1 Introduction

Among other trends in the gaming industry, the “Soulsification” process emerged as well. This term, used by gaming websites [1, 2] and some players on online forums,Footnote 1 describes the impact of the Souls genre on video game design. The emergence of this process occurred after the release and commercial success of the first few Souls games such as Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls. These games were developed by the Japanese video game development studio, FromSoftware.

They are iconic titles renowned for their challenging gameplay, immersive world-building, and complex level design. According to the studies of Andiloro and Kunzelman, Souls games feature challenging combat that emphasizes precision and strategy; penalties for mistakes; interconnected level design that encourages exploration with hidden secrets; minimalist storytelling while creating dark atmospheres; and strong community engagement through shared strategies and lore discussions [3, 4]. For example, in Demon’s Souls, players navigate through the treacherous kingdom of Boletaria, while facing formidable enemies and overcoming obstacles in a dark fantasy setting. Meanwhile, in Dark Souls, players journey through the crumbling kingdom of Lordran, where they must unravel its mysteries while also battling formidable enemies and overcoming obstacles. Both titles have punishing game mechanics which require players to use strategic thinking, precise combat maneuvers, and careful exploration to progress. These game mechanics have left a mark on the gaming industry.

In gaming, it is crucial to have a unique and engaging gameplay experience [5]. These can be influenced by various factors such as challenging gameplay, immersive combat mechanics, the sense of progression through acquiring new items or abilities, and even the visual aesthetics. All of these can significantly impact player engagement and enjoyment [6,7,8]. Consequently, the Souls game mechanics can also affect player experience [9]. According to Kalmanlehto [10], Souls games offer a rhythmic combat: the underlying computational mechanics and player interactions are rhythmic, responding to one another in a manner akin to dancing. Additionally, boss battles mimic real rhythm games, requiring players to synchronize their actions closely with the enemy’s movement animations. Additionally, the placement of enemies, bosses, items, environmental clues and interconnected shortcuts can create a layered narrative experience that changes conventional storytelling methods. These novel gameplay mechanics increased their popularity, and two of the Souls games won the Game of the Year award (among others) at The Game Awards show. In 2019, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice won this award [11], while the newest one, Elden Ring won it in 2022 [12]. Furthermore, the first Dark Souls game won the Ultimate Game of All Time award at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2021 [13]. It even surpassed the original 1993 Doom game which got second place. Besides winning awards, these games also have a dedicated fanbase that share their experiences and try to piece the story together on online forums due to its unconventional nature [14]. Consequently, the Souls games have become a basis for a few video game developers. The Soulsification process does not only replicate the challenging game mechanics of these games, but it also changes and reshapes game design principles. By Soulsifying video games, they become ones that are called Soulslike (i.e. similar games to the original Souls series).

The Soulsification process created a wave of exploration among video game developers. Independent and mainstream development studios are integrating Souls elements into their video games. This, in turn, expands the influence of the genre. According to SteamDB, more and more Soulslike video games, such as the Star Wars Jedi games, the Remnant games, Lords of the Fallen, Lies of P, are released each year.Footnote 2 Thus, the Soulsification process continues in the video game industry. In light of these developments, the present study aims to provide insights into the current state of the gaming industry regarding Soulslike video games and the player experience about them. The aim of the study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of player preferences, industry trends, and the implications of the Soulsification process. Consequently, the goal of this study is to offer valuable insights for game developers, industry stakeholders, and players alike while seeking to inspire innovation, and help the future of gaming in this genre.

The remainder of this study is structured as follows: Section 2 details the core game mechanics of the Souls games and the Soulsification term. Section 3 examines player experience regarding these games. Section 4 presents the research questions, while Section 5 shows the materials and methods used in this study. The Soulsification process is analyzed in Section 6, while the opinions of players are evaluated in Section 7. The results are discussed in Section 8, and conclusions are drawn in Section 9. Lastly, the questionnaire used can be seen in Appendix A.

2 Souls game mechanics and Soulsification

This section is split into two subsections. Section 2.1 presents the core mechanics of the Souls games, whereas the Soulsification process is defined in Section 2.2.

2.1 Souls game mechanics

As mentioned in the introductory section, the Souls games are characterized by demanding combat mechanics that prioritize precision and strategic thinking as well as intricate level design that promotes exploration and discovery. Additionally, there are many repercussions for errors, and these games have an oblique storytelling as well as ominous atmospheres. According to the study of Kunzelman, it can be argued that the Souls games do not belong to a video game genre, but a specific type of aesthetic category [4]. It is also stated in another study by Andiloro that the atmosphere of such games is easily recognizable [3]. Furthermore, to increase the sense of dread and futility, the theme of death is commonly integrated into the story and gameplay [15, 16]. It is possible for the players to feel that they are in a Souls game. For illustration, two examples can be seen in Fig. 1: Bloodborne in Fig. 1a, and Dark Souls III in Fig. 1b.

