Dark Souls & Other Souls-Likes

Bloodborne is the cover story of this week's Famitsu, and there's an interview with Miyazaki in it as well. Here are some details reported by a Japanese blog who got the magazine early.

- Spring 2015 release window
- They started work on this right after finishing Artorias of the Abyss, planning it for Sony's new hardware
- The world and story is completely new, and the setting takes full advantage of the PS4's capabilities
- The expected spec for the game is 30fps at 1080p
- The keywords for the game is "blood" and "beast"
- There will be melee and long range weapons (guns) this time
- Character customization is confirmed
- There will be no map display in the game
- He wants combat to not just focus on action but also the strategic element
- The combat in the game is designed to feel like a life or death struggle
- There will be online elements of some sort, and it will involve players "discovering" together



here's the official game blurb from Sony: http://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/bloodborne-ps4


http://www.famitsu.com/news/201406/10054828.html

30 FPS on Bloodborne
Disappointing.

Time to play Dark Souls to cheer me up from that result.

Dark Souls to cheer me up...I'm gonna be punching a hole through my TV at this rate.

How can you tell yet? :O

they told us it was going to be very similar to DS1

Also, the fact that it is in a city and you have to enter through rooms, allies, streets, twisting and turning your way through, unlocking shortcuts, just screams DS1 design to me.

Just saying "unlocking shortcuts" is enough to distinguish between Dark Souls and Dark Souls II.

Bloodborne: New Info on PS4 Hardware Advantages, Death Penalty, Offline Gameplay, Worldwide Release
by Giuseppe Nelva (7 hours ago)

The upcoming PS4 exclusive Bloodborne impressed many at E3, and today Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki shared more information about the game in an interview on Dengeki Online.

Miyazaki-san explained that the game will have more variation in animation compared to his previous games, thanks to the fact that it’s on PS4 and there’s more memory available for this kind of details. He also mentioned that one of the unique elements of the game will be the ability to enhance weapons, but further details about that are still a secret.

We also learn that the game will be playable offline, even if of course that will lock players out of its online features. That said, Miyazaki-san thinks that as a general trend, even thanks to DLC, the ratio of online features in games is raising.

Even more interestingly, Miyazaki-san explained at length what we can expect from one of the central elements of his production: death.

We are still conducting final reviews of the death penalty, though we don’t plan on making it quite so severe. While death will occur often in this game, it’s important that it both does not place too much stress on the players and still makes them want to take on the challenge again, so we are regulating the death penalty with these things in mind.

This is a bit off-topic, but to make sure the player still wants to give it another go, it’s also vital to give them a wide breadth of options in battle. The intention with our design is to provide a rich system that includes weapons such as guns and traps, among others. And while I said you will die plenty in this game, we similarly want to give the player the rush of nearly dying or thinking they are about to die, so we are always considering the best ways to govern this balance.

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You can also select a female character as the heroine, and there’s facial customization. Personally, I think not only with RPGs, but even with Tactical RPGs, character customization is one of the most fun aspects.

Miyazaki-san also explained that facial customization will be similar to what we saw in Demon’s Souls. Some additional elements are being considered, but he isn’t ready to talk about those yet.

If you’re wondering whether the game will be released in your country at the same time as all others, you shouldn’t worry, because Miyazaki-san finally mentioned that the current plan is to have a simultaneous worldwide release.

Bloodborne - Translation and Analysis of Dengeki's June 2014 Interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki


45 min in depth analysis of the article the news post quoted from above. A German Spy worked with EpicNameBro on the official guide for Dark Souls II.

Bloodborne’s Victorian inspirations influence both setting and gameplay
From Software's PS4 game set for simultaneous global release.

In addition to his recently published interview with Famitsu, Bloodborne director Hidetaka Miyazaki of From Software also sat down to have a lengthy chat with Japanese publication Dengeki about his upcoming PlayStation 4 game.

While some of the details reiterate what we’ve already covered earlier this week, Miyazaki nevertheless had plenty of new things to say about the design philosophy of the game, its influences, and what to expect in broad terms with regards to how he envisions it will play.

