u/AnnualReputation2990

I get it—part of the problem is me. I’m not good enough yet.

But at the same time, game design-wise, if only a small percentage of players can realistically progress, doesn’t that normally lead to player drop-off?

In most games, if difficulty is tuned so that only highly skilled or “hardcore” players can get through, it’s considered bad balance because it pushes players away.
But Souls-like games seem to do exactly that—and instead of being criticized, they’re praised for it.

So where’s the line?

Is this actually good design that creates mastery and long-term engagement?
Or is it just a genre where players accept frustration because that’s what they signed up for?

I’m exploring the idea of making a soulslike, and I have a few fundamental questions about the genre — especially around art direction and narrative.

First, about art style:

1. If you’re making a medieval-style RPG (especially a soulslike), is grotesque design essentially required?

By grotesque, I mean heavily deformed, corrupted, or “infected-looking” creatures —

twisted anatomy, unnatural proportions, exposed flesh, decay, and a general sense of biological or existential distortion.

Is this kind of visual language essential to the identity of soulslikes, or just a convention that became dominant over time?

---

2. If grotesque design *is* important, does it actually make more sense in a grounded setting?

For example, instead of forcing that aesthetic into a medieval fantasy world,

what if the game was set in a post-apocalyptic modern world (e.g., after a nuclear war),

with infected humans, mutations, and large grotesque bosses that have a clear cause?

Would soulslike players reject that direction, or could it still fully work as a soulslike experience?

---

3. About narrative and endings:

Are there any unwritten “rules” in soulslike storytelling that developers tend to follow?

For example:

- Is a clear, optimistic resolution (e.g., defeating evil and restoring a bright, peaceful world) considered incompatible with the genre?

- Do soulslikes *need* to maintain ambiguity, decay, or a sense of unresolved tension even in their endings?

In other words, what makes a story feel “soulslike” beyond just difficulty and mechanics?

---

I’m trying to understand which parts of the genre are truly essential,

and which parts are just traditions that could be reinterpreted.