Fig. 1
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Examples of two Souls games

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Although these games have left a mark on the gaming industry, they themselves were influenced by various sources. Their mechanics are rooted in both classic and contemporary games. The creators of the Souls series, particularly Hidetaka Miyazaki, have acknowledged their influences and inspirations in various interviews and developer commentaries. Miyazaki has often mentioned his love for classic Western role-playing games (RPGs), tabletop games, Japanese manga and literature as influences on the design of the Souls series. He has also expressed a desire to create games that challenge players and encourage exploration and discovery [17,18,19,20,21,22,23].

While certain game mechanics can change between the Souls or Soulslike games, the atmosphere of the games remain the same [3, 4, 9]. Based on the referenced studies, the Souls or Soulslike games contain most (if not all) of the following core game mechanics:

  • The unforgiving gameplay difficulty: The challenging combat and difficulty curve of the Souls games can be traced back to earlier titles developed by FromSoftware. The most notable games are the King’s Field series and Demon’s Souls. These games started the methodical combat that would become one of the core game mechanics of the Souls series. Additionally, the punishing combat difficulty, hidden traps and emphasis on player skill over traditional RPG mechanics were inspired by classic games like Ghosts ’n Goblins and Castlevania.

  • Death as a central element: In Souls games, players lose their currency upon death by dropping it on the ground and must retrieve it without dying again. If they die again, they lose all of the previously dropped currency. This has parallels with “Roguelike” and “Roguelite” games, where permanent death is a central mechanic.

  • The bonfire checkpoint system: The idea of bonfires as checkpoints draws inspiration from various RPGs. However, it was implemented in the Souls series to encourage exploration and risk-taking. When resting at a bonfire, the health and potions of the player are refilled, but the vanquished enemies (except for bosses) respawn as well. The concept of respawning at a checkpoint upon death has roots in games like Metroid and Castlevania. Other Soulslike games have also incorporated this checkpoint system, but the bonfire is graphically changed to reflect the setting of the games. For example, the bonfires appear as shrines in the Nioh games, or as benches in Hollow Knight.

  • Interconnected level design: Most Souls games have an interconnected level design (the exception is Demon’s Souls which has a level selector). This means that areas loop back into each other and shortcuts are unlocked over time. This was heavily influenced by the design philosophy of classic games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid.

  • Boss battles: These are often the most memorable and challenging encounters. While the concept of boss battles itself is not unique to the Souls series, the emphasis on learning patterns and adapting strategies draws inspiration from classic games like Shadow of the Colossus and Monster Hunter.

  • Environmental and contextual storytelling: The game’s lore has to be pieced together through item descriptions, world design, and non-playable character interactions. This type of storytelling method has roots in games like System Shock and Bioshock.

  • Hero’s journey: These games feature a so-called “hero’s journey” [24]. This refers to a narrative and storytelling pattern that can be found in legends and works of fiction. This template highlights the stages that a hero undergoes throughout a story, such as growth, challenges, and transformation. While this template has several stages, not all of them are used in these games.

2.2 Soulsification

“Soulsification” refers to the process of incorporating elements commonly found in Souls games into other video games or game genres. This term describes games that adopt the challenging combat, complex level design, and some (if not all) of the previously mentioned game mechanics of Souls games. This can manifest in various ways, such as implementing punishing death mechanics, creating interconnected level layouts, designing challenging boss encounters, or focusing on deep lore and environmental storytelling.

In other words, games that undergo the Soulsification process often aim to provide players with experiences similar to those found in the original Souls games. However, it is important to note that Soulsification does not necessarily mean replicating the exact formula of the Souls games. Instead, it involves adapting and integrating certain elements of Souls games into different contexts. This results in a gaming experience that is influenced by the Souls series, while the games still have their own distinct identities.

3 Player experience regarding Souls and Soulslike games

Understanding player experience in Souls and Soulslike games as well as video games general, is crucial for creating a positive gaming experience [25]. While various video game genres exist, the scarcity of studies on Soulslike games presents the need for further research. As mentioned, one of the key features of such video games is the challenging gameplay difficulty, mostly focusing on combat. Everything is hostile in the game’s world and almost anything can kill the player’s character. This fact is important in the case of difficult games, as experiencing a higher number of failures before initial success can predict greater learning gains [26]. However, failure should be viewed as a pathway to success rather than a setback [27]. Furthermore, the high difficulty allows the players to reach the stage of “pain and loss” which sometimes can create a will to overcome obstacles [28]. On the other side, since various player profiles exist, they may drop these games due to the mentioned “pain and loss” stage [29]. Also, since players can interact with the environment in different ways, they might not know what to do in these games [30, 31]. Consequently, this can result in an opaque gaming experience [32].

There are several studies in the literature that research player experience regarding Souls and Soulslike games. Player experience can be understood via several methods. For example, a study by Yu et al. focuses on understanding the appeal of the Dark Souls series from the players’ perspective by analyzing Steam reviews [33]. Using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model, the researchers uncovered common topics among players, revealing their main concerns. The results show that players were primarily interested in aspects such as the gaming experience, combat mechanics, characters, items, and difficulty levels. However, they were concerned about device optimization, while indicating potential issues with game control when the Dark Souls series was ported to different platforms.

