One of the most influential games of all time is probably Dark Souls. After Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls was not only the beginning of a successful series for From Software but also the start of a new sub-genre. Nowadays, they dominate the action genre, but MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes finds it annoying by now.
Dark Souls had a significant impact on the gaming industry. While it wasn’t the first game of its kind, as From Software even released Demon’s Souls, the spiritual predecessor, back in 2009, Dark Souls was different. With its ruthless yet beautifully designed world, slow and impactful gameplay, and cryptic story, the game hit the gaming world like a bomb.
From Software itself released 2 sequels and with Elden Ring and Bloodborne, two titles that strike a similar chord.
But even outside of From Software, the influence of the game was noticeable. The Soulslike sub-genre emerged. Games like The Surge, Mortal Shell, or more recently The First Berzerker: Khazan rely on a similar gameplay principle.
Almost weekly, a new Soulslike is released, and it annoys me by now, as another action genre has been pushed to the background.
The Neglected Action Genre
Before the Soulslikes, there were the so-called character-action games. Games like the Devil May Cry
series focus primarily on two aspects: style and combos. With multiple weapons that can usually be switched quickly, you launch enemies into the air and try to perform the most stylish combos possible. The best representatives of this genre are probably Bayonetta, which received its third installment in 2022, and Devil May Cry, which had a new release with its 5th installment in 2019.
I wish for more titles like these.
During the PS2 era, the gameplay principle of Devil May Cry was also utilized by other studios, primarily God of War. The Greek saga of Kratos differed not only in the character of the main figure but also in gameplay. It was less impactful, faster, and much more combo-based.
Even licensed games relied on this gameplay principle. Who would have thought that Nightmare Before Christmas would make a good character-action game, but in 2004, we were surprised with Oogie’s Revenge.
These games rewarded players for long and creative combos.
Soulslikes thrive on interesting weapons, but the combinations are lacking. One does not play to master the weapons but rather the bosses and enemies. It offers a different kind of fascination.
You can see how to unleash combos in this video of Devil May Cry 5:
This genre took a different approach than Soulslikes. Many of the Devil May Cry
-clones were significantly shorter than today’s Soulslikes. This was primarily because they were designed to be played through more often. There are multiple difficulty levels and countless combo possibilities. It resembles another Capcom series: Resident Evil. The focus is on gameplay and replayability.
The Soulslikes have pushed this action genre out of the spotlight. I really like Soulslikes; Lies of P is fantastic and even The First Berzerker: Khazan piqued my interest, given how well it’s received.
But even games that aren’t actually Soulslikes rely on the slow Souls gameplay. I would love to see a more playful God of War again, and as much as I enjoy the Jedi games from Respawn, I really miss the madness in them.
Everything has to be a Soulslike, and that’s really a shame. A remake from 2025 recently showed me how much fun one can have outside of that.
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black showed me that sometimes things were truly better in the past
With Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, a remake of an action classic was released at the beginning of the year. With Ninja Ryu Hayabusa, you have to slash your way through linear levels full of demons. And honestly: It’s been a long time since I had this much fun with an action game.
It plays fast but never chaotically. The combos work well, and as a player, you can experiment with the various enemy types. Who wouldn’t want to launch an enemy into the air, grab them, and slam their head to the ground?
Similar to Souls titles, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is also very challenging. At higher difficulty levels, you must master the combos and the handling of the many tools to have a chance. If you manage that, there are few games that are more satisfying.
Another very personal point is the story. In Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, the story is complete nonsense and it can’t get any better than that.
Many Soulslikes aim to be mysterious and cryptic, but unfortunately, that doesn’t always work
Devil May Cry, God of War, or even Bayonetta often had a silly story in the past, which was so edgy
that it particularly appealed to my 14-year-old self, who loved watching anime AMVs with rock music on YouTube. But that is incredibly entertaining.
There are cutscenes that are so absurd that not even the Fast and Furious series can keep up. Due to the short length of the games, it was never tedious.
Soulslikes often orient themselves to the lore of Dark Souls. A cryptic world and story that can only be experienced if you think outside the box. In Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Lies of P, this works perfectly, but some games overreach.
The problem with such a story structure is that the hinted content can be quite dull. Often, an attempt is made to create a certain significance within the world, which can be annoying. Games like Stellar Blade are really cool in terms of gameplay, but the story didn’t work for me at all.
This often leads to players ignoring everything to focus solely on the gameplay.
Should there be fewer Soulslikes? Yes and no. It could be that the market is oversaturated and many representatives of the genre will eventually disappear into obscurity. I mean, even From Software tried different approaches with Armored Core 6 and Sekiro.
However, the constant Soulslikes that don’t bring anything special to the genre really annoy me after 14 years.
I wish there was finally more variety in the action genre. Unfortunately, even Assassin’s Creed has played out similarly since Assassin’s Creed Origins. But at least in 2025, you can indulge in a new entry in the Ninja Gaiden series.
All that remains is Capcom, who could finally announce a new Devil May Cry after 6 years. Until then, I can continue to look forward to a new Onimusha: I thought Capcom had forgotten one of its best franchises – Now they are bringing back the “Resident Evil with samurai”
