Whether it’s Elden Ring or Dark Souls we talk about, the connection between different FromSoftware games is something of an open canvas. It’s a promising space for stories, characters, and themes to find harmony with one another, and that’s what makes these universes so unique.
Keeping aside all the mysteries of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s worlds, there’s one character who never fails to make an obvious appearance in all of the games. Doesn’t matter if it’s the least trustworthy NPC in Elden Ring or a low-key terrifying Nightmare Apostle in Bloodborne.
Patches is the reason you have trust issues
It’s completely understandable to point at a FromSoftware game and go, ‘Well, this is just punishing‘, and choose to move on with life without wanting to die a thousand times more. However, there’s a point in every other player’s life where they choose to embark on the perilous journey regardless.
And right when things are starting to feel a bit more simple and fun, someone like Patches shows up and ruins whatever sense of hope and trust you might have. Whether you’re a Tarnished or a Chosen Undead.
The bald character with a punchable face and a laugh that creeps you out is a sign from Hidetaka Miyazaki that no one is ever to be trusted in these games. Patches is essentially a trickster who will fool you into believing that there’s some kind of treasure to be uncovered up ahead.
What is Patches is the only true link between Elden Ring and other Soulslike games?
In Demon Souls, you’re pushed into a pit and left to die. In Elden Ring, Patches takes it upon himself to appear as a boss fight. In Dark Souls, you’re likely to get kicked off a ledge. See the pattern here? Patches exist to remind the players that greed is the folly of man.
In a world so dark and broken, Patches does provide the comic relief of being someone who may not take things too seriously and reminds the player of their humanity. It’s tough love, really. In an interview with Game no Shokutaku (a Japanese podcast), Miyazaki even mentioned Patches’ importance in this context:
Patches, for example. This was his third appearance: his first was in Armored Core. I was like, “hmm, everything we make in the future will have Patches in it!”
However, the most astonishing part is that Patches is one of the very few recurring characters in all games, and points to the possibility of a larger multiverse of Soulslike games.
In the end, hate him or love him, he might just be the reason these games interlink with one another. Having any kind of relationship with him comes at a cost, and FromSoftware players aren’t new to the concept of sacrifice.
What do you think of Patches? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
