What is a Souls-like Game, How Did It Come About?

Undoubtedly, it would not be wrong to say that Elden Ring has created a new milestone for the game world. When the first review scores started to come, the game even saw a 97 Metacritic average; It managed to attract many players with its successful art design, satisfactory exploration system, enjoyable gameplay and atmosphere.

We too; We have prepared an article in which we explain the birth of the ‘Souls-like’ genre behind Elden Ring, why this genre is so loved and its impact on the game world. Also, even if you are a player unfamiliar with the genre; You might consider giving it another chance after this article. So, let’s move on to our article.

Top questions about the Souls-like genre:

A concept notorious for its difficulty: What is Souls-like?

In the rest of our article, although we explain this type in detail; We wanted to give a short summary for our users who have never heard of the genre. ‘Souls-like’ is a game genre created by FromSoftware, accompanied by Hidetaka Miyazaki. This genre, which made a name for itself with the release of the first Dark Souls after Demon’s Souls, actually means ‘Souls-like’.

‘Souls-like’; It is a game genre that names challenging action – role-playing games set in a dark fantasy universe without direct storytelling. This genre has its own unique save system and players can interact with these save points. Many in-game enemy and environmental details respawn when the player dies or interacts with a savepoint. For example; A simple enemy you cut down before entering a castle, or a trap you barely overcome. This genre promises a fairly challenging experience and does not offer any difficulty options. In particular, it stands out with its exciting and difficult enemy fights, which we call ‘Boss’.

Success born from failure: How did the souls-like genre come about?

Demon’s Souls, which we can call the ancestor of the ‘Souls-like’ genre, was released on February 5, 2009 only in Japan. Calling the game a failed project, Sony hesitated to offer the game developed by FromSoftware outside of Japan and only released it in Japan. Demon’s Souls, which had a rather unsuccessful release process, did not achieve any sales success and took its place as a production that the players did not care much about. But after that, things changed.

Before continuing the previous story, including at Sony; Let’s talk about why many view Demon’s Souls as a “failed project”. This production, which was planned to take place in a dark fantasy universe, was not actually a ‘Souls-like’ game as we call it today. This project, whose development process was very difficult and was despised by everyone as a monument to failure, went through radical changes with Hidetaka Miyazaki’s takeover.

The young Miyazaki, who started working at FromSoftware in the 2004’s, became aware of the lousy course of another game the studio was developing and stated that he wanted to be at the head of the project. signed the process. The young Miyazaki, who took the lead of the project that everyone called ‘Disappointment’, managed to bring it into a shape that he had planned by making radical changes in the game. Although this game, which was released as Demon’s Souls, was seen as unsuccessful by Sony and many people who tested the game; the rest of the world didn’t have that perspective.

Demon’s Souls, only after its release in Japan; FromSoftware has signed with Bandai Namco and Atlus to release the game in Europe and North America. Demon’s Souls, which found its new publishers for the rest of the world, was met with great interest. The game, which managed to double the number of unsuccessful sales in Japan in a short time, became famous for its unique difficulty and style, and managed to gain a place among the players. Sony admitted it made a big mistake. Meanwhile; FromSoftware has already signed on with Bandai Namco to create ‘Dark Souls’ with Hidetaka Miyazaki. And; The genre we call ‘Souls-like’ was born, which made a great impression in the game world, inspired many games, created its own genre.

Not just for its difficulty, but for everything: Why is this genre so popular?

This genre, which is notorious for its difficulty, is a point where many players hesitate to start and ask themselves the question “Can I endure this difficulty?” Contrary to popular belief, ‘Souls-like’ games; It stands out not only for its difficulty, but also for many things that are unique to it, and that is why it is loved. Souls players are not masochists and play these games for fun.

A ‘Souls-like’ game; It has its own dark universe and atmosphere. The game, which will take place in this dark universe, will not have any direct storytelling. He always opens a curtain of secrecy and waits for the player to discover this story by researching. So the game does not present the story to you, you go to the story. If you want a happy ending, you’re in the wrong place. ‘Souls-like’ games are brutal. It does not forgive mistakes, it punishes. In a gloomy atmosphere, you are constantly on the alert. This is one of the most popular aspects of the game. As it successfully puts the player in a constant ‘Alert’ feeling, you’ll be able to prowl everywhere and have an exciting experience.

You should not underestimate any enemy you will encounter. A ‘souls-like’ game is brutal, as are the enemies. Big enemies we call ‘Boss’ are one of the most unique aspects of a Souls game. These ‘Bosses’ have been carefully designed and aim to present some pretty tough challenges. If you as a player try to attack these enemies directly without any strategy, you will probably hate the game because of this enemy.

The key point of a ‘Souls-like’ game is the phrase ‘Think like your enemy’. When you encounter a very powerful ‘Boss’, this enemy can cut you maybe three times, maybe five, maybe nine times. The important thing here is that you come out stronger in every encounter. Gradually you begin to think like your enemy, memorize his moves and unlock his capacity. In this way, you will understand very well what to do in which situations and learn to respond. When you manage to defeat that enemy after many attempts, you can enjoy being alone with a unique sense of satisfaction.

Another important point we can talk about is the feeling of hitting. We can say that FromSoftware is a really successful company in this regard. The feeling of hitting in ‘Souls-like’ games and the fact that many weapons have a unique gameplay system; are some of the factors that make the genre the most enjoyable. There are many different options, including sword-shield, knives for those who want, and sorcery for those who want it. In this way, players can discover their own unique playing styles and build their gaming experiences according to this style.

Finally, let’s talk about the ‘Discovery feeling’ that has been brought to the top with Elden Ring. Souls games are games that have a deep exploration system in general. Promising an open-world Souls-like experience with Elden Ring, FromSoftware has so successfully fulfilled this promise; Compared to other games of the genre, it managed to achieve a very serious sales success. Elden Ring, which does not hold the player’s hand in any way and adopts the “discover it yourself” logic; Including its beautiful landscapes, rewarding and interesting places, the genre is at its peak when it comes to the sense of discovery.

A new genre to be cared for: How has the game world been affected?

The continuing success of ‘Souls-like’ has inspired many large/small companies as well. While some producers directly reflect their own style to the genre, some producers used the mechanics they liked in the genre. While productions such as Nioh, Lords of the Fallen, The Surge and Salt and Sanctuary create their own Souls experiences; We have all witnessed that many Souls mechanics are included in games such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

The ‘Souls-like’ genre, which continues to inspire the game industry such as ‘Rogue-like’ and ‘Metroidvania’, can also inspire many different producers together with Elden Ring. Elden Ring, which stands out especially with the sense of discovery on the open world side and the freedom it offers to the player, will show its effect on us in the coming years. Thus, we have come to the end of our article, in which we delved deeper into the ‘Souls-like’ genre. So, have you discovered this species?