This past weekend, FromSoftware ran a closed network test for The Duskbloods that gave Nintendo Switch 2 owners their first chance to experience this multiplayer centric take on the Souls formula. Available across five sessions, one of which was cancelled because of server congestion, I was able to experience three of those and walked away… confused? Feeling content? I’m not exactly sure how to phrase it, but let’s go over what the game is, how it feels, and some technical information to help you understand why I’m not totally writing off this decidedly different Souls game just yet.
To summarize quickly for those out of the loop, The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive game from developer FromSoftware that was announced in April 2025 ahead of the Switch 2’s worldwide release. Employing a dark gothic artstyle and mixing PvPvE alongside MOBA trappings, it is a multiplayer only title that is a pretty big departure from what Dark Souls or Elden Ring were. There’s some form of story, but it progresses in a manner similar to the original Titanfall or Capcom’s Exoprimal from a few years back. You finish multiplayer matches and unlock more lore as you play, eventually culminating in some kind of event (of which this network test didn’t feature anything).
While the basic gameplay and controls are comparable to the Souls formula that FromSoftware has been perfecting since 2009, elements from titles such as Escape from Tarkov, Fortnite, and even Kirby Air Riders are present. Players are dropped into a map and tasked with amassing “Virtue” to successfully complete three phases before squaring off in a final round. Virtue is acquired from completing short events like collecting skulls, killing enemies, collecting the most items, finishing limited events, or defeating boss enemies. As you would expect, you level up during rounds to increase your power in a heightened version of past Souls games, with your levels increasing stats as a whole and XP required being much lower.
A lot of that information can be found in previews which went live a day before the closed network test went live, so I’ll refrain from repeating what other outlets have written. In essence, The Duskbloods is like microdosing on Dark Souls PvP in self-contained matches which feel frantic due to the limited timer. It’s pretty much impossible to see every inch of a map during a single match, though you’ll become more familiar with the layouts as you play more rounds. That timer is what gives The Duskbloods its edge, because otherwise it would be a meandering experience where players aren’t incentivized to do much of anything.
To get ahead of any complaints, I am aware that this first beta, of sorts, was missing quite a few features from the final build. Most of my complaints are related to the gameplay loop and the general performance more than anything, but do know that I will point out the limited character roster and lack of different weapons for the moment. I think it’s important to emphasize how the lack of current options may have painted my impressions negatively rather than assume FromSoftware is going to answer my issues.
Starting off, I’m not the biggest fan of these types of multiplayer games. To invoke my old age a bit, I grew up in an era where a game like Unreal Tournament was the new hotness and it included six modes out of the box instead of focusing on a single gametype and claiming it was an entire experience. I’ve always taken offense at battle royale being considered a genre because it’s mainly a gametype in a shooter. It took until the release of Tetris 99 for me to even consider battle royale as being more than just a spinoff of shooters, but I still think it makes more sense as an addition to the suite of modes in, say, Call of Duty rather than as a standalone game (although Call of Duty also offers its standalone). With that in mind, I feel like The Duskbloods is more an elaborate expansion of Souls PvP rather than a full game in its own right.
Having said that, it’s not like FromSoftware lazily rehashed what came before and called it a day. By streamlining the experience and focusing specifically on multiplayer interaction, The Duskbloods feels distinctly different from last year’s Elden Ring: Nightreign. It’s not a simple swap from one setting to another, or even a cheap copy of battle royale games, but a fusion of casual competitive titles similar to what Nintendo used to produce more often. The comparison to Kirby Air Riders’ above wasn’t a mistake, because you could call The Duskbloods a darker version of “City Trial.”
Since the entire point of matches is to grow stronger for a final PvP showdown, it has that type of manic energy that draws people to Air Riders. I’m not exactly a fan of how unfocused Air Riders can feel, not to mention its lack of content fails to grab my attention, but I understand why players like the sometimes-random elements and turbo juiced progression system. You almost get an entire campaign experience in 30-40 minutes, which lets you revel in how overpowered builds can become without needing to suffer through lackluster pacing or low points. The Duskbloods doesn’t feature a single bit of wasted time or space, so it remains consistently rewarding without demanding too much from the player.
