Soulslike

Lore & Background

The Soulslike genre emerged from FromSoftware's Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), which established design conventions including difficult combat, hostile environments, limited checkpoints, recoverable resources lost on death, and indirect storytelling through world design and atmosphere. Later FromSoftware games such as Bloodborne and Elden Ring have also been discussed in relation to the Soulslike genre or the related Soulsborne label. While typically applied to action role-playing games, core concepts of high difficulty, repeated character death driving player knowledge and mastery, sparsity of save points, and indirect environmental storytelling have appeared in games of very different genres, whose mechanics are sometimes described as Soulslike.

Reader's Guide

Soulslike games typically feature a high level of difficulty where repeated player character death is expected and incorporated as part of the gameplay. Players often keep part of their progress since the last checkpoint, while other losses such as experience or currency are potentially recoverable. Many games use checkpoint systems associated with the bonfires of Dark Souls, serving as respawn or recovery points that may allow leveling up or fast travel, while resting at them resets enemies. Combat is often methodical, requiring players to monitor stamina to avoid overexertion and is based on animation priority actions that prevent canceling movement until the animation finishes. The genre is noted for its lack of overt storytelling and deep worldbuilding, with players discovering lore through environmental storytelling, item descriptions, and cryptic dialogue. Despite dark themes, settings sometimes feature elements of comic relief such as unexpected interactions or humorous deaths. The term 'Soulslike' received early criticism, with some arguing it misleads players into expecting similarity where games differ, or that it restricts design advancement. However, developers of Soulslike games in 2020 generally viewed the classification as positive and useful, though some noted it could cause disappointment when games lack expected features.

Did You Know?

• The genre name is derived from the Dark Souls series.
• Soulslike games often allow players to write messages visible to other players, which can be rated.
• Blood stains in Soulslike games let players view recordings of other players' deaths.
• The checkpoint system in many Soulslikes is associated with the bonfires of Dark Souls.