My experience with the Souls Like genre: 17 day journey

Hello everyone, noob souls-like gamer here.

So, finally I decided to give the souls-like genre a go. Since Lies of P & Sekiro were going for a discount this steam summer sale, I pulled the trigger.

To be honest, I was hesitant. I’ve never considered myself a highly skillful gamer with immaculate reflexes. I always had this impression that Souls-likes demanded flawless execution, and I was genuinely worried I’d just end up wasting hours frustrated. With these doubts in my mind, I picked up the controller and tried Lies of P first. And in no time I was hooked on the world of Krat and P's journey!

As I pushed forward, I realised it's more about understanding the mechanics of the game than trying to brute force it. I appreciate games that have a strong narrative and character development arc like RDR2 or TLOU series; in Lies of P, I found a great mix of compelling narrative and tight combat. As the credits rolled, I couldn't wait to start Sekiro.

I generally don't binge games and don't play back-to-back heavy titles. But I enjoyed LoP so much I had to see why Sekiro was GOTY. And I can say, in the past week, I immensely enjoyed being a shinobi. I fully understand why it was given the GOTY over heavy hitters like Death Stranding and the RE2 remake. Yes, the endgame combat was tough, but the dopamine rush you get as soon as the combat clicks, and you understand what the game is trying to tell you- you can't leave.

My understanding of the souls-like genre: You don't waste time; you invest time. I invested 17 days playing two souls-like games and am glad I did! If you're on the fence like I was, just take the plunge.