As a seasoned veteran of the Soulsborne universe, I can confidently say that FromSoftware has always managed to strike a delicate balance between challenge and reward. Their iterative approach to game design is nothing short of masterful, with each new release offering fresh mechanics while retaining the core elements that make their games so beloved.
It’s well-known that FromSoftware consistently improves upon its games through an iterative process. Starting from the early days of the Souls series and culminating in the grandeur of Elden Ring, FromSoftware has continually challenged boundaries with each new release, often discarding or refining concepts that don’t meet their expectations.
One consistent aspect across all Souls games, such as Bloodborne and Elden Ring, is how FromSoftware approaches character building and RPG progression. The simplest way to advance is by using experience points to boost certain stats, but each game adds thematically significant layers to this structure with unique elements like Caryll Runes in Bloodborne and Great Runes in Elden Ring. For their next release, FromSoftware could strive for a balance between these two mechanics, offering players a fresh action-RPG character building concept that aligns with their previous designs.
FromSoftware Should Find a Balance Between Caryll Runes and Great Runes
Bloodborne’s Caryll Runes Are Common, but Less Impactful
In Bloodborne, the armor is mainly for aesthetics, so the majority of equipment bonuses come from two types of items: Caryll Runes and Blood Gems. While Blood Gems are attached to specific weapons, Caryll Runes provide players with various buff options, some of which, like Beast’s Embrace and Milkweed, can significantly alter gameplay. However, most Caryll Runes offer less dramatic improvements, such as a slight boost in stamina recovery or physical defense by a few percentage points.
Despite some players overlooking Caryll Runes in Bloodborne, effectively utilizing these items significantly enhances gameplay because their passive effects don’t drain resources, have no significant drawbacks or restrictions. Moreover, runes with identical effects can combine, making them valuable assets for customized builds and exploration. Since three primary slots are available for general runes (with one slot dedicated to Covenant Runes), they offer versatility in experimentation.
Caryll Runes can be seen as a spin-off from the Dark Souls series, providing small, casual boosts instead of major commitments.
Great Runes in Elden Ring Are a Nice Idea, but Perhaps Poorly Executed
Great Runes are an evolution of a common FromSoftware Soulslike trope. Much like Ember in Dark Souls 3 and Human Form in Demon’s Souls, Great Runes allow for significant stat boosts that last until death. Unlike its predecessor mechanics, though, Great Runes are not activated upon defeating a boss, and only come into effect upon consuming Rune Arcs, a rare item. Players can also only equip one at a time, though they usually grant significant bonuses whenever they are activated, like major increases to all or specific stats.
Great Runes are constrained in their application, as their effects on gameplay cease once the player dies. Consequently, employing Rune Arcs during intense boss fights might provide players an upper hand initially, but this advantage is transient and somewhat unpredictable, since even substantial stat boosts frequently don’t determine the outcome of a specific encounter.
A more engaging aspect of the game lies in the Caryll Runes rather than the Great Runes, despite their seeming insignificance at first glance. While Great Runes may not offer much mechanically, Caryll Runes provide a broader, lasting impact on gameplay by allowing players to tailor their characters for a richer role-playing experience, enhancing the game’s sandbox.
In a potential future FromSoftware game, blending the versatile and customizable Caryll Runes with the weighty impact of Great Runes might create a more immersive RPG experience. By incorporating Caryll Runes’ adaptability with the significance of Great Runes, players may feel motivated to employ the equipment they gather instead of stockpiling Rune Arc-like items, as seen in Elden Ring. This fusion would need careful balancing, but if executed correctly, it could successfully merge the strong points of both systems while minimizing their shortcomings.
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2024-08-15 23:05