In the sense of “do they require lightning fast reflexes or mastering a deep combat system”, no not at all. They mostly require paying attention and learning.

Souls games are literally just rhythm games. 90% of boss fights are watching for when the enemy commits to moving forward and pressing the roll button, once they stop for a bit, give em a tickle. Repeat until god is dead.

The game is learning.

There’s some reaction element, but the core loop is learning how to be optimally positioned to use your weapon, how to optimally pace your attacks, when your attacks leave you vulnerable. Then once you get that, you do the same with enemies. You learn where they hit hardest, what you can avoid, what their tells are, and when they’re vulnerable.

If you’re willing to learn and approach the game with learning as a goal, and understanding that you’ll die as part of that learning process, they’re great, because they do a really good job of creating difficulty in a way that almost all damage is predictable and avoidable if you know what you’re looking at and approach it the right way.

If you just want to button mash you’re going to have a bad time.

No, they have a learning curve but that’s about it. They are not unfair or over difficult like some of those meme games that were popular a while ago

I feel like, if you’re going to play a souls game for the first time you should play Elden Ring, because it’s the kind of game that’s only as hard as you want it to be. Elden Ring is in this interesting spot of being open world, meaning that if a particular boss or area is too challenging, you can fuck off and do something else for a bit, then come back when you’re better leveled/better geared/more practiced etc. I feel like you don’t really get this with other souls games, which are more linear in their structure.

that said, I don’t think any souls game is really an insurmountable challenge, especially Bloodborne. sure, you might suck when you first start it, but once you get the hang of the combat, dodging, etc you should be fine.

Definitely play it. Just remember that “You Died” doesn’t equal failure and dying a lot doesn’t mean you’re bad at the game. Dying lots is a core mechanic of the game.

I’m of the opinion that the difficulty level isn’t that bad, and I’m not saying this in a gatekeepy “git gud” kind of way. I enjoy these games because they feel fair, and whenever I have been struggling disproportionately, it’s either been because I was somewhere beyond my current level (especially in open world games like Elden Ring), or I was doing something “wrong” (like stubbornly using my preferred weapon even though I knew a quirk of the boss meant it was suboptimal)

If the game feels like it’s being unfair to you, take a step back and rethink your approach. Try a different weapon or strategy (this might mean having to go to an easier area to practice the new weapon). Look through your items to see if you have anything that might help (including potentially helpful lore in the item descriptions). If you’re not sure what a thing does, try using it and see — the game won’t explain things explicitly because it wants players to find out in play.

If you like the look of Bloodborne, 100% give it a go — even if I weren’t already a fan of Fromsoft’s games, I’d enjoy Bloodborne for the impeccable aesthetic.

They require a different mindset and approach than many other games. You can view it as a test of will: your victory is inevitable since every time you die, you respawn and have learned a little. The game tries to make you quit, not by being unfair but by punishing laziness and corner cutting. The rewarding feeling you get when you finally, initially through stubborness and eventually by skill beat a difficult boss is immense. The videos of people easily dodging attacks and showing restraint in their attacks beat difficult bosses - that will be you eventually. Just accept that dying and trying again is an integral part of the experience, it does not mean that you are bad at the game. There can not be a feeling of accomplishment and achievement if there is no resistance, no? Go and have fun! And remember, there is no “wrong way” to play - all the mechanics in the games are there for a reason, so use them!

When I was a kid, Tomb Raider was a pretty easy game, except this one part that required absolutely perfect timing for a some running and jumping between platforms for a bonus item.

At the start, I could make it to the next platform. After a while, I could do 2. Eventually, I got 3. After a long, long time, I finally managed to string all of them together… And screwed up the very last one.

Here’s the thing, though. I got it on the very next attempt. I had learned that sequence so well that it actually wasn’t hard any more, even though it was nearly impossible for me at the start.

Afterwards, my parents (who watched the whole thing) told me they had never seen me focus on something so intently for so long and they couldn’t believe I managed it.

That’s what souls games are, from start to finish. Every single encounter is basically impossible at first, until you die and learn enough to get through it. But you start from the beginning of the game every freaking time.

Souls games are for masochists. If that’s not your thing, steer clear.

It’s just as hard as any other game on the hardest difficulty. The only difference is there is no difficulty setting.

Try it out. You don’t have to be amazingly good, you just have to be persistent and learn from your mistakes.

the thing about souls games is that people on the internet insist that the only REAL way to play them is through extra difficult self-imposed challenge runs (summons? resin? pyromancy? you didn’t beat the game)

ignore that and you can temper the difficulty down a lot, though you’ll likely still need a good amount of patience and perseverance, especially if it’s your first time playing

Tbh, no. I suck at like 90% of games, just genuinely not good at them. I excel in soulslikes, you really won’t know how difficult it is for you until you try it. I think the games are built in a way where, should you use all the games mechanics, they are relatively easy but if you don’t use all the mechanics they can get hard

Souls games require repetition to remember the bosses’ moves and a lot of patience. Give it a try, maybe you will like the challenge it offers.

My wife finished it. It was too gray and red for me to enjoy.

And yes it is hard but rewarding.

Nice thing about the PC version is you could mod it to be easier. Keep in mind you still need some skill. I maxed my level in code vein and lies of P but stilled struggled a bit.