Similarly, Guzsvinecz conducted a study using sentiment analysis methods to understand how playtime and certain Souls game mechanics, as well as aesthetics, affect player experience [9]. In the study, the correlation between positive game reviews, playtime, design, and game mechanics was investigated. Overall, the author analyzed 993,932 reviews on Steam related to Souls and Soulslike games. The results show that the more playtime the players have in these games, the more likely they are to leave a positive review. Also, drawn graphics, 2D graphical style are the most liked, while pixel graphics and futuristic setting are the least liked design elements. It is also shown that - based on the mentioned Steam reviews - Hollow Knight is the most liked Soulslike video game. The study concludes on the fact that each Souls game mechanic can have a significant effect on most of the eight basic emotions. A follow-up study was also conducted [34]: the analysis reveals significant differences in emotions and sentiments between negative and positive reviews, with positive reviews containing fewer negative sentiments and more positive ones. Negative reviews tend to focus on technical issues, while positive reviews emphasize player experience and what they like about these games. Additionally, negative reviews are longer and receive more votes compared to positive ones, despite the majority of reviews being positive. However, it can be stated that the overall experience with these games is positive.

Gandolfi also assessed the effects of Dark Souls III’s difficult combat and level design on player experience using data mining methods [35]. The results of the research show that the experience of the players was positive toward the complex level design and the unforgiving combat difficulty. The reaction towards cooperative elements was also positive. According to the study, these topics appeared on multiple platforms. Players also use online affinity spaces to vent and share their experiences regarding these games [36]. The study mentioned above shows that this can help players overcome challenges as they support each other. This results in the emergence of positive emotions. Similarly, those who played Elden Ring were more positive and helpful toward others on online forums, indicating greater empathy and problem solving skills [37].

Player experience regarding these games was also assessed from a cultural background. According to a recent study, the cultural background of the players can have an effect on their experience with these games [38]. The previously referenced study analyzed English, Chinese, and Russian reviews of Soulslike games. Significant differences in behavioral characteristics, perspectives, and emotional expressions between players from these cultures were found. English-speaking players focused more on game optimization, while Chinese and Russian players paid more attention to combat design. Chinese players tended to exhibit more negative emotions such as anger and disgust, while English and Russian players displayed a more neutral emotional stance.

According to Ford, player experience can be affected by level design and bosses in the Dark Souls games [39]. According to the results of the referenced study, these types of games invoke a sense of futility in the player which can arise due to both level design and the size of bosses: it is easy to get lost in the environment, while most bosses are presented as much larger entities than the player’s character. According to the study, giantness and excess represent key parts of the lore of the games. In Fig. 2, two examples can be seen of this in Elden Ring. Figure 2a shows a smaller area called Liurnia of the Lakes. Everything that can be seen, can be traversed. Similarly, Fig. 2b shows that the player’s character battling a gargoyle boss.

Fig. 2
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Examples of giantness in Elden Ring

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As mentioned in Section 2, the Souls and Soulslike video games center around high combat difficulty, novel game mechanics, and environmental as well as contextual storytelling. This, in turn, influenced developers to create Soulslike games by Soulsifying their games. For example, the first two Darksiders games can be categorized as hack’n’slash or simple action role-playing games, but the third one became Soulslike [9]: it incorporated the bonfire checkpoint system, challenging difficulty, lore in item descriptions, and losing in-game currency upon death. This drastic change surprised the playerbase, and the developers had to include a game mode in a later patch that allowed to switch off some of the Souls game mechanics for those who felt that the game’s combat was too difficult [40]. This meant some smaller changes to combat, such as instant item use or not having to wait the full attack animations to dodge. To mention another example, the Soulsification process even reached the long-running Final Fantasy series: one of the newer ones (Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin) is a retelling of the first Final Fantasy game, and it contains Souls game mechanics: it also has the bonfire checkpoint system and challenging combat. However, there is a difficulty setting in the game. Still, these were only two examples from the gaming industry. Ultimately, more and more games are becoming Soulslike throughout the years, and therefore it is critical to understand the Soulsification process and its effects on the playerbase.

4 Research questions

As was mentioned in the introductory section, the aim of this study is to understand the Soulsification process and the thoughts of players about it. Therefore, three research questions (RQs) were formed. These are the following:

  • RQ1: What are the current and possible future trends in the gaming industry regarding Soulslike video games?

  • RQ2: What do players think of the Soulsification process?

  • RQ3: What are the opinions of players about Souls game mechanics?

