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[atyourservice]

Curious which aspects of Fromsoft games (demons souls onwards excluding armored core and deracine) people enjoy most.

Trailers to jog your memory:

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

Using Cheat Engine

 

[Gaiff]

Boss fights aren't there?

 

[atyourservice]

Boss fights aren't there?

Combat doesn't cover that?

I guess It could be separate

 

[Pelao]

I'm here for the combat and level design, which in my opinion is unmatched in this genre.

 

[Badlucktroll]

The exploration and finding cool items is so addicting

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Art style and level design.

Only reason I stick to repeating bosses is to see the next area.

 

[LectureMaster]

Level designs and lore. It fucking amazing that YouTuber only doing From games lores can amass 3 millions subscribers.

 

[Gaiff]

Combat doesn't cover that?

I would say no. I very much enjoy the combat in Demon's Souls, but most bosses are whack and many rely on gimmicks or environmental puzzle solving rather than skill. A game can have good combat and bad bosses and vice-versa. They're closely related, but I think in a series where boss fights are such a draw, you have to separate the general combat from the boss fights.

 

[Danjin44]

- Art direction

- combat

- music.

 

[mansoor1980]

-weapons
-level design
-exploration and item discovery

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Consequences for dying
Level Design
Art Style

But, After 250 hrs of Elden Ring, I am officially burned out on Dark Souls combat. I really hope Fromsoftware's next game completely changes up the combat like Sekiro and Bloodborne did

 

[Danjin44]

After 250 hrs of Elden Ring, I am officially burned out on Dark Souls combat. I really hope Fromsoftware's next game completely changes up the combat like Sekiro and Bloodborne did

Play their other games like Armored Core VI which has completely different style of gameplay and combat.

it’s really GOOD!

 

[Saber]

Lore, boss fights and music

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Play their other games like Armored Core VI which has completely different style of gameplay and combat.

it’s really GOOD!

I've been told Armored Core 6 is great for the people that like the genre, but it didn't click for a lot of other gamers. It's annoyingly still 60$, which makes me refuse to invest in it not knowing if it's for me or not. But, it has been on my backlog for the longest time. Wish there was a demo

 

[struggler_guts]

All them options and no monster design

 

[Big Baller]

Exploration
Level and art design

 

[dreamstation]

Hard to pick just three to be honest. Love the exploration, the interconnected level design, the obscure story and snippets of lore. Combat is decent but could be tightened up somewhat though.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Exploration and item discovery, combat, bosses and lore. I also appreciate the minimalist approach to story telling with focus on gameplay and not cut scenes and dialog. Environmental storytelling and level design is top notch in these games and makes for endless replayabilities. Weapons and sound design is also a big part of the appeal. The satisfying sound of a parry followed by a riposte in bloodborne never gets old. So yeah, I appreciate pretty much everything in FromSofts Souls-games.

 

[PauloRoberto]

Item/location discovery. Second to none. You know for a fact that, if you explore, changes are you WILL find something good/valuable (not necessary for your build/play style, but still...)

 

[IAmRei]

For me, their art direction. Dark, sombers, grim, sense of dangerous. I sometimes consider it as horror as well.

Is kind of what wrpg should be. Grim dark, not like disneyland or trying to be mature but not even looks grim. It might upset some, but dark souls, bloodborne, elden ring is more western action rpg than wrpg nowadays.

Hey its my two cents, each to their own i guess.

 

[tonypierre123]

Combat

 

[Rush2112]

I love sekiro because the game levels the player up not the character. New game you get you ass kicked. In new game plus, YOU are the ass kicker.

No ‘builds’ no ‘gear’ no ‘stats’ none at that BS. Learn the game or bugger off.

 

[Perrott]

fashion souls

 

[The Cockatrice]

 

[Badlucktroll]

If sony does end up owning from, will they be multiplatform or just tell microsoft to f off?

 

[Mayar]

Where is the option - I hate myself as a person and want to suffer?

 

[Z O N E]

Honestly, all of the above.

I think FROMSOFT games just have this down to where everything comes together to makes this amazing piece of art.

One of the VERY few games where it all matches

 

[Danjin44]

I love sekiro because the game levels the player up not the character. New game you get you ass kicked. In new game plus, YOU are the ass kicker.

No ‘builds’ no ‘gear’ no ‘stats’ none at that BS. Learn the game or bugger off.

