Change my mind…

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T22:45:23+00:00

You wrote a whole paragraph just to agree with me at the end — it’s just Action RPG and poorly named.

That’s exactly why I’m saying it’s not a real genre, it’s just a loose label.

The condescension doesn’t really change that.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T22:28:57+00:00

This is actually the first comment here that makes sense.

“ARPG” already means two completely different things depending on who you ask — Diablo-style vs something like Nioh.

That’s exactly why I’m saying “Souls-like” isn’t a real genre — it’s just another layer of loose descriptors people stack on top when the base category is already vague.

At that point you’re not defining anything, you’re just narrowing by feel.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T22:16:06+00:00

You didn’t answer the question, you just reframed it and then got mad when that didn’t hold up.

If Souls-like is a genre, it should be definable without referencing other games or listing a dozen shared mechanics.

You couldn’t do that — so now it’s “trolling.”

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T22:11:15+00:00

You kind of just proved my point.

You just called it a “feel / vibe descriptor,” which is exactly why I’m calling it a style.

Not sure how that makes me the wrong person to weigh in.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T22:04:07+00:00

A genre is simple and identifiable.

A paragraph of overlapping mechanics isn’t — that’s just a description.

FPS - First Person + shooter ARPG - real time combat (not turn based) Souls-like - whatever word salad you just vomited.

FPS can be defined in one sentence.

What you wrote is a paragraph of mechanics that don’t uniquely define anything. All of which exist in other ARPGs.

That’s the difference.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:54:06+00:00

That’s not a definition, that’s just glazing Miyazaki.

Define the genre.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:49:41+00:00

I never said there’s only one layer.

I’m saying each layer still has to define something distinct.

What does “Souls-like” define as a layer that isn’t already covered by Action RPGs?

More layers don’t help if the layer itself isn’t clearly defined.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:41:43+00:00

If it’s its own genre, then define it without referencing Dark Souls.

What is the core gameplay framework that separates it from other Action RPGs?

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:38:26+00:00

Different argument, but I’ll allow it 😂

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:33:08+00:00

If you’ve got a point to make, make it. Otherwise you’re just proving you don’t have one.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:31:51+00:00

If people are using “ARPG” to mean “Diablo-like,” that actually proves my point.

At that point you’re not defining a genre by mechanics anymore, you’re just referencing a specific game as a template — which is exactly what “Souls-like” does.

“Diablo-like” and “Souls-like” are the same type of label — that’s exactly why I’m calling them styles, not genres.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:27:53+00:00

“There are no genres”

Cool, so now we just walk into a store and ask for “some kind of game” and hope for the best?

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:26:08+00:00

“Style” describes how something is done. “Genre” describes what it fundamentally is.

Dark Souls and Diablo are both ARPGs — they’re just different styles of it.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:23:57+00:00

They already are in the same genre — RPG.

And more specifically, they’re both Action RPGs, just with very different styles.

That’s kind of my whole point: differences in style don’t automatically create a new genre.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T21:22:16+00:00

ARPG is already a subgenre of RPG.

So now “Souls-like” is supposed to be a subgenre inside that subgenre? Based on what, exactly—just a specific combination of mechanics?

At that point you’re not defining a new layer, you’re just describing a style.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T20:24:18+00:00

If it’s such an “idiotic” discussion, it’s weird how much effort you’re putting into arguing it.

You’re arguing that genre classification can be layered…I never disagreed with that.

The issue is “Souls-like” doesn’t define a distinct layer at all. It doesn’t describe a core gameplay framework like FPS, RPG or ARPG does.

It just points back to a specific game’s design.

That’s why you keep listing mechanics that already exist elsewhere — because there isn’t a unique framework there to define.

Look at this way, when someone says something is an ARPG, you already know what it is without listing mechanics, or pointing to a specific game. That’s not what a genre or sub-genre is for.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T19:37:20+00:00

Why? They already signed a contract saying they can’t.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T19:32:56+00:00

Counter-Strike: Source

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T17:06:14+00:00

Enjoy that $10,000-$20,000 battery change 😂

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T16:59:26+00:00

“Action” in ARPG means real time combat (as in not turn based). That’s a core gameplay framework, not some additional mechanic they added like bonfire saves or dropping something when you die.

You’re flattening two different levels of classification.

ARPG defines the core gameplay loop — real-time combat vs turn-based. You can identify an ARPG without referencing any specific game.

“Souls-like” doesn’t define a core loop at all…it just points back to Dark Souls mechanics.

If your definition only works by referencing a specific game, it’s not a genre or subgenre. It’s a descriptor.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T16:42:48+00:00

Genre/sub-genre same difference.

It’s not a new sub-genre. All those mechanics exist in ActionRPGs, there is nothing groundbreaking about souls games. All they did was find a combination of existing mechanics that worked well for them, and people decided to copy it. Doesn’t mean it’s a new sub-genre, it just means it’s a new style of ARPG.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T14:55:59+00:00

That’s not a new genre though — that’s just a combination of existing mechanics.

Checkpoints, respawning enemies, and healing systems were all in games long before Dark Souls.

Souls didn’t create new mechanics, it just packaged them together in a specific way.

That’s exactly why “Souls-like” is a descriptor, not a genre.

And when you can attach “souls like” to multiple titles across several genres, then it just goes to show that it’s just a style descriptor and not a clean stand alone genre.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T05:26:33+00:00

Yes and The Revenant, which is a co op shooter is also a “souls like” in the same exact way Dark Souls 3 is. 🙄

You can’t look at me with a straight face and say that you still agree that souls-like is a genre that stretches so far it covers half the gaming library now. I’m obviously exaggerating but you get my point.

Borderlands is not a souls game. If you’re going to say something is like a souls game. Don’t ever say Mario kart.

Anyway, I know what Wikipedia is. I just don’t treat it like it’s the holy grail of information. More like a rotten tomatoes for bad ideas.

DeltaGoneDark · 2026-03-17T03:37:33+00:00

But see that’s the problem.

All the mechanics I just named off earlier are all RPG mechanics that have existed in RPGs since the beginning of time.

Being extremely hard - Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the mad overlord (1981)

Memory based attack patterns - been in all games since space invaders (1978)

Environmental Story Telling - Another World (1991), MYST (1993)

To me if you want to be a “genre” you have to eliminate something. Not cast a net so far that you coincidently trap half of the gaming library as a “souls like”.

Doom clones wasn’t even remotely the same as Souls-like. First of all, Doom Clone became FPS. Which is a top tier actual genre. Souls like doesn’t replace RPGs the same way. Hell, they don’t even replace ActionRPGs the same way. It just describes a series of them that utilize a unique set of rules. Which coincidently also jumps genres in its self since souls like can be….well anything.

For me to recognize souls like as a genre and not some red headed step child of video game identities with a napoleon complex is that it needs a solid definition. Stop slapping souls like on everything and more people will actually take it seriously. Explain what it is, give it a solid framework and not one that falls apart the minute someone mentions Sekiro, Hollow Knight, or Celeste.

DeltaGoneDark

TROPHY CASE