While most online games revolve around communication, cooperation, and rivalry, souls-likes take a unique approach to these three elements of multiplayer gameplay.
We covered the creation of souls-likes as well as the development and ascent to popularity of these games in our earlier writings. We think their developers’ never-ending inventions and variations—always adhering to a few norms, but following them in distinctive ways—are the reason they are so well-liked.
The first title in From Software’s Souls series, Demons’ Souls, introduced the unique multiplayer features of these games. Every developer since then, including From Software, has continued to experiment with the multiplayer formula while adhering to one unchanging rule: playing multiplayer games, or even those played online, always involves some risk and some reward.
Live or Perish? Cooperation through Souls’ CommunicationFavorites in Sekiro: Shadows Fall I was trying to figure out how to level the playing field with my first boss twice. I discovered anything designated as a “Remnant.” It was activated, and then a ghostly version of the main character, Sekiro, emerged close to me, traveled to the far end of the gate that the monster guarded, gently landed behind him, and disappeared. That is when I thought that Sekiro’s stealth mechanic would come in handy for my first boss fight.
Following the Remnant’s advice, I made my boss’s fight 100% simpler. Inflicting the second lethal wound, I sneaked up behind the boss and delivered a deathblow before engaging in combat with him (as odd as this seems, some opponents and bosses in Sekiro can endure multiple deathblows; this one required two). A feature that is exclusive to online play helped me win my first combat in one of the hardest souls-likes very easily. In Souls games, you can witness how other players died by triggering specific Bloodstains on the ground, and other players can leave actual notes for you. Sekiro is a little different in that you can record thirty seconds of your playthrough and add a note to it in order to make a Remnant. Only after you pass away does this become a record of your death, and many Remnants demonstrate how certain paths end in death.
Not all the time are remnants, bloodstains, and messages helpful. Some people just want to make you laugh. In Elden Ring, you might experience this in your first playthrough when a bright message near to a cliff encourages you jump. If you jump, you will get killed. The joke has not yet ended. Later on, you can reach the tutorial cave by leaping over another cliff; an NPC is standing close by, encouraging you to do so. Instead of dying this time, you receive a crash lesson in the game’s mechanics.
Features like this that facilitate collaboration can be a blessing (or a curse) for games that do not hold your hand at all.
In reality, the Bloody Graves concept in the Nioh duology—which adds something special with almost every aspect of a Souls game—creates a fairly basic risk vs. reward dynamic. These generate an enemy AI revenant when activated, however they do not record the final moments of a deceased player; instead, they tell you how the player died. The rank and rarity of the goods you will acquire after defeating this revenant are also indicated by the Bloody Grave (depending on the player that died on that spot). You know what you are getting into when you fight even lower-level revenants; they are difficult to defeat yet offer decent rewards. The incredibly helpful Ochoko cup, which can be offered at a checkpoint to call for assistance, can also be dropped by resurrected people.
This cup can also be served up at unique Benevolent Graves that human players have left behind in Nioh 2. These graves have an AI friend that is modeled on the human player that left the grave when it is activated. This ally will support you in combat until they pass away.
You may create a mental map of the different risks in an environment by knowing how each player died, thus a region full of Bloody Graves is guaranteed to be extremely difficult. Calling upon a Benevolent Spirit from a Benevolent Grave not only aids you in combat, but if you pay attention, you can even observe the proper approach to take on adversaries, mini-bosses, and bosses. Of course, the extreme difficulty of the Nioh games makes up for all of this.
Furthermore, the Souls series—which includes Demons’ Souls, Dark Souls I, II, and III, as well as Sekiro—can be the most misleading. Reacting to any communication, or even a bloodstain, is like to tossing a coin. Does this message intend to bring me to my demise or to keep me alive? Is this Sekiro Remnant instructing me on how to behave or how not to behave? You can choose to completely ignore these components, but then again, take into account how I defeated Sekiro’s initial boss. These messages can be very alluring, particularly to inexperienced players.
