History Main / SoulsLikeRPG

* ''VideoGame/CrueltySquad'' [[note]]Has wildly different gameplay even when compared to other first person examples; but the design principles, roleplaying mechanics, and storytelling are very much in line with the norm.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' (UrExample) [[note]]Is the only main game in [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls the series]] with ResurrectiveImmortality, with stat penalties upon death while leveling requires resting at an appropriate bed. There is also a dodge, albeit one you have to spec properly for. Alongside franchise overlap with weight mechanics, stamina-based combat, and emphasis of unorthodox tactics, the game is also much harder, has a darker tone, and features more vague storytelling and far more opaque quest design and exploration than other entries. And on hard difficulty, you can't pause the game.[[/note]]

A Souls-like RPG (sometimes referred to as a Soulsborne, or "[[WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation Soulsy]]") refers to a subgenre of [[RolePlayingGame Role-Playing Games]] that puts emphasis on dodging and moving over other mechanics. The TropeMaker and {{Trope Namer|s}} of this genre is Creator/FromSoftware's ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls,'' which was released in 2009. The genre gained traction with the release of ''Demon's Souls''' CreatorDrivenSuccessor, ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', which [[FollowTheLeader spawned numerous clones]].

* The game has to be an ActionRPG or an action game with role playing elements; as the latter principles are dependent on direct player control which are at odds within a classic turn based framework.
* The game is NintendoHard. Even the lowliest {{Mooks}} would likely qualify as DemonicSpiders in any other game, which should give you an idea of what qualifies as a Demonic Spider in ''these'' games. Expect to die many, ''many'' times against some of them, and if you expect any degree of MookChivalry from your opponents, you will be ''horribly'' mistaken one example could be that a player doesn't check their surrounding then gets jumped by an enemy around a corner. And just about any boss would be ThatOneBoss in another game. The games attacks & defensive options are on the shoulder buttons & triggers. Additionally pausing the game doesn't stop time and enemies can still deal damage to the player.

* [[ResourcesManagementGameplay Stamina management is critical]] -- stamina is needed for both attacking and dodging, so failing to pay attention to how much you have left can leave you extremely vulnerable when the enemy goes on the offensive. Also, certain animations take priority over others, and there is little to no {{Lag Cancel}}ing -- plan your attacks carefully, or you will be demolished however some games reward aggressive play with a poise meter that you can drain from the enemy when the poise bar is drained they will be hitstunable for a limited time. If a game doesn't have a literal stamina bar the latter is usually still present. If guns are involved; expect scarce ammo, ''long'' reload times, massive recoil, and frequent weapon malfunctions.
* [[CallingYourAttacks Enemies have noticeable visual and auditory cues for their attacks that must be observed in order to properly evade them]].
* MoneyIsExperiencePoints, requiring you to choose whether to spend it on levelling up, or on items and equipment. In most examples [[ContinuingIsPainful all or some currency is lost on death]]; however it remains where you died so you can not only recover it but build upon it from respawned foes. If such a mercy is granted, failure to retrieve it before dying again will end in permanent loss. This feature has been dubbed "Corpse Running" by the community.
* MinMaxing is essential. Since leveling up one stat increases the price of ''all'' the others, a specialized build focusing on only one or two stats (plus HP and stamina which are necessary for almost any build) while mostly ignoring the rest is imperative. Trying to be a JackOfAllStats is too cost-prohibitive to be viable (unless you want to put in dozens if not hundreds of hours LevelGrinding) outside of a NewGamePlus.

* There is limited to no {{save scumming}}. The player can only manually save at checkpoints and rest spots, and the game will autosave upon death. [[DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist The latter is oftentimes a mercy in disguise; as anything collected that is not XP will remain in the players inventory, and any alterations to the gameworld will be set in stone, such as an open shortcut]]. On the flipside, this may also mean permanent consequences upon death, such as ''Demon's Souls''' infamous "World Tendency" system.