Because Sekiro is FROM’s take on action game, it’s not “souls” game and it never try to be one.

 

[winjer]

Level design and exploration are the things I love the most about these games.
Even on a second playthrough, there is always stuff to find, new paths to explore.
In an age of games with yellow paint marking the way, waypoints littering the screen and map, and simplistic map design made to appeal to the lowest common denominator, From Software games, are a god send.

 

[MALpractice311]

Hard to pick just three, but I went with combat, level design, and lore/world building. As to combat, I love the methodical combat that rewards learning and counter attacking. As to level design, Fromsoft are the absolute kings of the industry. No one comes close to making levels that look as cool from an art design perspective or are as complex from a gameplay perspective. As to lore and world building, they make stories and worlds that I've never seen before, even if they're highly influenced by other media (i.e., Berserk, Lovecraft, Gunji Ito, etc.).

Consequences for dying
Level Design
Art Style

But, After 250 hrs of Elden Ring, I am officially burned out on Dark Souls combat. I really hope Fromsoftware's next game completely changes up the combat like Sekiro and Bloodborne did

I'm actually starting to feel that way in Elden Ring as well now that I'm about 75% done with Shadow of the Erdtree. Elden Ring is the first Fromsoft Souls-like game I've only played once and I'm trying to figure out why I'm not dying to replay it. I think part of it is my general aversion to open world games. The open world is too big and boring and it takes too long to get to the good stuff, the legacy dungeons.

That being said, I'm also wondering if Fromsoft is running out of ideas on the boss side of things. I still enjoy exploring the levels and fighting all the normal enemies, but nearly every boss in Shadow of the Erdtree has been a totally unfun slog. For reference, the only two bosses I've ever not beaten solo from Fromsoft's catalog are Malenia from ER and Midir from the DS3 DLC. In Shadow of the Erdtree though, I've had to summon/use Mimic Tear for basically 80% of the unique bosses, because they hit too hard, they move too fast, their health bars are too big, and the screen is filled with particle effects (fire, ice, lightning, etc.) such that I can't get a read on them and learn their movements.

I've been told Armored Core 6 is great for the people that like the genre, but it didn't click for a lot of other gamers. It's annoyingly still 60$, which makes me refuse to invest in it not knowing if it's for me or not. But, it has been on my backlog for the longest time. Wish there was a demo

That's a perfect descriptor. I've tried several mech games from several IPs in years past and never clicked with any of them. But I eventually decide to buy AC6 on release date because there had been no recent or upcoming releases that interested me. I got about 75% of the way through AC6 before putting it down. The levels were boring because the regular enemies were of no challenge and eventually the bosses just required more tuning and trying new parts in the garage than I cared to engage in. I'm officially done with the mech genre.

 

[Soodanim]

I went for the 3 gameplay ones: combat, weapons, and exploration.

Level design is usually good but it's not why I play, and it's never been as good as it was in 1 now that we just warp everywhere.

The music it largely samey for me and I can happily turn it off. SFX are something that I only noticed how satisfying they were when DS2 fucked them up and made everything sound awful. The only time I've ever actually paid attention was when the piano notes came in at the end of DS3.

Lore and worldbuilding is great, but Elden Ring went too far and made some important stuff too obscure. It feels unfinished in places, more so than previous games.

Boss fights are sometimes hit and miss, especially with SotE. Hitboxes on some are ridiculous and take away from the enjoyment.

Environmental storytelling isn't something I relate to as I assume everything is just set dressing and world building. People dig too deep into things and to me it's all a series of "The curtains were blue" moments unless meaningfully proven otherwise. Not every pixel has meaning.

Back to my choices, I play Souls games for the gameplay. I want to have fun and to keep finding new ways to have fun. New move sets are a great example of how to switch things up. Played with a greatsword? Cool, time to try dual daggers and light rolling, then magic. Well made games support whatever you want to try, and the best games keep you around long enough to try many combinations. My 1200+ hours in both DS1 and ER are testament to that.

 

[DavidGzz]

It was difficult to choose only 3 but I had to include art direction because without that, everything falls apart. That's why so many Souls-likes are shit. Combat and world building fill my list.

 

[Wolves hunt in packs]

I really like enemies design, some looks terrifying. That's it.

