Creator’s Voice blog: Hidetaka Miyazaki on The Duskbloods (part 2)

Get the inside scoop on The Duskbloods in this interview with the director, Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware.

Check out the rest of the blog

• Part 1: Blood by Dusk

• Part 3: Playing roles and altering fates

Part 2: Superhuman abilities and opportunistic behavior

What are some characteristics of the Bloodsworn?

There are several reasons we put the players’ focus on the Bloodsworn, with one of those being character actions.

The Bloodsworn possess superhuman abilities thanks to special blood, so their actions are more dramatic than anything seen in our previous titles.

Even basic character actions in this game such as sprinting, super jump, and double jump are designed to be dynamic and stress free and are complemented by each character’s own unique weapons and abilities, allowing for a wide range of creativity.

Also, and while this isn’t directly related to the Bloodsworn themselves, the setting allows for the depiction of firearms and such, and every character is equipped with some means of attacking from a distance. I feel this is one of the game’s unique aspects when compared with our previous titles. I hope these new action elements are one area that players will enjoy.

Earlier you referred to “protagonists” or “characters” as plural. Does this mean the player will be able to choose from multiple different characters?

Yes, there are over a dozen characters for the player to choose from, each with their own identity and appearance. I think there are a lot of unique elements to the character designs and the weapons they use, so hopefully players can find one or two favorites among them.

Also, each character can be customized to a certain extent, allowing players the fun of building a character that feels like their own.

Can you provide some more detail on the general gameplay loop?

The game has a so-called “hub” area, where players can choose their character, customize them and enter online multiplayer*. Online multiplayer supports up to 8 players. Upon concluding an online match, players then return to the hub, at which point they receive some sort of reward whether they win or lose. Using these rewards, players can further customize their character, and so the cycle continues.

Online matches are generally last player standing, however there are certain cases where victory conditions differ. For example, players may be tasked with teaming up to take down a powerful boss enemy, or find themselves in other special circumstances.

So, victory conditions are influenced not just by PvP (4) results, but PvE (5) results as well?

That’s right. Some victory conditions center around defeating a boss enemy.

(4) An acronym for the style of game where players fight other players.

(5) An acronym for the style of game where players fight enemies (CPUs).

I can’t think of many examples with that ruleset. It sounds very interesting.

I’m happy to hear you say that.

Regardless of whether it’s PvP or PvE, the idea is to provide players with an experience that allows them to learn and hone their skills as they play. We’ve therefore designed the PvE boss encounters to present a tough challenge and a sense of accomplishment upon defeating them.

So players can also enjoy improving their own skills over time as they battle?

Yes. Although there are a variety of elements in place that keep the game from becoming too stoic. For example, how players conduct themselves during the match is just as important as direct combat.

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.

Additionally, each character can summon an entity to assist in combat, giving players a high degree of freedom when it comes to how they fight—and win.

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.

It sounds like even those who tend to shy away from PvP can still enjoy themselves.

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.

Read more in Part 3: Playing roles and altering fates