It all started in about 1987. As a young child I was lucky enough to receive a Nintendo as a gift. I still remember that day. It was the best material gift I had ever received. I remember the sense of awe and wonder evoked by Super Mario Bros. The first fully realized platformer I had ever played. That same awe was awakened when I first played The Legend of Zelda, the first complex action-adventure game I had ever played. ...and again I remember playing Dragon Warrior, my first RPG.
All of these were genre defining experiences for me, and there were obviously many others.
Mario 64, Act Raiser, Soul Blazer, Final Fantasy IV, Wolfenstein (PC), Little Big Adventure (PC), Maniac Mansion, Diablo (PC), Metroid, Dune II (PC), Civilization (PC), Deus Ex (PC), Daggerfall (PC), Alone in the Dark (PC, 1992), and a host of other games were genre defining experiences. While some superficially similar games may have existed before these, these games set the new standard for how all others would be judged from that point. Many games have come since, and most are still foundationally derived from the standards set by these games.
Then I played my first MMO, Ultima Online, back in 1997. It made me feel like a kid again, experiencing an all new foundation for what a video game could be. The experience was instantly unique and magical. Sure, I played Meridian 59, Neverwinter Nights, and even some text-based multi-user dungeons which all came before Ultima Online. The earlier games still lacked that genre-defining, foundational hook. Just as Super Mario was not the first platformer, Ultima Online was not the first MMO. However, like its very distant platforming relative, Ultima Online set the solid foundation for how games in its respective genre would be designed. While games like Everquest, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, and World of Warcraft would later come and (arguably) improve and certainly change the formula, Ultima Online was the first to catch the lightning directly in the bottle -- the moment where one realizes a new genre is born.
Then there was a lull in the gaming industry.... I'd played the best video games had to offer. Sure, new games would come out with new features, and in many ways improved existing features, but nothing was truly groundbreaking. Then, more then 10 years later, I would get something both familiar and new again.
I played Demon's Souls. All of a sudden, the defining elements of an action-RPG were insufficient to describe the genre, and the lines between single player, cooperative, competitive, and MMO games were blurred. I call it the Souls genre. Sure, you could call it an action-RPG like Diablo or Zelda, but these games are each only superficially similar to each-other. It would be like comparing Pole Position to Mario Kart simply because they are both racers -- but ALL of these games are vastly different. Art imitates art, but then art is sometimes reimagined to appear only superficially similar to that which came before.
After games like Diablo, I never thought I'd see a wholly original take on the action-RPG, and I've never been so happy to be wrong. I've also never seen it done better -- at least to my taste. The Souls games are not as infinitely punishing as many gamers or media outlets would have you believe, the games just won't take your bullshit. You can't be sloppy, you can't get cocky, and you can't be impatient. You will make a mistake, and you will die. You will make another mistake, and you will die. You will then make a mistake you knew you could have avoided, and you will pay the price. Eventually, you learn the language the genre is speaking. Even the best players will occasionally perish, as they will get thrown a curve-ball they did not prepare for. A player could invade and catch you off guard, a co-op partner could throw you off your rhythm, or you might try a different approach that doesn't work quite as hoped. You will be humbled before you "git gud." Some may blame the game, others will be too hard on themselves. For the rest of us, we listen to what the game is trying to tell us.
That is the Souls genre. The satisfaction comes from a combination of learning to master exploration, combat, and successfully handle the unexpected. If it were easy, everyone would do it. If it were nightmarishly difficult, only pros or sadists need apply. The Souls genre is neither easy nor nightmarishly difficult. It is the Goldilocks zone of challenge and reward. I've been spoiled by the innovators of this genre.
The Souls genre recaptured my imagination and understanding of what a video game could be. As I age into my mid-30s, that is no simple feat. You don't see many genre-defining games these days, but the Souls series changed that in the latter half of the 2000s decade. At the time of this writing, I eagerly await Bloodborne's release. I know it will not be a genre-defining game, but it will be a tweaked, improved, and different version of what still feels fresh, challenging, and rewarding.
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