Modern FromSoftware has one of the most consistent track records in the games industry, with titles likeSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceand theDemon’s Soulsremake perfectly propping up the smash-hit success that isElden Ring.FromSoftware’s game design trends are well known at this point, and the developer sits alongside the likes of Larian Studios as a gaming company that consumers have the utmost faith in.
But for as much as players know what to expect from a FromSoftware game, the developer still manages to be unexpected on a regular basis. Of course,Demon’s Soulskicked off the Soulslike trend, founding a genre that would not only transform FromSoftware, but action games as a whole, but FromSoftware has strayed from this well-set, safe path. There’s the obvious revival ofArmored Corewith last year’sFires of Rubicon, but even something likeSekirois distinct from the rest of the company’s portfolio, standing out not only because of its gameplay, but also because of how FromSoftware treated it post-launch.
Demon’s Souls and Sekiro Are the Only FromSoftware Soulslikes Without DLC
Demon’s Souls' Lack of DLC Makes Sense
Looked upon fondly as theprogenitor of the Soulslike genre,Demon’s Soulsholds a special place in the hearts of fans both old and new, but it’s easy to forget that FromSoftware was not the prestigious Goliath that it is today. Hidetaka Miyazaki, now viewed as one of gaming’s premier auteurs, was handed the reins toDemon’s Soulsmostly due to chance: FromSoftware was developing a third-person action-RPG that wasn’t taking shape, and Miyazaki was essentially tasked with salvaging it. Because of this, he and his team had a great degree of creative control.
But Miyazaki and company’s creative vision didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Famously, Sony executiveShuhei Yoshida calledDemon’s Souls"crap"after playing it for a few hours, and the game saw middling success in its home country of Japan. It wasn’t until Atlus and Bandai Namco decided to publish the game in the US and UK, respectively, that it became a cult classic. Still, its rough development and poor initial success are possibly what shut the door on the possibility of a DLC, which is a shame, since the much-fabled sixth Archstone could have been fertile ground for a creative post-launch expansion.
No DLC for Sekiro Is More Puzzling
WhetherSekirois a Soulslikeis a contested subject, but it has enough in common with the genre to at least be considered tangentially connected to it.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceflips many Soulslike conventions on their head, stripping away mechanics like stamina and gear in favor of a more bespoke, robust core combat system. This yielded terrific results, as the game has frenetic and tight gameplay that makes it an easy sell for action game fans, whether they enjoy FromSoftware’s other games or not. This makes it all the more disappointing thatSekironever got any DLC.
It may not take place in a boundless fantasy world likeDark SoulsorElden Ring, butSekirocertainly has the lore to support additional content. A DLC exploring briefly mentioned subjects like Tomoe, Genichiro’s mentor, seemed all but guaranteed to be expanded upon in an expansion or two. Indeed, many fans felt thatSekiroDLC was a sure thing, but reality doused those hopes, and the game remains a standalone title.
This lack of post-launch content connectsSekiroandDemon’s Souls, asDLC seems to be a hallmark of FromSoftware games otherwise. If either of these iconic games ever gets a sequel, then perhaps that will change, but for now, they stick out due to this disappointing similarity.
