiplayer taking advantage of the console's new online features.
The Duskbloods: a cousin of Nightreign rather than a spiritual sequel to Bloodborne?
Intrigued for more than three minutes of video, players learn that From Software is making a place for itself in the Nintendo ecosystem. Images featuring vampires and an atmosphere worthy of the Victorian era, characteristic of Bloodborne (to the point that some naively thought of a Bloodborne 2. A legitimate parallel with the game released in 2015, since it seems to bring together all of its codes, except for certain steampunk elements, such as a train, a vampire firing an automatic weapon, or a knight on a jet pack.
In an interview for Nintendo, Miyazaki talks about blood carriers (blood being a constituent element of Bloodborne), characters similar to vampires, in search of the first blood, and transported to different eras. Gothic and Victorian therefore, but also modern (therefore making sense with the train or the jet pack). But in describing its mechanics, the boss of the From Software games seems to bring it closer to Elden Ring Nightreign and its component Multiplayer.
It will be a loop system, where players select their character (classes seem predefined - information to be confirmed or not - like in Nightreign). Players join a sort of hub that can accommodate up to eight players. As PvPvE, players will fight each other, and will be confronted with the environment and tough bosses. The last one left alive wins the game and receives rewards. This is, however, the big difference with Nightreign, which asks a squad of three players to attack a series of enemies, and to hold out as long as possible as the map shrinks. A title more based on cooperation.
With Elden Ring and The Duskbloods, Nintendo wants to conquer Sony players
In quick succession, From Software unveils two multiplayer games, while the studio has been working for 15 years to develop single-player titles. Enough to raise fear among die and retry fans about the studio's medium- and long-term ambitions. But Miyazaki reassures. He sees it as just a way to explore unknown territory, and doesn't forget the recipe that made his games successful.
As a reminder, The Duskbloods isn't the only From Software game coming to the Switch 2. Elden Ring Tarnished Edition (the base game as well as the Shadow of The Erdtree DLC, and more) will be released on the future console in 2025. There's no doubt that Nintendo aims to attract players from within Sony itself. A more "hardcore gamer" audience looking for challenges, who could find what they're looking for at Nintendo. This goes hand in hand with the aesthetics of the console, clad in black, and the myriad of third-party games and ports announced, at odds with the family image that the company has always projected.
It is still necessary that 'Elden Ring and The Duskbloods manage to run correctly on hardware whose power still raises several questions, especially in portable version. We recently saw that the console took a hit on Hogwarts Legacy or Cyberpunk 2077.
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