Bloodborne deserves a sequel before Elden Ring
FromSoftwareElden Ring has been a unanimous success for FromSoftware and the genre has truly broken through to the mainstream. Instead of a sequel, we think it’s time for a long-awaited revisit to the world of Bloodborne to give it the stage it deserves.
FromSoftware single-handedly coined the term ‘Souls’. A genre of game that relies on soul-crushing, punishingly difficult gameplay, a stressful risk and reward currency system that promotes a true desire to not die, spliced with oversized bosses that can kill you in two hits. I love it.
There’s so much more to Souls games than meets the eye, and Elden Ring was finally the one to crack the code to wider adulation and worldwide recognition. Boasting an obscene score of 96 out of 100 on Metacritic, the magical RPG is now statistically one of the best games ever made.
Capitalizing on its momentum, we think it would be better to finally give Bloodborne fans a desperately needed sequel instead of jumping straight into Elden Ring 2.
FromSoftwareBeauty and the Bloodborne
The Lands Between is bright, beautiful, and has a mystical aura that cements itself as a wonderfully executed vision of George R. R. Martin’s influence. On the other hand, Bloodborne is dark, dingy, and even through a TV screen, you can taste and smell the decrepit, diseased nature of Yharnam’s dystopian plight.
It’s such an unbelievable juxtaposition that it’s hard to believe they’re made by the same developers. And yet, Bloodborne’s gothic theme is arguably just as glorious as the Lands Between, if not more.
After the trials and tribulations of Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls games, FromSoftware decided to go back to the drawing board and create something entirely new — Bloodborne.
It was quite a tonal shift from previous Souls games as the enemies were more grotesque, the setting was always brooding and it just made for a more fascinating game. Not to mention its faster-paced gameplay that encouraged players to roll around less and attack more frequently to recoup lost health.
FromSoftwareThere’s a reason I named it my favorite Souls game after all. Even though Dark Souls 3 comfortably outsold Bloodborne, we can safely attribute this to Bloodborne being a PS4 exclusive on release, and the brand name familiarity lacking.
The game was still a huge success and brought many new faces to the franchise. So much so that every subsequent E3 and Sony State of Play has generated a buzz on social media about whether or not we’d finally get an announcement for Bloodborne 2.
Elden Ring can wait, Yharham beckons
Elden Ring has shown that there’s plenty of room in the video game stratosphere for a monstrously difficult endeavor such as this one. Given its ridiculous early sales performances, around 15 million copies sold in its first week, there’s every chance that FromSoftware will simply forego any other option and instead dive straight into an Elden Ring sequel.
But there’s so much more of Yharnam to see and explore first. What other disfigured entities lie within the bowels of this malignant, love letter to Lovecraftian legend?
FromSoftwareElden Ring now has an established audience and has reached so many people that leaving players to wait a few years will only further any anticipation and excitement for a sequel, making it bubble over and reach fever pitch.
FromSoftware are constantly striving to please their fans and they have shown that they like to mix things up with Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and now Elden Ring.
- Read More: 6 games you need to play after Elden Ring
Seven years after the original game came out, the time feels right for Bloodborne 2, especially with the technical capabilities of the PS5, to make horror even prettier. The Souls world is bigger and more popular than ever, and it gives returning and new players at least one more venture into Hunter’s Dream to experience a horrifying Souls-sucking experience like no other.
