>>29012740must hurt being that wrong...
A Soulslike, also spelled Souls-like, is a subgenre of action RPG games known for high difficulty, deliberate combat, and environmental storytelling, often in a dark fantasy setting. They are heavily influenced by the "Souls" series (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne) created by FromSoftware. Key characteristics include challenging combat requiring player skill, checkpoints that respawn enemies and restore health, and a focus on uncovering the game's lore through exploration and item descriptions, rather than explicit storytelling.
Key features of Soulslike games:
High Difficulty:
Soulslikes are known for their unforgiving nature, requiring players to learn enemy attack patterns and master combat mechanics.
Deliberate Combat:
Combat is not about button mashing, but about carefully timing attacks, dodges, and parries.
Bonfire-style Checkpoints:
Resting at checkpoints (often called "bonfires" or similar) will restore health and healing items, but also respawn all enemies in the area.
Environmental Storytelling:
Lore and narrative are often conveyed through the environment, item descriptions, and subtle clues, rather than through cutscenes or dialogue.
Emphasis on Exploration:
Players are encouraged to explore the game world, uncover secrets, and discover new areas and shortcuts.
Resource Management:
Players must manage limited resources, such as healing items, stamina, and other consumables, adding to the challenge.
Loss of Experience/Resources on Death:
Upon death, players typically lose experience points or other valuable resources, which can be recovered by returning to the location of their death.
Build Variety:
Players can customize their characters with different weapons, armor, and stats, allowing for diverse playstyles.
Interconnected World:
Many Soulslikes feature interconnected maps with shortcuts that allow for efficient traversal.