Bloodborneis often praised as one of the best games of the PS4 generation, but unfortunately, the title has never seen a proper remake, much less a sequel. To some degree, this is defensible because FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki is known for disliking sequels. IfBloodbornereceived a sequel, then the world may have never seenSekiro: Shadows Die TwiceorElden Ring, but the title still deserves more than just a movie. The truth is simple:Elden Ring Nightreignis the perfect formula for a Bloodborne spin-off, and truth be told, the lore would already work in this way.
It’s worth noting thatElden Ring Nightreignhas no Bloodborne bosses. This is likely because Sony owns the IP, not FromSoftware, and FromSoftware’s hands are tied without Sony’s approval. Regardless of the powers that be, a more hopeful take onNightreignskippingBloodbornebosses is to populate a full game with those assets, alongside more new ones. Either way, whether it happens or not, it’s hard to ignore how wellBloodbornewould fit theNightreignformula.
Nightreign’s Core Gameplay Loop Broken Down
Nightreign was seen as an experiment at FromSoftware, focusing on cooperative multiplayer, survival, and popular roguelike mechanics as opposed to its iconic Soulslike formula. This is evidenced by its smart reuse of assets, its adoption of new features while focusing on older assets, and the director’s challenge to himself and the team to cultivate new experience.Elden Ring Nightreignis still a challenging Soulslike experience, but it’s something new in that area, a rogue-soulslike if you would. While the game is not perfect and has some crude spots in gameplay and aroundthe duo experience inElden Ring Nightreign(or lack thereof), it’s something more studios should iterate on, including FromSoftware.
MINOR SPOILERS FOR ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN AHEAD. MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BLOODBORNE AHEAD.
Bloodborne’s Great Ones Establish the Possibility of Bloodborne Nightrein
The way thelore and world ofElden Ring Nightreignworks would fit perfectly intoBloodborne; if anything, it would be much less of a stretch of the lore thanElden Ring. As fans know, the time-oriented gameplay loop ofNightreignfocuses on accumulating enough power to defeat a Nightlord at the end of three days. After defeating four Nightlords, players can face the one who plunged the world into darkness. However, this world is not the same Lands Between asElden Ring. It is an alternate universe where a primordial darkness took over the Lands Between after the Shattering. As a result, the lands are different, Marika’s religion is gone, and the people devoted to the Elden Ring are basically gone. There is also no Erdtree, with the game having this overarching story and lore to devour, as well as specific stories told aroundElden Ring Nightreign’s Nightfarers.
The fact that it takes place in an alternative universe is intentional: it shouldn’t mess with the proper lore ofElden Ring.It stretches lore in a way that is okay but ultimately non-canonical. That wouldn’t be necessary forBloodborne Nightreignthanks to its Great Ones. Players learn that Gehrman is trapped in the Hunter’s Dream because he is bound to The Moon Presence. This Dream is so the Moon Presence can trap Hunters and have them kill the other Great Ones. Because Great Ones are Lovecraftian beings, another Great One creating a realm similar to, if not outright the same as, the Hunter’s Dream gives players a multiplanar existence to play in. This would be the same as Limveld without the need to cite it as another universe, just a new plane created by aGreat One inBloodbornein the mind of the player or another significant NPC.
Hunters could also receive unique story treatments akin toElden Ring Nightreign’s Nightfarers.
Instead of Nightlords, players could face Great Ones. Many fans would welcomenew and improved versions ofBloodbornebosses, while there’s plenty of room to expand on them. Common enemies could be variations of kin serving these Great Ones, living failures, or other failed Great Ones. A new version of Yharnam could be constructed in this dream. It’s all there:Bloodbornelore fits perfectly into the world mold ofNightreign. Furthermore,Bloodborne’s Great Ones probably can’t be killed exactly. While they can be defeated in the context of the game, whether they die or move on to a new plane is a matter of interpretation of its lore. Everything from the reuse of assets to the world design fits like a glove for Bloodborne.
True Great Ones Perfect for Bloodborne Nightreign Bosses
Bloodborne’s Ending Implies a Tragic Cycle Nightreign Could Continue
At the same time, thethree endings ofBloodborneset up this spin-off in a more cohesive way thanElden Ring. There’s no need to backtrack and give it a specific timing for the events that unfold, asElden Ring Nightreigndoes with the Shattering.
In one ending, Gehrman remains in The Hunter’s Dream to suffer its collapse, saving the Hunter in the process. In a second, the Hunter refuses to allow Gerhman’s suffering to continue, committed to ending the nightmare. Gehrman won’t accept why players do this, but in this ending, the Hunter takes his place in the Dream. In the third ending, players defeat theMoon Presence and become a Great One—a fate sought after by manyBloodbornecharacters. Even remotely teasing that one of the Great One bosses (if not thefinal boss a laElden Ring Nightrein’s) could be this Hunter would be a ton of fun lore for fans to decipher. That said, it still doesn’t even have to be that concrete because of this cycle.
Players, as a Great One, could presumably grow to full power over time under the care of the doll. However, they are affected by the very same affliction (humanity) as all Great Ones (presumably). If they were to have a child, that child would die—a source of madness for all Great Ones. This could restart the same cycle that the Moon Presence began, a cycle that already exists, that aBloodborne Nightreignspin-off could easily tap into.
It’s almost likeElden Ring Nightreign’s entire design takes thebest ofBloodborne’s lore, and with that in mind, it’s hard to ignore the sheer potential of Sony greenlighting this project and letting theElden Ring Nightreignteam focus onBloodborne Nightreign, while other teams continue work onDuskbloods and future mainline FromSoftware projects.
