Even if you’ve never played any of the Souls games before, you’ve most definitely heard about them. FromSoftware games have this reputation of being hard with only the most hardcore gamers brave enough to play and complete them. Many players avoid getting into the Souls genre for that particular reason. Others don’t have the time to “git gud” as the saying goes and choose to play other games where they can control the difficulty setting. But Souls genre don’t have to be a turn-off for casual gamers, or as hard as the internet claims them to be. In truth, Soulsborne games develop your personality and character or even can help cope with mental health issues. Everyone should play them, and this is why.
How Souls games help you to git gud
Persistence pays off
Yes, you will die. A lot. And it will be frustrating, but failure is a huge part of the Soulsborne genre. You fail, you respawn, you fail again until you eventually succeed. Souls games are only as difficult as you make them be. Their design is actually clever. They make you improvise, think outside of the box, and try out new game plans, tactics, and approaches. The persistence and patience you pour into the game, into that boss you can’t defeat, will transfer into your daily life making you more patient, dedicated, and persistent as a person. Souls games will make you feel like you can accomplish anything with enough effort.
Souls games can help with mental health struggles
Yes, the Souls games can be a metaphor for mental health issues. Those anxiety-inducing twisted, disfigured dark creatures and bosses can represent the negative thoughts, the obstacles, the dark pits one’s psyche can tend to gravitate towards. Starting to play FromSoftware games can be overwhelming, but as you get better at defeating one boss after another, you develop resolve, confidence, and devotion which you can apply to your negative thought patterns. If you can beat a Souls game, what’s there to stop you elsewhere?
Many gamers and even studies claim that the Dark Souls series has helped them to face anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. No, the Souls games are not the cure to every problem, but they sure can be a crutch to keep one going.
They’re quality games
Do you think Souls games are beloved just because they’re hard? No, they’re damn good games. In the market over-saturated with quick cash grabs, microtransactions, and games as a service, the Souls games stand out with sticking to their guns, fantastic level design, solid gameplay mechanics, creature design, and overall quality. Heck, Elden Ring even made some game developers mad because it tried to re-invent the stale open-world formula by not leading gamers by the hand. Souls games respect gamers’ intelligence and treat them accordingly.
The Souls games aren’t limited to only FromSoftware games. Yes, they did invent the genre, but it has become so popular that other developers are making tons of Soulsborne games in different settings, themes varying from Indie to AAA titles. Whatever your gaming skill level is, don’t get discouraged, Souls genre is for everyone. Besides, how will you git gud without playing the games?
Dive into the genre cheaper!