By answering the first research question, insights can be provided into the popularity and sustainability of this game genre. Furthermore, the answer has the potential to aid in forecasting future trends and market demand. Regarding the answer to the second research question, decisions can be informed about gameplay mechanics, difficulty levels, narrative approaches, and overall player experience. It can also help developers create engaging and immersive gaming experiences that resonate with their target audience. The answer to the third research question can allow the developers to understand which mechanics players find most compelling, enjoyable, or frustrating. By doing so, they can make informed decisions about feature prioritization, iteration, and enhancement. Similarly, the results can pave the way for future research by offering a deeper understanding of player engagement and the successful factors of game design regarding these types of games. Overall, these research questions aim to provide insights into the trends, player perceptions, and mechanics that can be associated with Soulslike video games.

5 Materials and methods

To answer the research questions, the number of Soulslike video game releases had to be assessed first. Therefore, data from the largest digital video game distribution platform, Steam, had to be collected. Similarly to Steam, a website called SteamDB provides statistical information on video games. SteamDB is a third-party database that tracks data related to games on the Steam platform. It categorizes games based on various factors, such as user tags, genres, and community feedback. The categorization of games as “Soulslike” on SteamDB is typically based on user tags and community consensus rather than any official designation by game developers. Thus, the accuracy of categorizing games as “Soulslike” on SteamDB can vary. Since these categorizations are based on user-generated tags and community consensus, they are subjective. Therefore, they may not always align with individual opinions or expectations.

Using SteamDB, video games were filtered by the “Souls-like” tag. When the tag was selected, SteamDB automatically listed the number of Soulslike games per month and per year. After filtering, Soulslike releases were downloaded and imported into the statistical program package R. Using the ggplot2 package, the data was visualized. Afterward, the forecast package was used to create time series data from the release dates. Using the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) method with 95% confidence intervals, the possible future number of Soulslike releases was predicted.

Then, the opinions of the players had to be investigated. For this, a questionnaire was created using Google Forms. The questionnaire contained four different parts. Before the first part, the Souls and Soulslike video games were defined in text. Screenshots of some were also included as examples. Then, in the first part, demographic questions (e.g. age, gender, dominant hand), and gaming-related questions (e.g. How many hours do you play video games a week?) were asked. It was also asked if the participants had played Souls/Soulslike games before. Depending on the answer to the previous question, the participants were taken either into the second or the third part. The second part contained questions for those who did not play these types of games. On the contrary, the third part had questions for those who did. Upon completing either of these sections, the participants were taken into the final section, which asked their opinions about the Soulsification process.

The questionnaire was shared on social media in the first half of January 2024 and was online for a week. It was posted in several Facebook groups that had a connection to the University of Pannonia. However, users were encouraged to share the questionnaire with their friends. Based on the age of the participants, they were either university students or just completed their university studies. It was indicated that by taking part in this online questionnaire, participants were giving informed consent. Participants took part on their own volition and filling out the questionnaire was anonymous. No personal data was collected.

After the participants shared their opinions, the data was downloaded and was also imported into the statistical program package R. For their analysis, multiple statistical methods were used. When calculating the proportions between the categorical data, Chi-squared tests, and Fisher’s Exact Test were used. To assess the agreement between groups, Cohen’s kappa was also calculated, and the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the number of Soulslike games between two groups. To see significant differences between the important game mechanics as well as certain emotions, ANOVA and Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) were used. This latter method is commonly used in ANOVA to perform post hoc tests to allow for pairwise comparisons between groups. It examines clusters of factors that exhibit similar patterns. The algorithm iteratively compares each pair of factors. Namely, it assesses whether their mean preferences differ significantly from each other. Consequently, it groups factors with similar mean preferences together. By doing so, the algorithm can form distinct clusters that represent cohesive sets of the investigated factors.

6 The Soulsification process in the industry

As mentioned in Section 5, release data of Soulslike video games was downloaded from SteamDB. According to the data, 1026 Soulslike games were released between 2009 and 2023. Figure 3 shows the number of Soulslike video game releases grouped by year. It should be noted however, that the original Souls games are also called Soulslike on Steam and SteamDB.

Fig. 3
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The number of Soulslike video game releases grouped by year

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2009 marks the release of Demon’s Souls. The first Dark Souls game (alongside its downloadable content) was released in 2012. Then, Dark Souls II was released in 2014. Starting in 2014, the number of Soulslike video game releases had a strictly monotonic increase each year. The possible future number of Soulslike releases was forecast with the ARIMA method. The results can be observed in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4
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Monthly Soulslike releases throughout the years and future prediction

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Although Fig. 3 showed Soulslike releases in each year, they are plotted monthly throughout the years in Fig. 4. However, the results of the prediction with the ARIMA method show that the Soulsification process will probably continue in the future, with the number of releases increasing over the years.

These games were also well-received. Metascore data was downloaded from SteamSpy.Footnote 3 According to the data, the average metascore for these games is 75.49% with a standard deviation of 8.65%. The minimum metascore is 56%, whereas the maximum is 91%. The website called Steam250 also provides ratings for 150 of these games.Footnote 4 According to the data, the best-rated Soulslike game is Hollow Knight with a score of 8.71. It is also rated 97% on Steam with 345,768 votes. This aligns with the findings of an earlier study [9].