Co-Op Gaming in a Souls-Like Setting: You (All) Died
The closest such games go to a comparatively “easy mode” is when played together, however cooperative play has drawbacks of its own. While many fantastic cooperative games have been created by developers over the years to foster a sense of camaraderie among players, not all cooperative games are created equal. Co-op is seamless in some games and not in others. Certain games have setup instructions that are excessively cryptic. A summary of each co-op mode is provided in the list below, along with a suggestion that many developers who are similar to Souls might implement to enhance the co-op experience.
What Are the Essentials for Souls-Likes Co-Op?
- Seamless Co-Op: Some souls-like games offer smooth, synchronized cooperative play that lets you and your friends level up, defeat games together, and live and die together. Three players can cooperatively complete all of the game’s missions in Nioh 2, and their progress through cooperative bosses and levels is carried over to the single player experience. Remnant: From the Ashes by Gunfire Games and its follow-up Remnant II are originally designed to be played in cooperative mode, but your progress will not transfer over to the single-player campaign because of the randomly generated landscape. You only need to complete the quest on your own again in single-player mode to retain any level-ups, abilities, or items you acquired in cooperative mode.
- Summons: However, seamless co-op is not a standard feature in souls games. It is not possible to simply team up with another player to complete a Dark Souls game; in fact, cooperative play in Demons’ Souls and Dark Souls games requires that the level’s primary boss be alive. At the very first level checkpoint, you can call upon an ally to help you finish the assignment; but, after the boss is vanquished, your partner will be sent back. Unless he is previously done so, your ally will also need to complete the level in single-player mode. As we explain in the following paragraph, there are still more hurdles to clear.
- Having Trouble Balancing: When you finally beat a boss in a souls-like, the feeling of success is the greatest rush. Co-op modes need to be properly calibrated to avoid diluting this sense. One of the hardest games ever created is Nioh 2, and cooperative play keeps things challenging while fostering a sense of camaraderie among players whether they succeed or fail. Bosses are noticeably stronger and human allies brought into your realm have fewer resources in games like Elden Ring or the Dark Souls series. Players who are summoned must be nearly at your level because summons with greater levels will make the boss fight easy to complete. Playing cooperatively exposes you to human player invasions, which raises the stakes even further.
- Increasing Access to Co-Op: Souls games are very popular because of its mystery and lack of guidance. However, this method of game design may also be applied to UX design, particularly in the context of multiplayer games. In fact, one article claims that establishing cooperative gameplay in Elden Ring can occasionally be just as difficult as boss fights. The many procedures required to call a buddy into your life are explained in a number of wiki sites and internet tutorials, a situation that has drawn criticism. This problem is addressed by games like Nioh 2, which offers fluid cooperative play, which is incompatible with From Software’s multiplayer architecture. Lords of the Fallen stays true to the co-op gameplay structure of the Souls series while eliminating the tedious setup process for multiplayer.
PVP in Souls-Likes: Invading Your Space
Overruns. The name of the player-versus-player (PVP) mode that is by default in Souls games tells you a lot about what to expect when you enter PVP zones. If you are playing the game online without any limitations, such as a multiplayer password, you run the risk of being invaded by another online player when you enter certain regions of the game. The host loses all of their souls in the event of an invasion, and in order to recover their souls, they have to return to the last checkpoint. A portion of the winner’s souls are taken by the invading victor. The invader must reclaim all of their souls after being revived at their checkpoint if they perish.
Even among souls-like enthusiasts, the gameplay feature of PVP invasions is rather controversial. Some think it achieves a reasonable compromise between the advantages of cooperative gaming and the risk to the invader and the defense. Even some who consider the mechanic to be balanced may think that its frequency is too much to bear, making it become a source of constant irritation. The inability to memorize the invader’s assault patterns—a crucial component that keeps a souls-like just but punishing—is another point of contention. Some even enjoy taking on the role of an invading troll, and others talk about how griefers caused them to furiously stop a Souls game. During a Kotaku columnist’s Demons’ Souls playthrough, a particularly cunning troll repeatedly invaded the player’s character, weakening him instead by destroying his armor and then utilizing a spell that delevels the player one hit at a time.
