Summary
FromSoftware’sSoulsgames and Soulslikes are all considerably iterative of one another and perhaps that’s what makes each a unique installment despite all of their glaring similarities. Obviously the Soulslike subgenre formula that has persisted has also become tremendously popular, but while other developers mimic and iterate upon whatFromSoftwarehas achieved, FromSoftware itself has never pigeonholed itself or been afraid to break its own molds.
This is true ofDemon’s Souls,theDark Soulstrilogy,Bloodborne,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and nowElden Ring. Some of these games leaned heavily on their predecessors and some have been wholly authentic, such asDark Souls 2andSekirorespectively. Indeed,Sekiroeschewed about as far as it could from FromSoftware’s previous titles as it’s an action-adventure game with an emphasis on stealth, traversal, and skill trees. Stealth in particular was a fun system to see FromSoftware’s take on, but whileElden Ringwould adapt comparable mechanics to give it more fluid movement it isn’t a feature that works wholeheartedly in Soulslikes.
Stealth in Soulslikes Doesn’t Account for Most Bosses
Unless all bosses could be encountered first in a stealthy manner, it doesn’t seem like stealth could ever be a viable approach because it wouldn’t be wholly adaptable.Sekiroshows how this can be done with several mini-bosses and bosses whom players can assassinate to eliminate one of their health nodes, but all the necessary strats in these instances are widely regarded as cheese strats and therefore wouldn’t be deemed ‘intended.’
Killing a boss without severely breaking a game is still obviously a viable way to achieve victory, but stealth in these cases is rarely intuitive with the mechanics available to players. The speedrun strat forSekiro’s illusory Corrupted Monk in Ashina Depthsinvolves a ton of ash and snap seeds followed by a precisely maneuvered deathblow, for example, while the Lone Shadow in Ashina Reservoir can be plummeted on from above to rid them of one of their health nodes.
Soulslike Stealth Becomes too Slow if Not for a Hefty Reward
The other issue with stealth is that it slows the game’s pacing to a crawl in titles that are otherwise predicated on how quick and action-packed they are.Sekirois dizzyingly hasty with a protagonist who can sprint speedily atno stamina cost and aggression is rewarded with posture damageagainst an enemy regardless of whether their health is being depleted at the same time.
That said, stealth works well in most ofSekiro’s mob encounters if players are willing to dramatically halt the game’s pace and cut enemies down gradually. This often isn’t as rewarding or efficient as simply racing through an area, though, and ifDark Soulshad taught players anything about mobs it is that they should run through and collect as many illuminated items as possible while trying to reach the next bonfire—orsculptor’s idol, inSekiro’s case.
Elden Ringin particular seems less suited for stealth because most locales are already so expansive with a ton of real estate players can ride around if they want to stealthily circumvent an enemy mob without sacrificing any speed they have astride Torrent.
It’s tough because available stealth options are always neat, but they are hardly ever advantageous. Even so, being able to crouch and jump aremechanics that FromSoftware hopefully won’t get rid of in its next Soulslike. If stealth itself is integrated again it would be fantastic to see bosses be more viably approached from that angle so that witty thieves and rogues can get as much out of a fight as knights or sorcerers.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
WHERE TO PLAY
Carve your own clever path to vengeance in the critically acclaimed adventure from developer FromSoftware, creators of the Dark Souls series.In Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice you are the ‘one-armed wolf’, a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death. Bound to protect a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, you become the target of many vicious enemies, including the dangerous Ashina clan. When the young lord is captured, nothing will stop you on a perilous quest to regain your honor, not even death itself.Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you come face to face with larger than life foes in a dark and twisted world. Unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities while you blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head to head combat in a bloody confrontation. Take Revenge. Restore Your Honor. Kill Ingeniously.
