After playing The Duskbloods network test, I was stunned by — and couldn’t get enough of — its breakneck pacing

Upon testing The Duskbloods network, I was astounded by its lightning-fast pace and found myself utterly captivated. After all, it has been one of my most eagerly awaited games since its announcement during the initial Switch 2-focused Nintendo Direct. Now that I've had the opportunity to play it briefly in the game's recent network test, I'm convinced it will be one of the finest Nintendo Switch 2 titles.

The journey begins with a tutorial segment that, at first, gives a false sense of security. As a solo experience, it imparts all the essentials like melee and ranged attacks, character skills, general game flow, and what you should aim to accomplish during an online match. However, the real test comes when you jump online against real players.

The key takeaway from the network test is that, in an online match, you should always keep moving. This is akin to Elden Ring Nightreign, where being several steps ahead is crucial, and it proves to be quite challenging.

The rules of engagement in The Duskbloods unfold over several phases, each lasting around five minutes. After choosing a Bloodsworn (the game's playable characters), you select a spot to spawn on the compact yet dense map. In the first phase, you're encouraged to accumulate Virtue by eliminating enemies, collecting items, and lighting the skulls of corpses resting on thrones.

Virtue can be earned in various ways, and fulfilling your character's Sigil requirements during each phase also adds to it. Sigils are optional but can significantly alter gameplay. For instance, the Sigil of a Sworn Enemy requires you to defeat a marked opponent in each phase, while the Sigil of an Old Friend urges you to seek out another player to ally with.

These alliances are beneficial for gaining Virtue, and you'll need ample of it, as the two players with the least Virtue at the end of a phase are eliminated from the game.

What sets The Duskbloods apart is its compelling approach to co-op, one of the most intriguing features FromSoftware has incorporated into one of its games. At any moment, you can highlight a player you encounter and request an alliance with them. If they accept, you won't harm each other and can cooperate to build up Virtue. However, this bond is severed in the final phase, where the remaining players engage in traditional PvP.

Moreover, players can collaborate by answering calls to assist against formidable boss enemies. Defeating the boss rewards everyone with substantial Virtue, necessitating careful consideration of when to partner up and when to go solo.

In summary, I'm already enamored with The Duskbloods and its uniquely rapid PvPvE multiplayer experience. Its playable characters share universal aspects but differ greatly in skills and appearance. A standout character is the deep-sea diver and human rocket Zork, whose powerful ranged abilities, though slightly overpowered during the network test, did not make any character feel weak or disadvantaged.

I eagerly anticipate seeing how The Duskbloods evolves in its full release, particularly with the promise of additional maps and Bloodsworn to explore. There's no official release date yet, but it's anticipated to launch sometime in 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.