Duskbloods Will Be "Satisfying" For People Who Don't Like PvP, Says Hidetaka Miyazaki 1
Image: FromSoftware / Nintendo

It's perhaps fair to say that Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods has many FromSoftware fans feeling rather conflicted. The focus is very much on PvP gameplay, which isn't totally alien to players of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, but suggested to some that the game might not have the strong single-player focus and narrative we've come to admire in FromSoftware's titles.

In an interview with Nintendo, FromSoftware boss Hidetaka Miyazaki has moved to dampen these fears, pointing out that the mechanics will allow players who don't like PvP to still enjoy themselves:

The Duskbloods implements “Victory Points,” which are responsible for ultimately deciding the outcome of a match. To obtain Victory Points, direct combat is of course important, but it’s not the only way. Some players may prefer to earn points by avoiding direct combat and instead engaging in more opportunistic behavior. How you earn points is entirely up to you.

Miyazaki then goes on to outline the way variables within each match help keep things fresh:

Another important aspect is match variables, such as the event system. This system has the potential to alter the course of the match, such as special enemy spawns and additional objectives with accompanying bonus rewards.

In the trailer, you may have noticed a giant stone face looming in the sky. This is one example of the events that can occur in a match. In this case, the appearance of this stone face affects the environment and changes match rewards, which can have an immediate impact on player motivations and objectives.

These events don’t happen all the time, and I hope discovering them gives players some incentive to keep coming back.

The interviewer makes the observation that "even those who tend to shy away from PvP can still enjoy themselves," to which Miyazaki says:

That was the intention. I personally am not much of a PvP person, and I wanted to make something that’s satisfying even for players like me.

While the goal of a match is to obtain First Blood, there are personal objectives that provide separate rewards to the player as well, so I hope these add to the fun of each engagement.

[source nintendo.com]