FromSoftware games have always been revered and highly looked upon when it comes to Souls-like games. And one of the most crucial and instrumental men behind this is Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creator of most FromSoftware games.
The game Dark Souls gave birth to a whole new sub-genre of games, named after the title, ‘Souls-like.’ Additionally, the revolutionary title is often considered and known to be the spiritual successor to Demon’s Solus. However, the maker, Miyazaki, thinks otherwise.
Bloodborne has Demon’s Souls DNA
During an interview with Future Press back in 2015, Miyazaki was asked since Bloodborne feels like a follow-up to Demon’s Souls, if was it in any way connected to the 2009 game. To this, Miyazaki replied,
“Just reflecting on your question and the history of my development…it carries the DNA. It carries the DNA of Demon’s Souls and its very specific level design. And even in Bloodborne, the upper maps, the maps above ground, are all along the lines of Demon’s Souls and very specifically designed.”
Additionally, he was also asked about the procedurally-generated Chalice Dungeon in Bloodborne which seemingly throws a curveball at what most Souls fans expect from FromSoftware games. Miyazaki replied,
“In terms of Chalice Dungeon, yes, there is an element of randomness. However, once, for example, a Chalice Dungeon is created, you can lock that. Once you’ve locked it, you can go back and play it time and time again and learn it.”
Miyazaki further reiterates that on those terms, Bloodborne is along the lines of a Demon’s Souls experience. However, they wanted to bring in some kind of variance with a new IP like Bloodborne and bring something new into the mix.
How did the idea of Bloodborne come into being?
During the same interview, Miyazaki was also asked about how the idea of a new IP like Bloodborne came into existence. The creator reveals timing to be the key, saying,
“To speak precisely on the timing, it was just about when we were wrapping up Prepare to Die when Sony approached From Software.”
However, he also reveals that the world of Bloodborne was something that Miyazaki had been actually thinking about for quite some time. He says,
“…the game mechanics, or the gothic theme for example, those were some areas or concepts that were always brewing, and one of the areas that I always wanted to achieve in my career, and I knew that when that trigger was pulled, this was it.”
Bloodborne was released in 2015 as an independent IP. The game was well-received by players, who to date continue to stay loyal and keep the game alive through annual fan events and more.