According to Games-stats, at the time of writing this study, Souls and Soulslike games sell well.Footnote 5 Of 451 tags, these types of games ranked at the 68th place when all revenue was considered (approximately $2.7 billion). When the average revenue was examined, they ranked at the 25th place with approximately $2.4 million. Regarding median revenue, they reached the 182th place with approximately $1,500. Also according to the previously mentioned website, Elden Ring has the highest revenue (approximately $690 million) regarding these types of games.

7 Opinion of players

As the number of Soulslike video games increases, it is critical to understand what the players feel about them. Therefore, an online questionnaire was created. The results of the questionnaire were evaluated and are presented in the following subsections. The general results are shown in Section 7.1. The opinion on the Soulsification process is analyzed in Section 7.2, while the opinion on this genre is examined in Section 7.3. The opinions of players were also compared to the results of an earlier study in Section 7.4.

7.1 General results

The mentioned questionnaire was answered by exactly 100 people. Out of these participants, 87 were male and 13 female. Demographic information and gaming habits are detailed in Table 1.

Table 1 Demographic information and gaming habits
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The results presented in Table 1 show that males play more video games weekly than females. This can be seen in their number of games as well. Out of males, 58 (66.66%) play Souls/Soulslike games, while only 3 (23.07%) play out of females. The results of Pearson’s Chi-squared test with Yates’ continuity correction show that their proportion is significantly different, \(\chi ^2(1, N = 100) = 3.974, p = 0.046\). Those who did not play these types of games were asked whether they have heard of this genre: 27 males (93.10%) and 6 (6.10%) females heard of Souls/Soulslike games before taking part in this questionnaire. By using Fisher’s Exact Test, it is possible to see that the proportion of their answers is also different, \(p = 0.028\).

7.2 Opinion on Soulsification

First, it was asked whether the participants believe that the Soulsification process exists. Out of those who do not play such games, 13 (33.33%) believed that such a process exists and 26 (66.67%) thought that it do not exist. Those who play Souls/Soulslike video games believed otherwise: 45 (73.77%) believed that Soulsification exists, and 16 (26.23%) believed that it do not exist. Cohen’s kappa value was also calculated, and it shows that the two groups disagree with each other regarding whether the Soulsification process exists, \(\kappa = -0.371, p < 0.001\).

The next question was about the number of Soulslike games. Participants believed that on average, 218.6 Soulslike video games can be found on the market with a standard deviation of 423.9. The smallest number is 6 Soulslike video games and the largest is 3000. The median number of such games is believed to be 70. Those who play these games believe that on average 259.9 Soulslikes can be found on the market, and those who do not play think that the average number of such games is 104.9. Before comparison, their distributions were checked with the Shapiro-Wilk normality test. The distribution of neither groups were Gaussian (those who do not play: \(W = 0.499, p < 0.001\); those who play: \(W = 0.494, p < 0.001\)). Therefore, the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for comparison. No significant difference could be found between the two groups, \(W = 182.5, p = 0.840\).

Next, it was asked whether people like or dislike the fact that more and more Soulslike games are released each year. The results to this question can be found in Fig. 5. Here, two groups were created of the opinions: opinions of those who did not play these games and those who played them. Before comparing the opinions of the two groups, their distributions were checked with the Shapiro-Wilk test. The distribution of opinions of those who did not play these games was Gaussian (\(W = 0.900, p = 0.410\)), while that of those who played these games was non-Gaussian (\(W = 0.617, p = 0.001\)). Therefore, they were compared with the Wilcoxon rank sum test using continuity correction. The results show that most people in both groups have a neutral opinion about Soulslike game releases and they do not significantly differ from each other, \(W = 18, p = 0.290\). However, according to the results of Fisher’s Exact Test, the proportion of the answers are significantly different between the two groups, \(p < 0.001\).

Fig. 5
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How well players like Soulslike games (1 - strongly dislike; 5 - strongly like)

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Fig. 6
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Games that implemented the Souls games mechanics well

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Participants also had the opportunity to provide their opinions in a textual form. This was optional, therefore only 43 participants left an answer. Many people wrote that Soulsification does not “take away” other games from them, therefore they do not consider this process a problem. Similarly, many participants had the opinion that many Soulslikes are cash grabs, because their developers just copy FromSoftware’s formula and do not try to experiment with or add new features. Still, according to the participants, some Soulslikes are quite successful and implemented the Souls games mechanics well. The results can be observed in Fig. 6.

On the contrary, it was also asked whether participants played Soulslike games with poorly implemented game mechanics. 76 voted on no and 24 on yes. Participants could also mention these games, but it was optional. 18 people mentioned such games. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order received 2 votes, all other Soulslikes got only 1. As the next question, participants could speculate the reason why developers integrate Souls elements into their games. 18 voted on artistic/gameplay reasons, 34 on commercial reasons, and 48 on both reasons.

