Soulslike - Discussion, News, Memes

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This is a community for discussion, news, and memes pertaining to the video game sub-genre "soulslike".

Given Lemmy's size, the definition of soulslike may be treated relatively loosely. While games like the numerous FromSoft titles, the recent Star Wars Jedi games, Lies of P, Nioh and similar games should be the focus, games that incorporate soulslike elements - like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, for example - may also be discussed here.

Basic Lemmy-quette applies. Additionally, since flairs don't exist yet, please do make sure to include a marker to denote what game your post is about in square brackets for clarity's sake. An example could be:

[BB] This enemy is so difficult!

or

[DS1] Anyone struggling with the gargoyles?

Friends:

!liesofp@lemmy.zip

!bloodborne@lemmy.zip

!sekiro@lemmy.zip

!eldenring@lemmy.world

!shittydarksouls@lemmy.world

Should you have any questions, please do let me know.

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Let us know!

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Here are a couple of videos and video essays I've watched and enjoyed a lot in the past for numerous soulslikes. I can definitely recommend any of them and have sorted them by game. The length can vary a lot, so many of them are probably videos you'd wanna watch/listen to over the span of a couple of days. I've had loads of fun with them and recommend checking out the respective channels for sure.

Dark Souls:

Should Dark Souls have an easy mode? - https://youtu.be/K5tPJDZv_VE

The World Design of Dark Souls - https://youtu.be/QhWdBhc3Wjc

I Beat the Dark Souls Trilogy and All I Made Was This Lousy Video Essay - https://youtu.be/O_KVCFxnpj4

Prepare to Cry: Artorias - https://youtu.be/Ag60ZF-IdKk

The Gender of Dark Souls 2 (video essay about the four queens and how they are presented in light of gender roles and their place in the universe) - https://youtu.be/RkKKkVrK_EU

Elden Ring:

The World Design of Elden Ring - https://youtu.be/LvnlvB9n6ic

Lies of P:

How Lies of P Twists Pinocchio's Origins - https://youtu.be/b6o9bt1SMEM

What Is in a Lie? - https://youtu.be/RAqz6F1yQQU

Lies of P has ruined Dark Souls For Me - https://youtu.be/LIrUQjjsDYg

We Didn't Deserve Lies of P - https://youtu.be/aTmjNDfX698

What's the Deal with the Wax Figure? (Overture Spoilers) - https://youtu.be/5FKE49t2hOc

Bloodborne:

Visceral Feminity - https://youtu.be/sJVXV14Vv3M

Bloodborne is Genius and Here's Why - https://youtu.be/AC3OuLU5XCw

We Don't Deserve Bloodborne - https://youtu.be/lWa-cHAmiDU

Bloodborne: A World Without Hope - https://youtu.be/2Y7avwiMjB0

Is Bloodborne Still a Masterpiece? - https://youtu.be/W68ludaiY_8

Sekiro:

Sekiro's Parry and Other Pursuits of Perfection - https://youtu.be/7W4li9yfY3o

Hollow Knight:

The (Mostly) Complete Lore of Hollow Knight - https://youtu.be/0XDiWYFGGqY

Let's Explore a Hollow Knight Iceberg - https://youtu.be/JvoiwgJbmKE

The World Design of Hollow Knight - https://youtu.be/7ITtPPE-pXE

Misc:

Souls Inheritors: Bloodborne vs. Sekiro vs. Elden Ring - https://youtu.be/hPRo4arGaSk

As you might have guessed, I have a soft spot for Bloodborne and Lies of P wherein my personal standouts would be "Visceral Feminity" - a video essay that deals with Bloodborne's imagery and its parallelity to the female experience - and "How Lies of P Twists Pinocchio's Origins" - a video essay that explores the similarities between the original Pinocchio novel and Lies of P and shows how its lore and world building are translated for the game.

Do feel free to comment your favourite video essays about any of the soulslikes you can think of and are passionate about. I'll add it to the post's body so people have a nice comprehensive list to check out in the future. I'll also pin the post for a couple of weeks for visibility.

Enjoy :)

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Remnant: From the Ashes was my first dive into a soulslike game and I fell in love with the grind of it, then followed up with playing Remnant 2.

But I hate Melee combat and it seems soulslikes are usually focused on it.

Is there any that focus on ranged combat or have viable builds for ranged?

Thanks!

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Apologies for the overtly negative title, but I'm getting a little frustrated over here. This year, I've played Khazan, which I've enjoyed a lot, the Elden Ring DLC, which I need to get back to at some point but enjoyed so far, and Lies of P (again) + its DLC, which I've loved. All of these have one thing in common: quality. This makes it really hard for me to give smaller soulslikes a fair chance.

