Summary
Though it’s been around since the early 1990s, FromSoftware has only really risen to prominence in the last decade or so, with itsSoulsseries being the first major mainstream hit for the developer. FromSoftware games have since become somewhat of a phenomenon, with every new release being one of the biggest deals in gaming, whether it was FromSoft’s PS4 Lovecraftian exclusiveBloodborne, the triumphant final entry intheDark Soulsseries, or the 2019 Game of the Year winnerSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
But while all of these FromSoftware games were suitably popular and critically acclaimed, it was FromSoft’s most recent action-RPG that really grabbed the attention of the masses like never before. Released in 2022,Elden Ringhad an unprecedented level of hype surrounding it, and it somehow managed to not only meet expectations but surpass them in many ways. WithElden Ringbeing such a huge success for FromSoft, it seems likely that it’ll want to stick with that same open-world formula going forward, andaSekirosequelcould really shine with that approach.
A Sekiro Sequel Would Thrive in an Open-World
Sekiro Made Great Use of FromSoft’s Interconnected World Design
Long before,Elden Ring, beforeSekiro, and even decades beforeDemon’s Souls, FromSoftware experimented with an interconnected world in itsKing’s Fieldseries. FromSoft’s first series,King’s Fieldwas a series of dungeon crawlers with tough-as-nails combat and rewarding exploration, which often tasked players with adventuring through a fantasy world that featured towns and areas all connected to one another. 17 years later, FromSoftware would take this idea and expand on it, delivering the new standard for interconnected world design with the firstDark Souls.
Technically not fully open-world, as players are blocked from certain areas via enemy difficulty or locked pathways,Dark Souls' general world layoutsees players advance through an area, unlocking various shortcuts to previously visited areas and creating a vast interconnected world in the process. FromSoftware would essentially keep this same interconnected approach to world design for the next decade, andSekirois no different.
Slightly more linear than FromSoft’s previous games,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twicefeatures an interconnected world once again, but this time it only has a handful of specific spots where paths can branch off to new areas and double back on one another. But whileSekiro’s level design is technically more linear thanDark SoulsorBloodborne, it doesn’t often feel that way, withSekiro’s grappling hook ability adding an intriguing layer of verticality to the game and essentially making the game feel much more expansive in the process.
An Open-World Sekiro Has Even More Promise
A natural evolution of FromSoftware’s world design in almost every way,Elden Ringboasted a fully open-world, one seemingly inspired byZelda: Breath of the Wild. While players could go anywhere they wanted from pretty much the get-go,Elden Ring’s open-worldstill carried forward a lot of the usual features fans came to expect from an interconnected FromSoft world, albeit on a much grander scale.
ASekirosequel could absolutely thrive with an open-world similar toElden Ring’s. One of the biggest advantages of puttingSekiroin an open-world environment would be an even greater emphasis on verticality. WhileElden Ringhad some light platforming, and many environments included both flat and raised levels, aSekiroopen-world game could really lean into this notion of verticality, giving players an even greater sense of exploration by letting them use their grappling hook throughout the open-world.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
WHERE TO PLAY
Carve your own clever path to vengeance in the critically acclaimed adventure from developer FromSoftware, creators of the Dark Souls series.In Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice you are the ‘one-armed wolf’, a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death. Bound to protect a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, you become the target of many vicious enemies, including the dangerous Ashina clan. When the young lord is captured, nothing will stop you on a perilous quest to regain your honor, not even death itself.Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you come face to face with larger than life foes in a dark and twisted world. Unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities while you blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head to head combat in a bloody confrontation. Take Revenge. Restore Your Honor. Kill Ingeniously.
