You do know From Soft used to do more than Dark Souls? Remember? I don't want them just turning into a Dark Souls factory, which is what they're practically are now. Even if they do it well, fatigue sets in at some point for everyone. Remember what Vaas said
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The problem with From Soft, is that they're almost no different than Ubisoft in that regard. Sure they have games of higher and way better quality anything Ubisoft can pull out, but it's the same problem. They're just making the same thing over and over with different variations. I'm sure this game will be great and everything, but I will most likely not be buying. I'll buy a new From Software game, when they decide to do something completely different.
Understandable, but watching it I can’t help but feel the gameplay formula is getting old and needs to be revitalized. Sekiro was outside the norm being more of an action game with the cool posture system so it doesn’t really count, but even it infused some of the FROM design choices like mostly trivial consumables scavenging and cryptically obtuse NPC quests that literally need a guide or “word of mouth” to follow. I’d love to just be able to figure everything out by just playing the damn game.
I really hope the new mobility and open world structure can breath new life into it.
Here is my take on this though. Think about Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1 and 2, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro.....What's the key thing about each of those games? While each game is definitely a "FromSoft" game, however you want to label that, each game tried something different and each game evolved the "FromSoft" game. Each of those games takes the Souls-like and moves it to a new place. Adding mechanics, adding features, changing gameplay styles for better or worse depending on the person.
Elden Ring continues this. Yes, it's a very Souls looking game but that's their style at this point. Elden Ring is clearly offering at LEAST an very evolved experience from what we are used too in the FromSoft game. Open world, a fucking map, jumping, etc. At the same time, it does have the things that people like me expect and want out of a FromSoft experience.
Did they make Armored Core? Yes, but I don't think there are that many people who care about that anymore and there are FAR more FromSoft fans today that are FromSoft fans because of the Souls games, and returning to a Core title is probably a bad business move.
And I don't think Ubisoft games are a fair comparison because Ubisoft makes literally the same game over and over again, whereas FromSoft changes enough in the moment to moment gameplay possibilities than Ubisoft does. Though that also has more to do with the types of games they make. Far Cry is shooting guns go bang bang, and how do you really evolve that? Same thing with Ghost Recon, point guns at bad guys and make dead, you can't really add mechanics to that the same was you can in a fantasy action game.
All turn-based RPG's aren't the same because they all have different systems that make them work, even if the core concept is the same. Which is how I would classify FromSoft's output. And I'd argue that Sekiro and Souls are more different from each other than say Uncharted and The Last of Us are.
