Article detailing the writer's problems with Soulslikes' ubiquitous dark setting, atmosphere, and aesthetic

I'm Tired of the Same Problem in Every Soulslike Game

Original title: "I'm Tired of the Same Problem in Every Soulslike Game"

So many Soulslikes fall into the same pattern of making their world bleak and depressing. Devoid of color and suffocating the player in overwhelming melancholy. Dark fantasy has become almost synonymous with Soulslike games, and it’s time for a change.

Boot up almost any Soulslike game and you’ll be greeted with a decaying dark fantasy world. The crumbling castles of Dark Souls, the grotesque gothic world of Bloodborne, and the ashen landscapes of Elden Ring exude dread that has become one with the genre. These settings heighten the tension and stakes, but ultimately, all start to feel the same. Even when the setting isn’t directly dark fantasy, the muted color palettes make it hard for Soulslikes to stand out.

[...] Challenge and punishing combat do not mean a game’s visuals have to be dreary. Because of this, players are drowning in sameness within the genre.

[...] But what worked for FromSoftware doesn’t necessarily mean it works for every developer. The studio tied the bleakness of the world into the gameplay itself. Other games not only take inspiration from this, but live by it. So many Soulslikes create their own dark fantasy world, but it becomes hard to tell them apart from one another. Lords of the Fallen is guilty of this, and it takes away from the overall success of the title.

Even when games aim for a different setting, such as Lies of P or Wuchang: Fallen Feather, they fall into the same trap of bleakness. Players are constantly dropped into these dying worlds that could just be reskins of FromSoftware’s works. While the ideas are different, the atmosphere and vibe feel too familiar and hold the genre back. To truly stand out, developers need to experiment and move away from the same old concept.

The things most missing from Soulslike games are color and life. Hardly any game in the genre deviates from dreary and monotonous worlds. Challenge can still exist in brightly colored worlds. Experimenting with alien landscapes or surreal dreamscapes would make a Soulslike game stand out. Something like Another Crab’s Treasure is the perfect example of how a game can lean into vibrant colors and humor while still offering players the difficulty of the genre.

What’s more, the contrast would be more impactful. Walking into a sunny meadow with a difficult boss fight would surprise players. What appears to be a safe spot actually contains a threat that hinders progress. Alternatively, a neon-lit city would be perfect for a cyberpunk Soulslike game. Diverting from bleak backdrops and environments is an easy way to differentiate a game from other Soulslike titles.

That's actually not something I've thought about before. But yea, lots of soulslikes use this very dreary and dark aesthetic - be it FS or other studios inspired by them.

Do you mind? Is that a core pillar of the genre to you? I guess it's just part of the genre for me.

27 comments

Yay, it's time to talk about ludonarrative dissonance!
The author makes a lot of assumptions suggesting that difficult gameplay doesn't need to be tied to a dying world, but I'd argue that it does. Imagine if the world of a soulslike was cheerful, generally peaceful, and happy, but still had the difficulty of a soulslike. You still die frequently, you're still running into difficult bosses, but now you're the only one experiencing this difficulty. You're disconnected from the NPCs and the story of the game, because what you are experiencing does not match the tone of what you are being shown. In game design, this is called ludonarrative dissonance.
Dark fantasy pairs great with difficult combat, because it means the setting will match your mindset. You'll meet NPCs who are talking to you about their gruelling journey through the poison swamp you're currently in, and you'll think "damn they're right, this journey is tough." It lets your mindset gel with the setting and the characters; no dissonance at all.
I think the thing I find most laughable is the author's counterexample, Another Crab's Treasure, which is actually still a dark fantasy even if the colors are brighter. Hell, that game is set against the real world effects of ocean polution and climate change, it might even be darker than traditional soulslikes. and if the author is just thinking of color pallette, I'd like to offer the lush golden fields of Leyndell or the incredible hue of the Cerulean Coast. Dark fantasy doesn't have to mean everything is grey and brown; you just need day to day survival to be hard to match the player's experience.
- Yup, totally agree. Author seems inmature and ignorant. Very surface level 'analysis" if you can even call it that.
The author is beeing narrow minded and failing to see that there's beauty in these worlds inspite of everything wrong with them. And that the "world is wrong" is been the narrative device under which this type if game was developed, so it's logical that it has been done a lot.
There's lots of beautiful and colorful landscapes in Elden Ring (even the underground, fake night sky ffs!) , also in DS1, (although maybe not as colorful) there's life in the forests, in the crystal cave.. Like, are they blind? there is also beauty in the architecture of Lies of P and Bloodborne, even if the atmosphere is a bit more monotonous in those.
Even though I'm all for the dark, dreary vibes, I'm down for games that explore other settings, what Lies of P teases at the end is a prime example !

