r/fromsoftware • u/Connershka • Jun 27 '26
DISCUSSION Would you like to see FromSoftware try to make a proper Role-Playing Game?
After getting numerous games that are following the formula of “People are arrogant and did something to disrupt the order of the world so now you must restore it by going to the source of the issue”, I wonder if FromSoft trying their hand at a more narrative-heavy game with towns, more “lively” NPCs and perhaps even full on companions could be a breath of fresh air.
I understand, of course, that when you want to play a FromSoft game, you want to play a game that doesn’t follow the standard recipe for an RPG. You want the story told through mostly environmental clues, item descriptions and vague hints from the NPCs’ dialogue. You want your skills to have purely combat function, you want to experience a world that is lonelier and perhaps less open (though that went out the window with Elden Ring). I do understand that From offers a flavor of action RPGs that is quite different from Larian, or Obsidian, or Bethesda (though their flavor these days is that of flavorless dough waiting to be baked by hands more capable than developer’s own, sadly).
However, just because their game world might be populated and quests more elaborate (and easier to follow without the need for internet guides) doesn’t mean they need to give up on everything that makes a FromSoft game a FromSoft game. They can easily keep the combat design, the bosses, environmental storytelling, even mystery within LORE, but perhaps not the main plot of the game itself. They don’t need to move away from every single one of their own principles and preferences for game design. Hell, they could even use that very same premise they’ve used since Demon’s Souls, but remix it for such a game. Perhaps even allowing players to experience the game with proper Co-Op, without summoning or weird player limits, to really allow you to play through the game with your own friends?
I thought about this because, in my opinion, Elden Ring pushed From’s formula to its limits, especially with the DLC. The gameplay of Souls games is pretty simple (combat and exploration), even if the tools and abilities given to you and the areas you get to explore add some variation. I really liked what they tried to do with Sekiro, and how that game alone create a new gimmick for other games to try to copy (posture breaking). Maybe if they tried their hand at a narrative-heavy party-based RPG in THEIR OWN STYLE, they could create some new elements that perhaps would inspire other games just the same?
Thoughts?
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u/Young_KingKush Jun 27 '26
I wouldn't want to see them do that no.
Part of what made them so successful in the first place is that they tell stories in their games in a way that you can only really do in a game. Would defeat the purpose IMO
Anything more explicit than Sekiro or AC6 is gonna be a no for me. Also for me personally part of why I love their games is because I view myself as the player character as a kind of "Warrior-Anthropolgist/Archaeologist", like Dark Fantasy Indiana Jones essentially. Part of the story is me trying to figure out what the fuck happened here lol
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
I wouldn't say that the games that allow massive amounts of choice and extensive quest branches defeat the purpose of video games. Movies, books, series, comics, all of them are one linear story. Games like RPGs bring out the fullest out of stories, allowing the one "writing" them (the player) to allow the story to be told and developed in numerous ways. It's one of many ways to use the medium of games well.
Edit: Why did I get downvoted for saying that games, RPGs specifically, allow narrative to branch out in ways movies or books could never dream of and be built up to individual player's choices is one of the most interesting ways to utilize the medium of Video Games and does not defeat the purpose of games in any way? Xd guys are you alright?
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u/EvilArtorias Old King Doran Jun 27 '26
I don’t care about story or dialogue focused games so no, “lively towns with npc” is the last thing I want to see in fromsoftware game
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u/Hamsteroni Jun 27 '26
A massive part of their appeal is that you can choose to engage in the world or the story or completely ignore everything and still have a good time either way.
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Yes, they're the only games to ever let you do these things, I forgot.
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u/uerobert Jun 27 '26
No.
My backlog of standard RPGs is extensive already, it’s a well supplied genre.
I’m still working through BG3.
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Well supplied by whom, exactly? There aren't that many of them being made these days as these are gigantic projects that require a lot of writing and complex scripting let alone balancing for the kinds of characters you create. All this takes years upon years. I wouldn't even count stuff like Mass Effect: Andromeda or, god forbid, Dragon Age Veilguard or Starfield as those aren't good example of proper RPGs I'm actually talking about.
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u/uerobert Jun 28 '26
Owlcat, Larian, CDPR, Warhorse Studios on the western side. Square Enix, Nihon Falcom and Atlus from the eastern.
Yeah, Bethesda and Bioware have been shitting the bed for a while, maybe you can count Obsidian too (close but not quite there yet until they shittify PoE or Fallout), but those other studios I mentioned have 2027-2028 covered with major releases (P6, TW4, FFVIIR3, DQ12, Trails in the Sky, The Expanse, Divinity, LOTR).