Miyazaki starts off the interview by discussing how the game was conceived. As it was stated previously, development on Bloodborne commenced soon after work wrapped up on the ‘Artorias of the Abyss‘ downloadable content for the first Dark Souls game back in 2012. Sony approached him asking if he wanted to work on another game with them for their then-upcoming PlayStation 4, an offer that he happily accepted as someone already keen to collaborate with them again. As such, he states that Bloodborne had always been planned to be a PlayStation 4 game from the start. Nevertheless, while he concedes that similarities between it and Demon’s Souls are bound to manifest in this new game because of how the latter was created under analogous circumstances, he doesn’t consider it to be a direct successor and as such never intended it just simply be Demon’s Souls 2.

In terms of the fundamental ideas that are said to lie at the heart of the game, Miyazaki offered three key concepts that are said to inform the identity of the game. The first of these is the ability to have fun while exploring the unknown, which he says not only applies to the actual gameplay, but also to how players experience the world, storyline, and the mysteries belying Yharnam, the city in which the game takes place. The second core concept that he brings up is that of the feeling of fighting to the death. While it most directly has a hand in the combat, particularly in boss and PVP fights, Miyazaki contends that it’s also something that’s tonally carried throughout the game world. The easiest comparison, he claims, is to horror games, although he’s not striving to make a game of that ilk per se and that overall, he’s atmospherically looking for something that resembles the Tower of Latria in Demon’s Souls. Nevertheless, he says that the end goal for combat is to imbue players with a greater sense of fear and of the grisly nature of fighting so that they feel that much more satisfaction when they do manage to come out on top. Finally, Miyazaki mentions that online connectivity is important to the game like it has been in the Souls series, but deigned to go into specifics other than to say it’s rooted in the idea of “free, yet shared exploration.”

Miyazaki also commented on titling the game “Bloodborne” specifically, stating that it’s meant to be a reflection upon the game world at large, but that he wants players to explore and play around with the game so that they can figure out the particular significance of the name for themselves. Conversely, he was more forthcoming about the potential that the Gothic/Victorian-inspired setting of Yharnam offers him as a creator. Akin to how Demon’s Souls went the medieval route because the combat flowed in a more passive manner, as typified by the game’s array of iconic swords and shields, Miyazaki believes that the Victorian-laden trappings of Yharnam are a natural fit for Bloodborne‘s comparatively more proactive combat style. Indeed, in his eyes, the prominent use of metalwork coupled with clothing made of fabrics helps convey the game’s philosophy of forcing players to be more engaged in fighting compared to his previous works. According to him, the setting is also what enables him to add guns to the game without needing to turn it into an outright shooter. Visually speaking, he also says that the game is loosely modeled after Eastern Europe, with some research trips conducted in Romania and the Czech Republic.

Furthermore, Miyazaki also says that there are technological motivators behind going with Bloodborne‘s particular aesthetic, as he hadn’t been able to produce such a world on console hardware prior to the PlayStation 4 and now has the raw technological power to make it happen to his satisfaction. The mechanized nature of the setting is something he wants to take full advantage of the game with various tricks and gimmicks, a desire that extends as far as the weapons, remarking that the weapons will be imaginative and diverse in their capabilities. The gun in the E3 trailer, he mentions, can change shape and such distinct characteristics are present throughout the game’s weaponry, with the focus therefore being on figuring out how to best utilize a given weapon’s gimmicks, rather than just the latent properties of more straightforward weapons occupying conventional tropes.

With regards to whether Bloodborne has much in the way of normal humans roaming about, Miyazaki answered by saying that they’re rare. Indeed, as a result of the endemic disease discussed previously that’s rampantly turning people into beasts, the townspeople go on nightly hunts, with their weapons compromising those that players themselves will use, but they otherwise predominantly keep to themselves behind closed doors. In a sense, he argues, given the circumstances, even the so-called “normal humans” might have their own share of abnormalities to contend with deep down. The protagonist, meanwhile, as mentioned before, is a traveler from a far-off land in search of ancient medical procedures that the town is said to host.

