Soulslike
A subgenre of action RPGs emphasizing difficulty and environmental storytelling.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
A Soulslike (sometimes written as Souls-like) is a subgenre of action role-playing games. These games typically feature expansive worlds filled with enemies and rely on environmental storytelling, often set in a dark fantasy atmosphere. The subgenre was created and defined by the Japanese developer and publisher FromSoftware, along with director Hidetaka Miyazaki. They pioneered it with *Demon's Souls* (2009) and expanded its popularity through later titles, most notably the *Dark Souls* trilogy (2011–2016), which gave the genre its name. FromSoftware's games in this style, including *Bloodborne* (2015), are frequently referred to as Soulsborne games—a blend of "Souls" and "Bloodborne."
While the Soulslike label is most often applied to action role-playing games, its core ideas—high difficulty, repeated character death that drives player learning and mastery of the world and enemy patterns, few save points, and indirect storytelling through the environment—can also appear in games from very different genres. When these mechanics are present, such games are sometimes described as Soulslike.
**Gameplay**
Soulslike games are known for their high difficulty, where the player's character is expected to die repeatedly, and this is built into the gameplay. After death, players usually keep some progress, such as collected items or defeated bosses, from their last checkpoint. Other losses, like experience points or currency, may be recoverable. Most Soulslike games offer ways to permanently improve the character's abilities to advance further, often using a form of currency that can be earned and spent but may be lost or abandoned between deaths if not managed carefully—similar to the souls in the *Dark Souls* series. The need for multiple playthroughs can be seen as a form of self-improvement, either through gradually upgrading the character or by the player honing their own skills and strategies.
James Silva, developer of *Salt and Sanctuary*, noted that Soulslike games encourage "deliberate and meaningful exploration" of the entire game—including the world, character progression, and combat—through learning from repeated failures. Combat in these games is often methodical, requiring players to monitor their stamina to avoid overexertion. Actions are typically based on "animation priority," meaning the player cannot cancel a movement until its animation finish
- field
- Video game subgenre
- known_for
- High difficulty, repeated character death, environmental storytelling, sparse checkpoints
- originator
- FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki
- first_game
- Demon's Souls (2009)
- name_derived_from
- Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016)
Lore & Background
The Soulslike genre emerged from FromSoftware's Demon's Souls (2009) and Dark Souls (2011), from which the genre's name is derived. The games helped establish and popularize design conventions associated with the genre, including difficult combat, hostile environments, limited checkpoints, recoverable resources lost on death, and indirect storytelling through world design and atmosphere. Later FromSoftware games, including Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, have also been discussed in relation to the Soulslike genre or the related Soulsborne label.
Soulslike games typically have a high level of difficulty where repeated player character death is expected and incorporated as part of the gameplay, with players often keeping part of their progress, like items collected and bosses defeated, since the last checkpoint. Other losses (such as experience or currency) are potentially recoverable. Soulslike games usually have ways to permanently improve the player character's abilities to progress further, often using a type of currency that can be earned and spent but may be lost or abandoned between deaths if not properly managed, similar to the souls in the Dark Souls series.
Many Soulslike games use checkpoint systems associated with the bonfires of Dark Souls. These checkpoints typically serve as respawn or recovery points and may also allow players to level up or fast travel between discovered locations, while resting at them may reset enemies. Similar checkpoints may be represented differently in other games. Such systems help avoid an outright failure state while preserving a risk-and-reward structure around death, recovery, and exploration.
Reader's Guide
The Soulslike subgenre has had a significant influence on game design, with its core concepts of high difficulty, repeated character death driving player knowledge and mastery, sparsity of save points, and indirect environmental storytelling appearing in games of very different genres. Notable examples include Lords of the Fallen (2014), Salt and Sanctuary (2016), Nioh (2017), and Lies of P (2023). Other games not always classified as Soulslikes but cited as influenced by the Souls series include Hollow Knight (2017), God of War (2018), and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019).
Interviews with developers of Soulslike games revealed that they all thought of being classified as part of the genre as a positive thing that functioned as a useful description for players. However, some believed that it could be misleading, causing players to expect certain things and be disappointed when a game does not have them. Austin Wood of PC Gamer criticized the Soulslike label, saying that treating Souls games as a template 'misleads' players. Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit decried the subgenre as overly restrictive, while Bruno Dias of Vice disagreed, saying that Soulslikes did not need to advance yet, as they did not have a marketability problem.
Did You Know?
- The genre's name is derived from the Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016).
- FromSoftware and director Hidetaka Miyazaki are largely considered to have created and established the subgenre.
- Soulslike games sometimes feature comic relief elements such as petting a cat or being eaten by a Mimic.
- Some developers thought the Soulslike label could be misleading, causing players to expect certain things and be disappointed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a soulslike game?
A soulslike is a subgenre of action RPGs built around punishing difficulty, sparse checkpoints, and storytelling conveyed through the environment rather than cutscenes. Titles in the genre typically lean into dark fantasy settings and expect players to die repeatedly while mastering challenging encounters.
Who created the soulslike genre?
FromSoftware, the Japanese developer and publisher, established the subgenre under the direction of Hidetaka Miyazaki. They defined the core design language beginning with Demon's Souls in 2009 and refined it across subsequent releases.
What game started the soulslike genre?
Demon's Souls (2009) is widely regarded as the first title to lay out the structural pillars—high difficulty, environmental narrative, and limited checkpointing—that later became the genre's signature. Its successor, Dark Souls, then brought that formula to a far broader audience and cemented the template.
Why is the genre called "soulslike"?
The name derives directly from the Dark Souls trilogy (2011–2016), which popularized the design language enough that other studios began imitating it. The "-like" suffix simply signals that a game follows the same structural and tonal conventions without being made by FromSoftware.
What are the defining features of a soulslike?
Core hallmarks include frequent character death, deliberately sparse checkpoints, minimal hand-holding, and a dark fantasy world that tells its story through item descriptions and set dressing. Progression is usually gated behind tough bosses, and the player is expected to learn patterns through repeated failure.
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