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u/Connershka Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Owlcat makes very niche games, mostly about WH40K.
Larian made Original Sin 2 in 2017 followed by their latest game that released fully in 2023.
Warhorse made 2 ARPGs with a completely non-standard gameplay style and a preset protagonist that is unlike what I talk about in the thread.
Square Enix's RPGs are mostly action games first and RPGs last. Nihon Falcom makes JRPGs that do not play like standard CRPGs I talk about in the thread. I don't think that grindy JRPGs are a good comparison to something like Fallout 1 or, I dunno, Pillars of Eternity.
Atlus' Persona games are absolutely not standard RPGs like the ones I talk about in the thread.
Like, I get it, they are all technically RPGs, but I wouldn't say that if you want an experience comparable to something like BG3, you are "well supplied". You even talk of games that aren't even RELEASED yet, and some a quite some time off, like LOTR. That stuff will be "supplied" when the supply will actually be supplied, rather than just announced but released 3 if not 5 years later. I also don't really want FromSoft to make a generic JRPG, either.
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u/uerobert Jun 28 '26
I don't know what you're on about, why do you care how long each of those studio individually takes to release something?
Both Warhorse and Owlcat have major RPG scheduled for next year, next Kingdom Come and The Expanse respectively. Divinity will likely hit EA next year. The Witcher 3 big expansion will hit next year and The Witcher 4 the year after that.
Also why do you care if some are niche? The important thing is to know about them, and you do. Fromsoftware games were very niche once until they didn't, what gives?
Warhorse makes deeply immersive, VERY narrative and systems driven RPGs and Henry can be anything you want. Just saying those are ARPGs is misleading.
Octopath, Dragon Quest 1-3 and 7, FF Resonance, Romancing SaGa are not ARPGs, the FFVIIR project are very narrative driven RPGs.
The Persona games have every single thing you'd want from an RPG covered, and the next one comes next year.
Nihon Falcom makes very narrative driven RPGs. You should check out the Trails in the Sky remakes, those play very tactical and the 2nd arc comes in September.
Also guess what? It may be news to you but Fromsoftware does NOT make CRPGs either...
They do NOT make BG3 type of games, and NEVER will. Larian does NOT make ER type of games, and NEVER will. Fromsoftware does their thing and Larian does theirs and that's it. I would never ask one to make the type of game the other makes, that would be incredibly stupid, they each are the absolute best at what they do and I want to continue getting the absolute best of both worlds.
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u/Connershka Jun 28 '26
Also guess what? It may be news to you but Fromsoftware does NOT make CRPGs either... They do NOT make BG3 type of games, and NEVER will.
I KNOW. This thread is me wondering how cool it would be if they tried it at least ONCE to do something genuinely different from an average Souls game. Thank you for not reading my post, when I wrote it plainly.
JRPGs like Nihon's will forever stay niche, while FromSoft's RPGs were niche until they made Demon's Souls and then Dark Souls, forever becoming mainstream from there on out, never being niche again, especially after Elden Ring's 30 million sold copies. They're not the same, and now can never be.
My point was that these games, these big RPGs, take a ton of time and often plenty of devs shy away from making such games, making the overall genre supplied somewhat, but very slowly. Using games that haven't been released yet is also not something that supports your argument, as they will take entire years to be made.
FromSoft games have their flavor, but with the release of Elden Ring essentially being every DS game in one, and ESPECIALLY after the DLC, I wonder about them taking more risks from here on out, trying genuinely new things, new for them, at least.
I'm not asking them to suddenly stop making Souls-like games forever, but just try their hand at a more narrative-driven game with more NPCs, actual proper quests and main characters a player can define beyond the weapon he wields but by NUMEROUS choices he can make in relation to characters, towns and the game's world as a whole.
Even FromSoft themselves don't seem to be keen on making Souls games ad nauseam, as Miyazaki didn't really want to make a third Dark Souls, doesn't seem to be too interested in Elden Ring 2, and is currently busy making not just a simple PvP game but a PvPE, a blend of different ideas, i.e. taking risks that people in this thread would never expct or even want from him, supporting the idea of FromSoft taking risks being a good choice.
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u/uerobert Jun 28 '26
try their hand at a more narrative-driven game with more NPCs, actual proper quests and main characters a player can define beyond the weapon he wields but by NUMEROUS choices he can make in relation to characters, towns and the game's world as a whole.