In line with the game’s emphasis on proactive fighting, combat is said to be about forcing openings and getting done what needs to be done before the opposition has a chance to get what they’re after. Being passive like in a Souls game, Miyazaki warns, serves to only get players killed that much faster. Guns in the game are meant to be especially emblematic of that approach, with the shotgun that’s been shown being particularly fitting given how its primary usefulness is, as expected, in close quarters. Indeed, it can be used for a variety of purposes such as getting enemies to let their guard down, counter attacks, and engaging groups of enemies, among other things. While long-distance attacks aren’t without their uses, Miyazaki implores that they aren’t the primary function of guns and that allowing for that would detract from his desired set of combat dynamics, especially since, again, he doesn’t want the game to be played like a shooter.

In terms of consumable items, Miyazaki says that he isn’t quite ready to delve into very many specifics, but he does explicitly mention that the team is looking into making it possible to using HP healing items with just a single button press in order for them to not detract from combat. However, on the flip side, he wants to avoid a common pitfall that he perceives in other games that make healing items the default selectable item where the strategic usefulness of other types of items are rendered comparatively ambiguous, although he doesn’t provide specifics about how he intends to combat that particular issue.

When pressed about how the game will treat player deaths, Miyazaki said that he doesn’t want to make such an inevitability a huge deal. Rather than use death in Bloodborne as a form of punishment, Miyazaki hopes that it will instead prove to be a motivational catalyst for players and compel them to keep trying to tackle challenges again and again. Death, then, is less meant to be something intended to make players feel helpless, but rather heighten that sense of just barely making it out of fights alive when they do manage to win against an enemy.

Miyazaki also touched upon character customization, saying that the protagonist has a selectable gender and that their face can be fine-tuned, with the overall extent of customization likely falling somewhere in line with what Demon’s Souls had available. He mentions that he’s looking to expand upon what that game had to offer, but explains that the timing wasn’t yet right to discuss the matter. Beyond that, character growth is confirmed to be a natural part of the game, although he remained mum on what that specifically means in Bloodborne beyond what he already discussed earlier regarding the game’s weapons.

Towards the end of the interview, Miyazaki talks about how he has a keen interest in the PlayStation 4′s online features and while online connectivity will be a big part of Bloodborne, he doesn’t intend to leave more solo-oriented players out in the cold, either. In particular, he says that he’s rather intrigued by the PlayStation 4′s Sharing functionality and that he and Sony are looking into how to fit it well into the game.

Finally, while the game is still only due somewhere within spring 2015, Miyazaki states that the development team is planning for it to be a simultaneous worldwide release.

"Bloodborne is due to release on PlayStation 4 during the fourth quarter, Sony's official E3 brochure has revealed, suggesting it'll land in stores some time between January-March 2015."

*excited* :< *sits and waits for 7 - 9 months D;!

Some random news posts~

PS4 Exclusive Bloodborne Gets More Information About its Terrifying Story and Setting

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Asia released more information about the setting and story of the upcoming PS4 exclusive Bloodborne by From Software, directed by Demon’s Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki.


It’s the 19th century, the Victorian Era. Located in a remote mountainous region far away from the rest of civilization, there’s the ancient city of Yharnam. It’s a gloomy city where the indigenous faith has given birth to prejudice, but it’s also known as a center of ancient medical learning.

However, the city is now affected by the horrifying epidemic commonly named “the plague of the beast,” and is now known as a cursed place.

Today in the city of Yharnam the “Beast Hunt” happens every night, and the streets are filled of the smell of blood, beasts and death. There’s a peculiar atmosphere, as the crowds performing the “Besast Hunt” wander around the city. They walk around with bleary, confused eyes, with their weapons and torches in their hands.

