While no news ofDark Souls 4has yet been officially released by FromSoftware, it’s hard to imagine that the developer will never make a fourth entry, especially since Hidetaka Miyazaki has explicitly stated that he isn’t done with the series. However,Dark Souls 3practically perfected the formula, and bothSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceand theupcomingElden Ringsuggest that FromSoftware and its head Miyazaki are happy to take time and experiment with new and different ideas. If and when there is anotherDark Soulsgame, it will still almost certainly look very different to the trilogy everyone knows and loves.
As theSouls-like genre has expanded, FromSoftware games have faced ever more competition from the likes ofCode VeinandNioh. While nothing has quite equaled FromSoftware’s excellent level design, others have managed to give Souls-like combat and sub-systems new spins that pose a serious threat considering FromSoftware’s adherence to tradition. Even FromSoftware itself must innovate on its original formula if it wants to keep current. Given the need for innovation in the genre and the lengthy time gap betweenDark Souls 3and a potential 4th game,Dark Souls 4would almost certainly be a huge leap for the series.
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The Dark Souls Trilogy Finished the Story
The main reason thatDark Souls 4would have to be a huge step in a new direction for the series is thatDark Souls 3and its DLCs wrapped up the storyof theDark Soulstrilogy in a nice tidy bow. The final DLC,The Ringed City, finishes the tale of the Ashen One at the end of the world, and even the base game hints at the end of the world cycle in most of its possible endings. Granted,Dark Souls' timeline is not a closed loop and there is plenty of room for speculation for any of the possible endings, but no matter what, it’s hard to imagine the story ofDark Souls 4just picking up where 3 left off.
The world ofDark Soulsis massive, though, and there’s no reason that anotherDark Soulsgame wouldn’t take place in between the timelines of previous titles or simultaneously in totally different realms. Seeing areas that areonly ever described through item descriptions or NPCs in person as a player would be a great experience, and going to totally new, unheard-of lands would be just as exciting. With that approach, new gameplay mechanics could be explained by the natural state of other lands, at the same time as new insights about the familiar story could be revealed.
The Dark Souls Formula Has Evolved
Radically new gameplay mechanics are all but guaranteed for a prospectiveDark Souls 4. Given that it will be a long time before another trueDark Soulsgame comes out, both the formula of the genre and video game technology itself will have changed significantly. Already,fast SSDs and other tech improvementsare changing how developers will approach open worlds, load gates, and world design, which all have the potential to drastically affect any future FromSoftware games. Of course, the steady progress of the Souls-like formula may be even more significant.
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Souls-likes are defined by visceral melee combat, RPG elements, and strong emphasis on the core tenets of environmental storytelling, circular level design, and challenging fights that force players to try the same fights over and over again to slowly learn the enemy’s patterns. That formula has proven so successful that games fromNiohandRemnant: From the Ashestomassive blockbusters likeGod of WarandStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderhave all created their own take on certain elements of Souls-like gameplay. FromSoftware will have to learn from their competition to makeDark Souls 4the huge hit its pedigree demands.
Sekiro and Elden Ring Will Change Dark Souls 4
Just asDark Soulsitself is a series about repetition, cycles, and slow improvement through determination, FromSoftware seems to learn best from their own titles, not just their competition. The best example is the way thatBloodbornehad a lot to do with the design ofDark Souls 3.Dark Souls 3’s combat was faster, much closer toBloodborne’s pacing, and even many of its enemies and areas shared a slightly eldritch bent with theLovecraftian horror thatBloodbornedid so well.
On top of the clear influences ofBloodborne, the myriad of callbacks toDark Souls 1and 2 in weapons, NPCs, story elements, and area designs shows that FromSoftware’s approach to game design is to re-iterate the same core concepts over and over again until they are perfected. WhenDark Souls 4finally graces our game libraries, it will certainly have a lot to iterate on.Sekiroshowed that FromSoftware is able tocompletely change up the traversal, artstyle, setting, and combatin its games while still maintaining the special touch that makes a FromSoftware game instantly recognizable.
From what is known,Elden Ringwill also be a big departurefrom form for FromSoftware in the opposite direction, digging into heavy RPG mechanics and experimenting with a far larger and more open world. It’s to be expected thatDark Souls 4would take successful elements from bothSekiroandElden Ring, merging them into a new interpretation of the franchise. Even theDemon’s Soulsremaster or future, unknown games could have some impact on whatDark Soulstitles to come will play like.
Dark Soulsfans are known to have a love for the tried and true mechanics of the series, and changes to the formula are typically met with skepticism. Even so, futureSoulsgames should make major changes. Taking the story in new directions is a must in order for the series to stay interesting, andintroducing new mechanics toDark Soulswill only serve to improve on an already great formula. Regardless, the wait forDark Souls 4will be a long one, and the absence of such a classic series for so long will only make the hearts of its fans grow fonder.
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