The effects of Soulsification were also asked. Regarding the effects on accessibility, 77 participants believe that Soulsification does not make video games more accessible. Similarly, its effect on story and lore was also asked. 23 participants thought that it has a positive effect on them, while 11 believed that it has a negative influence. The remaining 66 people thought that it did not have any effect on story and lore.

The effects on the players themselves were also asked. Players had to agree with the following statement: “Due to Souls/Soulslike games, I started to play more and more challenging games.” The opinion of players regarding this statement is shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 7
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The effects of Souls/Soulslike games on seeking out more difficult games (1 - strongly dislike; 5 - strongly like)

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As can be suspected from Fig. 7, the two groups had different opinions. The Wilcoxon rank sum test with continuity correction strengthened this fact (\(W = 1712.5, p < 0.001\)). Thus, it can be stated that overall 22 participants strongly agreed, another 22 agreed, 28 were neutral, 11 disagreed and 17 strongly disagreed with this statement.

Lastly, it was asked whether people want video games to have Souls game mechanics - if it fits them. People had to agree to this statement. The opinions of the people are observable in Fig. 8.

Fig. 8
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Whether a game should be Soulslike if the style fits it (1 - strongly dislike; 5 - strongly like)

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As can be suspected from Fig. 8, the two groups had similar opinions. Their opinions were compared with the Wilcoxon rank sum test with continuity correction, and it strengthened this fact (\(W = 1367, p = 0.189\)). All in all, 22 participants strongly agreed, 34 agreed, 35 were neutral, 6 disagreed and 3 strongly disagreed. Therefore, the results show that people are not opposed to the Soulsification process if it fits the game itself.

7.3 Opinion on this genre

This subsection is split into two subsubsections. In the first one, the opinion of those who did not use to play these types of games is analyzed. In the second one, the opinion of Soulslike players is examined.

7.3.1 Opinion of those who did not use to play Soulslike games

Out of the 39 participants who did not use to play Soulslikes, 33 heard of them before starting the questionnaire. As an optional follow-up question, the participants could enter what they have heard of this genre. 25 participants answered this question. 13 people mentioned that these games have high combat difficulty. The remaining answers stated the names of a few Souls games, and mentioned that they only watch streams of such games and it takes a lot of time to defeat bosses.

Still, 20 participants tried Souls or Soulslike games. Out of these, 13 people stopped playing a game due to it having Souls mechanics. It was also asked which game made them quit, and why did they quit certain games. The participants could add more than one answer. The answers to these questions can be observed in Fig. 9.

Fig. 9
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Which game made people quit (left) and why did they quit (right)

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The results show that more people quit the original Souls games than they quit Soulslike games. Regarding the reason, combat difficulty made people quit playing these games in most cases. Although participants quit these games, 20 people felt neutral feelings about them on a 1-5 scale. 12 felt slightly positive, 5 slightly negative and 2 strongly negative. However, 33 were not opposed to trying a Soulslike in the future if they liked the feel of the game. On the contrary, only 5 people would like to try a game if it did not have Souls mechanics. Regarding this, 2 would like to try Elden Ring, another 2 would like to try Hollow Knight, and 1 would like to try Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Lastly, it was asked what the players would change in these games. However, only 3 of the 100 participants answered since the question was not mandatory. 2 participants would add difficulty options to the game as well as an option to keep currency upon death, and 1 would like to implement better tutorials in these games. According to the latter respondent, most game mechanics are not evident in these types of games.

7.3.2 Opinion of Soulslike game players

Next, the opinion of the Soulslike game players was asked. The first question was about what they like about the Souls/Soulslike games. Their answers can be observed in Fig. 10.

Fig. 10
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What people like about Souls/Soulslike games

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Fig. 11
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Favorite Souls/Soulslike games

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After collecting responses from players about their preferences in Souls/Soulslike games, a Chi-squared test was conducted to analyze the significance of the differences in the number of votes for each factor. The test revealed a statistically significant difference between the various factors (\(\chi ^2(7, N = 261) = 80.609, p < 0.001\)). This indicates that player preferences vary significantly across different aspects of these games. Specifically, challenging gameplay received the highest number of votes: 55 respondents indicated it as their primary preference. Fun was the following one with 53 votes, meaning that this was the second most preferred factor among players. The feeling of victory ranked third with 46 participants believing it as an important aspect of their enjoyment in these games. While other factors (e.g. bosses, story/lore, music) also received multiple votes, the larger differences in the number of votes can show the range of elements that contribute to player enjoyment in these types of games.

Similarly, the favorite Souls/Soulslike games of the participants were asked. It was possible to write more than one game, although most participants only mentioned one. The answers to this question can be observed in Fig. 11.

As can be seen in Fig. 11, Hollow Knight and Lies of P received the most votes as Soulslikes. Dark Souls III, as an original Souls game, reached the first place on the questionnaire.

