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FromSoftware
FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, ''King's Field (video game), King's Field'', for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on video games, with them producing two more ''King's Field'' games before creating the mecha combat series ''Armored Core'' (1997), one of their flagship franchises. By the 2000s, the company's lineup also included the ''Echo Night'', ''Shadow Tower'', ''Lost Kingdoms'', ''Otogi'', and ''Another Century's Episode'' series. FromSoftware would achieve breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by ''Demon's Souls'' (2009) and ''Dark Souls (video game), Dark Souls'' (2011), the latter being the first entry in a Dark Souls, trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armored Core
is a third-person shooter mecha video game series developed by FromSoftware. The series centers on a silent protagonist who takes on work as a mercenary pilot in the far future, operating large robot combat units known as Armored Cores at the behest of corporate and private clients. As the player completes missions for these clients, they gain credits to improve their Armored Core and unlock further opportunities to make money. Some games include an "Arena" mode in which the player fights other Armored Core pilots in head-to-head battles, which can reward the player with further income or prestige. Several story continuities exist, spread across 13 main games, seven spin-offs, and three remastered re-releases. The first game in the series, ''Armored Core (video game), Armored Core'', was released in 1997, while the most recent, ''Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon'', will be released in 2023. The series has been released on the PlayStation (console), PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elden Ring
is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, it was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 25. In the game, players control a customizable player character on a journey to repair the titular Elden Ring, and become the new Elden Lord. ''Elden Ring'' is presented through a third-person perspective, with players freely roaming its interactive open world, featuring locations such as dungeons, catacombs, and caves. Gameplay elements include combat using several types of weapons and magic spells, horseback riding, and crafting. FromSoftware wanted to create an open-world game with gameplay similar to ''Dark Souls'', intending ''Elden Ring'' to act as an evolution of the first game in the series. Miyazaki admired Martin's work and hoped his contributions would pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Echo Night
''Echo Night'' is a trilogy of Japanese adventure games developed by FromSoftware. The original ''Echo Night'' was first released in 1998 for the PlayStation. Two sequels were developed; '' Echo Night 2: The Lord of Nightmares'' for the PlayStation in Japan in 1999, and '' Echo Night: Beyond'' for the PlayStation 2 which released worldwide between 2004 and 2006. All the titles feature a protagonist called Richard pursuing a magical artifact and interacting with ghosts. Titles are played from a first-person perspective, and place a focus on puzzles and exploration. The original ''Echo Night'' began as an experimental title based on the realistic graphics created for '' King's Field III''. The second game was created around a theme of "quiet horror". ''Echo Night Beyond'' was developed by a staff of around 70 people. All three titles were produced by series creator Toshifumi Nabeshima. The series has generally met with mixed reception, and has remained obscure. ''Echo Night'' later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King's Field (video Game)
''King's Field'' is a 1994 action role-playing game by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. Their debut video game project after developing business software for eight years, it was the first game in the ''King's Field'' series and has players navigating a vast underground labyrinth to discover the source of an invasion of monsters. Attacking and using spells are tied to a stamina meter, which is depleted with each action and must refill before the player can act again. The game—FromSoftware's first video game production—was initially planned as a title for personal computers before shifting to the PlayStation, which they felt had better specs. It was developed in around six months by a small internal team. Upon release, the game was a commercial success, though receiving mixed reviews from critics. ''King's Field'' is one of the earliest known 3D console role-playing games, predating later more famous titles such as '' Final Fantasy VII''. The game not only spawned multiple seq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bloodborne
is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. ''Bloodborne'' follows the player's character, a Hunter, through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era–inspired city of Yharnam, whose inhabitants are afflicted with a blood-borne disease which transforms the residents, called Yharnamites, into horrific beasts. Attempting to find the source of the plague, the player's character unravels the city's mysteries while fighting beasts and cosmic beings. The game is played from a third-person perspective. Players control a customizable protagonist, and the gameplay is focused on strategic weapons-based combat and exploration. Players battle varied enemies while using items such as trick weapons and firearms, exploring different locations, interacting with non-player characters, and unravelling the city's mysteries. ''Bloodborne'' began development in 2012 under the working title of ''Project Beast''. Bearing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Souls (video Game)
is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. A spiritual successor to FromSoftware's ''Demon's Souls'', the game is the first in the ''Dark Souls'' series. The game takes place in the kingdom of Lordran, where players assume the role of a cursed undead character who begins a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their kind. A port for Windows featuring additional content, known as the ''Prepare to Die Edition'', was released in August 2012. It was also released for consoles under the subtitle ''Artorias of the Abyss'' in October 2012. ''Dark Souls'' has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. Critics praised the depth of its combat, intricate level design, and use of flavor text. However, the game's Game difficulty, difficulty received mixed reviews, with some criticizing it for being too unforgiving. The original Windows version of the game was less well-received, with criticism directed at several technical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Demon's Souls
