One way or another, we’ve all found our way to this truly magnificent genre of video games. We’ve all had our humble beginnings and first trial runs of games the genre has to offer. But how did we get here? Who introduced us to the genre? That’s what I want to know from you!
My very first introduction to the genre was via PewDiePie (yuck) from like 2013 or so when he first played it on his channel. Didn’t know the next thing about the genre or the game at all but wanted to give it a try since it looked fun and I was an impressionable teen. I remember bearing Taurus Demon and then getting stuck on Undead Burg, so I didn’t really play a lot.
The other person that influenced me in giving the genre a try was probably my former breakdance teacher who’s a huge fan of Bloodborne. I had a digital copy off PS+ and got some encouragement from him to give the game a try. It didn’t click with until a couple years later, or rather I was too scared to progress because I knew of an upcoming jumpscare that I didn’t want to experience (that doesn’t exist btw), but yea, those were my two first instances of being introduced to the genre.
Were you introduced to the genre by someone in particular? How did you get to give it a try?
I’d played a few hours of dark souls 2 and 3 but never really clicked with the gameplay until Elden Ring. In fact, I spent several hours trying to kill tutorial Gundyr in 3. Came back recently and beat him about 30 seconds, lol.
Even in Elden Ring, I had to restart my playthrough to feel like I’d actually learned anything about the gameplay. I do that a lot with games. I’ll get several hours in and drop it for months. Then I come back and start fresh, never getting to the end. But it actually helped with this series. It’s amazing how big of a gulf there is between past me and now.
I had a bunch of friends talking about DS1 and I tried it, wasnt positive I liked how hard it was. Then I got to undeadburg and spent HOURS trying to beat Havel and the torus demon both. I ended up leveling to 60 in undeadburg. And after that, I did more of the same by getting stuck at hellkite drake. I eventually got the helkite drake sword and tried using that until I got to S&O. I was not smart, but i was dedicated.
Alot of you guys need to give the Armored Core series a try. I’ve been a fan since Silent Line back on the ps2. Armored Core 3 was cool, but it took the sequel to really hook me.
Armored Core as a series is like a deep dive back into the development of Fromsoft as a storytelling company in addition to being a game developer. The scale of the conflicts, the ability to truly affect the story with your choices, and showing you the impact those choices have in more than just dialog. Its all a road map leading up to masterpieces like Armored Core 6, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.
I’ve honestly never beaten Elden ring, despite playing and enjoying for a while. I just dont have the drive to sit down and invest hundreds of hours to build the muscle memory I need to complete a game like that. But I already have those muscles for Armored Core, and a 20 hour story run is much more palatable to fit into a week than a 100 hour souls slog.
Where in the Armored Core series should someone dive in? From the beginning? I’ve never played any of them.
The nice thing about Armored Core is that it doesn’t matter. Every game is very well self contained. Im a bit partial to older entries in the series simply due to nostalgia, but AC 6 is a fantastic game in its own right. If you find yourself itching for more after playing through that a few times, the rest of the series awaits. Things get kinda hard to play and find back around AC3. Please also note that the numbering convention doesn’t matter much and there are a bunch of smaller psp/one-off sequels.
I was bored and had heard Elden Ring had great world building and lore. This sounded like the story adventure games I usually played… yeah…
After dying in the tutorial section multiple times because this was the first real combat heavy game I’d ever played. I actually committed harder to playing it.
I had just recently been diagnosed and medicated for ADHD and I decided that forcing myself to beat this Hellish game would be a great exercise in following through with goals and not giving up on tasks that are long/difficult.
It took me longer than I’m willing to admit (in my defense I was playing with a mouse and keyboard for the first week or two), but eventually I beat the game.
Oh I should also mention I did quit about halfway through… to go beat DS1 and DS2. I was dying to the same bosses over and over and needed novelty. So I decided DS1 would give me new things to explore but still help me get better at these games. It worked well enough that I decided to restart ER from the beginning. It is very satisfying to obliterate enemies that used to feel difficult and know that it’s because of skill not upgrades this time lol.
