I feel like this is the experience most people getting into these games go through. It’s just a very different kind of game compared to what’s out there and usually played. It’s funny if you think about too: soulslikes, at their core, are also just 3rd person action adventure games with combat, story, whatnot, but the way the combat is the focus of the games makes for a very different experience

I’ll see if I give it a shot. Maybe it’d run on a base PS4? I have a jailbroken one, so I could just give it a try for free basically

Thanks for you excellent and very detailed breakdown - I enjoyed reading it a lot.

Yea, I feel what you’re saying. I feel like many FromSoft fans have this very strict idea of what a soulslike and its difficulty entail. The punishing difficulty is a driving factor for many, of course, but it’s also a divise one at that, something that’s actively keeping people from playing and enjoying these games.

I think we’re overdue some sort of difficulty settings. It’s the same argument over again with people who are very adamant about those games not needing to cater to “casuals” and rather sticking to the roots of the genre, but it’s just gatekeeping in my opinion. Having difficulty settings does not diminish your accomplishments in a game - all it does is make the game more accessible to other players. Who am I to dictate how someone should be playing with a game they’ve spent money on to enjoy? Of course, artistic intent and whatnot is something to keep in mind, but especially FromSoft is a studio that should be capable of cooking something up that does not impede their vision or other players’ enjoyment.

Now, Elden Ring definitely took a step in the right direction with its lack of strict linearity and plethora of different builds. However, a (semi-)ranged weapon with the depth of something like Simon’s Bowblade from Bloodborne, which is part sword part bow, is dearly missing from souls titles. If the ranged options weren’t just regular bows, crossbows, staves and stuff that are very crude and one-dimensional, more people would try ranged tactics instead of smashing their heads against a wall to no avail. It helps broaden the players’ horizons and gives more options to people that crave them.

Cool! I like that most soulslikes allow for really custom builds - you make the game yours and play how it suits you.

Never heard of agrophobia actually? Do you mean agoraphobia? Interesting read!

I’ll look into it, thanks :)

I can imagine it’s tough dealing with this. How do you manage? And is this an official diagnosis or just something you’ve noticed over the years?

Honestly this sounds amazing. It’s your origin story and will lead you to many more adventures, I feel like

Senpou Temple monks

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More like 99% videos and 40% of those are ads

Wait, that’s interesting. What kind of auditory processing issues, if you don’t mind my asking?

Oh yea, true, I agree. Hollow Knight does the fit the bill rather nicely in comparison, for sure!

Haven’t played ACT treasure yet but should, I feel like. How’s it stack up to your favourites?

Agree on Ori for sure. Was just meant as a conversation starter to think outside the box of classic soulslikes.

Hm, I see your point about Horizon. Some of the boss fights do definitely feel a little souls-y. I’d argue, though, that the arsenal of Aloy is a lot larger than any of the heroes in classic souls games, straying a little from its original meaning. The focus on “boss fights” does resemble them tho. Monster Hunter might go in a similar direction then?

I enjoyed my time with Sifu quite a bit. I think I didn’t get past the third or fourth level because of the difficulty but man, it’s fun.

Only heard that both the original as well as the remade Lords of the Fallen is pretty bad. 2023 seems to have fixed some of the original’s faults but still doesn’t really hold a candle to its contemporaries. How does it stack up to others for you?

Agree on Lies of P. Bloodborne was my first love, then came Sekiro. Lies of P is sitting firmly between the two and it’s well-deserved. It’s the just a combination of both games’ good shit. Really enjoyed my time a lot with the game. Even got a tattoo partly inspired by Lies of P recently. :)

Can’t comment on the other games you mention - just heard that Mortal Shell seems to be a little divisive among the fans. Looks cool enough tho!

Oh yea, Iron Pineapple is awesome :D

Guilty as charged

How does it stack up to oldschool Zelda titles in your opinion?

Aah, I didn’t know that Absolver was the predecessor to Sifu - interesting! The game did look intriguing when I looked at footage a couple years ago.

What was it about Elden Ring that kept you wanting to play? The story, the world, the atmosphere? And did you manage its difficult alright?

Yea you do have to adapt to the games’ speed and play on their terms. Once you do, you’re having a great time, but you need to get there first. Bloodborne is definitely the more approachable of the two in terms of difficulty and actually shouldn’t be too far away from DS3 when it comes to speed and aggressiveness given that DS3 was inspired by BB’s design

I haven’t ever thought about all of the FromSoft titles not really allowing for good ranged builds. It kinda does go against their design philosophy, I feel like, and they do have magic and ranged combat in some ways, but both are not as fleshed out as melee combat and its plethora of weapons is. Would a good ranged weapon whose moveset you enjoy help you finish a traditional soulslike?

Wow that’s brutal. Hope you do get around to finish Metroid sometime!