Enemies of different shapes and sizes attack the hunters. Some are much larger than humans, and have sharp claws. For an enemy attacking with a speed that doesn’t seem natural given its size, it’s crucial to be always alert and ready to react. From here, a ghastly, desperate struggle for life and death will begin.


One thing is for sure: with a premise like that, the elements for a terrifying experience that will very possibly surpass Demon’s Soul are all in place. We’ll have to wait and see if the story will live up to the legacy of its predecessor, but so far so good.





Miyazaki Talks Bloodborne’s Online Features: “Can Greatly Expand the Game’s Experience and Value”

Hidetaka Miyazaki’s RPGs are well known for their online features. Starting with Demon’s Souls and then with Dark Souls, he and his teams created new ways to see other players as enemies or allies. The upcoming PS4 exclusive Bloodborne will have its suite of online features as well, and Miyazaki-san gave us some hints on his plans in an interview on 4Gamer.


We have the new online features, even though I am still unable to say anything concrete at this time. A key component is “the free sharing of the exploration” among the players themselves, but past that I must unfortunately ask that everyone wait just a little longer before I can reveal any further information.


Yet, Miyazaki-san didn’t stop there, and continued by saying that, like with Demon’s Souls, the team has already put a lot of thought on what kind of online features we’ll see in the game:


I am. Specifically, I have spoken with trusted members on my team, and it is something we really enjoy talking about. We shoot various ideas back and forth, though in the beginning these conversations could easily become quite conceptual or abstract. While we gathered substantially more ideas than if one person were to do it themselves, it also made my idea awfully hard to understand (laughs).


Interestingly enough, Miyazaki-san also admitted that he doesn’t have much knowledge at all in the field of online design, which is surprising, considering the great ideas included in his previous games. He even mentioned that he has some bitter memories of the times in which he and his team had to draw up the concept for the online features of Demon’s Souls.

He then continued by explaining that he has a bit of a background in social science from his college days, and that might have influenced him:


I touched on social science in graduate school, but it was a time when the internet had just become a global phenomenon. Even looking back now it was quite the interesting time, and it has given me quite a bit to think about. In college I was an avid gamer and not very studious, and didn’t major in anything worth noting, but I still think it may have somehow had an impact on me.


Finally, Miyazaki-san explained his vision on the impact of online features on games:


I think network features are very interesting for a game. They greatly expand the title’s gameplay experience and value. It may sound like a bold statement, to be sure, but I feel so fortunate to be making games at a time like this.


While Miyazaki-san never said it explicitly, it definitely sounds like we can expect much deeper and more extensive online gameplay in Bloodborne than in his previous games. Time will tell, but hopefully we’ll hear something more precise about it soon.



PS4 Exclusive Bloodborne Will Combine New and Familiar Elements; More Development Details Shared

The upcoming PS4 exclusive Bloodborne is bound to be often compared with its predecessors, Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls series, but Game Director Hidetaka Miyazaki clarified that it’s being developed by a different team at From Software in an interview on 4Gamer:


It’s a quite different [Team]. The From Software of today has a lot more development resources, and it’s able to mix and match two so-called high end games. “Bloodborne” is one of them, and we were developing it in parallel with Dark Souls II.


Miyazaki-san was also asked if there was a change in mentality or in the scale of development, since Bloodborne has to compete with other AAA games on the world’s stage.


Well, it is difficult to say. As for “Bloodborne”, the development scale is now big in its own way, but on the other hand we still have habits that are strongly with us. Rather than it being conscious, it is something that feels natural, and at the same time, there are cases where the notion of a little “shifting the axis” is a result.


He then explained that whatever the project, the idea is still to make a good game, and something that can be defined special.


In the end, you can only seek the best way for the people who are making a game. “Bloodborne” and “Dark Souls II” are different and unique in this aspect. However here at From Software we work under the assumption that we’re making a “good game”, and there’s still the awareness that we want to make something special.

I think we refer to it as a habit, or it being “From-like”, although I think that there are many aspects to it, in the sense of something being “something special.” Are we even sure of what actually defines what “special” is? I don’t think it can be pin pointed. As to what I think special means, I hope special is the type of company we can be.


