Few games have had quite the impact on the video game industry as Dark Souls has. Love them or hate them, From Software's titular franchise has left an indelible mark, one that has changed the landscape forever and inspired an entire genre: the Souls-like.
Stunningly simple yet tremendously challenging, Dark Souls seemingly revived the idea that a video game is supposed to actually be really, really difficult. It's an idea that fans have responded remarkably well to, and has inspired other developers to take similar chances on their own games.
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Will Fans Ever See A New Dark Souls?
Yet, despite all of this success and groundbreaking work, the future for the Dark Souls franchise looks a little bit bleak. From Software has still been hard at work creating some truly astonishing video games, such as Sekiro, and are now working on it next game alongside George R.R. Martin in Elden Ring. But people are always going to ask: when's the next Dark Souls?
Looking at From Software's usual development cycle, even if the developer gets to work on the (currently unannounced) next entry in the Dark Souls series immediately after Elden Ring, fans are looking at quite a few years between now and then. This is especially true considering From Software have shown almost nothing of Elden Ring, suggesting that it's still probably quite a ways off.
Dark Souls Is Still Influencing Games Today
While fans might not see another Dark Souls game in the near future (and if they do, it might be nothing like past Dark Souls games), they don't need to look very far to see the ripples it's had through the medium. From a gameplay perspective, Dark Souls has changed expectations for a melee-action game. That's not to say each and every single melee-action game needs to take some pages out of From Software's playbook, but every developer knows that its game is now going to be compared to Dark Souls if it bears any kind of similarity.
That's a comparison that can elevate or one that can deflate; it really depends on how each developer treats that expectation. A game like Jedi: Fallen Order decided to take the gameplay formula of Dark Souls and tell a story in the Star Wars universe with it, to some very solid reception. Others, like Nioh, took the basic combat of Dark Souls and put its own spin on it, using the bones of something already great to make something new and special.
But one thing that other developers haven't necessarily borrowed as much from From Software is an aspect that has arguably been just as important to the franchise's success as the gameplay: the worldbuilding/storytelling. From Software has always had a very unique way of doing this, letting players piece together the story themselves instead of simply telling it to them. It gives each and every world in the Dark Souls franchise a feeling of discovery, and combined with the rewarding level design of these games, it makes every world one that players want to explore. They want to dig through every nook and cranny to learn something new about the world, or find a secret area hidden away in Souls-like games, somewhere dark.
Other games haven't really made use of this, at least not to the same effect. It's a risky method of telling the story, because it's a method where a player has to really engage if they want to get anything out of it. But, it's something that's made players fall in love with the world, has helped Dark Souls create such a legacy, and is a method of storytelling that more games should make use of.
Whether or not fans ever do end up getting another Dark Souls game, it's pretty obvious that no one is going to be forgetting these games anytime soon. (Plus, fans just got a pretty awesome Demon's Souls Remake.) Part of the reason Dark Souls has gained such massive popularity is because it's a game that took chances. One of the important things to keep in mind when making art of any kind is that once those chances have paid off... it's no longer taking a chance to do the same thing, is it?
Clearly, From Software wants to keep innovating, keep improving, and keep blowing minds. Maybe From Software's taken a step away from Dark Souls so that it's able to look at it with fresh eyes and fresh ideas down the road. Maybe the break is something a bit more permanent. Regardless, anticipation is mounting for the developer's next project.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.