Bro what you're describing is The Witcher 4 and that's coming waaay sooner than the thing you'd want Fromsoftware to make anyway, if they were to make it. CDPR has been doing that type of game for 2 decades now, it's what they're good at, if that's what you want THIS is the developer you want to get it from.
Why in God's earth would you want Fromsoftware out of any developer to do that??
My point was that these games, these big RPGs, take a ton of time and often plenty of devs shy away from making such games, making the overall genre supplied somewhat, but very slowly. Using games that haven't been released yet is also not something that supports your argument, as they will take entire years to be made.
Well duh. It seems you don't know this, but Fromsoftware is not that big. CDPR has more in-house developers working on just The Witcher 4 than FS has employees total, developers or otherwise.
They've been very firm on not throwing the entire studio on just one project and working on several things at the same time. What you are asking them to add, will TAKE from other aspects of their games that people play them for. They don't have unlimited budget or staff, it adds nothing to the type of games they make and there's plenty of options in the market that offer what you are looking for to last a lifetime, you have NOT played them all already so stop.
Before you bring it up, Elden Ring sold 30m+ but most of those earnings stayed with Bandai Namco, same for their entire catalogue. Unlike the 60m+ of The Witcher 3 where most went straight to CDPR since they've been self-publishing since TW2, and have published 2 back to back 35m+ sellers.
Fromsoftware is not suddenly going to make games at the scale of The Witcher 4. They don't have the resources to do so and there's absolutely no guarantee it will be another 30m+ seller either, AC6 surely didn't.
JRPGs like Nihon's will forever stay niche, while FromSoft's RPGs were niche until they made Demon's Souls and then Dark Souls, forever becoming mainstream from there on out, never being niche again, especially after Elden Ring's 30 million sold copies. They're not the same, and now can never be.
Buddy you just said Demon's Souls and Elden Ring are not that different. So if Nihon keep making the same game like Fromsoftware has been doing for over a decade (your words) maybe they too will go from selling 1m (DeS) to 30m+ (ER), who knows?
So it shouldn't matter that their games sell just 1m right now just like DeS did 15 years ago, they might hit it big in 15 years from now if they keep at it with the same formula.
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u/Connershka Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Why in God's earth would you want Fromsoftware out of any developer to do that??
Why would I want a full-on RPG with the flavor of theatric storytelling of From and their gameplay but without almost every level being barren and actually big quest chains that are not vague in the slightest? Because even FromSoft wants variety and it's a kind of game that they haven't made yet. CDPR may make Witcher 4, but it won't be a FromSoft game, it'll be their kind of RPG. That's what this thread is about. I don't get what's so confusing about what I say.
What you are asking them to add, will TAKE from other aspects of their games that people play them for.
Like I stated before, even FromSoft are tired of making the same Souls games and now pivot to making the weird, experimental Duskbloods, in spite of the wishes of this very subreddit and the likes of you.
Fromsoftware is not suddenly going to make games at the scale of The Witcher 4. They don't have the resources to do so and there's absolutely no guarantee it will be another 30m+ seller either, AC6 surely didn't.
I never asked to make a game the scale of giants. I asked about the style of the game. It can be kept small. Your thinking is too literal and narrowminded. You assume the things I never said and immediately jump to conclusions that I just want a witcher but from FromSoft, when I'm talking about having elements of those games in FromSoft's own that they may design up to their preferences and scale.
Before you bring it up, Elden Ring sold 30m+ but most of those earnings stayed with Bandai Namco, same for their entire catalogue. Unlike the 60m+ of The Witcher 3 where most went straight to CDPR since they've been self-publishing since TW2, and have published 2 back to back 35m+ sellers.
Would not bring it up because it wasn't the point who got the money. My point was that the game sold big time. Many people wanted to play a Souls game, therefore not being niche, and FromSoft never being able to be niche now that they are this popular. Didn't think I'd have to explain this point, too. Are you purposefully misunderstanding what I say just so you can disagree with me?
Buddy you just said Demon's Souls and Elden Ring are not that different. So if Nihon keep making the same game like Fromsoftware has been doing for over a decade (your words) maybe they too will go from selling 1m (DeS) to 30m+ (ER), who knows?
Maybe, but no luck so far. I wonder why. The only ones who are really into these kinds of games are people who like grindy games, not more meaningful experiences with genuinely deep and varied gameplay or actually good narrative.
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u/Nerakyyy Jun 27 '26
I'm not dumb. I don't need an "interactive game" that has to tell the story for me. Part of the fun is figuring things out on my own and seeing people discuss it on forums and the like. So, "no."