Now, my primary issue, apart from not quite gelling with this type of game, is that The Duskbloods seemingly has no depth. Since every match concludes in PvP and side objectives are pretty much the same in each match, I don’t feel there is a lot to call me back beyond this closed network test. The introduction of co-op boss fights for the final phase would help (of which we know that is coming), but I’d also like to see more customization for characters (again, we know this is coming now). I think set classes is a neat idea, but with only a single weapon and a specific set of skills available, it winds up robbing The Duskbloods of the best elements of Souls games: build crafting.
I don’t think The Duskbloods will be able to avoid the problem most multiplayer games have, which is that there isn’t much incentive to change weapons if you find a build that works, but even allowing for players to tweak what their characters start with or carry would go a long way. I also think the boss fights need some tweaking as during the first phase, they seem a bit overpowered for where your character can realistically be at. Maybe finding new weapons in the final game will help with that, but balance issues were a primary part of focus for this network test, so I wanted to throw that in. The general enemies are fine as they are, though maybe a clearer indication of how many kills you’ve amassed next to other players would help when gunning for kill-related virtue rewards.
As far as different modes go, I would honestly love to see a co-op focused boss rush or even an option to team up with friends against AI opponents. We do know that a last boss phase will be included in the final game, but an option to queue up with friends for team games would be nice. Taking it further, allowing friends to party up in groups of two or three against AI would ease lower skilled players into the general multiplayer mode by allowing them a means of overcoming a set challenge rather than the inherent randomness that human competition can have. I’ve been playing Souls games for nearly two decades now, so I’m fine with PvP, but sometimes you just want to blow off steam or conquer a distinct challenge. It would also prevent The Duskbloods from falling into irrelevance if the servers ever shutdown, which would be nice.
Performance-wise, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected much, but I was a little shocked to see FromSoftware went with an uncapped frame rate. In the opening cutscene and even very starting area, The Duskbloods manages to hit a 60 fps framerate, but moving quickly makes that collapse down to 30 or so. The frame pacing issues that have plagued every FromSoftware game since time immemorial aren’t as prevalent here, with the game feeling better than past console releases (especially Bloodborne). Movement and button responsiveness aren’t great, but there’s always been a weightiness to Souls games baked in anyway, so The Duskbloods mostly feels fine. I wish there was an option to lower the resolution for 60 fps, or even just cap the current game at 30 fps for fluidity’s sake, but I understand this is a work in progress.
Where the performance really hurts is in portable mode. I tried a single match like that and I found it nearly unplayable. Input lag is heightened for some reason, and the game seemingly caps to 30 fps but doesn’t maintain that at all. You’re looking at 20-ish fps for most of a match, but the ghosting of the Switch 2 panel and the frankly disgusting response times for attacks and movement make it feel completely unready for launch. If I had the means to measure it, I could give concrete numbers, but it takes nearly a full second for an attack to start after you press the button. It’s not a good time and I wouldn’t recommend it at all.
I do think otherwise, The Duskbloods looks quite good. You won’t mistake it for a next-generation title, but the addition of HDR (which has been present since Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) and DLSS help resolve a clean image. If I had to guess, it seems like the game is rendering at 720p and being upscaled to 1080p, but that’s perfectly acceptable. The art style is an incredible mixture of Bloodborne’s Lovecraftian atmosphere with dark gothic architecture and even some steampunk aesthetics. I also really dig the music; however, I lack the nomenclature to properly explain why. I think there is a certain melancholic quality to the hub theme, which is reminiscent of Dark Souls 2’s “Majula” track.
Overall, my gut reaction to The Duskbloods’ closed network test is that the game isn’t really for me. I appreciate FromSoftware mixing things up and going for a style that is unlike the past 17 years of Souls titles it has created, but there isn’t much to draw in players not invested in multiplayer mayhem. This is certainly a more compelling prospect than Elden Ring: Nightreign, but I’m not sure if I wouldn’t bounce off of it after a few hours or a review period if I wind up playing it later this year. It’s so single-minded in what it does that I remain unconvinced it can grip me. At the same time, I’d rather we get more experiments like this rather than simply Dark Souls 4 or Elden Ring 2, so I applaud its existence. The Duskbloods definitely needs some more work, though.
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The Duskbloods’ network test is now available for selected participants to download
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