Miyazaki-san also expressed a sort of “mission statement,” that besides the fact that he’s working on a new generation of hardware and on a new game, is still the same as it has always been:


First of all we have a new hardware, and with that a new title. I think this game will become very challenging for us as we move forward.

But on the other hand, what’s at the base, for instance, is still an attempt to create a game that you as well as people who like games will enjoy, and an attempt to let you play a game that will provide a sense of accomplishment and a challenge. That’s what we have done so far, and has not changed at all.


He also mentioned that we can expect new things, but others will remain familiar for the fans of his games:


So, this is something that might sound convenient to say, but as for our audience, I’d like them to be excited about various new additions, while resting easy about other elements. I think we have accomplished something like that.


Unfortunately Miyazaki-san did not elaborate on what will remain familiar and what will evolve from the Souls games, but he concluded the interview by promising that both as the newly appointed President of From Software and as the Game Director of Bloodborne, he’s committed to making a good game.

Considering his track record, that’s definitely not hard to believe.

Wow, Bloodborne way sooner than I thought. I was expecting late 2015.

More Armored Core please.

1.60%, not bad :o

ESO is so much higher than I thought it'd be lul.

Counterstrike still holding it down. And yeah ESO is pretty high.

How do they get their aggregate data? The Old Republic being that high up there doesn't make sense.

So what's the consensus on being double invaded? I'm trying to fight the Belfry Gargoyles and would like to summon help to make it a tad easier and now I want to place my summon sign to regain my humanity.

Basically I keep getting invaded but I'm cool with that, it's a part of the game but what about being invaded by 2 at the same time? I just haven't been able to combat that and it's happened twice in a row now.

Should invaders take it in turns to fight if they're being honourable? Both times I've just been rushed by the invading pair and quickly killed.

You let me know when you get invaded and your sign, and I will show you how to combat 2 invaders at once! (My method is cheap but so is 2 v 1)

Don't expect any courtesy, if they invade you, slaughter them.

If they kill you, indict them, and then slaughter them in the name of ear grabbing justice.

If you can't slaughter them, slaughter them.

If you still can't slaughter them both, get gud.

You're either too early in the game, or too new to combat them both at the same time effectively. Engage them in a game of cat and mouse. They won't search for you together, they'll almost definitely split up. Granted, your hiding places are few in number, making it difficult for you to try and fight them one at a time.

Hide behind entrances or something. Nobody turns around on the way into the main parish building with all the benches. You could try for a backstab if you're feeling up to it, or at the very least, you could get the drop on one of them and get a few hits in.

Some lower level invaders can't parry or dodge effectively, and use r1 spam and enchantments to kill people. These are the people who've picked up cracked orbs and use them on a whim. Parry them, they don't know any better than to r1 spam.

Just got 2 teamed in Belfry Luna yet again with both trying to kill me with dark magic but I beat both, feels good man! Also want to reclaim my humanity, where is a good place to stick my summon sign at level 98?

Pretty sure he's asking about Dark Souls II. If you're in NG+1 I'd put the sign at the bonfire at No-man's wharf, there are always people stuck against the sentry and his 2 friends.

I'm not in NG+ yet, guess I've been getting summoned too much and therefore over-levelled.

To make the solaire covenant I used to put my sign in front of Freya's fog, I was summoned every 30s but it was a few months ago already.
You can try the Throne of Want. Bonus point for having 2 possible battles there so...

Have to say that area was the worst place ever! I HATE SPIDERS!

Also yea the bonfire in the bottom of the castle is great for summons you get summoned for Pursuers(No Medal), Final Bosses Henchmen, Final Boss, and some times for the Dragon Slayer x2 fight. Although some times you get summoned for some guy who just wants to pull every one of those Sentinels and let his summons do the work while he sits back.

Oro and Peeve Episode 8!

My new Puzzling Stone Sword is awesome! I'm playing the new DLC and some of those new monsters are pretty difficult.