I will use what I view as public consensus along with my subjective judgement to decide if a game is "Souls-like".
You can see a pretty good definition on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soulslike, but I will not necessarily stricly adhere to it. For example, "typically in a dark fantasy setting" does not mean that the game has to have a "dark fantasy" setting for this to resolve YES.
If FromSoftware only states that "a new game" is in development but do not e.g. reveal a trailer or any details about the gameplay, this would still resolve NO: even though it's possible that that will later be Souls-like, there would have been insufficient evidence as of the close date.
The game only has to be announced, not actually released.
Current list of games considered Souls-like:
- Elden Ring
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Dark Souls III
- Bloodborne
- Dark Souls II
- Dark Souls
- Demon's Souls
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is not considered Souls-like.
A remaster, DLC expansion, etc. of an existing game would not count as YES. So, Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree would not resolve YES.
Feel free to ask any clarifying questions if something seems particularly ambiguous.
Update 2025-01-01 (PST) (AI summary of creator comment): Update from creator
When plotted alongside the considered Souls-like games, the latent distance of "Nightreign" is similar to that of Armored Core VI, which is not Souls-like.
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@traders @RobertTyphi Currently I'd be in favour of resolving something like 20-40%. As of what we see from descriptions and trailers now, the primary tie of Nightreign to "Souls-like" is its third-person combat, and even there, I see a nontrivial departure.
Group combat is now focused on clearing large mobs at once, which was rare in past games
"Exploration" is entirely randomized and focused on efficient clearing rather than "discovery"
Any meaningful changes to your character are confined to one 45-minute iteration
There are no periodic save points like bonfires or signs of grace that you can return to by death
Overall, I think the genre is more of a "third-person rogue-like", which I think fundamentally contradicts the principles of "Souls-like".
Further information that could be released would be unlikely to change these, but instead just go into further detail on exact weapons or abilities to use within the individual sessions.
@12c498e Thank you for your analysis.
I can see how 'roguelike' becomes a more important top-level label here than 'soulslike'. I'm on board with resolving NO, rather than leaving this open for an undefined amount of time.
Would say the combat is likely going to be still described as soulslike. But I can see how the overall game will be a mashed up soulslike and roguelike that'll not scratch the specific soulslike itch for some people.
@RobertTyphi I can partially agree on the combat, though it seems like with the limited amount of time per in-game day, the combos and buffs between party members will be a much bigger focus than before, and the abilities of individual enemies will matter less. I think the 30% I just resolved is fair for encompassing that extent, but still lagging in overall adherence
Does it count as souls-like? 😄
@RobertTyphi Hmm, I'd lean towards "no"; to me it seems roughly equivalent to the chalice dungeons in Bloodborne, which act more like a DLC than a standalone game. I thought that a consistent world that your character grows through and explores over time were important aspects of the Souls-like genre.
But I'm open for debate and for hearing further third-party opinions if YES buyers think it should count.
@12c498e The cleanest thing might be to wait until (closer to) release as more information and gameplay becomes available.
It’ll be hard to debate it without complete knowledge, since even in the best of times it’s hard to agree on some game definitions. 😄