Miyazaki said the game was initially planned to be a more classic type of fantasy (which is also apparent from the somewhat generic name they chose), but it will still lean towards eerie, dark themes, as is the FS spirit.
Doesn't it feel like it should be Elden RingS? And yeah, horrible monsters bosses confirmed.
I tend to agree with the opinion that Sekiro is different from Souls, and not just because it had a different name and is more of an action-adventure with limited RPG elements. I feel like the vision for it was different as well. That being said, it shares too many similarities with the FromSoftware (Souls) formula to be considered a totally different thing for many people, and I can understand that.
It's got it's specific distinctions, but to me it's like a Souls game pared down, streamlined, and tweaked rather than something in another mold, an attempt at addition by subtraction (like Bloodborne, with some modifications and different assets it could easily be made into a Dark Souls IV). If it wasn't still so hard and esoteric in subject matter, a case could be made it's an attempt at more traditional, mainstream Souls game. They didn't even ditch the RPG elements completely as I thought they would; I was actually more surprised by how similar it was than different.
I think it depends when the development started (it looks early, hence no gameplay), and I believe From Software has become solid enough that they can handle 2 titles at once (like for Bloodborne and DS2), but yeah this one sounds like their biggest endeavor as a studio since the first Dark Souls.
Well, I didn't fact check it but the number I saw kicking around was three years so far, but they're probably counting from the time Miyazaki was watching Thrones on a "borrowed" HBO GO account and realized, "Hey, won't this guy say yes to any project offered? We should capitalize on this!" Still, enticing to think they at least have a lot of material to work with, even if they haven't brought much of it to fruition yet.
I secretly hope they're also working on a real VR title as well (since Déraciné was hardly awworthwhile effort) but one can only hope.
KING'S FIELD V-R!
I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that they'll keep iterating on their core concept and make it evolve to avoid the weariness that traditionally comes with regular installments.
I hope they make Dark Souls IV.
Martin... "just" developed the backbone on which the mythos and narrative of the game will be constructed. That's obviously an important part of the creative process, but I still expect the game to be very distinctly a From Software title with the usual bits from the Souls lineage. I guess my point is that he's not the game's "main writer" and people should keep their expectations in check in that regard.
If anything I'm worried it won't have that edge, kind of like Dark Souls II, so I'm glad that whatever Miyazaki and Martin developed together it's going to be Miyazaki executing it in his distinctive style ultimately. Still, I'll be curious to learn just how involved Martin was, how much he gave them, and how much deference Miyazaki paid to it/tried to adhere to it. That last part could determine whether Martin should be considered a lead/co-writer or just a big name consultant.
