Summary
In 2011, one of the fairest criticisms levied atDark Soulswas that its difficulty might encourage cautious play. Ever since, Soulslike games have made concerted efforts to tackle player cautiousness and dial up the action of each and every battle.
Whether it comes in the form of fast-paced combat, the inability to block, or the lack of any worthwhile defensive options, these games force the player to engage in brutal combat on its own terms, where caution leads to death.
In the early stages of this legendary Metroidvania Soulslike a player may be fooled into thinking caution is possible (as well as missingmany incredible small details throughout the game). However, as the game develops and the boss fights grow ever more brutal, the pace of the game wildly increases and caution is a surefire way to die.
Instead, the only way forward with some of the games' most difficult bosses, like Nightmare King Grimm, Pure Vessel, and Absolute Radiance is to dodge just long enough to get some solid hits in. Missing an opportunity to be aggressive could make the difference between success and failure.
InMortal Shell, the player is able to hop into the bodies of various fearsome warriors, with the notable feature that there are very few solid defensive options in any of them. This is a conscious choice that focuses on aggressive gameplay and punishes caution.
In the particularly brutal early segments of the game,Mortal Shellteaches the player that there’s no room for hiding behind a shield. The player needs to be aggressive to get those all-important upgrades and bring their Shells to their true potential.
After the originalDark Souls, FromSoftware madeBloodborne, which clearly had a massive impact on the finale of the trilogy,Dark Souls 3.While the game still offers some good defensive options, everything in the world ofDark Souls 3is far more aggressive than its two prequels, even in some ofits brilliant side quests.
Bosses will attack with far more aggression, hiding behind a shield is difficult, and potent defensive options like Havel’s Armor are hidden at the end of the game. The only option is to be more aggressive and get onDark Souls 3’s more fast-paced level.
In most games set in Japanese history, shields are rarely an option, andNiohis little exception despite its supernatural stylings. For newly stranded samurai William in 1600, shields and solid armor are a thing of the past. Instead,among many other useful beginner tips, players learn pretty quickly that aggression is the only way forward.
Like Team Ninja’s other games,Niohtakes the Soulslike genre and transposes its fixtures into the hack-n-slash genre where aggression is king, and cautiousness precipitates failure. William needs to get stuck in, or he’ll fall at the first hurdle.
Don’t let the sci-fi sheen give the wrong impression.The Surge 2is all about brutality, particularly in the form of limb dismemberment andits brutal backstabs. One of the primary ways to upgrade the player’s character involves chopping off the limbs of key enemies, meaning there’s little benefit in hanging back and dealing chip damage.
Instead, successful players will hunt down enemies that complement their build and will use aggressive mechanics to target and dismember specific limbs. Caution has no place in the world ofThe Surge 2, especially if the player wants to live.
Though it might be said thatLies of Pborrows a little too liberally fromBloodborne, it takes all the best elements of the latter and discourages caution every step of the way. Aggression is constantly rewarded with enemy stance meters that require constant attention to chip down and judicious use ofthe best Fable Art attacks in the game.
InLies of P, there are very few good defensive options other than the parry. By timing a block at the right moment, the enemy’s stance will be damaged, similarly chipped by dealing damage. By combining constant parries and damage, the player can take down the biggest behemoth. The only mistake worth noting is being too cautious and refusing to do what needs to be done.
In 2015, the Soulslike as a genre unto itself hadn’t quite kicked off yet, andBloodbornehad revolutionized it already. In a clear design rebellion against the caution engendered byDark Souls, every single mechanic inBloodborneencourages unmitigated aggression includingsome standard enemies that are even more fearsome than the bosses.
There are no good armor sets or shields, the player dodges fast, and the player can regain health by attacking an enemy that just hit them. Kineticism and gory kills build an exhilarating world where caution is the arbiter of sorry hunters not cut out for success in Yarnham.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twicetook the design tenets ofBloodborneand amped them up even further. Not only does the player need to know how to effectively jump, grapple, and dodge, but they now need to be close to the enemy to use the all-important parry mechanic againstthe game’s fearsome bosses and mini-bosses.
LikeLies of Pto come some years later, each enemy has a stance meter that can be chipped down by parrying their attacks or dealing damage. If their stance meter is empty, the player can deliver a killing blow. HP bars are a thing of the past. All that matters is unprecedented aggression that can end long boss fights in moments if the player is skilled and angry enough.
