The Duskbloods trades FromSoft’s sweet maidens for an ‘elderly gentleman’ rat

The Duskbloods will be a departure for Elden Ring and Dark Souls developer FromSoftware in more ways than one. In addition to focusing on PvPvE multiplayer action for the Switch 2 exclusive, The Duskbloods will apparently do away with the traditional, doll-like maidens that FromSoftware features in its games.

In their place? A nice, old winged rat.

Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki says in an interview with Nintendo that, like the focus on eight-player multiplayer, he wanted to try something new for The Duskbloods’ equivalent of the Dark Souls Fire Keeper. Asked about the “winged rat character” seen at the end of the trailer for FromSoft’s new game, Miyazaki says, “That character shares a similar role with the fire keepers from the Dark Souls series. They remain in the hub area, providing the player with advice and guidance.”

Miyazaki says that the developer “tried doing something a little Nintendo-esque in the spirit of the partnership” with that character.

“We tried something cute for a change,” Miyazaki explains. “Although I will say this character is actually an elderly gentleman.”

That’s quite a change for FromSoft, which has thus far populated its games with comely and mysterious women who serve as guides for the player. (See Demon’s Souls’ Maiden in Black, Dark Souls’ various Fire Keepers, Dark Souls 2’s Emerald Herald, Dark Souls 3’s Fire Keeper, Bloodborne’s The Doll, Sekiro’s Emma, and Elden Ring’s Melina and Ranni the Witch, for examples.)

Perhaps Miyazaki has found the value in elderly gentlemen as player guides for his games, based on the positive response to Elden Ring’s Miriel, Pastor of Vows, otherwise known as the “Pope Turtle.” It is nice to mix things up now and then.

The Duskbloods will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2026.