Tired of FromSoftware's influence?
The action genre is one of the most popular in the gaming industry. With combat at its core, this genre allows you to live out the ultimate fantasy: stepping into the shoes of a real badass and decimating everything that dares to stand in your way. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed a wide array of incredible titles, each delivering on that premise in unique and varied ways. However, since the meteoric rise of FromSoftware, their proprietary gameplay loop has significantly influenced the genre – perhaps to its detriment.
Trends are a common occurrence in the industry. If a game is successful due to some sort of innovation, this is quickly reflected in various titles. FromSoftware’s signature mechanics are now a staple in modern action games. Some attempt to emulate the experience, such as Lords of the Fallen, while others adapt the concept to a new setting, such as Nioh. While this is common in the industry, this has reached a point where we are experiencing a lack of innovation due to the relentless commitment to creating a Souls-like experience.
What can I add to make it Souls-like?
The real problem lies with those games that add mechanics unnecessarily to transform their game into a Soulslike. Jedi: Fallen Order is a wonderful Star Wars adventure that includes thrilling lightsaber battles and some great set pieces. While Respawn Entertainment created an exciting experience, the decision to include a bonfire-type system felt unnecessary. Like the Souls games, you can use key locations to rest, which causes enemies to respawn, and you can lose XP, but you gain it back by tracking down the enemy to exact revenge. Aside from not making any narrative sense, it also felt shoehorned into the adventure, included just to get the Soulslike label.
Other games have taken elements from the more acclaimed titles, most notably combat. Hailed for their implementation of a strategic battle system, FromSoftware’s releases promote a methodical approach to encounters. While this works perfectly for their games, it doesn’t work as well in others. For example, Assassin’s Creed lets you venture through a rich world as a dangerous warrior. Switching from a counter-based system to Arkham-style combat, the game focused on stylishly taking out multiple opponents with ease. Origins, however, saw the series shift to a fighting system similar to FromSoftware’s titles. While this increases the difficulty, it removes the feeling of being an unstoppable assassin that is part of the franchise’s appeal.
What happened to the traditional style?
Character-focused action games have always been a favourite of mine, but the trend towards ambiguous storytelling has reduced the number of such releases. Many titles now feature faceless protagonists and narratives that build a story. While there is a place for this, I miss traditional action-oriented games like Devil May Cry and Nier. While PlatinumGames remains a pioneer in the subgenre offering unique approaches to combat with games like Astral Chain and Wonderful 101, these are now few and far between.
In fact, because of the developers' commitment to capturing the magic that permeates FromSoftware's games, the industry is experiencing a lack of original ideas. Hi-Fi Rush was a breath of fresh air because it had the courage to step outside the box and try something different. Fans of the genre are hungry for something new, but Miyazaki's influence is hindering its evolution.
So, while FromSoftware has altered the gaming landscape, creating its own subgenre, has the lauded company held back its progress in the genre? As developers strive to achieve the same success, we are experiencing less innovation, which has led to numerous clones. Will this continue, or are we in for a number of games that ignore the trend and try something new?
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