FromSoftware's upcoming Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods, has been unveiled through a Network Test over the weekend, revealing a competitive multiplayer experience that blends the studio's signature combat with a knockout tournament structure. Directed by CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki, this new IP moves away from the single-player focus of the studio's past titles, instead emphasizing a fluid, fast-paced multiplayer loop. The test, though only a slice of the full game, showcases the core gameplay: players collect Virtue across a gothic map, survive phase-based cullings, and fight to be the last standing among eight players.
Core Gameplay and Movement
The combat fundamentals of previous FromSoftware games—light and strong attacks, long-range options, and character-specific abilities—are intact. However, the key difference lies in movement fluidity: players can jump with a tap or hold for a supersized launch, extended with three extra mini-jumps. This, combined with a complete lack of fall damage and respawns, creates a more cartoonish, haphazard traversal style compared to prior titles. The test's only map, Lowanro City, features burning gothic landscapes reminiscent of Bloodborne's Yharnam.
Competitive Structure and Depth
The primary goal is to collect Virtue, earned by killing enemy players, taking down bosses, wiping out low-level enemies, or finding offerings from pillars and corpses. Players with more Virtue than opponents are saved from the 'culling' at each phase's end. Matches begin with eight players, but by the fourth and final phase, only three remain, who fight to the death in a small arena. The structure is simple, but depth comes from optional pacts with 'kin'—permanent summons like a singing prisoner or whip-slinging brute—and temporary alliances with other players to share Virtue or tackle difficult 'trespasser' bosses.
Character Variety and Impressions
Additional layers include leveling up your Bloodsworn character to boost HP and attack power, and equipping Sigils for mini-missions that bank extra Virtue. The test features standout characters like Albert, a vampire swordsman with blood sword attacks and a submachine gun, and Senator Samir Patres, who can transform into a dinosaur. Our favorites were Samir and Zork, a jetpack-equipped diver. After several hours in the Network Test, the experience is enjoyable but its staying power remains uncertain. Miyazaki has promised story content tied to the hub area, character customization, additional maps, and a new fourth phase with a cooperative boss fight. If it can integrate story progression meaningfully, The Duskbloods could be an enticing proposition in the multiplayer arena, though it remains too vague to fully quantify.