Of course, playing offline removes all of the benefits of the multiplayer experience. Before deciding to go offline, think about how playing online can help you navigate the game. For example, seeing areas where there are obvious traces of several player deaths can serve as a clear warning of potential dangers. In the Dark Souls series, there are strategies to prevent or deal with invasions more effectively, but there are always trade-offs associated with each one.
Dark Souls III’s arena-based PVP feature, Hollow Arenas, makes it possible to duel against human opponents in a less chaotic manner. After completing the game’s single-player campaign, players can usually enter the Hollow Arenas, which are unlockable global areas. The only thing you earn when you win in the Arena is a badge of triumph. If you wear a higher level badge, invaded players will be made aware of your PVP experience; thus, the badge serves more as a warning to lower level players than as a reward.
Invasion is optional in Elden Ring as long as co-op is not enabled. Once more, in cooperative mode, you can attach a unique ring to summon additional assistance in the event of an invasion; however, this will only be helpful if someone answers your call. Three Colosseums—arena-based PVP areas—are also available in the game.
With three battle options, each Colosseum may accommodate up to six players concurrently. There are three different ways to play the game: two teams can fight against one another and respawn after losing, two players can duel to the death, and all players can participate in a kind of battle royale.
While there are no invasions in any of the Nioh games, the first game in the series allows players to participate in 1v1 or 2v2 arena-based PVP. However, because Nioh allows for an almost ludicrous level of customization, these fights can become completely lopsided, with skilled marksmen facing off against nearly unbeatable opponents and dispatching them with ease. Nioh 2 just does away with PVP entirely in favor of the strong co-op mode mentioned earlier.
If every facet of multiplayer in souls-like games involves weighing the risks and rewards, then choosing whether to play a Souls game offline or online necessitates a careful consideration of the trade-offs associated with each option. Online gaming brings with it both instruction and invasions. While playing offline protects you from invasions, it also eliminates all of the advice and messages left by other players—which can be quite helpful in games like these where the player has to solve a lot of puzzles on their own. However, griefers have the ability to drive you to give up on the game out of frustration, which is possibly the worst way to conclude things with a souls-like experience—working hard but still feeling empty handed.
In summary
The creator of the From Software Souls series, Hidetaka Miyazaki, hopes to build on the multiplayer elements of these games by drawing inspiration from works such as Escape from Tarkov. We can anticipate further variations in the multiplayer formula of such games, since developers with souls like their own are driven to innovate.
Although Elden Ring is arguably the most popular souls-like, its multiplayer features have drawn criticism, particularly since the formula has not been changed to make co-op exploring of the wide environment easier. In the linear levels of the previous games, the mechanic of sending a companion back to their own world after beating a boss makes sense; but, as Jade King of The Gamer notes, exploring an open world with a companion is entirely different. A smooth cooperative experience in Elden Ring would lead to mutual discoveries, exploring uncharted territories together, and navigating a vast globe alongside a supportive buddy. As a result of everything, the seamless co-op mod for Elden Ring was created, and From Software was also able to devise a workable solution.
With the exception of certain games’ arena-based PVP, multiplayer components are inherent to your experience. PVP invasions are an even more intense battle because of their asymmetry; if you defeat a player with a higher level than you do, you will have access to superior gear and any in-game currency that can be used to level up.
Apart from the risk vs return analysis, all of these multiplayer components have one thing in common: they are designed to make the world simpler to comprehend and traverse, at least somewhat. This also applies to real life: people can find support in the harsh world of video games through subreddits, Discord servers, and Youtube channels. As a result, you are never truly alone when playing a souls-like, and you should not be because these games are already challenging enough.
