/games/ - Games

The reason I dont play Souls games is that they have no characters, or really any form of interaction with game world other than sticking sword into things. Which is sad because they do have incredible atmosphere and interesting lore, but it is all set dressing for dodge roll arenas.

Lies of P has more characters than DS1 I think, but the format doesn't lend itself for storytelling

>>45850
Why not though? You could retain mechanics and world, and add towns and NPCs and quests and puzzles and stuff. Recently I played Drova, which despite being isometric is sort of that.

>>45852
It seems to me that souls clones have a real urgency to adopt as many elements from dark souls as they can, including elements that are counter to good storytelling, like the story happening in between world refreshes. What seems to me like a technical limitation justified by the concept has been embraced as part of the design language of soulslikes which hurts most games. And the more they stray from these design elements the less recognizable as souls-like they become (Drova certainly doesnt feel very soulsy to me). Mind you some of these design elements work for souls games, because Miyazaki was trying to convey a world in stasis, that has been stuck in limbo for so long that its internal mechanics are alien and unknowable. It's not meant to feel alive, which is the exact opposite of what most RPGs were going for up until souls games were a thing

>>45854
What I would consider core of Souls games identity is combat against heavy hitting enemies with predefined attack patterns you have to avoid with help of invincibility frames, and the absence of non-combat gameplay mechanics. So I would also not describe Drova as souls-like, on account of the second point, but it is what I would like the genre to become, because I dont enjoy such a decontextualized gameplay as Souls game have. There is no story, no choices or consequences, no exploration (as in you will never find anything other than more things to stab), shallow buildcrafting, no sense of progression. You start as a guy who stabs things with sword, and you keep stabbing things with sword, and the game ends when you run out of things to stab. The only other thing the game has going for it discovering bits and pieces of lore, which is the only reason I care about these games and what makes them so frustrating to me. I love the dark fantasy world, the cosmic horror elements, subtle storytelling that makes player put those pieces together, but the actual gameplay I find too tedious, meaningless and repetitive.

>>45855
I like what FromSoft did with souls games, as I said, it had a unique sensitivity that no other game had, especially Demon's Souls. I don't mind that it had no story, because the whole point was to form a ludonarrative around it (and indeed, if you read the "manga", it tries to recreate the internal monologue of *the player*), and I like that the world is both, hermetic to you, but also is not arbitrary at all. It makes the experience personal, even claustrophobic at times. Where I agree with you is that I think it's a mistake for other games to pick up these design elements because they feel too arbitrary and counter to what they're going for, like Lies of P which is clearly trying to deliver a more grand story but it's constrained by the souls like elements.

>but it is what I would like the genre to become
I'm slightly curious about what stuff like The Witcher 4 will go for, I think souls combat is more or less expected to some degree, but it's not like CDPR can abandon what they're know for: their emphasis on narrative. As far as FromSoft games go, I think Elden Ring was the pinnacle of everything Miyazaki had been going for, for the last 2 decades, and it's time to move on from it. I really liked how subtle Sekiro was narrative-wise, so I'm lowkey positive about what they'll deliver in the future

>>45856
I dont mind it either, and do enjoy solitary atmosphere of those games, but could had and should had more to do in gameplay department. Exploration, puzzles, buildcrafting would enhance the game without taking anything from it. Like you are in a dying world, having areas that are devoid of even enemies, where challenge is environmental, would fit right in.

As for Witcher 4, I have no hope for it. Last two CDProject games have been a massive commercial success despite their utter mediocrity, so they have no reason to course correct.

>>45860
Oh, I'm not interested in Witcher 4 the game itself, I haven't even played Witcher 3, I'm interested in seeing if it embraces souls combat more, less, or what, because for better or worse, it will be a trend setter.

You play that one souls game with all the shit?

I gave Dark Souls 1 another try. Dropped it like an hour in. Controls feel awkward (clearly not made for mouse+keyboard), slugish animations, janky hitboxes. It is not without merit of course, but I really dont get why did this series became so popular. Is it just that console players are have lower standards, so the first time they witnessed decent quality video game their minds were blown?

>>46086
> Controls feel awkward (clearly not made for mouse+keyboard)
just buy a fucking 8bitdo controller already

>>46092
Or, hear me out, PC port should be optimalised for PC. I played remastered, this isnt even the first port of that game and they still cant get it right. Tank controls and no soft lock, who thought that was a good idea? Combined with how disjointed the hitboxes are from animations, it creates unsatisfying combat experience, in a game where combat is the only gameplay mechanic.

>>46094
>Or, hear me out, PC port should be optimalised for PC
>optimalised
games already prescribe rules of play, why wouldnt it prescribe inputs as well? this has nothing to do with optimizing performance. you're playing in the stupidest way possible and then asking what are you missing