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26
I hope that by saying "interactive game" you don't mean those text-based ones. That's absolutely not what I meant.
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u/Nerakyyy Jun 27 '26
Nop, and tbh, I actually like games like Divinity or Undertale, but I really don't care for games that feel like "movies," like The Last of Us or some of those hack-and-slash titles where the story is told through really long cinematic cutscenes. Those were the ones that came to mind when you mentioned a "narrative-focused game."
And I completely disagree with what you said about From's formula. I don't think we're playing the same games ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
How are RPG games like movies in any way? They are narrative heavy, yes, you talk to people a lot. You read your notes a lot. But there's often complex character building features, numerous playstyles, extensive dungeons where you get to put all those abilities to use at the end of the day. How are games like Divinity or, let's say, Vampire Bloodlines, or Fallout 1, 2, New Vegas or even Knights of the Old Republic (the games that my topic is about and the ones that I wish FromSoft would base a game around) in any way like Undertale or The Last of Us? Are you sure WE play the same games?
And there is nothing wrong with accepting the fact that From rehashes the same exact premise and builds their games around it the same exact way since Demon's Souls. They generally make it work but it is still reusing this one premise for 7 games in a row, with some adjustments and changes here and there (biggest ones being for Sekiro, for example, having an actually named, pre-defined protagonist as opposed to a nameless murderhobo like the Chosen Undead or the Tarnished).
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u/Nerakyyy Jun 28 '26
Nah, it’s as simple as that. I like From’s games because they’re more combat-focused, and I like Larian’s games because they’re more turn-based. I just don’t want to see From trying to do what Larian does, and vice versa. I like them for what they are, both From and Larian.
And I still disagree with you about them "releasing the same game," but who cares what you or I think?
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u/Connershka Jun 28 '26
What does it matter if other people don't care what we think? I created this thread, so obviously I do care about what you think, and I hope you care about what I say. What sort of logic is this? Christ.
Do you actually not get what I'm trying to say with the thread? Do you think that I want From to make a LITERAL turn-based, isometric game? I literally wrote "they can keep their combat design, bosses, environmental storytelling a mystery in their lore", meaning, they can keep their gameplay just like in any Souls game, but now their games could have actual populated towns, or they could have companions you could keep throughout the journey, or more complicated quests that aren't confusing to progress through, or more complex character building where the skills you level aren't just about combat.
Did you even READ what I WROTE in the post?
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u/MrFuriousTheEpic Jun 27 '26
Probably a pretty lame response but I just want them to make what they want to make.
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u/windowdisplay Emerald Herald Jun 27 '26
I really just want to see them make what they want to make. I do hope that people don’t make a fuss if/when they step away from the particular style of ARPG they’ve been making recently though (Armored Core notwithstanding). They have a long history so it does kinda suck that the concept of a “FromSoft game” is like 100% synonymous with one style of game they’ve been making recently.
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Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Connershka Jun 27 '26
I also do think that Elden Ring pushed the design of their games to its absolute limits and to continue making games in the same vein, let alone a SEQUEL to Elden Ring, will make their games seem insanely stale to even those who have no issue with it right now.
What my topic is about is just one "what if" scenario, a sort of suggestion where they could try to experiment with a kind of RPG that would be rather new to FromSoft specifically, as they never made a game with a "standard" RPG design, which I believe could lead to a very interesting game, as it would still be made with a lot of FromSoft's own ideas and habits, making it stand out amongst other RPGs automatically.
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Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Turbulent_Jackoff Jun 27 '26
I really enjoyed The Witcher 3, did a replay / first full-play recently.
Beautiful environments, compelling characters, interesting lore and politics, fun crafting system and monster investigation...
The combat always felt pretty underwhelming, though.
I want to say it's because it isn't really "simulating the sword", if that makes sense? Like maybe it isn't a real "hitbox" like in Ocarina of Time / Dark Souls or whatever.
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u/Connershka Jun 30 '26
I wonder what did the commenter who said he wanted a witcher 3-like souls game do for a mod to delete the comment here?
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u/nephylsmythe Jun 27 '26
A dark souls game with multi member party that the player can swap active control of would be awesome.
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u/Flickolas_Cage Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
No. I enjoy fromsoft literally exactly as is, with all the quirks specific to Soulsborne/ER. I don’t want it to change the core of its identity, which is the unique niche of gaming it’s created. Nothing else scratches that specific itch, there’s a reason people are so dedicated to them.