Next, the importance of several factors and game mechanics of Soulslikes was asked. Most of the game mechanics that were asked can be found in another study as well [9], although a few new ones are present here. Participants had to answer on a 1-5 scale which factor they feel that is important to such games. These were the following: Combat, story, music, setting, graphics, challenging gameplay, difficulty settings, multiplayer options, upgradeable weapons/armor, weapon/armor durability, interconnected levels, level selector, in-game map, extra penalties upon death, and a unique level up system. By using ANOVA, it is possible to see that significant differences exist between the investigated factors, \(F(14,900) = 44.21, p < 0.001\). However, to see the actual differences, a post-hoc test, namely Fisher’s LSD was used. Its results can be observed in Table 2.

Table 2 Differences between the importance of factors
Full size table

As can be seen in Table 2, the combat system is the most important factor of Souls games according to the participants. Since it is in group “a”, it is significantly different from the other groups. The second most important factor is the setting of the game. It is in group “b”, therefore it is significantly different from group “a”, but it is not significantly different from the factors in group “bc”. Thus, the setting, interconnected world, music, and the difficult gameplay are equally important. The following group (“cd”) consists of extra penalties upon death, unique level up system, and story. However, these game mechanics are not significantly different from the elements in groups “bc” and “cd” due to the “c” letter. Other groups can also be found in Table 2, and the differences can also be seen in a similar fashion between them. Naturally, they are ordered, and the importance decreases every row. In conclusion, having difficulty settings is considered to be the least important factor by the respondents. It is also not significantly different from the multiplayer options and the level selector.

Some additional questions were also asked about graphics and story. Regarding graphics, 34 people (55.7%) prefer 3D Soulslikes to 2D ones. The latter is only preferred by 3 (4.9%) people. However, 24 (39.3%) voted on both. Regarding the story of such games, 18 (29.5%) prefer to search for the lore, while 13 (21.3%) prefer a direct narrative. 30 (49.2%) participants like both storytelling methods.

Lastly, the sentiments about these games were asked. First, participants had to vote on the intensity of the eight basic emotions (anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, trust) which they felt during gameplay. Afterward, they had to rate their experience on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 being strongly negative, 3 being neutral, and 5 being strongly positive). According to the results of the ANOVA, significant differences can be found between the emotions felt, \(F(7,480) = 66.34, p < 0.001\). To see where the significant differences between emotions were, Fisher’s LSD was used. The results of the analysis can be found in Table 3.

Table 3 Differences between the felt emotions
Full size table

As can be seen in Table 3, anticipation was the strongest emotion felt. It was significantly different from the others. Joy and surprise were in the next group and no significant differences were found between them. Anger was in the third group, and trust, sadness as well as fear was in the fourth one. Disgust was the weakest emotion and was significantly different from all others.

Lastly, it was assessed whether this group had a positive or negative experience with these games. They had to answer on a 1-5 scale. 1 meant strongly negative feelings, 3 meant neutral feelings, and 5 meant strongly positive feelings. The results show that in general people had positive feelings about Soulslike games (\(M = 4.67, SD = 0.59\)). The minimum answer that was selected was 2, since nobody voted on 1.

7.4 Comparison to an earlier study

As this research is a continuation of an earlier one [9], it is possible to point out some similarities between the results. In the referenced study, textual reviews on Steam were analyzed with the goal to understand how players felt about certain game mechanics. However, it should be noted that two years have passed since the two studies, therefore new Soulslike video games have been released since then.

The first connection can be drawn between the graphical dimensions. Interestingly, while 55.7% of the participants prefer 3D to 2D graphics (and 39.3% prefer both), the latter is more likely to receive a positive review.

The second connection is between the game mechanics or factors that make up the game. Here, their importance can be seen in Table 2. Naturally, those that were not examined in the referenced study are omitted from the comparison. According to the participants, the setting of the game is the second most important factor regarding a Soulslike game. The referenced study shows that the medieval setting is the most preferred one. The next important factor is the interconnected world. This aligns with the other study, as this factor received more positive reviews than a level selector feature. The latter is also considered to be the second least important factor in Table 2. Similarly, those Soulslike games are also more likely to receive a positive review that have extra penalties upon death or a unique level up system or an in-game map. According to this study, these three factors have medium importance. Afterward, a large gap comes between the factors in Table 2. Still, even though these factors are not important for the players, they still have the following effects: players are more likely to leave a positive review when a Soulslike game has weapon/armor durability mechanic, or when they do not have upgradeable weapons/armor, multiplayer functions and difficulty settings.

Lastly, the third connection can be observed between the felt emotions. In this study, the average strength of the emotions of players were the following as mentioned in Table 3. The three strongest ones were anticipation, joy, and surprise. Then, the first negative emotion was anger. This was followed by trust, sadness, fear, and lastly, disgust. In the referenced study, the order of the eight emotions was different: trust, anticipation, joy, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. It should be noted that in the referenced study, the emotions were investigated in textual reviews. Therefore, there is a possibility that emotions change before writing a review or players just simply express themselves differently in text.