Picked up Dark Souls 2 at a videogame cafe on a whim back in my youth and got absolutely owned by the first Heide Knight you encounter. Tried it a few more times at the cafe, I don’t think I ever made it to Huntsmans Copse, before finally picking up Dark Souls 1. Bounced off it first at the Undead Berg bull, and then at Sens.
Several years later, I picked up Sekiro because it was the FotM hotness, and I fell in love with it because I wasn’t a stupid teen anymore and no longer bounced off difficult games. Went back through the franchise from there, completing DS1, DS2, and DS3 within like a month.
completing DS1, DS2, and DS3 within like a month.
Damn, son, you locked in!
My school friend shared his PSN when I bought a PS4, so I could check out Bloodborne. I could not stop playing, this game uprooted my sleep schedule. I especially enjoyed the lore, soundtrack, architecture, atmosphere and overall vibe of living through a Lovecraft story.
Since then I have played Demon Souls, DS1&3, Elden Ring with DLC. Still nothing hits the same.
My boyfriend. He’s been playing Elden Ring since its release and back then, I used to find the photos from its steam page intimidating and lowkey creepy but also, beautiful. It stopped from there but eventually, come 2024, I started becoming more curious about the game. I’m the type of person who, if I want something, I’ll do everything I can to get it so I did everything I can to get enough money to buy it 😂.
And from then on, I started exploring the genre itself and got myself a few games on sale over the time
It’s so awesome when you can bond with your partner over a game :) my fiancée also had never played a soulslike prior to Elden Ring and enjoyed the game so much that she’s always the one asking to play it nowadays while I have no desire to continue playing :D she even beat Malenia whom I couldn’t beat
What’s your favourite soulslike thus far?
Thank you! I eventually became the one more obsessed with elden ring than him, funnily enough 😂. Yeah, I’m the same as your fiance. I’m farming Malenia in convergence and I’ve faced PCR more than a 7 times now both in vanilla and convergence while he still hasn’t. Mainly cause he’s not playing the game these days tho.
But nevertheless we often talk about souls-likes.
As for my favourite one, it’s def elden ring. DS3 is a stellar game but not so much with replayability for me. I think DS1 & DS2 would have more replay value for me though. I’ve also played Asterigos but I found it to be too boring and slow. Fallen order is amazing tho! There’s also Nostalgaia, Blasphemous 1 & 2, Moonscars, and TLF. All gems!
Funnily enough, I’ve actually started playing soulslikes without knowing earlier, around the same time my boyfriend got ER (which was right upon its release) with Pascal’s Wager (it was free on play store). I just didn’t know it’s a soulslike or what even is a soulslike that time.
That’s so awesome - glad you’re enjoying your time with the game as much as you do :)
I haven’t finished my first playthrough of DS3, but I’ve also heard that it doesn’t boast as much replayabality since it’s a tad more linear than the previous entries. However, Sekiro is also very linear and I’ve played through the game like 7 times at this point? Same goes for Lies of P which also doesn’t have as many branching paths.
I actually think many fans got into the genre without knowing it. I didn’t know a thing about soulslikes when I got into Bloodborne. The talking about genres only really comes up once you’ve established your liking the game and upon further digging finding out more about the games.
Never heard of Pascal’s Wager! How would you describe the game compared to the contemporaries?
Yes it must be the linearity that makes me not wanna replay it. It might also be the pretty bland colour scheme of the game overall which rightfully earned it getting called a “greyslop” or something. Sekiro is also not open world but from what I’ve seen, lowkey feels like one from what I’ve seen and has a nice interesting colour scheme. Though that might be just me haha.
Bloodborne is nice. Surprisingly, it doesn’t look as bland as DS3 despite not offering much colour wise. But the gameplay and all that, it feels very beautiful. As for Pascal’s Wager, I think I’ll say it’s lowkey like BB aesthetically. Iirc, you also play as some sort of a hunter there and stuff feels gothic and maybe Lovecraftian (Idk, not that familiar with Lovecraftian stuff but yeah). Imo you should try the game tho. Available on PC too!
I’m the unchosen undead.
My friend in high school let me borrow his PS3 copy of DS1, telling me it was one of the best games ever.
I died to the skeletons in the graveyard around ten times (trolled lol) and promptly put it down.
