Am I The Only One Who Thinks There Are Too Many Soulslikes Coming Out These Days?

What is the most difficult game you’ve ever played? If I had posed this question around 3 decades ago, I’m sure I would’ve gotten some mentions of stuff like Lion King, Contra, Ghosts n’ Goblins, the original Battletoads, etc. However, asking this question today, it’s almost a universal fact that Dark Souls or its siblings would be on the list. FromSoftware’s masterful creation would be so game-changing, no one ever anticipated.

Giving a new meaning to the word “difficulty,” it has become the beacon of challenging games. Countless attempts to replicate this magic of creating a strange relish in death and the thrill of a hardcore battle have been made. Some succeed, some do not, but the genre has indeed exploded beyond belief. And thus I pose the question. Isn’t it about time to try something else?

The Evolution Of Soulslikes

Before you come after me with an axe in hand, let me make this clear. There’s probably not a bigger fan of this genre than me. Having spent an insane amount of hours in all of FromSoftware’s legendary creations and the many Soulslikes out there, I’m fully aware of the goodness of it all, and thus don’t intend to degrade the genre. My point is to highlight how there’s other good stuff out there, too, that deserves the exposure.

It took quite some time after Dark Souls for the series to get to the height of fame it is at today. Even then, it was common knowledge that this “masochistic design done right” was something only FromSoftware could do. Some less entertaining Soulslikes back then further reinforced this belief. However, things are different now.

The soulslike family (updated)
byu/RazielTheVampire ingaming

While the imitations and inspirations are still not on the original’s level, the quality of Soulslikes is day and night today. Titles like Lies of P give even FromSoftware’s works a decent challenge. And with games like Ballad of Antara, Where Winds Meet, Phantom Blade Zero, and Black Myth: Wukong right around the corner, the genre is at its peak.

Why then do I feel the need to complain? Let’s find out.

Every Other Game Is A Soulslike These Days

Back when the trend of creating Soulslikes first began, I was genuinely looking forward to it. I was eager to see fresh minds trying to replicate the glorious formula FromSoftware had created and was curious to see how it would match up to the original. I even encouraged these attempts.

Now, everywhere I go, I see another Soulslike, to the point that I am forced to cry out “Another one?” Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the genre, but just like anything else, oversaturation is bound to get boring sooner or later. 

Holy ****, the videogame market is over saturated with souls borne clones.
byu/rrkmonger_reborn invideogames

And the Soulslike genre is the very definition of oversaturation these days. Just a little prior, I counted like four titles back to back, and those were just the noteworthy ones. The influx of Soulslikes doesn’t stop there.

Plus, it doesn’t help that non-FromSoftware Soulslikes are mostly a hit or miss. Hitting the target would be great, but sitting through another barebones Soulslike that mistakes difficulty for overwhelming encounters or artificial challenges is the last thing I want.

Even games that aren’t fundamentally Soulslike incorporate mechanics and concepts from the genre to bolster their “difficulty,” to the point that they completely miss the opportunity of excelling in their own design philosophy. Soulslike doesn’t equal difficulty, neither should it be used as such. There are plenty of different ways to put it all together; a ton of other genres to explore.

Is anybody else getting tired of every open world action game trying to mimic Dark Souls now?
byu/Badassfucker32 inpatientgamers

Exploring Something Unique And Creative Is Necessary

Thus, I believe it’s about time the gaming industry shifted some gears and tried its hand at more underappreciated and underexplored concepts and ideas. In fact, I’m an avid wisher of even FromSoftware trying something new once in a while. I’m extremely excited to see this master extend its expertise to a new genre.

Comment
byu/Necessary_Way486 from discussion
invideogames

Soulslike isn’t the only genre people care about these days, nor is it the only kind of game that would sell. Going for some unorthodox and extraordinarily creative is something the gaming industry is critically missing these days, and there’s nothing better I’d like to see than this hole covered.

Instead of Soulslikes, you could always go for a bullet-hell style game to ramp up the difficulty, something Returnal so masterfully demonstrated some time ago. Crafting a tactical turn-based battle system with peculiar buffs and debuffs and a proper understanding of game mechanics to succeed is a prime example of a challenging game I’ll definitely play.

Platinum earned! One of my favourite gaming experiences, period. Brilliant game.
byu/coldhardcrash inReturnal

Besides, cleverly creating difficulty in seemingly innocent-looking games is always a brilliantly devious move. I never expected playing through Lion King would become my worst nightmare.

See the point I’m trying to make? You can uphold difficulty if you like, but there are many creative ways to do so. Soulslike is but one answer to the problem. And now that everyone’s picking that answer, trying something out-of-the-box has become the need of the hour.