Stellar Blade pulls a lot of design elements from the Soulslike genre like its combat and camp system, which will likely feel familiar to veteran Soulslike players. Although Stellar Blade doesn't lean too far into the more hardcore elements of Soulslikes, and is generally more forgiving than the likes of games like Elden Ring and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the game still brings some unique new mechanics to the genre. Out of these features, Stellar Blade's scanning mechanic seems like the perfect addition to a potential Bloodborne sequel that FromSoftware would be wise to include if this follow-up game is ever made.

It's no secret that Bloodborne fans are eager for a sequel to FromSoftware's 2015 hit, as there are endless rumors surrounding a sequel or remake project that seem to make their rounds online. While it seems like more Bloodborne content is unlikely in the near future, with FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki stating it wouldn't be worth remaking Bloodborne until more powerful hardware is available, there are still plenty of great Soulslike experiences like Stellar Blade to scratch that Bloodborne itch. If a new Bloodborne game does happen in the future, it would make a lot of sense to include Stellar Blade's scanning mechanic to better showcase the hidden horrors of Bloodborne's world.

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How Stellar Blade’s Camps Compare To Elden Ring's Sites of Grace

Stellar Blade includes many iconic mechanics of the Soulslike genre, including the camps that are the game's version of Elden Ring's Sites of Grace.

Bloodborne 2 Should Borrow Stellar Blade’s Scanning Feature

Bloodborne fans will likely appreciate the Naytiba of Stellar Blade, as these monstrous, grotesque enemies look like something right out of Bloodborne's nightmarish world. As players explore Stellar Blade's world, it will become obvious that they will need to utilize the game's scanning feature to locate hidden entities around the map. By pressing the DualSense's touchpad, Stellar Blade's scanning feature will activate and reveal invisible secrets, like items and even hidden enemies, that players will need to watch out for.

The act of scanning an area isn't a new exploration mechanic in games, but Stellar Blade uses it in a way unique to the Soulslike genre. FromSoftware Soulslikes in particular tend to hide enemies in inconvenient locations for players to increase the game's difficulty and punish players for not approaching new areas cautiously. Stellar Blade's scanning mechanic removes some of the difficulty behind this level design as it allows players to see hidden enemies and anticipate their attacks, which could work perfectly in a Bloodborne sequel thanks to some of the established lore from the title.

How Stellar Blade’s Scanning Mechanic Could Fit into a Bloodborne Sequel

The world of Bloodborne already contains a vast number of unseen horrors that only become visible once players gain enough Insight to see them. Insight is a stat in the game that is not only required to summon other players for co-op, but increases the amount of disturbing knowledge the player has about the world around them that manifests in visual changes to the game's world. As players' Insight increases through the defeat of monsters or consuming specific items, they will start to see hideous creatures like the Amygdala in the Cathedral Ward, or the Mad Ones that become visible around Bloodborne's disturbing world of cosmic horrors.

A Bloodborne sequel could build upon this Insight system by incorporating the scanning mechanic from Stellar Blade that could allow players to see these hidden horrors regardless of their Insight level. Perhaps this feature could be translated to Bloodborne in a way that rewards players reaching a certain Insight level by allowing them to toggle the visibility of hidden enemies on and off via the scanner. This system would allow the game to retain the difficulty of the original Bloodborne for those who want it while making it somewhat more forgiving like Stellar Blade does to accommodate newer Soulslike players.

Stellar Blade

Platform(s)

PS5

Released

April 26, 2024

Developer(s)

Shift Up

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s)

Action RPG