Current Events > Do you like "soulslikes" (note: NOT fromsoft games)

(+) Yeah! (+)

i mean specifically ones that are not Fromsoftware developed

if so, what do you like about them?

i havent found one i liked outside of FS just yet

I've not found one I particularly enjoy more than FromSoft's takes.

only one I played (FS or otherwise) was the original Dark Souls and honestly it bored the hell out of me. Never played another game since.

Lies of P is better than most fromsofts action rpgs

tbh, besides Nioh, I haven't really given them a chance.

Nioh was also pretty difficult, and lacked the polish of a FS title, so I ended up dropping it.

however, I own both Black Myth Wukong and Lies of P, and plan to play one of them soon.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

I've not found one I particularly enjoy more than FromSoft's takes.

this is how i feel. everything else thus far hasnt come close to scratching the itch. not for exploration, world, writing, acting

SSJKirby posted...

Lies of P is better than most fromsofts action rpgs

ive heard a couple people say this. i watched my friend play through the whole thing, it seems good if u like jedi fallen jedi games, but i wasnt a fan of that one

Not really. I find them boring. Roll Roll Slash isn't all that fun to me.

It's getting really really oversaturated.

ClayGuida posted...

Not really. I find them boring. Roll Roll Slash isn't all that fun to me.

parries, spells, special moves, sword and board, tankmolio?

Nope. But I also don't like the actual Dark Souls games. So once I see that a game is a Souls-like, I nope out so fast.

Prestoff posted...

It's getting really really oversaturated.

Just like resident evil 4 pivoted third person shooter design, so too did demons souls pivot action rpg design.

Now all action rpgs share similar blood whether we like it or not

Sure, I guess. I don't generally like games based on genre, but I also don't specifically dislike action RPGs, of which soulslikes are a weirdly specific subgenre. It also seems like there are a lot more good 2D soulslikes than 3D, but that might just be true of games in general.

I'm tired of them. It's just The Default Combat Loop now for devs who want to fill time but can't think of anything. Just like Arkham's combat was before it.

Nioh and especially Nioh 2 were great, but it depends just how much like Souls you want it to be. The combat is significantly more in depth and gear is randomised like in something like Diablo. On top of that, the levels are just that, as well as being more linear than most Souls areas. I actually like most of these features, but I can see why they'd be rather subjective.

The one thing it objectively is way better at is New Game Plus. While NG+1 is a bit of a victory lap (albeit with WAY better gear that you aren't just replacing every level), every other difficulty is substantially different in how you tackle things. It's not just a stats bump. To this day, the only game that tried anything interesting with NG+ was DS2 and the ideas weren't picked up for future games.

I liked The Surge 1 and 2, Ashen, Salt & Sanctuary, and Steelrising. they all share a good variety of weapons, RPG elements like stat-based scaling, exp/currency from kills to level up, etc. Remnant 1 and 2 are great souls-inspired shooters, with 2 having absurd build variety that I frankly haven't seen in a game before.

If they're good lol.

Lies of P is probably the best Soulslike out there.

Prototypic posted...

Sure, I guess. I don't generally like games based on genre, but I also don't specifically dislike action RPGs, of which soulslikes are a weirdly specific subgenre. It also seems like there are a lot more good 2D soulslikes than 3D, but that might just be true of games in general.

i dont really consider 2d games being capable of being soulslike. i mean straight genre rips, not like how ppl call blasphemous or hollow knight soulslikes

the power curve is generally very satisfying, as is the exploration

A lot of the games in the genre screw up one, the other, or both, though: Either you never actually become powerful-feeling enough or actually going through the levels feels bad to do

I like the formula if it's done well and the rest of the game is intriguing. Like for example Lies of P.

Code Vein is the only one I've liked and even then it's not a favorite. Bloodborne has a cool look and setting though

I really like Nioh and Nioh 2.

Dungeater posted...

i dont really consider 2d games being capable of being soulslike. i mean straight genre rips, not like how ppl call blasphemous or hollow knight soulslikes

Salt & Sanctuary is probably the only actual 2D soulslike. and I guess its sequel, but the sequel kinda sucks, so

oh yeah, I like Code Vein too, but it's kinda at the bottom of the list. I mean I forgot about it, lol

thinking about it, i'm gonna go ahead and like, anti-recommend that one. it's anime Dark Souls but feels worse to play and has a confusing blood code system that decides your stats and weight, it's very strange

Souls-likes Ive played ranked:

1) Lies of P
2) Nioh 2
3) Lords of the Fallen 2023
4) The Surge 2
5) Nioh 1
6) The Surge 1
7) Mortal Shell
8) Salt & Sanctuary
9) literally anything else
10) Lords of the Fallen OG

Lies of P is peak (nonFrom) soulslike.

