With the release of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice recently, FromSoftware has proven itself to be one of the best action title developers in the games industry. The game managed to take the tried and tested Souls formula and put it into a package so unique, and yet so distinctly From. It’s still a long year to go, but as of now, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is my absolute pick for Game of the Year.
That said, the thing I always dread with From games has already happened: it ended. This means more waiting and waiting and speculating tossed in with some more endless waiting until we finally get to play a new title, with this whole process sometimes taking years.
However, the recent ZBrushMerge event held in Japan may could some answers as to what we may see next from the esteemed developer. One of From's top artists, Ryo Fujimaka, showed some concept art for his latest FromSoftware projects, both released and yet-to-be released.
What’s interesting is that, based on some of the designs, we may have been pointed towards something familiar: a Dark Souls or a Bloodborne sequel. If you look closely at two of the concept arts revealed, one of them features a human head under a spikey head gear, surrounded by ebbing, watery tentacles. The other one looks like an evil mermaid of sorts, but the lower half is bloated much like the ones found in sea cows.
Some lore coverage – and speculation – coming in: After Dark Souls 3 was exhausted of its main story and ridiculously discussed and dissected to death, one of the most popular ideas for what could follow next was a game set in the Age of the Deep, instead of the constantly repeating Age of Fire. This was hinted at by several characters relating to the Lord of Cinder, Aldritch, and how the Lord is trying to usher such an age back by subverting the current Age of Fire. Of course, this theory led some of the more avid fans to believe that if we are getting another Dark Souls game, we might see it set in the Age of the Deep, filled with unspeakable drowned horrors.
Or, these creatures might be just new Eldritch designs, pointing to a Bloodborne sequel. Whatever the case may be, the only thing I don’t want it to be is throwaway filler that’s not indicative of FromSoftware’s next title, though let’s face it, it most probably is. Sigh. One can still hope.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available to play on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