Cut to much later, Elden Ring comes out and one of my friends is so excited that he gifts me the game at full price so I can experience it too.
And here comes one of the few times I’m braggadocious about gaming
For I say, “No, I have unfinished business first.”
I buy Dark Souls Remastered and start a Sorceror INT/DEX build. It’s tough. I recommend STR+Zwei instead for a first playthrough. Managing casts during runbacks is especially brutal. I die to the Capra Demon way too many times, git gud, and fight my way all the way to the edge of Blighttown, where I decide to stop for the night.
The next day, I boot up the game, hit Continue, and a message pops up saying, “The save data is corrupted.”
But when I read it, my brain sees, “YOU DIED.”
What am I going to do, go hollow?
So I start another save. Back to Blighttown. It’s not easy, but it’s something I just did. This time I keep playing. Get to that bonfire, kindle it, and save for the night.
The next day, “The save data is corrupted.”
I’m just infuriated at this point. Really Darkin’ my Soul rn.
But I restart again. Grind for the Balder Side Sword as soon as I get to the Undead Parish. Git gud. Now my level 11 character is doing as much damage as my previous level 20 character. Get to the Capra Demon. Steamroll. He should have got gud. Get to Sen’s Fortress. AAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH. Ornstein & Smough. Steamroll. Stuck on the fucking Four Kings of all bosses. Go beat Seath, get my OP magic from Logan, game over.
I beat Gwyn with 2 casts of Dark Bead, rekindle the First Flame, and immediately start a new playthrough.
I’m hooked.
Have you gotten around to Elden Ring yet?
I started it, but I’m focusing finishing up all the games I got halfway through last year. I don’t get a lot of gaming time. Dark Souls was the first, now I’m finishing up The Witcher III, and after that will be The Outer Worlds 2.
I was there… 3000 years ago…
When I was younger, a friend passed me a copy of Demon’s Souls for the PS3 when it came out in Europe. He said this game sucks and that I can keep it for now. This was before this franchise had any popularity at all, I didn’t even know anything about it before playing aside from what’s on the back cover.
Played it, hated it because I had no idea where to go or what to do. Gave it a try a month later and it quickly became one of my favorite games of all time. Been a day-one fan for the whole franchise since then. By comparison to everybody else, it’s wild how coincidental my introduction to Souls was.
Holy shit - you’re as OG as it gets
I came to the series probably around the release of DS3, or slightly before. I’d heard that they were supposed to be super hard but excellent games and wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
I got a copy of Demon’s Souls from GameStop for probably like $14, but didn’t start it for probably another few months to a year.
When I finally did start it, I started as a knight and ragequit pretty early into it as many of us probably did - maybe not even past Boletaria 1-1 - and told myself that I’d never play the game again.
A month or so later, however, the game wouldn’t get out of my head. I just kept thinking, “What could I do to do better?” and before I knew it, I had started another character.
I remember that my wife came downstairs and said “Isn’t that that game you got mad at and quit playing like a month ago?” And I was like “yeah, but I think I can do better this time”.
I played as a sorcerer because that’s what all of the websites said was the strongest class, and I played through the game constantly terrified. I remember that I got the Lava Bow to cheese as many regular enemies and bosses as I could, and I inched my way through the game super slowly and carefully.
I used Flame Pillar cheese to beat Allant because I was so terrified of him.
I moved on to Dark Souls, becoming more and more confident and aggressive the more I played. Ten-ish years later I’ve beaten every modern game From has made, SL1’d multiple games, and even gone back to play King’s Field. As many others have said, Fromsoft has basically ruined all other video games for me save a few similar experiences like older Monster Hunter.
Unfortunately I think the FromSoft games are also slowly losing what drew me to them in the first place, but they’re still amazing games, and I always look forward to seeing what From comes out with next.
Overall ranking for anyone interested: DeS > Sekiro > DS1 > BB > ER > DS2 > DS3
Demons Souls on the PS3. I recall there was some internet rumblings about it being a big deal that Altus was going to publish it and we would see it in the states. On a whim I ordered a copy.
All those years ago I had some friends over and showed it to them. It was almost unanimously regarded as unnecessarily difficult and stupid. That same set of friends now love all of these games.
