I guess you can call me something of a FromSoftware fanboy, considering I’ve played most of their previous titles, including Armored Core, the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, of course. I knew, without a doubt, that their next project, The Duskbloods, would be something special, even if it’s a multiplayer only title and exclusive to the Switch 2. Yes, I bought a Switch 2 mainly to play this game. After spending a couple hours worth dabbling in the Network Test, I can say pretty confidently that FromSoft cooked with this game, even though I have some thoughts and concerns for the longevity of it.
First things first, what is The Duskbloods and how do you play it? It’s an eight player, online only, PvPvE experience that draws similarities to that of battle royales or even extraction shooters, but is something completely unique and different on its own. This is what I respect most about this game studio; it never copies or follows trends because they are the ones creating trends for others to follow.
The game is broken down into 4 phases, with the last phase resulting in a 3 player PvP match to the death. Everything revolves around Virtue, which is essentially your in-game score. Killing powerful bosses earns Virtue. Lighting specific points of interests on the map earns Virtue. Rest assured, almost everything you do earns you Virtue, albeit some more or less than others. You must earn more Virtue than other players in order to proceed to the next phase, otherwise you are eliminated from the match. Games last roughly around 25-30 minutes give or take, and I can already tell that you need to be an efficient route-planner if you want to last until the final match.
Within a match, the world is your oyster and you can do whatever you please. Sigils provide you with character-specific side objectives, such as finding your long lost love. Yes, you heard that right, if you have this specific Sigil, your goal is to find the player with the opposing Sigil and take their hand in marriage. I love this game already. Ritual Sites open during the 2nd and 3rd phases, which drags players there for deliberate PvP focused gameplay. Outside of these, you can explore the map, challenge bosses in jolly cooperation, or even just hunt other players for fun. Kin add an additional layer on top. They're AI companions summoned from glowing symbols on the map, and they level as they fight beside you, so finding one early in Phase 1 is vital. If you haven’t noticed by now, there are a lot of mechanics and quirks to this game, many I still don’t fully grasp or understand.
The Duskbloods does not play like a traditional “Souls” game, even though you do have a stamina bar and enemies that hit like a truck. Dying loses nothing other than precious time that could have been spent to earn Virtue. Gameplay is much more fast paced and arcadey, as sprinting and attacking no longer drain stamina, you have a quadruple jump that gives you insane verticality and mobility, and there’s no fall damage.
Every single class carries a melee weapon plus an unlimited-ammo ranged option that can be used in tandem. I dabbled with a handful of classes, such as Albert, or John Duskblood as one might say, along with Sniper Layla, and Zork, a community favorite already. That’s the fat-rolling jetpack armor dude if you didn’t know. There might need to be some balancing done, but I do think Sniper Layla is the best class right now, with her insane PvE capabilities with her sniper at range.
All progression lives inside the match. You level by killing, gaining health, stamina and eventually a second class ability. Each match features random events that might occur to spice things up, such as a plethora of blood sac bugs that provide power ups and passives.
What worries and concerns me is the long term plan for this game. There’s no indication of what the meta-progression is after winning or losing a match. Three maps are planned for launch, but will more be added down the line? Looking at how FromSoftware practically abandoned Elden Ring Nightreign after the DLC worries me that there might not be long term support for this game either, but I’m happy to be proved wrong. More than 10 classes are also promised at launch, which is a staggering amount, so there’s plenty in that aspect already.
I was also worried about the technical performance on the Switch 2, but surprisingly the game runs solid in docked mode! It’s not a flawless 60 fps, but I had no complaints with the way matches were played in the Network Test. There may have been some input lag but nothing that shouldn’t be ironed out before the full launch.
FromSoftware never disappoints with their art direction and lore. Despite everyone reaching for Bloodborne comparisons, the palette here is brighter and more saturated than Yharnam. The Bloodsworn classes, along with the different Kins all look distinctly unique, yet still retain that signature FromSoft look. Like you can just tell these characters are from one of their games.
The Duskbloods could be FromSoftware’s most successful project yet, if they can play their cards right. This unique, and almost boardgame-like multiplayer experience is extremely addicting and challenging, and for this game to last the test of time, it needs a vision for its long term roadmap.
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