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For many of us who started our Soulsborne journey during the early days ofDemon’s Souls, FromSoft’s games have been more than challenging action RPGs—they’ve been intense experiences that have almost always played an important role in our personal lives.
But while the studio’s recent releases have indeed expanded on Hidetaka Miyazaki’s winning game design structure, to many, this formula feels as though it has been taken as far as it can go, stretched as thinly as it can be. So, for our money, the next Soulsborne game needs more than another coat of polish—it needs a defining change to make things feel fresh once more.
FromSoftware’s Recent Offerings Are Not Too Dissimilar toDemon’s Souls
With the recentShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion, FromSoftware delivered an expansion that managed to top evenElden Ringwith its world design, combat, and astonishing depth. Yet beneath its spiraling lands and unbelievable bosses, a sense of repetitiveness continues to linger in the back of many.
Many people also experienced this when the base game first came out. While it felt like a grand showcase of the team’s skill set and experience, it also felt equally lacking in innovation.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Spookiest Area Also Happens to Be the Most Boring in All of Elden Ring
For long-term followers, this is a pretty clear concern that makes sense, too: each game is starting to feel like a refined but predictable retread of the older games.
Now sure, FromSoftware is no stranger to reusing assets and ideas from one game to another, but that’s not the biggest shot taken at their games.It’s the fact that all of them, except forSekiroandDéraciné, have a game design structurethat can be distilled down to the same thing being repeated over and over again.
Sticking to whenElden Ringfirst came out, even beginners to the series highlighted this very issue 3 years ago:
Here, you may see some wondering if FromSoftware is sticking too close to the formula just because the team is comfortable with it:
Not only that, but they can also point out specific gameplay elements, moves, boss types, and even cutscene styles across titles that are being carried over without innovation.
While not completely accurate, one comment even points out howElden Ring’sintroductory sequence mirrors that ofDark Souls 3andDemon’s Souls: a doomed world, a nameless hero, cryptic lore, and a hub area for upgrades.
What makes matters somewhat severe, though, is how flashes of brilliance can be felt across FromSoft’s portfolio, with games likeSekiroandDeracineproving that Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have fresh ideas. At the same time, it feels as though the community itself has hampered the studio’s creativity with its cult-like worship of it.
Fromsoft’s Devout Community Is the Studio’s True Final Boss for Innovation
Here’s a hard pill that almost no one seems to want to swallow: The kind of critical immunity people have fostered over the years for Soulsborne games, while a testament to FromSoftware’s legacy, may ultimately be what ends up hindering the studio.
Just look at what happened to Bethesda: It was given way too much leeway for all it got right withSkyrimandFallout 3, which ultimately led to the release ofStarfield, that is, BGS at its most redundant and out of touch.
In a similar vein, FromSoft risks treading a similar path. Fans adore the Soulsborne mechanics, but without fresh concepts, even the most loyal players may eventually find the formula stale. Just look back on how people reacted toDéraciné’srelease, and you may see how Hidetaka Miyazaki might have faced difficulty breaking the mold completely.
Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Personal Philosophy on Elden Ring That He Won’t Ever Compromise On: ‘That would break the game itself’
To avoid what happened to Bethesda,FromSoftware’s next Soulsborne game must go beyond refinementand embrace bold reinvention, similar to howDemon’s Soulsonce changed the landscape of action RPGs by being detached from the conventional wisdom of gaming. If the current formula for Soulsborne games is conventional, then FromSoft needs to try and produce anotherDemon’s Soulswith its next title.
Miyazaki and his team have the talent and the vision to do it again, but it will require leaving behind some of the tried-and-true elements that have brought them success. Can they pull such a feat off? Only time will tell. But do they require such a feat to freshen things up once more? Absolutely.
But with all that said, what are your thoughts on FromSoftware’s design overlap problem? Do you think it is as bad as people make it out to be? Let us know in the comments below!
Akshit Dangi
Writer - Gaming
Articles Published :266
Akshit is a supposed human being and gaming writer who lurks in different corners of the internet in search of fascinating rabbit holes. Outside of that, though, you’ll most likely find him staring at a piece of art for days or completing another playthrough of Silent Hill.