In hindsight, do you like the game overall? I imagine your friendship and bonding over the shared experience would likely contribute to that if you did
I do like it, and I need to revisit it. It’s been a very long time and I don’t have my ps3 anymore. I haven’t played the updated PS5 version. Thoughts on the original vs the remastered version?
I haven’t played the original but many OG fans dislike the remake. The visuals are gorgeous but some enemies have been changed visually for no apparent reason and the overall aesthetic feels a lot more polished and less rough around the edges like the original. Depends on what you value, I think.
I liked my time with the game and can definitely say that it’s still one of the best-looking games on the PS5, even after more than 5 years of the console being out. Maybe have a look at some comparison videos to see if you’re find with the changes?
Here are two videos by Iron Pineapple doing some comparisons and breaking down the “controversy”:
Demon’s Souls imported Japanese copy OG release
I first heard about Dark Souls 1 over a decade ago, years before DS3 was released, and I thought it looked neat. My nearest gameplay comparison was Monster Hunter. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a PC or Console at that time that could play it, so I forgot about it. Years later, I got third or forth hand PS4 from a family member either for free or for years of IT support. I heard that Bloodborne, a game by the same developer as Dark Souls, was a must-play for the PS4 and worth even buying the console for. The GOTY edition of Bloodborne was for sale for 20€ at that time and I thought, “Why not? Might as well buy it.” And then… I played hundreds of hours of Monster Hunter World and forgot I about my purchase. Over a year later, I had lots of time on my hand and remembered that game. I after booting it up, being slightly confused and drinking in the atmosphere I got beat up by the townsfolk. I took me half a dozen hours to just get past the pyre. But I presevered! Central Yharnam: best tutorial level of all time!
Bloodborne has IMO still the best atmosphere of any game I ever played. Gameplay wise? I still love Bloodborne and have to replay it for Xth time, but I’m currently hopelessly addicted to Elden Ring. Elden Ring has in my oppinion by far the best gameplay of any game in the Souls series.currently hopelessly addicted to Elden Ring
Do you consider getting back into nightreign? I feel like with your extensive knowledge of elden ring mechanics you could absolutely demolish it solo. But I understand the repetitive, rouglite element of it is not for everyone.
I will probably get back into Nightreign eventually. The moment-to-moment gameplay was fantastic, but the gameplay loop didn’t really appeal to me. Both random and same-y, and you don’t really have a control over your build. Eventually it felt like I just had a 30 Minute runback to Tricephalos and the victory against it wasn’t very satisfying (I lucked into Siluria’s Tree). When I try it next time, I’m probably gonna watch/read a guide.
After I bullied my way all the way to NG+7 with my first save file in Elden Ring, I’ll probably give Lies of P a try, which I got here in a giveaway here (thanks). A Mage playthrough of DS2 or a third RL1 playthrough of Elden Ring also sound appealing, but I’m gonna play a totally different new game now (even though LoP is supposed to be the Souls game not by Fromsoft).
victory against it wasn’t very satisfying (I lucked into Siluria’s Tree).
Oh yeah I get it. You do get some control over your build once get some good relics, and (at least in solo expeditions )the game comes down to exploiting ER knowledge to get that build online and, ideally stupildly strong against the boss weakness, or to improvise something that works.
Expeditions do get pretty repetitive tho. It suffers from lack of SotE content, imo. at least the base game, haven’t tried the dlc.
Hope that when you get back to it, it clicks!
After Bloodborne was released , everything I saw and read about it online made me feel very curious and drawn to it, specially some of the concept art. It stayed with me for a long time. I wouldn’t get to play it until like 3 almost 4 years later, when I had the chance to borrow a friends console for an extended time.
I was a very on and off “gamer”, and had never been hooked by a game that way before… I didn’t know much about the genre and it was monstrously hard for me in the beginning, but It was also different from everything I had played until then, to me, this was what was missing from gaming before. I got through it and I loved every second of it.
When I got a console of my own I really got into the game in depth, but I didn’t play any other soulslike until Elden Ring came out, and after SotE, I started playing other titles in the genre, so recently-ish… And I’m slowly but surely making my way through the catalogue.
