Soulslike
A Soulslike (also spelled Souls-like) is a subgenre of action role-playing and action-adventure games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in ''Demon's Souls'' and the ''Dark Souls'' series by FromSoftware, the themes and mechanics of which directly inspired several other games. Soulslike games developed by FromSoftware themselves have been specifically referred to as Soulsborne games, a portmanteau of ''Souls'' and ''Bloodborne''. Soulslikes have been adopted by a number of critics and developers. However, it has also received questions whether it is a true genre or a collection of shared mechanics. Concepts Gameplay Soulslike games typically have a high level of difficulty where repeated player character death is expected and incorporated as part of the gameplay, losing all progress if certain checkpoints have not been reached. Soulslike games usually have means to permanentl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Action Role-playing
An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player has direct control over the characters as opposed to turn or menu-based combat while still having a focus on character's Stats in order to determine relative strength and abilities. These games often use action game combat systems similar to hack and slash or shooter games. Action role-playing games may also incorporate action-adventure games, which include a mission system and role-playing game mechanics, or MMORPGs with real-time combat systems. History 1970s and early 1980s Allgame listed the following games released prior to 1984 as action RPGs: ''Temple of Apshai'' (1979) and its sequel ''Gateway to Apshai'' (1983), ''Beneath the Pyramids'' for the Apple II (1980), '' Bokosuka Wars'' (1983), and '' Sword of Fargoal'' (1983). Jerem ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Darksiders III
''Darksiders III'' is an Action role-playing game developed by Gunfire Games and published by THQ Nordic for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Stadia. It is the third entry in the '' Darksiders'' series. The game departs from the gameplay of the previous entries and incorporates elements from Metroidvanias and Soulslikes. Taking place before the first '' Darksiders'' game, the player controls Fury, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in her quest to capture the seven deadly sins which have taken corporeal form and escaped imprisonment. In their quest, players can use a variety of melee and magical weapons and gain experience points and currency to upgrade Fury's powers and weapons. ''Darksiders III'' received mixed reviews upon release, with many critics highlighting the technical issues and bugs on both PC and console versions as well as the too simple combat and puzzle systems. Gameplay ''Darksiders III'' is a departure from the pre ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Demon's Souls
is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PAL territories by Namco Bandai Partners in June 2010. The game is referred to as a spiritual successor to FromSoftware's ''King's Field'' series. ''Demon's Souls'' is set in Boletaria, a kingdom consumed by a dark being called the Old One, following its release through the use of forbidden Soul Arts. Players take on the role of a hero brought to Boletaria to kill its fallen king Allant and pacify the Old One. Gameplay has players navigating five different worlds from a hub called the Nexus, with a heavy emphasis on challenging combat and mechanics surrounding player death and respawning. Online multiplayer allows both player cooperation and world invasions featuring player versus player combat. The game's early development was troubled due ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dark Souls
is a series of action role-playing games created by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series began with the release of ''Dark Souls'' (2011) and has seen two sequels, ''Dark Souls II'' (2014) and ''Dark Souls III'' (2016). ''Dark Souls'' has received critical acclaim, with the first title often cited as one of the greatest in video games, with the series as a whole being both praised and criticized for its high level of difficulty. By 2022, the series had shipped over 33 million copies. Other FromSoftware games, including ''Demon's Souls'', ''King's Field'', ''Bloodborne'', '' Sekiro'', and ''Elden Ring'', share several related concepts and are commonly grouped together as Soulslikes. Setting The games take place within a dark, medieval fantasy setting, where the player's character fights against knights, dragons, phantoms, demons, and other monstrous or supernatural entities. The accretion, loss, and recovery of souls ar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Titan Souls
''Titan Souls'' is an 2015 action-adventure game developed by Acid Nerve and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Android. ''Titan Souls'' received generally positive reviews and has been cited as an early example of a Soulslike, a game genre directly inspired by the ''Dark Souls'' series. Plot Between Earth and the real world beyond lie the Titan Souls, the spiritual source and sum of all living things. Now scattered amongst the ruins and guarded by the idle titans charged with their care, a solitary hero armed with but a single arrow is once again assembling shards of the Titan Soul in a quest for truth and power. Gameplay ''Titan Souls'' is a strategic, open world, 2D, top-down action-adventure, where the player has only one arrow and can only take one hit. The goal is to defeat the nineteen giant monsters called the Titans, which can, just like the player, only take one hit but only have one way to be ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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FromSoftware
FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, ''King's Field (video game), King's Field'', for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation in 1994. Its success shifted FromSoftware to focus fully on video games, with them producing two more ''King's Field'' games before creating the mecha combat series ''Armored Core'' (1997), one of their flagship franchises. By the 2000s, the company's lineup also included the ''Echo Night'', ''Shadow Tower'', ''Lost Kingdoms'', ''Otogi'', and ''Another Century's Episode'' series. FromSoftware would achieve breakout success in the 2010s, spurred by ''Demon's Souls'' (2009) and ''Dark Souls (video game), Dark Souls'' (2011), the latter being the first entry in a Dark Souls, trilogy whose success led to the creation of a subgenre of action role-playing games known as Soulslikes. Th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ashen (2018 Video Game)
