Discussion New Genre Proposals: Soft Souls-Like and Hard Souls-Like

ShadowDurza

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Action games with RPG/Progressions elements have evolved to a point where Action RPG is no longer an adequate term to describe them, so I propose two new genres that fit two of my favorite experiences:

Soft Souls-Like: For casuals, applies some of From Software's concepts without their "Punishing" nature or offer more diversity and focus more on enjoyment.
Examples: Kingdom Hearts, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Hard Souls-Like: Hardcore oriented, applies From Software's philosophies in varying amounts while focusing on the joy of "git gud".
Examples: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Ghost of Tsushima.

Any thoughts? Better names? Further examples?
 
Isn't Zelda considered a "dungeon crawler?"

I guess I should have specified that I was referring to the combat. I feel that Action Combat has become too broad of a term to accurately describe how combat works in all of the games on the market.
 
I guess I should have specified that I was referring to the combat. I feel that Action Combat has become too broad of a term to accurately describe how combat works in all of the games on the market.
I think maybe that's the issue. Everything is too broad in terms of gameplay and scope.
 
Why does "souls-like" have to enter into the conversation at all as a descriptor for other action-RPG games, especially when it, as a genre, came well after some of the bigger classic entries into the action-RPG genre? Just save "souls-like" as a subgenre for games like Sekiro et al, and keep referring to other stuff like the 3D Zelda games as an action-RPG. Not every RPG (or other super-difficult game in existence, for that matter) has to be described in reference to Dark Souls.
 
Why does "souls-like" have to enter into the conversation at all as a descriptor for other action-RPG games, especially when it, as a genre, came well after some of the bigger classic entries into the action-RPG genre? Just save "souls-like" as a subgenre for games like Sekiro et al, and keep referring to other stuff like the 3D Zelda games as an action-RPG. Not every RPG (or other super-difficult game in existence, for that matter) has to be described in reference to Dark Souls.
But Sekiro is so different from Dark Souls. And every action RPG is different from Zelda's combat. You don't compare Zelda's combat with things like Ryzen, Ni No Kuni, Dragon Age, the Witcher, Monster Hunter, etc. Sometimes it's all about the gear, other times it's all about skill with gear being just an edge. Sometimes you can get away with just mashing buttons, other times if you just jump in you're guaranteed to die.
 

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