8 Discussion

The results answered the three research questions that were presented in Section 4. Regarding RQ1, the increased number of Soulslike games shows that gamers are possibly seeking more immersive and challenging experiences. Naturally, this process can influence game development strategies and investment decisions. Developers may find it beneficial to explore new ways to integrate Soulslike mechanics into various game genres, so they can appeal to both existing fans and new audiences. Additionally, the forecasted growth shows that the Soulsification process is not over, and will possibly continue into the future.

Regarding RQ2, the different opinions between Soulslike players and non-players shows the importance of understanding audience perspectives. Developers should engage in effective communication and marketing strategies to bridge this gap, educating potential players about these types of games. The openness of players to trying new Soulslike titles suggests a dynamic gaming community. This flexibility could encourage developers to experiment with hybrid genres, while creating innovative games that blend the best aspects of Soulslike game mechanics with other popular styles.

The answer to RQ3 can provide a roadmap for developers to create successful titles within this genre. The emphasis on core elements such as the methodical combat system, setting, music, challenging gameplay, and interconnected world design shows the importance of holistic game design. Developers should focus on creating cohesive and immersive experiences. The insight into less critical factors, like difficulty settings and multiplayer options, suggests that while these features can enhance a game, they should not overshadow the fundamental qualities that define the Soulslike experience. The answer to RQ3 also offers a valuable reference for academics studying game design. By emphasizing the mentioned core elements of such games, this study contributes to the development of a theoretical model for understanding successful game mechanics regarding Souls and Soulslike video games. This model can be used in future research to explore the relationship between game design elements and player engagement across different genres and contexts.

Overall, besides advancing our understanding of the Soulsification process and its impact on the gaming industry, this study contributes to the academic field of game studies. It provides new empirical insights into industry trends, player perceptions, and game mechanics in the context of Soulslike video games. These findings can pave the way for future research by offering a deeper understanding of player engagement and the successful factors of game design. This study also advances theoretical frameworks in game design and player experience by providing a foundation for future studies regarding similar phenomena. For the developer community, the findings offer insights for strategic decision-making and game development practices. By understanding player preferences, industry trends, and the Souls game elements, developers can make informed decisions about game design as well as resource allocation during development by prioritizing on important game mechanics. This can ultimately lead to the creation of more engaging, immersive, and commercially successful gaming experience that resonates with players.

Also, the positive reception of Soulslike games indicates a strong connection between players and developers. This approach can lead to the creation of games that not only meet player expectations but exceed them with fresh and inventive gameplay elements. The Soulsification process is not confined to a specific region but has a global impact on gaming culture. As developers draw inspiration from diverse mythologies, cultures, and histories, Soulslike games have the potential to contribute to a more inclusive representation of narratives in the gaming world. This global appeal may lead to increased cultural diversity in game narratives. This can enrich the gaming experience for players as well.

8.1 Limitations of the study

Naturally, this study has its limitations. The main limitation is that only 100 participants took part in the study. By including more participants, more precise results could be yielded. Another limitation was the imbalance in gender distribution among the participants: there were 13 females and 87 males. This may affect the generalizability of the findings, as the skewed gender ratio may lead to an underrepresentation of female perspectives. Consequently, some aspects of gameplay experiences that are more salient to female players may be overlooked. Similarly, only Hungarians participated in the study. If more cultures or nations were included, different results could be obtained. Further investigation is required in this regard. In the future, the opinions of multiple cultures and nations could also be compared.

9 Conclusions

According to the results, several key recommendations emerge that can help the development of future Soulslike games and the gaming industry. Firstly, the findings highlight the popularity of Soulslike games and the willingness of players to embrace new entries in the genre. However, it is imperative for developers to prioritize quality and authenticity in their games: players do not like shallow imitations or “cash grabs.” Therefore, developers should invest in well-developed gaming experiences with robust gameplay mechanics. In doing so, player interest could be retained.

Furthermore, the study shows the importance of maintaining core elements of the Soulslike experience, such as challenging gameplay, methodical combat, and environmental/contextual storytelling. Consequently, the results also encourage innovation and experimentation with new features. Developers should find a balance between familiar and innovative gameplay elements. This can ensure the continued growth and relevance of the Soulslike genre. Consequently, there is a player demand for challenging gaming experiences. However, this demand is not only within the Soulslike genre, but across the broader gaming landscape. Developers can capitalize on creating more difficult games, either by incorporating Souls game mechanics or by creating new ones in their own games. By doing so, they can appeal to those players who seek rewarding and engaging gameplay experiences. Similarly, the results can pave the way for researchers as well by offering a deeper understanding of player engagement and the successful factors of game design regarding these types of games.

In conclusion, the study provides insights into player preferences and industry trends within the Soulslike genre, while it offers guidance to researchers of game design and developers alike to shape a part of the gaming industry. By using these recommendations and player-centric design, they can create compelling experiences for players.