* Healing resources are often restricted. Some games give you one healing item with multiple "charges" that are replenished when resting at a checkpoint, while others allow you to carry many healing items which are not automatically replenished and must instead be bought or found placed in the world and as drops from killing enemies. In both cases, actually ''using'' the healing items puts you into a long animation that makes you vulnerable and has to be planned strategically.

* Often has a large variety of weapons and play styles. Almost all weapons are equally viable and can be upgraded to improve their damage or change their stat/elemental focus. Each weapon has a specific moveset with pros and cons, and it's very rare for a weapon to be flat out inferior to another weapon.
* There is usually some form of free-form exploration. Usually a wide-linear structure to offer options while maintaining a suffocating and claustrophobic atmosphere (similar to a DungeonCrawler or {{Metroidvania}} game) and to encourage strategic backtracking and re-fighting respawned foes to build the player's skill. Even if there are levels they will often be a variety open at once for the player to mix it up. Though plenty of WideOpenSandbox examples do exist; they often incorporate more hardcore [[SurvivalSandbox survival mechanics]] that encourage players to respect the world with extreme caution.
* Usually there is at least one fight that requires paying attention to and juggling between two or more bosses. These fights require learning positioning and most of the time are considered one of if not the hardest boss in the game.

* Overall tone of the game will lean more toward [[CrapsackWorld bleak and/or tragic]]. The lore will often revolve around how the setting of the game used to be a monumental civilization or something along these lines, only for everything to [[LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair degrade]] into a DarkFantasy, or worse, a CosmicHorrorStory. Expect many bosses to be highly influential figures in the lore of the setting, who are now [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen far past their prime and are desperately clinging to their glory days]], or [[TheCorruption have been corrupted by some evil force]], or some such, and the FinalBoss to be none other than the [[FounderOfTheKingdom very founder of the civilization in question]].

Later games have more unique elements to help differentiate them from ''Dark Souls'' and its own [[CreatorDrivenSuccessor successors]], ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'' (more agressive/offensive playstyle), ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' (active/aggressive defense via parrying), and ''VideoGame/EldenRing'' (WideOpenSandbox exploration), such as [[VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes a heavy focus on ranged combat]] or [[VideoGame/CodeVein having multiple companions with fleshed-out Story Arcs]]. "Souls-Lites" have also become very common over the years. Usually these games prominently feature some or most of the core tenets but [[BroadStrokes simplified versions of them]]. [[labelnote:For example...]]Perhaps you don't lose anything upon death, or only strong attacks consume stamina, maybe dodging doesn't consume stamina at all, maybe there is no stamina period; maybe it opts for conventional storytelling and quest design.[[/labelnote]] In other words, it doesn't have to copy [=FromSoft=] one-to-one so long as the core principles and "soul" (if you will) remain; [=FromSoft=] themselves aren't afraid of shakeups, as ''Sekiro'' can attest. See also HackAndSlash, {{Roguelike}}, {{Metroidvania}}, SurvivalHorror, and SurvivalSandbox from which the genre shares much overlap with. Contrast StylishAction games, which instead encourage the player to approach NintendoHard enemies with constant barrages of attacks rather than carefully timed moves. As the years have gone by, however, many examples have managed to blend Stylish Action with Souls-like design principles, as seen with [[Creator/KoeiTecmo Team Ninja's]] ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'' series [[VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin and its]] [[VideoGame/WoLongFallenDynasty successors]], and even entering official canon with From's very own ''Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice''.

