Aside from an intense bout of mileage that it received from me when Balatro was released in February of last year, my Nintendo Switch has made a habit of collecting cobwebs, with few games that I’ve felt obligated to play on the console. If it wasn’t one of the rare Nintendo Switch exclusives that I was interested in, I’d deduce whether or not to buy a game on the Nintendo Switch based on if I believed I’d play it in handheld mode, which is not often. If I have the choice of playing something on PC, though, that’s going to be my platform of choice in almost every scenario. I own Hades and Hollow Knight on both Nintendo Switch and PC, for example, and can’t remember when I revisited them on the former.
As for the Nintendo Switch 2, with my Nintendo Switch granting me well-informed hindsight, I wasn’t going to pull the trigger on a console that would maybe be withdrawn from the increasingly limited real estate on my shelf a number of times per year that could be counted on one hand. That is, until The Duskbloods was announced. The Duskbloods was a complete shock to my nervous system, in no small part due to the sheer unpredictability of a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive made by one of my favorite developers, and it is admittedly the sole reason I purchased the Nintendo Switch’s successor. I’m hoping that decision wasn’t in vain, but I’m also left hollow by it not appearing at the September 12 Nintendo Direct and jumping to not-so-paranoid conclusions.
FromSoftware’s Pedigree Alone Piques My Curiosity for The Duskbloods
Having never played a King’s Field or Armored Core game, and despite perennially and desperately desiring to play Kuon, I can’t pretend to be a lifelong FromSoftware enthusiast. However, FromSoftware snagged me with its alluring hooks—like I was bagged in Cathedral Ward—since Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, the two progenitors of the divisive and difficult action-RPG Soulslike subgenre. But while I adore Elden Ring and all the literal Souls games for what they individually contribute to an overarching epic of dark fantasy, Bloodborne is easily my favorite for the following reasons:
- Bloodborne’s unique atmosphere marinates in a sumptuous Gothic setting saturated with heinous beasts, cosmic horror, gorgeous landscapes and architecture, and some of the most enigmatic and eerie NPCs FromSoftware has conceived.
- Bloodborne’s gameplay marries extraordinarily creative trick weapons with an aggressive rally system, ensuring each combat encounter is a frenzy of rusted metal, gnashing fangs, and the occasional parry via a firearm’s quicksilver bullets.
- Bloodborne’s intricate, interwoven level design, with it and Dark Souls 3 being FromSoftware’s last two linear Soulslikes—barring Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which could be argued as technically not being a Soulslike, even if it has a lot of overlap in its design philosophy.
It’s no coincidence, then, that I’d be enamored by the visuals presented by The Duskbloods’ reveal trailer. Bloodborne spiritual successor or not, and because it was revealed before Elden Ring Nightreign had been released, I couldn’t have been more elated.
For avid Nintendo fans who’ve submitted to the fact that they’ll purchase every new Nintendo console for the rest of their lives, the Nintendo Switch 2 was a day-one purchase. For me, I knew I’d be buying the console sooner or later when I learned that FromSoftware’s catalog would include a Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive game.
That said, The Duskbloods wasn’t featured in the September 12 Nintendo Direct, where maybe some concerns I now have could be extinguished. I’m second-guessing myself and questioning whether my excitement is misguided, especially after having a sobering experience with Elden Ring Nightreign last May.
The Duskbloods Has Me on the Edge of My Seat, and I’m Hanging on for Dear Life
You can imagine how disappointed I was purchasing Elden Ring Nightreign and, upon playing it for a handful of hours on release, having to reconcile with the fact that it isn’t at all what I enjoy from a typical FromSoftware Soulslike experience. Indeed, I don’t think it’d be a hot take to say that Elden Ring Nightreign is almost antithetical to a Soulslike (a boss rush/roguelike wolf wearing Elden Ring’s open-world Soulslike clothing).
I don’t think Elden Ring Nightreign is a bad game by any means, but I was soured by how it leans more into roguelike elements than Soulslike elements and wages the fun of its multiplayer functionality on players’ own external means of communication, which seems particularly egregious when the game itself doesn’t feature in-game comms or text chat for anyone who is hopping into a lobby with random players.
But I digress. The moral of this story is that I may have leaped too quickly again in good faith, and it’s wholly likely that I’ll be singed when more about The Duskbloods is revealed.
I’m second-guessing myself and questioning whether my excitement is misguided, especially after having a sobering experience with Elden Ring Nightreign last May.
What we do know about The Duskbloods’ core gameplay loop doesn’t immediately alarm me, yet it’s certainly boasting a premise I should be wary about, as it, too, strays from bread-and-butter Soulslike design. For instance, The Duskbloods’ PvPvE formula will reportedly have us selecting customizable members of the Bloodsworn and, battling each other and NPC foes, the game’s matches apparently end when one final player is left amid the rubble.
This sounds scarily like something that would alienate me as a traditional Soulslike enjoyer, but I’m cautiously optimistic in hoping that its unique IP and burgeoning lore are enough to intrigue me regardless. If nothing else, The Duskbloods does entice me more than Elden Ring Nightreign ever has.
Meanwhile, I’m simply forced to wait until a new Nintendo Direct graces me with details that’ll either endear me to it or repel me from it. In the event that The Duskbloods doesn’t happen to be my cup of tea, I’ll fortunately have phenomenal-looking Nintendo Switch 2 games like Donkey Kong Bananza, Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, as well as the non-exclusive Marvel Cosmic Invasion, to look forward to.
- Released
- 2026
- Developer(s)
- FromSoftware
- Publisher(s)
- FromSoftware
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
- 1-8 players
WHERE TO PLAY
Developed for the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, The Duskbloods is a PvPvE title with online multiplayer at its core, where up to 8 players vie for supremacy among themselves and against challenging foes.
Play as the "Bloodsworn"; a group that has transcended human strength thanks to their special blood, and throw yourself into a violent fray for "First Blood" as the twilight of humanity approaches.
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