''Ashen'' is an action role-playing game developed by New Zealand studio A44 and published by Annapurna Interactive. Gameplay The game is set in a sunless world and tells the story of a character seeking a home. Gameplay is described as including open-world exploration, co-operation or competition with other players, and combat with in-world monsters. The game is presented in a third-person view, with a muted cel-shaded graphics presentation. The game follows the Dark Souls-style mechanics and combat. Both combat and exploration in an open world were key design elements of the game. Multiplayer elements include interactions with other players, which are incorporated into the game as providing traditional RPG elements such as crafting. Combat includes ranged and melee weapons. Character growth is primarily dominated by equipment, rather than player 'stats'; "Talismans", either found or crafted, are used to upgrade character abilities or provide other in-game perks. Development I ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hidetaka Miyazaki
is a Japanese creative director, designer, scriptwriter, and executive for the video game company FromSoftware. He joined them in 2004 and was a designer for the ''Armored Core'' series before receiving wider recognition for directing the '' Dark Souls'' series. Miyazaki was promoted to company president in 2014 and also serves as its representative director. Other games he has directed include '' Demon's Souls'', ''Bloodborne'', '' Sekiro'', and ''Elden Ring'', which have all received critical acclaim. Miyazaki's influences range across the works of various novelists, manga artists, and game designers such as Fumito Ueda and Yuji Horii. His games often invoke the use of high difficulty and narratives presented largely through flavor text and environmental cues as opposed to dialogue. Regarded as an auteur of the video game medium, his work has often been cited as highly influential, leading to the creation of the Soulslike genre of games. Career Miyazaki was born circa 19 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lords Of The Fallen
''Lords of the Fallen'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Deck13 and CI Games. It was released in October 2014 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A mobile version of the game, which features one-to-one swipe combat controls, was released on 9 February 2017 for iOS and Android, as a paid game with in-app purchases. Players journey through mysterious, large interconnected environments, battling beastly, disfigured enemies, including bosses, using melee weapons, such as axes and hammers. Players control Harkyn as he is sent on a mission to stop a powerful god's mysterious demonic forces as they invade the world to reclaim it after being dethroned. Gameplay ''Lords of the Fallen'' is a third-person action role-playing game containing a slow tactical approach to close-quarters combat gameplay, with difficult enemies and locations to overcome, while learning from their encounters. The player takes the role of Harkyn, who, from the beginning, ca ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Shadows Die Twice
is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by FromSoftware and published by Activision. The game follows a shinobi known as Wolf, who attempts to take revenge on a samurai clan that imprisoned him and kidnapped his lord. The gameplay is focused on stealth, exploration, and combat, with a particular emphasis on boss battles. It takes place in a fictionalized Japan during the Sengoku period and makes strong references to Buddhist mythology and philosophy. ''Sekiro'' was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in March 2019, and for Stadia in October 2020. Lead director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted to create a new intellectual property (IP) that marked a departure from their ''Dark Souls'' series, looking at games such as ''Tenchu'' for inspiration. ''Sekiro'' was praised by critics, who complimented its gameplay and setting, and compared it to ''Dark Souls'', although opinions on its difficulty were mixed. It won several year-end awards and sold over five million copies by J ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Salt And Sanctuary
''Salt and Sanctuary'' is a 2D action role-playing video game developed and published by Ska Studios. The game was released on March 15, 2016, for the PlayStation 4, with later releases for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It is heavily inspired by the ''Dark Souls'' series by FromSoftware. The game received positive reception from critics, who praised its graphical style and gameplay. A sequel, '' Salt and Sacrifice'', was released in 2022. Gameplay ''Salt and Sanctuary'' combines aspects of the metroidvania and soulslike genres. The game features 2D hand drawn visuals, as well as gameplay mechanics similar to the ''Dark Souls'' series. There are 600 items players may use, and the several weapon categories have special movesets including air attacks. Players can wield two handed weapons for additional power, and shields to defend and parry. Magic and ranged attacks can also be performed. The game implements RPG concepts such ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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DarkMaus
''DarkMaus'' is an Action role-playing game, action role-playing video game developed by Daniel Wright. The game was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam (service), Steam on January 26, 2016. Plot ''Dark Maus'' is set in the world of Hazath, which has become corrupted. It follows a lone mouse who sets out to discover what has happened. Gameplay In ''Dark Maus'', the combat is skill based. Weapons include swords and bows, and the player has the ability to shoot fireballs. As enemies will be much more powerful than the player, they will need to devise strategies to defeat them. The player will be punished for being greedy. When the player dies, a ghost character will appear to assist the player. Over time, the player can collect multiple ghosts, and choose which of their weapons they would like to use. The game begins with a steep difficulty curve, with the intention being for the player to be thoughtful about how to progress. There are multiple playstyles for the player t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |