Starting with the King’s Field series on the original PlayStation, FromSoftware slowly grew over the years, evolving with each new project but never letting go of its more experimental nature. After a few bold but middling PlayStation 2 RPGs, FromSoftware shifted its attention to Sony’s shiny new PlayStation 3, where some of the developer’s best titles found a home.
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Enchanted Arms (2007)
Releasing a year prior for the Xbox 360, Enchanted Arms was FromSoftware’s first title on the PlayStation 3. Adopting a sci-fi setting, Enchanted Arms’ plot is still infused with the unique FromSoftware brand of charmingly-dark fantasy that is present throughout the developer’s history.
However, Enchanted Arms takes a more direct approach to storytelling than FromSoft’s other titles, with a clear plot being present throughout and told via cutscenes and plenty of dialogue. This may have been a reaction to FromSoft’s King’s Field series, and the two RPGs it released on PS2, which were all praised for their brooding atmosphere but criticized for their obtuse storytelling.
Enchanted Arms is a bit of a unique FromSoftware title from a gameplay perspective, as it uses turn-based combat unlike the vast majority of the developer’s other RPG titles. The standard skill tree progression systems and upgrade paths expected of an RPG are all present in Enchanted Arms.
In taking a more safe approach to its storytelling and gameplay, ditching the developer’s usual experimental flourishes, Enchanted Arms received some pretty mixed reviews at the time. While many critics claimed that the game was a solid RPG, the vast majority agreed that it just didn’t do anything to stand out from the crowd, especially for a PS3 game.
The Armored Core Franchise on PS3 (2006-2013)
The PlayStation 3 quickly became a hot bed for one of FromSoftware’s most beloved franchises, Armored Core. Starting with Armored Core 4 in 2006, FromSoftware released a total of four Armored Core games on the platform, each of which had a wildly varying critical reception.
Despite its numbered title, Armored Core 4 marked a fresh start for the franchise, acting as a reboot for the then near-decade-old franchise. Set in the distant future where Earth is ruled by warring corporations, players take control of a Lynx pilot who commands one of the titular Armored Core mechs.
Where the general gameplay loop of Armored Core 4 follows the same formula as its predecessors, the actual gameplay mechanics have been changed significantly to make the experience more streamlined and accessible to newcomers. Some of the biggest changes were to the game’s controls and the general speed of combat, making battles faster.
To the vast majority of critics, these changes were the right move, making the game feel much more in-line with other contemporary PS3 titles, while also retaining the core of what made the franchise so enjoyable to begin with. While Armored Core 4 was much more accessible, its gameplay was criticized for being quite repetitive.
Just two years later, a direct sequel released. Called Armored Core: For Answer, this title received a few gameplay additions, but was largely the same game as its predecessor, albeit with some different maps and contexts. Critics viewed it as much, considering it a fine game but expressing their disappointment that the game didn’t really innovate.
Quite a while later, in 2012, Armored Core 5 hit the PS3. Rather than triple down on the more streamlined gameplay of its two predecessors, Armored Core 5 instead went back to the series’ roots, bringing back the more complex mechanics of the first few Armored Core titles. This turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword for FromSoftware, with a few very vocal critics expressing their adoration for the game’s complexity and focus on tactics while others once again claimed that the game was just too inaccessible.
The final Armored Core game released on the PS3, Armored Core: Victory Day, received essentially the same criticism, with some outlets also condemning the now outdated visuals of the franchise. Interestingly, despite criticizing the game, some reviewers still acknowledged FromSoftware’s ability to produce an incredibly unique experience.
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The Souls Series on PS3 (2009-2014)
Perhaps the biggest example of FromSoftware’s experimental gameplay leading to an extremely unique experience, Demon’s Souls released on PlayStation 3 in 2009. Upon its release, Demon’s Souls was met with widespread critical acclaim, with scores rarely dropping below a 9/10. On the other hand, though, it wasn’t the most popular game amongst general audiences.
As fans of the Souls series will now know, the franchise isn’t the easiest to get into, with some pretty complex mechanics that aren’t often explained all that well to newcomers. This is especially true of Demon’s Souls, which pulls absolutely no punches when it comes to enemy difficulty or easing the player into the general feel of combat.
But rather than pull back and make the next entry more accessible, FromSoftware doubled down, choosing to expand on Demon’s Souls’ mechanics even more. While Dark Souls was once again immediately praised by critics, the general public took some time to embrace FromSoftware’s incredibly original experience.
But as time passed, and more players dove head-first into Dark Souls, the more the game was spread around. It didn’t take long before Dark Souls had reached a cult-like status, becoming renowned for its high level of challenge and its truly unique design. Dark Souls 2 released a few years later, and while some fans of the first game thought it lacked in a few areas, critics once again praised the game immensely, and the Souls series continued on the next generation of consoles.
Another Century’s Episode: R (2010)
In 2010, FromSoftware released another mecha-themed game. The fourth installment in the Another Century’s Episode franchise, Another Century’s Episode: R once again brings a range of different mechas to the game, each hailing from a different anime franchise. Popular mecha series like Mobile Suit Gundam, Full Metal Panic!, and even FromSoft’s own Armored Core all lent some of their towering robot suits to the game.
While the game sold pretty decently, it didn’t fare too well with critics. Though some outlets praised the game’s art style and bombastic action set pieces that captured the anime source material well, the vast majority of critics agreed that the roster was a little disappointing compared to prior entries in the franchise, and that this FromSoftware game’s more streamlined nature removed some much-needed depth.
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