 

[AngelMuffin]

 

[Robb]

I don’t really enjoy the games so I can’t pick three I think. I really love the art though, so that’d be my main pick. I can also appreciate that the games seem to have more of an environmental storytelling.

 

[killatopak]

All of them. It’s so good.

 

[Madflavor]

Wow the three things I voted for ended up being the top three. Yeah the difficulty is nice, but it's that level design, exploration and rewarding combat that make those games so fun.

 

[NeverYouMind]

I like sidestepping their bullshit design through glitches and using tools not as intended. I like all the unique weapons and armor that elevate my roleplaying experience. I also like double jumping with Torrent and having him sprint around dungeons and boss battles after hacking the Elden Ring maps to allow it.

P.S. Sekiro and Armored Core suck ass.

 

[Portugeezer]

The world/vibes > exploration/discovery > combat

Difficulty not so much, although it helps to soak in the atmosphere as I explore very slowly so that I don't die.

 

[Kings Field]

Combat, boss fights, and weapons.


I usually don't replay games but I've replayed every souls game at least 10 times due to the variety of weapons and builds.

 

[thefool]

I picked bosses/difficulty/exploring but it's important to lay aside Elden, where exploring is incredibly tedious vs the other games.

Bosses is why i play them, i like their difficulty and looking around for shit.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

Picked 3 but it’s hard because these games have the overall package. I really love the level design and exploration, item placement and lore, as well as the boss fights. But if it didn’t have an interesting setting and atmosphere, it wouldn’t be the same. And the same setting with an empty world wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.


Best contrast I would say is Jedi: Fallen Order where I didn’t give a shit about the lore, the story, the derivative level design, or the ponchos. Combat and bosses were no good either, the only thing it did alright was the Jedi power trip. It missed every single mark other than that and the crashed star destroyer.

 

[DelireMan7]

NPCs, Lore and world-building and story telling.

And this is what a lot of "Souls like" are missing because they only focus on combat system and difficulty.

And this why Hollow Knight is the best Souls-like game outside of FromSoftware

Would also add level design for the first Dark Souls especially.

Difficulty is nice but not a must have for me.

 

[Aenima]

Level design is what makes Souls games fun for me. The way the enemies, traps, secret passages, etc are laid on the level and how the levels conect with shortcuts and so on. Going through a level in a souls game for the 1st time is always trilling cuz you never know what to expect but even with high dificulty its mostly fair cuz when you rerun the same level you already know what to expect and things get easier untill you get caught in the next ambush or trap.

Reason why i didnt enjoyed Elden Ring as much as the other Fromsoft souls games. The open world killed what i enjoy in souls games and Elden Ring only has the level design i enjoy in the closed areas.

 

[mitch1971]

What I like about the games is that I know I have no patience for them, therefor I have several games in the series I can put no effort into liking and shorten the queue of games I must play before I die.

 

[skit_data]

I have yet to play Armored Core and I haven't finished Sekiro so I'm mostly coming from a Souls/Bloodborne/Elden Ring perspective.

I'd probably say pretty much all of the voting options tbh, they have a very high bar overall which is what makes their game so compelling.
But if I had to pick three I'd say:
-Their level design is probably the best in the business. Its very much tied to the
-Sense of exploration/item discovery. Few developers manage to make exploration feel rewarding in the way From does. I always feel confident in that I'm not wasting time when exploring, which is truly a remarkable achievment.
-The last option I chose was Art style but... thinking about it I think I'd have chosen "Atmosphere" if that was an option. I guess it's a bit too vague but if there is something that really makes Froms games unique it's probably atmosphere.

 

[POKEYCLYDE]

Exploration and item discovery first and foremost. Then combat and how rewarding it is to beat something difficult. Often the latter is followed by the former.

Which makes for a great gameplay loop.

 

[atyourservice]

I would say no. I very much enjoy the combat in Demon's Souls, but most bosses are whack and many rely on gimmicks or environmental puzzle solving rather than skill. A game can have good combat and bad bosses and vice-versa. They're closely related, but I think in a series where boss fights are such a draw, you have to separate the general combat from the boss fights.

That's fair. Wouldn't be surprised if they have a separate team just for designing boss fights

 

[atyourservice]

I'm surprised voice acting has almost zero votes.

I guess it's more the other aspects being excellent rather than VA being bad. Still though, I don't think they get enough praise for their voice acting work