While it seems like it’ll be a good, long while beforeBloodborne 2is ever a thing, thanks in part toFromSoftware leaving it out of production, the possibility of the new game still merits some discussion. Specifically, there’s a ton of possibilities where the series could and should go as it takes its next steps out from the mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki.
However, what is likely the most important choice for the series is to take those steps outside of Yharnam and begin exploring the larger world within whichBloodbornetakes place. This wouldn’t actually be too distant of a departure for the new game anyway, seeing as how outside locations are named andeven visited inBloodborne, even if not all players made it to all of those far off lands.
Leaving Yharnam
Long stretches ofBloodborneactually take place in areas that aren’t Yharnam, with some being somewhat connected to the city, but others being far off locations that require trekking through forests or even being delivered in a spooky, horse drawn carriage. All of these places do have some sort of connection to Yharnam in one way or another; however, they are still located outside of the main city. The most notable of these locations would have to be Castle Cainhurst, which holds one of thebest bosses inBloodborne, and a whole covenant completely separate from Yharnam.
Thanks to this departure, it wouldn’t be too odd for the next game in the series to keep a lot of the same themes as the original, such as all of the blood ministration and beastly horrors, while exploring a different section of the world. According to certain little nuggets of lore, news of Yharnam’s blood practices have spread out to the greater world ofBloodborne. In fact, that’s how the player character even comes to arrive in Yharnam in the first place.
Where do the Players come from?
It’s fairly well established early on in the game that the player character is an outsider to Yharnam, someone who has traveled from a far off, unknown land to learn the secrets of blood ministration. Although, among manywild theories aboutBloodborne, some have suggested that the player is sent to seek out and Old One, or a Great One, due to the early references to paleblood. What is never answered, however, is where exactly the player character comes from, simply that they are somehow foreign to Yharnam, but still slightly aware of the horrors that take place there.
This far off land could easily make for a strong candidate for the next location that the sequel could explore. Pushing the limited knowledge that the player has for the goings-on at Yharnam even further, could justify that there aremore places connected to Great Onesthan just the areas explored inBloodborne. Considering how many more Lovecraft inspired deities exist in the source material as well, there is plenty to explore, especially with Yharnam’s story essentially being finished at this point.
Yharnam’s story has nowhere left to go
With the multiple endings ofBloodborne, players have also seen everything that could possibly happen in Yharnam, especially when taking the “true ending” into consideration. For those who may not remember, or may have just blocked it out of their minds, the “true ending” involves killing the Moon Presence and becoming an infant Great One. While that might all sound like gibberish to anyone who doesn’t spend hours sifting through obscure lore, it matters when it comes to trying to develop a game based on an overused concept.
In the past, this has been one of the reasons that Miyazaki was hesitant to work on sequels to theDark Soulsseries and why he initially had a limited or reserved roll in the creation ofDark Souls 2. This could easily be the same reason why FromSoftware has no plans for the series,whether or not Miyazaki is invested inBloodborne 2, because a completed story has already been told. However, moving to a new location within the same universe could give the series the fresh start it would need to continue the series.
FromSoftware doesn’t stay in one place
Speaking on the history of FromSoftware’s most influential titles, specificallyDark Soulsand it’s predecessorDemon’s Souls, the company doesn’t often take place in familiar locations, with the notable exception of Anor Londo’s return inDark Souls 3. In the case of theSoulsseries, the main titles have taken place in Lordran, Drengleic, Lotheric, and Boletaria, all of which provideincredible challenges for playersto overcome. Of course Anor Londo, mentioned earlier, is an outlier here, but that serves a different purpose in the overall narrative of combining the games into a consistent trilogy.
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To that degree, it doesn’t mean thatBloodborne 2has to completely ignore that Yharnam ever existed, in fact it could still have a deep connection to the overall lore. The difference here, is that FromSoftware really excels when it continues to push new ideas and create new areas for players to explore, as opposed to settling on relivingBloodborne’s biggest hitsin the sequel. So if the company, and director Miyazaki, really want to focus on the strengths of past series, it would be best to lean away from what has already been established, and explore what hasn’t already been answered, like the Nightmare Realms.
Nightmare Realms offer infinite possibilities
For many players, the Nightmare Realms are some of the best parts ofBloodborne, offering some of the best designs forlevels to be repeated inBloodborne 2, with expanding, non-linear levels that offered some of the best multiplayer experiences in the game. However, as is often the case with how the Nightmare Realms behaved in the Lovecraft stories that influenced the game, there are endless possibilities for how these ascended realities can exist and behave. In fact, for many, the Nightmare Frontier could easily be the setting forBloodborne 2on it’s own, with the primary mission being to escape rather than searching for Palebloods or Great Ones.
Wherever the next game takes us, many fans are at least hoping that there will be a next game in a hopefully long running series. With any luckBloodborne 2will grace the PS5 with just as manypowerful bossesto test players' skills against as the original. That along with another dark, Gothic setting for fans ofBloodborne’s visceral art style.
Bloodborneis available now for PS4.
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