* ''[[VideoGame/AnotherCrabsTreasure Another Crab's Treasure]]'' [[note]]Doesn't take itself too seriously and is a bit LighterAndSofter than the usual Souls-like.[[/note]]

* ''[[VideoGame/AnotherCrabsTreasure Another Crab's Treasure]]'' [[note]]An upcoming Souls-like adventure set in an underwater world. Doesn't take itself too seriously and is a bit LighterAndSofter than the usual Souls-like.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Biomutant}}'' [[note]]The game has similar mechanic like limited healing resources that take time to use, long reloads, enemies with attack patterns, Action-RPG with skill stats, dodge roll that uses stamina, weapon weight, multiple weapons for diversity in playstyles and not being able to save scum at certain points additionally players can warp between signpost similar to lamps in Bloodborne[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/DarkDevotion'' [[note]]Mainly a roguelike game that mixes in some Metroidvania and Souls-like elements.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't affected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, being able to hide behind cover to dodge gunfire, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, MinMaxing elements since money is scarce you can only buy a limited amount of items from shops, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots and stealth kills score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' (UrExample)[[note]]Death, leveling, and healing work very similarly. Additionally, some mods add stamina systems, dodging and Soulsy weapon function.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/TheWarriors (2005)'' (UrExample)[[note]] Stamina management and exploitable dodge moves. Limited healing resource used strategically with penalties for overuse. Money is XP used for buying upgrades or reviving fallen gang members at a hub town. Each gang member has different affinities. Rewards unorthodox tactics not common in {{BeatEmUp}}s like aerial attacks and backstabs. And you can beat the crap out of almost everyone you see, including your dealers. [[/note]]

* ''[[TabletopGame/DarkSoulsTheRoleplayingGame Dark Souls: The Roleplaying Game]]'', an official adaptation of 5th edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' by Steamforged Games
* ''TabletopGame/DarkSoulsTRPG'': Another, [[NoExportForYou Japanese only,]] official adaptation

* ''VideoGame/{{Vampyr}}''

* ''VideoGame/TheWarriors (2005)'' (UrExample)[[note]] Stamina management and exploitable dodge moves. Limited healing resource used strategically with penalties for overuse. Money is XP used for buying upgrades or reviving fallen gang members at a hub town. Each gang memer has different affinities. Rewards unorthodox tactics not common in {{BeatEmUp}}s like arial attacks and backstabs. And you can beat the crap out of almost everyone you see, including your dealers. [[/note]]

* ''[[https://loottheroom.itch.io/souls Dice Souls]]''

* ''VideoGame/TheWarriors'' (UrExample)

* ''VideoGame/Eden'sGuardian''

* ''VideoGame/{{Biomutant}}'' [[note]]The game has similar mechanic like limited healing resources that take time to use, long reloads, Action-RPG with skill stats, dodge roll that uses stamina, weapon weight, multiple weapons for diversity in playstyles and not being able to save scum at certain points additionally players can warp between signpost similar to lamps in Bloodborne[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Biomutant}}'' [[note]]The game has similar mechanic like limited healing resources that take time to use, long reloads, Action-RPG with skill stats, dodge roll that uses stamina, multiple weapons for diversity in playstyles and not being able to save scum at certain points additionally players can warp between signpost similar to lamps in Bloodborne[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't affected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, being able to hide behind cover to dodge gunfire, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, MinMaxing elements since money is scarce you can only buy a limited amount items from shops, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots and stealth kills score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't affected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, being able to hide behind cover to dodge gunfire, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots and stealth kills score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't affected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, being able to hide behind cover to dodge gunfire, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't affected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple weapons and tools to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't effected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, hard difficulty, {{Metroidvania}} elements needing certain items to do certain activities in the map, the targets have a pre-defined schedule similar to boss attack patterns, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''Hitman3/Hitman3Freelancer'' [[note]] A mode in Hitman 3 which has: No saving unless at the base, character customization is only done after or before missions basically leveling at a bonfire, multiple guns to choose from for different play-styles, realtime combat, dying means not being able to play the same mission therefore the past mission isn't effected as well as a new batch of enemies in the next missions similar to dying at a checkpoint making the enemies respawn, the ability to kill non-hostile characters, hard difficulty, dying causes you to lose your weapons which is like losing XP, headshots score critical damage, non-linear choices for what mission you want to choose, barely any plot, bleak tone, additionally Agent 47 is a very monotone character which is somewhat like a faceless mook.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/StellarBlade''