Edit: in the end I feel that the author lacks the maturity to realize that there are other factors at play shaping his experience and is equating everything to a visual design problem. Which is a shame. Maybe some settings have been overdone, ( medieval, for example) and that's where diversification is needed in my opinion.
- Your spoiler sounds great, and for some reason gave me another idea: what's American McGee up to these days? How about we get Alice 3: This Time It's A Soulslike? I think that could honestly be dope. The absurdity of the setting even fits perfectly with the standard fare cryptic quests!
  
  The Alice IP belongs to EA, so there is literally no way for another Alice entry to come out unless EA get their heads out of their asses. An entire pitch, portfolio and whatnot have been presented to EA, but they declined. But they also don't want to give the IP to a different company or to American McGee. Shame.
  
  That would also be very cool! Lots of interesting posibilities for art direction as well!
It's not a core pillar of the genre but it is a core pillar of dark fantasies, and many games in the genre are dark fantasies because it fits with the tough throwing yourself at danger thing despite the odds gameplay.
Not every soulslike is a dark fantasy though, look at another crabs treasure
- Oh yea right, Dark Fantasy is a thing. And it fits well, that's true.
  That's also true, and that's also the example the author used. You could complain, however, about games like Lies of P or Khazan or even Star Wars for also making use of these tropes even though they're all not Dark Fantasy. Khazan, maybe, but not the other two, for example.
Most of Elden Ring is pretty bright. Gold is one of the main colors. Even the catacombs are a lot of blue and white.
But anyway, most of the games are pretty bleak because theres's minimal friendly life. I remember when I first played ds1, and I heard the name blight town. I expected like a town with NPCs.
It would be weird to have a souls like where you move through a crowded street market full of food music and trade.
- The name of it escapes me, but I'd be interested in, like, a graph that shows the median colours used in all the FromSoft games. I imagine Sekiro and Elden Ring to be using the most diverse colour palette, maybe followed by Demon's Souls, and Dark Souls and Bloodborne to be around the bottom when it comes to most diverse colour palette
- Yes! In Elden Ring the contrast between how gorgeous the world looks and how fucked up everything is, is what gives the effect, in my opinion.
Enotria: The Last Song does have a somewhat bleak area towards the end, but for the most part that game is a bright and beautiful Italian countryside. I really enjoyed that change of scenery personally.
- It was a very smart choice, it set's the game apart immediately. It's been sitting in my mind as "the mediterranean soulslike" for months, I haven't played it yet but I appreciate that's not aiming for the same, I've read some of your coments on it and sounds cool.
  I think we'll start to see more of this. I'm down for it.
  
  I ended up liking it a lot. I'm actually in the process of doing a quick NG+ run after finishing it. It is what it is, you can see the AA-ness and the jank and some bugs, but I really enjoyed my time with it. AA games with a lot of heart are a weakness of mine. Didn't overstay its welcome either. My tip to get the most out of it is to try to really engage with the systems like the loudout switching mid combat and the elements. It won't stand up to the giants of the genre if you just grab a big sword and play it like it's Dark Souls, but there's enough fun to be had with the character customization, status effects and the active abilities and all that to make it stand out a bit.
  Plus the environments are beautiful.
Another Crab's Treasure is one of my favorite soulslikes, and that's not very dreary
- Idk, it just kept reminding me about all the shit we've thrown in the ocean. It might be the brightest and most colorful soulslike, but nothing in Elden Ring made me think "Damn my species is really shitty for destroying this ecosystem."
- Yea, it's the example the author used as well. But that seems to rather be the exception from the norm
I mean, the Fromsoft's Soulsbornes are set in decaying ruins because the themes and story kinda demand it. One of the central themes of the game is that immortality is bad and the pursuit of immortality is evil (which is what I thought this article was going to be about from the headline). The games are set in societies that have attempted to become "eternal empires" and as a result are now decaying slowly, not allowing something new to take its place. The player then comes on and usher in the "new age" (or you can choose to attempt to carry on without changing anything). Dark Souls 3 is probably most clear about this, where in the DLC you meet yourself in the shape of Friede. She does the exact same thing you are doing, but on a smaller scale and has chosen to not burn the painting and imprison the painted that would make it anew. What she puts doing is obviously wrong, and it gives you a not-so-subtle hint that kindling the first flame is also the wrong thing to do.
Why would I need to jam a rapier through a god who made a pastel happy world's throat?
Has the author not been to Medulla?
I found Kena: Bridge of Spirits scratched the souls itch for me but in a gorgeous, lush world. Its still a world that is dying in some respects, but it is green and vibrant and downright Pixar-esque when you aren't in one of the places touched by corruption
- Man, that game is astonishingly beautiful. It definitely pops on the PS5. And it shows that the studio behind Kena was/is an animation (?) studio first and foremost - they really nailed the visuals and cinematography of the cutscenes

27 comments