A few months ago, I gave Thymesia a shot. I definitely see the potential and vision and liked some of its mechanics quite a bit, but it just doesn't hold up to the greater soulslikes I've played. I didn't even manage to kill the first boss out of impatience and because of a lack of enjoyment.

Just tried Lords of the Fallen too and, man, I feel like they didn't even try to make this second attempt any better than the first. I was taken aback by the wide range of classes to choose from, but the gameplay just feels so unnecessarily convoluted, floaty and weightless. All of these different mechanics are thrown into the mix that end up being next to meaningless because you end up going from point A to B with a minor detour because you're travelling through the Shadow Realm™. That first boss was also an absolute nothing-burger.

Like, what gives? Are games like Khazan and Lies of P that much of an anomaly? I woild have really liked to expand my repertoire of soulslikes to play, but I'm just getting disappointed left and right despite going into it with an open mind.

Have any of you guys experienced something like that? I really wanted to give both of these a try, but man. Maybe I just need a break from the genre...

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8: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

7: Blasphemous

6: Salt and Sanctuary

5: Code Vein

4: Tunic

3: Nioh 2

2: Remnant 2

1: Hollow Knight

Which of these have you played?

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I first got to play Hell is Us at Gamescom last year and was immediately drawn into its blend of Stalker's wartorn, apocalyptic European aesthetics and Death Stranding style sci-fi.

While Elden Ring is unquestionably one of the best open-world games in recent years, Fromsoftware makes some concessions to help players along. Rogue Factor wants you to take the lead in Hell is Us, keeping hand holding to an absolute minimum and offering you just a simple record of how the information you've collected so far ties together. While the overworld is naturally more open-ended, however, its dungeons promise to offer more classic-style challenges, putting your skills with soulslikes and your ability to think to the test across weaving networks akin to those seen in Elden Ring's tombs or Bloodborne's chalices.

"We didn't design these dungeons as mere set pieces," creative director Jonathan Jacques-Belletête explains, "we built them like old-school videogame challenges: tight, crafted, deliberate. Every corner, every obstacle, every encounter is there for a reason."

"When it clicks, that's when you will feel it - that little rush," Jacques-Belletête whispers. "Not because the game told you what to do, but because you figured it out on your own. That's what we're after." Of course, you'll also have plenty of enemies to deal with. "Some of the fights you will face might stick with you; not because they are brutally hard, that's not the kind of game we're making, but because they hit differently. They happen at the right moment, at the right place, and they carry weight in your journey."

I was under the impression that Hell Is Us is not really a soulslike though, is it? Barely heard anything of the game tbh

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/3738600/Memoria_Wake_Demo/

Article Summary

  • Try the free Memoria Wake demo on Steam and explore a surreal, isometric soulslike adventure.
  • Play as Nilo, a tiny cat in a raincoat, battling nightmares with smart, parry-driven combat mechanics.
  • Experience two distinct biomes: a world of living toys and a mysterious, rundown university setting.
  • Face off against two challenging bosses, with over twenty planned for the full Memoria Wake release.
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I've pretty much dodged everything about the game - story, gameplay, art direction, trailers - so I know barely anything about the game. Some people seem to be praising it quite a bit for its more "classic" soulslike approach and have been comparing it to DS1 even.

How do you like it so far? Is the comparison to DS1 sound?

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If you’re looking to power through Wuchang: Fallen Feathers’ campaign without stopping to smell too many roses, you can probably complete it in around 40-50 hours. The main story path is pretty substantial with quite a few lengthy, labyrinthine areas to chart a path through—not to mention lots of challenging bosses standing between you and exploring the next location.

Not only does it feature multiple endings to incentivize playing through it more than once, but it’s also sporting a hefty trophy and achievement list that expects you to really push yourself to the limits.

40-50h seems to be a pretty standard runtime for soulslikes these days. Obviously depends on your skill and how much time you leave yourself to explore the games, but both LoP as well as Khazan were around that time to complete for me, LoP maybe being a tad shorter.

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submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by sundray@lemmus.org to c/soulslike@lemmy.zip
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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world to c/soulslike@lemmy.zip
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Anything new you're picking up? Any playthroughs you're finishing?

I got nothing right now, guys. Been busy playing Disco Elysium this past month or so and now I'm moving on to Planescape Torment and other PC games. Nothing souls-related, tho.

What about you?

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