Project Beast Wishlist

Predicated on the assumption that Project Beast, From Software’s leaked and probably soon-to-be-announced title, is actually a Demon’s Souls sequel, VG247 has penned a wishlist for the title. A higher level of difficulty, different combat, and a clearer story are some of his requests:

Turn combat on its head

As I said earlier, too many Dark Souls 2 bosses could be killed by simply goading them into attacking, walking around their slow swipes and hitting them a few times before repeating the process. That sequence became so hard-wired into my brain by the end that I started to become uninspired by each new fight. Project Beast should do more to shake up that approach.

The trouble is figuring out how to do that without breaking the core mechanics that make the Souls games feel so unique. Change it too much and it won’t feel like part of the series, keep it static and it risks being dull. Maybe the trick is in addition, such as new types of heavy attacks and parries, ranged gun combat and different evades depending on your class? It’s a tricky one.

Keep it ambiguous to a point

Ambiguity is great because it forces us to use our imagination to fill in the gaps. This is why Demon’s and Dark Souls have always felt so personal to the player. We’re given the space to make up tailored back-stories and theories about the world state, characters and overarching lore. There are no wrong theories, just your own personal yarn about a dark world gone terribly wrong. That’s really powerful.

But by the end of Dark Souls 2 I feel it was around the giant’s memories I had no idea what the point was any more. What started as a quest to lift my curse had turned into something greater, about succeeding the throne and understanding why Vendrick’s arrogance led to retaliation from the giants. Then there’s all the theories about his brother, Nashandra’s intent and the Emerald Herald’s true purpose.

I like not being told everything, but that can be achieved while still giving the player just enough purpose and understanding to make the goal clear to a point. Don’t tell us everything in Project Beast, but do give us some crumbs that steer progression and give us some measure of satisfaction by the end credits. I felt deflated upon completion, compared to the feeling of relief and joy at finishing the first game.