Summary
Stellar Bladepulls a lot of design elements from the Soulslike genre like its combat and camp system, which will likely feel familiar to veteran Soulslike players. AlthoughStellar Bladedoesn’t lean too far into the more hardcore elements of Soulslikes, and is generally more forgiving than the likes of games likeElden RingandSekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the game still brings some unique new mechanics to the genre. Out of these features,Stellar Blade’s scanning mechanic seems like the perfect addition to a potentialBloodbornesequel that FromSoftware would be wise to include if this follow-up game is ever made.
It’s no secret thatBloodbornefans are eager for a sequel to FromSoftware’s 2015 hit, as there are endless rumors surrounding a sequel or remake project that seem to make their rounds online. While it seems like moreBloodbornecontent is unlikely in the near future, withFromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazakistating it wouldn’t be worth remakingBloodborneuntil more powerful hardware is available, there are still plenty of great Soulslike experiences likeStellar Bladeto scratch thatBloodborneitch. If a newBloodbornegame does happen in the future, it would make a lot of sense to includeStellar Blade’s scanning mechanic to better showcase the hidden horrors ofBloodborne’s world.
Bloodborne 2 Should Borrow Stellar Blade’s Scanning Feature
Bloodbornefans will likely appreciate theNaytiba ofStellar Blade, as these monstrous, grotesque enemies look like something right out ofBloodborne’s nightmarish world. As players exploreStellar Blade’s world, it will become obvious that they will need to utilize the game’s scanning feature to locate hidden entities around the map. By pressing the DualSense’s touchpad,Stellar Blade’s scanning feature will activate and reveal invisible secrets, like items and even hidden enemies, that players will need to watch out for.
The act of scanning an area isn’t a new exploration mechanic in games, butStellar Bladeuses it in a way unique to the Soulslike genre. FromSoftware Soulslikes in particular tend to hide enemies in inconvenient locations for players to increase the game’s difficulty and punish players for not approaching new areas cautiously.Stellar Blade’s scanning mechanic removes some of the difficulty behind this level design as it allows players to see hidden enemies and anticipate their attacks, which could work perfectly in aBloodbornesequel thanks to some of the established lore from the title.
How Stellar Blade’s Scanning Mechanic Could Fit into a Bloodborne Sequel
The world ofBloodbornealready contains a vast number of unseen horrors that only become visible once players gain enough Insight to see them. Insight is a stat in the game that is not only required to summon other players for co-op, but increases the amount of disturbing knowledge the player has about the world around them that manifests in visual changes to the game’s world. As players' Insight increases through the defeat of monsters or consuming specific items, they will start to see hideous creatures like theAmygdala in the Cathedral Ward, or the Mad Ones that become visible aroundBloodborne’s disturbing world of cosmic horrors.
ABloodbornesequelcould build upon this Insight system by incorporating the scanning mechanic fromStellar Bladethat could allow players to see these hidden horrors regardless of their Insight level. Perhaps this feature could be translated toBloodbornein a way that rewards players reaching a certain Insight level by allowing them to toggle the visibility of hidden enemies on and off via the scanner. This system would allow the game to retain the difficulty of the originalBloodbornefor those who want it while making it somewhat more forgiving likeStellar Bladedoes to accommodate newer Soulslike players.
