Upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusiveThe Duskbloodslooks about as promising as any other FromSoftware game, but its reception has been complicated thanks to its undeniable resemblance to one of the studio’s other releases. Indeed,The Duskbloodslooks an awful lot likeBloodborne, sharing similar visuals and themes of transhumanism and societal collapse. This has caught the attention ofBloodbornefans, who have spent the last decade champing at the bit for a continuation of FromSoftware’s PS4-exclusive masterpiece.
It doesn’t look likeBloodborne 2will be materializing anytime soon, though, soThe Duskbloodsmay be a strong alternative for the moment. Despite its clear similarities toBloodborne,Duskbloodsis shaping up to be remarkably original, not only because of its PvPvE systems, but also by virtue of its central premise. Players will assume the role of a Bloodsworn, a superhuman entity enhanced by the power of magical blood. Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has admitted that the Bloodsworn draw inspiration from classic representations of vampires, but he also clarifies that they aren’t literally vampires themselves. They also seek something called First Blood, which flows “as human society reaches an end.” With so many mentions of blood, one might think thatThe Duskbloodscan’t possibly beat theBloodborneallegations, but the reality will likely be a bit different.
Blood Will Reportedly Be More Metaphorical Than Literal in The Duskbloods
Bloodborne’s Use of Blood Is Very Literal
Blood tends to carry powerful messages: it can relate to disease, heritage, and family ties, just to name a few all-too-common narrative themes.Bloodbornecertainly splashes around in these symbolic waters, but its use of blood is also notably literal, with specialized blood being used to alter humans in unnatural ways. Blood ministration, the process of transfusing humans withPthumerian blood, is said to cure all diseases in the world ofBloodborne, enhancing one’s physical attributes. At the same time, blood ministration can cause severe hallucinations, delirium, and, ultimately, beasthood.
WhileBloodborne’s use of bloodis clearly symbolic in some ways, with the substance meant to represent humanity’s folly and unfettered progress, it is more literal than metaphorical. Humans are quite literally injecting themselves with blood, and it is the properties of this blood that lead them to insanity while driving their pursuit of intangible knowledge and power. Even the game’s title is a direct reference to the revolutionary nature of blood ministration: the residents of Yharnam are plagued by a bloodborne illness, brought about by their own designs.
The Duskbloods Will Take a Less Obvious Approach With Its Representation of Blood
Speaking with Nintendo,Hidetaka Miyazaki explains that inThe Duskbloods, “blood is used more conceptually, as opposed to literal meanings like physical depictions of injury.” He also notes that blood “symbolizes one of the game’s key themes—the history it holds, the power it passes on, the fates it weaves and the marker of those who have surpassed the limitations of their own humanity.” This is quite a broad description, but it’s clear that blood will be more than just a medium through which oxygen travels through the body inThe Duskbloods.
It sounds like blood could be featured as a metaphor for lineage and heritage inThe Duskbloods, used to represent the history of a society, race, or community. This could open the door to narrative premises unique to FromSoftware, like the significance of family or generational trauma. Family members are often referred to as “flesh and blood” for a reason, after all, and there’s every chance that this near-universal artistic interpretation of blood will be what drivesThe Duskblood’s narrative and lore, more so than the actual substance itself.
WHERE TO PLAY
Developed for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, The Duskbloods is a PvPvE title with online multiplayer at its core, where up to 8 players vie for supremacy among themselves and against challenging foes.
Play as the “Bloodsworn”; a group that has transcended human strength thanks to their special blood, and throw yourself into a violent fray for “First Blood” as the twilight of humanity approaches.
