New Dark Souls 3 footage shows bosses and backstabs

During Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 presentation, developer From Software today revealed new gameplay footage which offers a closer look at the combat and design of Dark Souls 3.

Although the Bloodborne team is not developing the title, the game’s influence is clear in the nimble movements of Dark Souls 3’s characters. The latest clip shows markedly faster dodging, which complements the return of quick backstabbing, a way to deliver a critical hit to an enemy by circling behind them.

A departure from Dark Souls 2 is seen in the newest bosses. A bestial knight brandishing a mace, a massive skeletal monstrosity, a monolithic suit of possessed armor—all a far cry from Dark Souls 2’s slew of “tall dudes in armor.” We may owe such boss design to Bloodborne as well, as Souls Director Hidetaka Miyazaki suggested in a recent interview.

Long-time Souls fans may have picked up on the Demon’s Souls homage hidden in a brief glimpse at a patrolling sorcerer, a new take on the “octopus-headed guards” from the third area of the series progenitor. Dark Souls 3 will also see the return of the Bonfire save points introduced in Dark Souls from the looks of it. And of course, everything from architecture to atmosphere is pleasingly and iconically Gothic.

Dark Souls 3 will launch on Xbox One, PS4 and Windows PC in early 2016.