What is a Soulsborne?

A Soulsborne game refers to a specifc line of games created by company FromSoftware. These games are known for their higher difficulty, dark fantasy settings and environmental storytelling. The name itself is a portmanteau of two of their games, more specifically the words -Souls and Bloodborne. This genre of video game became quite popular starting around 2009 with the game Demon Souls. This would also give birth to a similar term called Soulslikes.

What is a Soulslike?

A Soulslike is a term coined by fans of Soulsborne games to refer to games that are LIKE them, but are not made by FromSoftware, the company that developed the Soulsborne games. Soulslikes games take inspiration from the Soulsborne games by taking some aspects from them and turning it into something their own, whether it be the dark fantasy, environmental storytelling, or taking specific mechanics and recreating them in the setting of their game. Some notable examples of Soulslikes include:

• Lies of P
• Lords of the Fallen
• Remnant 2
• Code Vein
• Mortal Shell
• The Nioh Series

What makes them so fun?

There are multiple things that can make the Soulsborne games interesting for people. For some, it could be the gameplay mechanics that are very appealing; parrying and riposting attacks, dodge rolling, defeating monsters multiple times your size, and unique magic. For others, its the dark fantasy setting; you are a single person in a suffering world trying to survive and accomplish your goal. For others, it could be the environmental storytelling; you need to interact with the world to truly understand it. Aside from a few specific storylines, the games typically do not tell you about the world around you unless you seek it out by interacting with NPCs or checking item descriptions of the loot you acquire, or taking note about the geography of the land.