The Surge 1 and 2 are mediocre, but good enough. As is the newest Lords of the Fallen.

Pretty much anything else I can think of is subpar, and you'd be better off just playing a From game (or Lies of P!).

SSJKirby posted...

Lies of P is better than most fromsofts action rpgs

Phenomenal game, DLC is coming out soon too I believe

I liked The Surge. Haven't finished it but hear The Surge II is better.

Null_Gain posted...

I liked The Surge. Haven't finished it but hear The Surge II is better.

it is, but both have their own strengths and weaknesses. i don't understand their "mediocre" reputation

ive never heard of the surge, ill look it up

Nioh 2 dogwalks the genre. The only ones that are debatably better are Bloodborne, Sekiro, and ER.

DS1/3, LoP, LotF, none of them are as good as the above. ER is only up there because it (imo) perfected the DS games in a way I didnt think it could, but mechanically is weaker than the others in the tier. Code Vein is a nice enough game but its weaker in every respect to most of the genre. I only stuck with it cuz I liked the anime-fication of the genre. It was novel.

I do have a very soft spot for the Star Wars one, though. Its among my favorites but really only cuz Star Wars is badass.

viewmaster_pi posted...

it is, but both have their own strengths and weaknesses. i don't understand their "mediocre" reputation

Short list of bosses and the areas can be convoluted and confusing to navigate.

Great combat system and I love the upgrade method of hacking limbs for materials. It's just, at least for me, two major pillars of soulslike is bosses and exploration, and they both fail at wowing in those categories.

Still fun games worth a run. I would just be hard pressed to rate them any higher then like a 7. Maybe an 8 if I'm being generous.

i am not including sekiro in this either

im specifically referring to the RPGs

i mean straight up 1:1 rips of demons, ds1-3, bloodborne, or E

Dungeater posted...

i dont really consider 2d games being capable of being soulslike

Salt & Sanctuary is basically if Dark Souls was 2D. I don't know how others compare.

Yes. My favorite is Nioh of the genre including FS titles. Although I like Nioh 1 better than Nioh 2. But I like a good majority of the ones I play. I don't particularly feel like FromSoftware is of a special quality that other games can't match.

I do not play Zelda for its combat, no.

RoosterGold posted...

Code Vein is the only one I've liked and even then it's not a favorite. Bloodborne has a cool look and setting though

I really couldn't get into Code Vein. All in the weightiness that makes the souls games feel crunchy and satisfying are entirely absent. The Greatsword feels exactly the same as every other weapon

Not really. I'm at the point where I play games more to relax than anything. I don't see the fun in tear-your-hair-out git gud difficulty games anymore.

It took a while, but I eventually got into them. Ironically, I've only ever beat one Fromsoft souls like in Sekiro, which plays almost nothing like a traditional Souls game.

party_animal07 posted...

It took a while, but I eventually got into them. Ironically, I've only ever beat one Fromsoft souls like in Sekiro, which plays almost nothing like a traditional Souls game.

I mean if you had to play any From game, it only makes sense to start with the best.

viewmaster_pi posted...

it is, but both have their own strengths and weaknesses. i don't understand their "mediocre" reputation

the later areas kinda suck and the 'mech souls' tagline loses steam pretty quickly when the armor/weapon variety runs out two zones in

granted, that's 1. I thought 2 was pretty alright personally but didn't finish it, aught to go back at some point

haven't played too many others but I absolutely loved the Nioh games

Dungeater posted...

this is how i feel. everything else thus far hasnt come close to scratching the itch. not for exploration, world, writing, acting

This is my problem. I want something to be equal to fromsoft but just can't find anything. Fromsoft has spoiled me. Oh Nioh 2 was pretty great.

i liked Nioh quite a bit. tried the second one and gave up after like an hour b/c i got my ass handed to me over and over by an early boss

Actually people here reminded me that I have Surge 2 and it is actually pretty good. Something pissed me off and I stopped playing it but I remember liking it far more than the first one

I love Hollow Knight

Cemith posted...

I mean if you had to play any From game, it only makes sense to start with the best.

But the best From game is Armored Core For Answer

I think they can be good but at this point they're almost as overdone as modern military shooters were overdone back in the late 2000's/early 2010's.

The only souls/souls like I have liked is remnant 1 and 2. I've tried quite a few others but it's just not for me.

I like 2d ones.