is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PAL territories by Namco Bandai Partners in June 2010. The game is referred to as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's ''King's Field'' series. ''Demon's Souls'' is set in Boletaria, a kingdom consumed by a dark being called the Old One, following its release through the use of forbidden Soul Arts. Players take on the role of a hero brought to Boletaria to kill its fallen king Allant and pacify the Old One. Gameplay has players navigating five different worlds from a hub called the Nexus, with a heavy emphasis on challenging combat and mechanics surrounding player death and respawning. Online multiplayer allows both player cooperation and world invasions featuring player versus player combat. The game's early development was troubled due ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Souls
is a series of action role-playing games created by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series began with the release of ''Dark Souls'' (2011) and has seen two sequels, ''Dark Souls II'' (2014) and ''Dark Souls III'' (2016). ''Dark Souls'' has received critical acclaim, with the first title often cited as one of the greatest in video games, with the series as a whole being both praised and criticized for its high level of difficulty. By 2022, the series had shipped over 33 million copies. Other FromSoftware games, including ''Demon's Souls'', ''King's Field'', ''Bloodborne'', '' Sekiro'', and ''Elden Ring'', share several related concepts and are commonly grouped together as Soulslikes. Setting The games take place within a dark, medieval fantasy setting, where the player's character fights against knights, dragons, phantoms, demons, and other monstrous or supernatural entities. The accretion, loss, and recovery of souls ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shadow Tower
is a 1998 role playing video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. The game was originally released in Japan on June 25, 1998 and in North America on November 19, 1999. In North America, the game was published by Agetec. ''Shadow Tower'' shares many similarities with the ''King's Field'' series of video games. A sequel, ''Shadow Tower Abyss'', was released for the PlayStation 2 exclusively in Japan. Gameplay ''Shadow Tower'' is an action-oriented dungeon crawl very similar to ''King's Field''. It features a first person style of gameplay where the player engages in combat with enemies, searches for hidden items and traps, and interacts with NPCs. Unlike most RPGs, it does not feature a system of experience points which the player character uses to grow more powerful. Instead all creatures are non-respawnable and every type of enemy killed will raise fixed stats on the player, so in order to increase specific stats a variety of different enemies need to be killed. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Another Century's Episode
is a 2005 third-person shooter video game published by Banpresto in Japan for the PlayStation 2. The player controls a mecha, mech from one of nine different real robot, anime robot franchises to destroy opposing forces before they steal a prized energy source for devious purposes. The game is divided into several different missions, where players use their mech and arsenal of weapons to fulfill mission objectives, ranging from destroying enemy machines to protecting a specific target. Banpresto enlisted the help of FromSoftware, a Japanese developer known for its ''Armored Core'' series, to assist in the game's production. As Banpresto held the exclusive video game rights to several popular robot series, it envisioned the idea of a large crossover similar to Konami's ''Zone of the Enders'' games. It was designed by Yui Tanimura, who later directed ''Dark Souls II'' and co-directed ''Dark Souls III'', and incorporated music performed by songstress Hitomi Shimatani. ''Another Cent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soulslike
A Soulslike (also spelled Souls-like) is a subgenre of action role-playing and action-adventure games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in ''Demon's Souls'' and the ''Dark Souls'' series by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired several other games. Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware themselves have been specifically referred to as Soulsborne games, a portmanteau of ''Souls'' and ''Bloodborne''. Soulslikes have been adopted by a number of critics and developers. However, it has also received questions whether it is a true genre or a collection of shared mechanics. Concepts Gameplay Soulslike games typically have a high level of difficulty where repeated player character death is expected and incorporated as part of the gameplay, losing all progress if certain checkpoints have not been reached. Soulslike games usually have means to permanentl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hidetaka Miyazaki
is a Japanese creative director, designer, scriptwriter, and executive for the video game company FromSoftware. He joined them in 2004 and was a designer for the ''Armored Core'' series before receiving wider recognition for directing the '' Dark Souls'' series. Miyazaki was promoted to company president in 2014 and also serves as its representative director. Other games he has directed include '' Demon's Souls'', ''Bloodborne'', '' Sekiro'', and ''Elden Ring'', which have all received critical acclaim. Miyazaki's influences range across the works of various novelists, manga artists, and game designers such as Fumito Ueda and Yuji Horii. His games often invoke the use of high difficulty and narratives presented largely through flavor text and environmental cues as opposed to dialogue. Regarded as an auteur of the video game medium, his work has often been cited as highly influential, leading to the creation of the Soulslike genre of games. Career Miyazaki was born circa 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
