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From Software’s new PS4 exclusive, Bloodborne, isn’t the direct sequel to the PS3’s Demon’s Souls that many were expecting it to be, and director Hidetaka Miyazaki has explained why.
In an interview with Famitsu (via Kotaku) Myazaki explains that From Software never intended for the game to be a second entry in the Souls series.
“Back in 2012, before the announcement of the PS4, SCE originally approached us with the idea, ‘would you be interested in making a new game for new hardware?’ so this was never considered as a Demon’s Souls II. For us, the idea of new hardware was appealing and I remember feeling enthusiasm from SCE for a new game.”
Miyazaki goes on to discuss the game’s Victorian setting, and the decision to include guns, though is quick to note this isn’t a shooter. “There are several reasons, the first of which is the combat. We were already thinking of a shift to a combat system where you would enter battle more actively than the sword and shield-based combat of Demon’s. So we adopted the idea of guns, but there was a prerequisite that we didn’t want the game to turn into a shooting game, and the Victorian age fit perfectly. It’s an era where the imagery of old guns still remains.”
Fans of the Demon’s and Dark Souls series will be eager to find out how combat will work in the game, and Miyazaki shares some insight.
“The enemies are strong and fierce, and if you wait passively to respond, you’re going to be eaten and killed. So, in order to get out of a fix, you need to actively advance. When I say ‘active’ you might think that it means the player characters are stronger and the enemies are weaker than in Demon’s Souls, but that’s not the case.”
Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’ll see dragons in Bloodborne, but we could see some other fantastical enemies.
“I don’t think there will be any dragons. However, since just fighting humanoid enemies will get boring, there are other creatures. There are some creatures that not only fit the game’s atmosphere, but are very much something our team would come up with, so please look forward to them.”
Bloodborne is set to launch exclusively on PS4 in 2015. Resident reviews editor Steve Burns recently got the chance to play Bloodborne at E3, you can read his thoughts here.