Soulslikes Are Finally Becoming Soulslites, & They're Better For It

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The soulslike genre has been shifting and evolving for over a decade now, and with the rapid release of recent entries like and , it's clear just how much has changed over that time. Although was the first game to codify many of the core soulslike mechanics, was the one that shot the concept to worldwide popularity. Within a few years, the ideas that made so compelling were starting to spread throughout the gaming industry, and plenty of titles have benefited from them since.

There's no hard set of rules as to what defines a soulslike, but it's usually easy to tell when a game fits into the genre. Tough combat with precise hitboxes is one key component, and progression that centers around a bonfire system where healing up at carefully placed checkpoints respawns enemies tends to be another. It's also common for soulslike storytelling to rely on the careful discovery and assemblage of information, following the subtle approach employed by developer FromSoftware throughout many of its games.

Nearly all the systems and ideas found in FromSoftware games click together in impressive synchronicity, and this careful balance makes it hard for games to borrow one idea but skip others. (2014), arguably the first major attempt at a true soulslike, was fairly thorough in its emulation. It never rose above emulation, however, and with the only real points of distinction being elements that were more generic or less satisfying than, there was never much reason for anyone to come back to it when they could have another go at the real deal instead.

In 2024, that isn't the case at all, and a flurry of April game releases has shown just how much diversity can be found in games inspired by FromSoftware's masterpieces. might be one of the most striking soulslike games yet, leaning into an aesthetic more in line with casual platformers and introducing a fun shell-swapping mechanic. It also puts the narrative at the forefront of the affair, leaning on appropriately heavy themes but