History Main / SoulsLikeRPG

* The player character is deliberately made out to be some faceless {{Mook}} who has risen only slightly above his brethren. Oftentimes their story or personal quests have no real significance on anything other than just being the excuse needed to go meet legendary creatures and then kill them. Expect many endings where the actions of your player character are revealed to simply be part of a ViciousCycle.

* Overall tone of the game will be bleak and/or tragic. The lore will often rwvolve around how the setting of the game used to be a monumental civilization or something along these lines, only for everything to degrade into DarkFantasy. Expect many bosses to have SadBattleMusic.

* Healing resources are often restricted. Some games give you one healing item that can only be refilled at checkpoints, while others allow you to collect many healing items through the levels. In both cases, actually using the healing items makes you vulnerability and has to be planned strategically.

* Healing resources are often restricted, but not always. Some games give you one healing item that can only be refilled at checkpoints, while others allow you to collect many healing items through the levels. In other case, actually using the healing items makes you vulnerability and has to be planned strategically.

* The story of the game is often presented through gameplay mechanics, item descriptions, environment details, enemy appearance, and other forms of [[Story Breadcrumbs]]. Cutscenes and dialogue are minimal and [[Gameplay and Story Integration]] are paramount. An unobservant player may think that the game lacks a story entirely, while an investigative player will discover an elaborate backstory and plot.

* There is one healing item in the game which you get at the very beginning. It has a limited number of uses that are refilled at checkpoints, and can be upgraded to increase both the number of uses and amount of health recovered per use. If any other healing items exist, they are both single-use and extremely rare, making them for dire emergencies only.

* Survival focuses primarily on dodging attacks, rather than blocking them - enemies attack swiftly enough that blocking is difficult, and some games even lack the option to block at all, necessitating evasion of enemy attacks. Additionally, most dodges have 'invincibility frames' that let you NoSell '''all''' damage while they are active. Often has an equipment weight mechanic where wearing heavy armor or wielding a {{BFS}} makes you to too heavy to dodge well as a tradeoff for being tankier/dealing more damage, unless you take steps to get around it (either by increasing your weight limit or [[FullFrontalAssault stripping down to the buff]] so you can use your {{BFS}} without affecting your mobility).

* There is little to any story whatsoever, with much of the plot up to player interpretation. StoryBreadcrumbs abound to provide what little plot there is.

* Currency also functions as ExperiencePoints, requiring you to choose whether to spend it on levelling up, or on items and equipment. [[ContinuingIsPainful All currency is lost on death and remains in the location where you died]]. If it is not retrieved before you die again, it is LostForever.

* Levelling up consists of putting a single point into a single stat, making pre-planning for leveling crucial to success.

* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' (TropeCodifier)

Typically, these games have the following elements:

* Survival focuses primarily on dodging attacks, rather than blocking them - enemies attack swiftly enough that blocking is difficult, and some games even lack the option to block at all, necessitating evasion of enemy attacks. Additionally, most dodges have 'invincibility frames' that let you NoSell '''all''' damage while they are active. Often has an equipment weight mechanic where wearing heavy armor or carrying a {{BFS}} makes you to too heavy to dodge well as a tradeoff for being tankier/dealing more damage, unless you take steps to get around it (either by increasing your weight limit or [[FullFrontalAssault stripping down to the buff]] so you can use your {{BFS}} without affecting your mobility).
* [[ContinuingIsPainful All currency is lost on death and remains where your corpse landed]]. If it is not retrieved before you die again, it is LostForever.

* Only one stat can be increased per LevelUp, making pre-planning for leveling crucial to success.

* CheckpointStarvation abounds and autosaves prevent the usage of SaveScumming, making the consequences of death [[ContinuingIsPainful painful and permanent]].
* Unorthodox strategies are rewarded - the best if not only way to score a CriticalHit is either with a BackStab or by parrying the enemy's attack, opening them up for a [[CounterAttack riposte]].
* A limited form of multiplayer exists, where players can call forth "summons" of other players to assist them in combat for a time. Consequently, malicious players can "invade" your game with the goal of hunting you down and killing you. [[PlayerDataSharing You can also leave behind notes for others to read]].

* Survival focuses primarily on dodging attacks, rather than blocking them - enemies attack swiftly enough that blocking is difficult, and some games even lack the option to block at all, necessitating evasion of enemy attacks. Additionally, most dodges have 'invincibility frames' that let you NoSell '''all''' damage while they are active.

* Unorthodox strategies are rewarded - the best way to score a CriticalHit is either with a SneakAttack or a well-timed [[CounterAttack parry]].
* A limited form of multiplayer exists, where players can call forth 'summons' of other players to assist them in combat for a time. [[PlayerDataSharing You can also leave behind notes for others to read]].

A Souls-like RPG refers to a subgenre of {{Role Playing Game}}s that puts emphasis on dodging and maneuverability over other mechanics. A relatively recent arrival to the gaming world, with the first example being ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' that was released in 2009. The genre gained traction with the release of ''Demon's Souls'' SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', which [[FromClonesToGenre spawned numerous clones]].

Later games have more unique elements to help differentiate them from ''Dark Souls'' and its own SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', such as [[VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes a heavy focus on ranged combat]] or [[VideoGame/CodeVein having multiple companion characters with their own fleshed out Story Arcs]]. See also ActionRPG and HackAndSlash, from which the genre takes influence from. Contrast with StylishAction games, which instead encourage the player to approach NintendoHard enemies with constant barrages of attacks.

* ''VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes''

Later games have more unique elements to help differentiate them from ''Dark Souls'' and its own SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', such as [[VideoGame/RemnantFromTheAshes a heavy focus on ranged combat]] or [[VideoGame/CodeVein having multiple companion characters with their own fleshed out Story Arcs]].

* [[ResourcesManagementGameplay Stamina management is critical]] - stamina is needed for both attacks and dodging, so failing to pay attention to how much you have left can leave extremely vulnerable when the enemy goes on the offensive.

* ''VideoGame/{{DarksidersIII}}''

* ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'' (TropeMaker)
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' (TropeCodifier)
** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsII''
** ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII''

* Characters have the ability to come back after death, though at the cost of all their in-game currency, which must be picked up where they were last slain before they die again, or it will be LostForever.

A Souls-like RPG refers to a subgenre of {{Role Playing Game}}s that puts emphasis on dodging and maneuverability over other mechanics. A relatively recent arrival to the gaming world, with the first example being VideoGame/DemonsSouls that was released in 2009. The genre gained traction with the release of ''Demon's Souls'' SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', which [[FromClonesToGenre spawned numerous clones]].

* Characters have the ability to come back after death, though at the cost of all their in game currency, which must be picked up where they were last slain before they die again, or it will be LostForever.

* CheckpointStarvation abounds, and autosaves prevent the usage of SaveScumming, making the consequences of death [[ContinuingIsPainful painful and permanent]].
* Unorthodox strategies are rewarded - the best way to score a CriticalHit is either with a SneakAttack or a well timed [[CounterAttack parry]]/