Highlights

  • Soulslike games offer similar gameplay experiences but can vary greatly in themes and difficulty.
  • FromSoftware's range extends beyond Soulslike games to include the Armored Core series with mecha action.
  • Despite specializing in these two highly specific genres, the studio maintains creativity and offers diverse experiences for different types of players.

FromSoftware is a studio with a long history. Headed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the studio is known for mainly two types of games: Soulslike titles and Armored Core. For many studios, this would be a narrow range of games, but FromSoftware makes it work.

Soulslike games have similar gameplay, but the format can be applied in a variety of ways. When gamers are tired of that, they can always jump to something like the Armored Core series, which features mecha action. Although FromSoftware is pigeonholed into these two genres, there is plenty of space for creativity within them both.

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The Variety of FromSoftware's Soulslike Games

Across Soulslike games, the gameplay is often quite similar. Combat is taxing, and it requires persistence and a willingness to die repeatedly before figuring out how to get the best of enemies. The games aren't for everyone, especially players who have little patience. Despite the similarities created between games by the premise, the format has been applied in a variety of different ways.

The Dark Souls and Demon's Souls games are based on Miyazaki's childhood experiences of reading Western fantasy without full knowledge of the English language, leaving him to fill in the blanks with his imagination. In contrast, Bloodborne takes on a Lovecraftian, Gothic aesthetic that dips into the horror genre. If these games are too (literally) dark for a player, they can always play Elden Ring instead, which features brighter environments but doesn't lower the difficulty level.

Variety is the Spice of Life with FromSoftware

With all this variety, it does not feel like FromSoftware is restricted at all. It has taken the Soulslike genre, perfected it, and learned to use it in differing contexts. This means that different kinds of players can always find something that suits them if they're up for a taxing challenge.

FromSoftware's Fantasy and Mecha Worlds

Elden Ring, like other Soulslike games, is cryptic when it comes to its plot. This time around Miyazaki got help from A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R. R. Martin. The result is a fantasy game that draws from various European mythologies.

The Soulslike format has also been applied to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which has players taking on the role of a shinobi who aims to take revenge on the samurai that imprisoned him. The game is just as hard as its predecessors, though it lacks a character creator system.

FromSoftware's Mecha Side

When players are done with the Soulslike games but still want FromSoftware's quality and style, they can always jump into the Armored Core series for a completely different experience. The latest game, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, was released in 2023, and although it's not as hard as the average Soulslike title, it is challenging in its own right. It also features a robust customization system, allowing players to create the perfect mecha for metal-on-metal mayhem.

Typically, it's a wise idea for a gaming studio to try its hand at various genres to gather a wide audience and develop broad design skills. This isn't the strategy FromSoftware has taken. Instead, it has chosen its two niches and practiced them to perfection. This doesn't mean that every release is a copy of the previous, however; the studio has proven it knows how to creatively work with Armored Core and the Soulslike genre.