Highlights

  • Despite being popular, Bloodborne doesn't need a remake as it still holds up well, while Dark Souls 2 could greatly benefit from a remake.
  • Dark Souls 2 has potential that was wasted on half-baked mechanics, which could be improved upon in a full-blown remake.
  • A remake of Dark Souls 2 would address surface-level issues like weapon degradation and enemy placement, as well as deeper issues like the flawed attribute system and map design.

Among fans of FromSoftware and Soulslikes as a whole, Bloodborne is often considered to be one of the best in the genre and a shining example for other Soulslike games to follow in the footsteps of. The popularity of Bloodborne has had the online community buzzing with discussions of a potential remake, remaster, or even a Bloodborne PC port as the game approaches its 10th anniversary. However, while a Bloodborne remake would be welcome, there is one other FromSoftware title that is in far more desperate need of a remake.

Often considered the black sheep of FromSoftware's Soulslike catalog, Dark Souls 2 is arguably the most divisive entry in the Dark Souls franchise. As the follow-up to FromSoftware's hit action RPG that popularized the Soulslike genre, Dark Souls 2 was somewhat of a departure from its predecessor which many fans felt didn't live up to the expectations placed upon it. Conversely, Bloodborne is widely heralded as one of FromSoftware's best titles, so it would make more sense to give Dark Souls 2 another shot at winning audiences over with a remake.

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Dark Souls 2 Needs a Remake More than Bloodborne Does

Despite Bloodborne being the more popular title among Soulslike fans, Dark Souls 2 has a lot of potential that was wasted on half-baked mechanics and could be improved upon in a full-blown remake. A lot of the elements that players took issue with in Dark Souls 2 are surface-level and could be tweaked in a remake to make the user experience better and closer to the quality of FromSoftware's other titles. Issues like weapons degrading too fast, half-hearted enemy placement, and overly long backstab and parry animations are all issues that could be simple fixes in a Dark Souls 2 remake.

There are also some deeper issues at the core of Dark Souls 2's design that would need a greater overhaul in a Dark Souls 2 remake. One major complaint fans of the genre had was the introduction of Adaptability as a central attribute for the player character, locking invincibility frames for dodge rolls behind a stat that had to be upgraded and dragging down the game's combat. The game's map design was another point of criticism for many fans, with Dark Souls 2 featuring a heavy focus on backtracking with limited shortcuts, ill-placed bonfires in Dark Souls 2, and annoying areas like the Gutter to traverse.

By comparison, Bloodborne is much more refined in its mechanics and level design, leading to an overall more enjoyable user experience. While a Bloodborne remake or remaster has been highly requested by many fans, others believe Bloodborne doesn't need an enhanced version since the original 2015 release still holds up incredibly well even today. Since many fans still find the original Bloodborne enjoyable, FromSoftware should invest in a remake of a game that is much more controversial among fans.

Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2's development ran parallel to one another, with Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura serving as directors for Dark Souls 2 while Hidetaka Miyazaki directed Bloodborne . Some fans consider many of Dark Souls 2 's faults to be the result of this divided development cycle.

Although Dark Souls 2 did receive an enhanced port after the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One in the form of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, the core of the game remained largely unchanged in this version. Instead, FromSoftware should take a similar route as Demon's Souls with Dark Souls 2 and utilize a studio like Bluepoint Games to help aid in a complete remake of the game. The Demon's Souls remake showed that refreshing a game with outdated mechanics could lead to a successful modern title, and Dark Souls 2 should be ahead of Bloodborne in line for this treatment.