Five franchises which NEED a Soulsborne Game

If there’s one thing the Soulsborne games have been missing all these years, it’s hoards of Wookies. Or childlike Hobbits you can set fire to. Or White Walkers.

It turns out that the Soulsborne formula is pretty adaptable, especially within the fantasy genre. And, having just finished Jedi: Fallen Order, it’s something I’d like to see adapted even more.

Demon’s Souls gave me a new appreciation for the genre, and for the difficulty and perseverance that came with it. Now is the time, greedy IP overlords – I’m asking you to sell me these games. Hell, chuck in some DLC. I might even be convinced to buy clothing that says “I died repeatedly taking the Hobbits to Isengard and all I got was this stupid T-shirt.”

My wallet is at the ready.

Star Wars

Let’s get this one out of the way first, because I can already hear a herd of “butactuallys” coming over the horizon. Yes, indeed.

Jedi: Fallen Order falls nicely into the Soulsborne genre, although certainly on the outskirts. It takes the “every enemy a threat” idea, the combat and much of the level design, and it puts it through the lens of Star Wars. Unsurprisingly, it also makes it a little more market-friendly, adding difficulty levels, overpowered abilities and far fewer customisables. It helps that they add an epic story and a few familiar characters as well.

I know it’s technically already happened, but still. I’m suggesting two things here: the first, is that we get a sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order. Make it happen EA – more of that.

But the second is that I’d like the same team to really be let loose. Maybe this could happen as DLC, maybe it needs to be it’s own completely different Star Wars spin-off, but I’d love to see them go full Demon’s Souls. Hell, make it another “Greatest Hits” game if you want. Imagine Demon’s Souls Death Star, or Demon’s Souls Dagobah. Fighting through gangs of Sand People to get to Tattooine, playing as Qui Gon Jinn. Make it hard, make it full of play choices, and make it next-gen exclusive.

Lord of the Rings

Demon’s Souls, like most modern fantasy, borrows at least a few basic ideas from Lord of the Rings. So, naturally, it’s only fair Tolkien’s estate gets even fatter by borrowing a few things back.

Let’s check off the list. Annoying, potentially dangerous mob enemies with orcs? Check. More powerful and dangerous Knights? Check. Giant monsters hidden around every corner? Check. A host of labyrinth locations to get lost in? Check.

The only reason this hasn’t happened yet is because nobody thought it would sell. I promise it’s been talked about, and someone at Warner Brothers is watching the Demon’s Souls remake very closely.

It’s such a natural choice that I almost didn’t put it on the list. But shocked Legolas and a strict dedication to stating the obvious mean this is a welcome addition.

Game of Thrones

This is equally as obvious, and, let’s face it, it’s what people are hoping for in Elden Ring. And yes, I say it knowing they delay it a fortnight every time it gets mentioned.

Game of Thrones has become a worldwide phenomenon, and so it’s incredible that at no point over the last eight or nine years has a decent video game been made of it. Sorry Telltale.

It almost automatically falls into that RPG category. It has a rich world, again full of a variety of potential enemies, as well as unlimited character-building and exploration. The game would need to be massive, which is probably why it’s never happened. Get Bethesda on it, or the Dragon Age team at Bioware.

There is an alternative. I don’t think anybody would disagree at the idea of a Soulsborne Game of Thrones game. You’ve got about a billion side characters that you could add in, and you could even make it another Greatest Hits game. No? Well, in that case just let us visit locations from the show, fighting off enemies as we go.

Like Star Wars, I feel this one would get a bit lost in translation. They’d have to give it a wide enough market appeal that it actually pays for itself while borrowing from the Soulsborne genre and… frankly that’s not what we want.

Harry Potter

The wizarding world has all sorts of fantastic beasts. Hell, they could probably even make a movie about it. Maybe with Johnny Depp. I suggest we make him a really prominent character and then sack him. That always plays out well.

Harry Potter isn’t a straight fantasy. It isn’t Dungeons and Dragons, which could introduce an interesting gameplay variation over other items on this list. Using magic from a distance, mastering spells and memorising how to deal with enemies would be really interesting in a Soulsborne title. Make it unbearably difficult to make all those six-year-olds cry, and chuck in the occasional bit of body horror for good measure.

Metal Gear Solid

Let’s be honest – this list could have been literally any five fantasy IPs, and people would have happily nodded along. That says a lot about the love of the Soulsborne genre, and of its intrinsic link to that sort of Sword and Sourcery type location. But I’m not going down easy. Here’s a wildcard, damn it.

Phantom Pain KIND OF had situations that felt a little Soulsborne. Not really, but kind of. You’d suddenly find yourself in a situation where you had to get past a load of overpowered enemies, who often had environmental advantages too, and you’d either have to sneak by or fight them. If you fought them, you’d probably die.

I said kind of.

Fantasy games are easy, but I’d love to see a full-on Metal Gear Solid game in this genre. Enemies who, when you get seen, can destroy you in a second. Labyrinth-like levels that force you to really plan out your route. The choice to sneak, or to use a variety of weapons and fighting styles. HURT ME MORE.

There’s no reason that this game couldn’t work. Slice off the last four hours, call it an artistic choice, then slam in an awkward car drive with the Big Bad and nobody would even tell the difference.