Bloodborne
From Software’s highly anticipated, spiritual successor to the Souls franchise has players counting down the days until they can enjoy some more video game sadomasochism. Dark Souls was a cult success that split gamers down the middle and earned a reputation for being a gruelling, but fair, challenge.
Bloodborne hopes to carry on the success that Dark Souls enjoyed, but Dark Souls 2 was a dip in form that left many feeling like the sequel was a quick cash in. Hidetaka Miyazaki, director of Demon Souls and Dark Souls, is back at the helm after leaving Dark Souls 2 directing duties to Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura. With Miyazaki at the head, fans are expecting great things.
On the other hand, the game is a separate entity to the Souls series. Miyazaki is reinventing the game’s mechanics and pushing for a faster paced, risk vs reward formula, and this could either breathe new life into the series or leave fans feeling like From Software has lost its way. With the weight of Dark Souls, and the knowledge that Dark Souls 2 underwhelmed resting on their shoulders, From Software could crumble under the pressure in 2015.