DARK SOULS DESERVES TO BE AN INSPIRATION, BUT DEVELOPERS SHOULD BE WARY OF ITS SHADOW.
Instead of another reskin, games like God Of War need to push the genre forward
Losing your hard-earned souls thanks to a silly mistake in Lordran is one thing, but every time I see an eye-rolling comparison of another game to Dark Souls I lose another bit of my actual soul. Yet you can only complain so much when (for instance) literally the only apt way to describe The Surge is “sci-fi mech Dark Souls”.
There’s a reason everyone loves Dark Souls and the rest of the ‘SoulsBorne’ series: they’re bloody good. So good, in fact, that certain developers can’t help but make games that are essentially reskinned versions, like so many Doom fangames (yet somehow with less originality).
I’m all for games learning from one another. That’s innovation. But the problem with the so-called Soulslike genre is that the surprise success of Dark Souls cannot be so easily replicated. The spider-web world design, the scant yet rewarding lore, and, most importantly of all, the slow, deliberate combat, were crafted by masters.
Sticking too close to the formula will trap a game forever in its shadow. Even Nioh, a great game that left its own mark on slower-paced hack and slashes, still suffered from the comparison.
SOUL REAPER
Dark Souls’ innovations really shine when you do away with the idea of a Soulslike genre altogether. Take the latest God Of War. The fast-paced brutal hack and slash of the original games has been slowed down considerably. The pace reined in, Ps4’s God Of War is purposeful, considered, and a touch more cerebral.
By the developer’s own admission, this change of pace is inspired by Dark Souls. The game feels fresh and new, but most importantly still very much God Of War. When taking inspiration from something else, it all comes down to this sense of identity. If the best way to describe something is “like Dark Souls”, then that identity is sorely lacking. Games like God Of War are going to be the ones pushing the genre forward.
The lessons to be taken from FromSoftware’s deft hands with Dark Souls aren’t going away, but it’s up to developers to decide whether they want to continue to push forwards, or stay trapped in the dark forever.