This game is awesome! And...

[Mom Bon 🧡]

I feel the premise of this game is incredibly fascinating, and I love the art style!

And I feel that when a game is marketed as souls-like, people associate it with gameplay similar to Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring.

My partner was watching the promo for this game, and I came in toward the end when I noticed that souls-like was being advertised on their monitor. I went to look at this game and was really disappointed to find out that it was not what I expected.

I see where the developer is coming from with components from games like Dark Souls, such as opponents respawning, a stamina system, and so on. Although the actual gameplay is not souls-like and thus misleading.

This game is a tile-based deck-builder, not a souls-like. And if this game had not been advertised as much I wouldn't have been so disappointed.

I also feel that the developer should be getting more love despite the silly advertising.

This game on it's own is very cool, unique, and I love the concept, scratch the souls-like advertising and you got a sick game.

[Zelxios]

it may not have souls-like combat but it has the souls-like formula of "bonfire" when used enemies respawning and gaining "souls" when defeating an enemy.

so in that sense its a "souls-lite" similar to a "rogue-lite" has some but not all aspects of a souls-like game. either way the game is good only disappointment i had in the demo was there was no boss fight

[Mom Bon 🧡]

Edited: I feel souls-lite is correct instead of souls-like. My initial thought process was that [like] and [lite] are still associated to the specific game genre although from my new understanding that is not the case. Souls-lite is perfect for this game.

Heya, I appreciate your response!

I did state this in the post

"I see where the developer is coming from with components from games like Dark Souls, such as opponents respawning, a stamina system, and so on. Although the actual gameplay is not souls-like and thus misleading."

And I mean, I feel that even souls-lite is misleading. From my understanding the souls-like genre is a sub-genre for Action RPGs. This game is not an action rpg which is why souls-like or souls-lite doesn't really apply to this game.

There are definitely some elements being used that have been used in games like dark souls such as what has been stated. But the actual gameplay is not souls-like or souls-lite, and I feel that's where some people get misled.

No negativity though, this game is pretty sick. I only feel that calling the game a souls-like is incorrect for the genre of this videogame.

[Mom Bon 🧡]

Although I'd be more willing to accept souls-lite than souls-like lol

[ShinryuEXE]

Originally posted by Mom Bon 🧡:

Heya, I appreciate your response!

I did state this in the post

"I see where the developer is coming from with components from games like Dark Souls, such as opponents respawning, a stamina system, and so on. Although the actual gameplay is not souls-like and thus misleading."

And I mean, I feel that even souls-lite is misleading. From my understanding the souls-like genre is a sub-genre for Action RPGs. This game is not an action rpg which is why souls-like or souls-lite doesn't really apply to this game.

There are definitely some elements being used that have been used in games like dark souls such as what has been stated. But the actual gameplay is not souls-like or souls-lite, and I feel that's where some people get misled.

No negativity though, this game is pretty sick. I only feel that calling the game a souls-like is incorrect for the genre of this videogame.

And if the game only called itself a souls-like, sure, you'd have a point. But it calls itself a deckbulider too. A souls-like deckbuilder. I.e. it has elements of a souls-like, but is a deckbuilding game.

Like, I get where you're coming from, but it seems pedantic.
It's like saying Metroidvanias are only 2d action platforming games, and yet there are games considered 3d Metroidvanias (like Psuedoregalia) and non-action Metroidvanias (like Monster Sanctuary).

The game is pretty clear; in the trailer, in the screenshots, on the Steam page, and even in the 'Souls-like Deckbuilder' tagline; that it is not a traditional souls-like but is pulling elements from the genre.

[Mom Bon 🧡]

This is going to have to be an agree to disagree. I feel that the games you pointed out as metroidvanias still actually have the gameplay of a metroidvania. There are games such as Salt and Sanctuary and Blasphemous which are souls-like metroidvanias that actually have the gameplay of a souls-like metroidvania. I feel that Death Howl does not have the gameplay of a souls-like despite the trailer calling it a souls-like deckbuilder. I feel it's just a tilebased deckbuilder.

I respect your perspective, and I'm not really going to be changing mine on this.

[Mom Bon 🧡]

I've also been thinking about the first comment made on here, and I'm starting to agree and feel that souls-lite is more appropriate than souls-like despite my previous response to that comment.

[ShinryuEXE]

Originally posted by Mom Bon 🧡:

This is going to have to be an agree to disagree. I feel that the games you pointed out as metroidvanias still actually have the gameplay of a metroidvania. There are games such as Salt and Sanctuary and Blasphemous which are souls-like metroidvanias that actually have the gameplay of a souls-like metroidvania. I feel that Death Howl does not have the gameplay of a souls-like despite the trailer calling it a souls-like deckbuilder. I feel it's just a tilebased deckbuilder.

I respect your perspective, and I'm not really going to be changing mine on this.

They have the gameplay of a Metroidvania how? 2d Platforming? Psuedoregalia doesn't. Action combat? Monster Sanctuary doesn't. Or how about Metroid Prime, which is a first person shooter Metroidvania?
Like, yes, each of these has elements of the standard Metroidvania experience, but none of them neatly fits into the classic expectation of a Metroidvania.

As for Blasphemous, what makes it a souls-like Metroidvania in your eyes? It doesn't have stamina management. Doesn't do Souls-style leveling. It's not 3d third person. Can't equip different weapons (at least not in Blasphemous 1). Etc.
Is it the vibes? The ability to parry? That it has unlockable shortcuts on the map? What?
Like, I'll agree that it's a souls-like Metroidvania, at least loosely, but it feels like you're accepting Blasphemous as Souls-like unquestioningly simply because it's an action game whereas Death Howl is not, despite Blasphemous also lacking elements of the Souls genre.

Death Howl has 'bonfires' and enemies being reset whenever you use them. You gain souls from beating enemies which double as your level up material and your currency for crafting cards. It has the atmosphere of a souls game. Etc.
Sure, it's not an action game, but those are all clear elements of a souls-game, just mixed with a Deckbuilder.

[Mom Bon 🧡]

It's the gameplay for me. And like I said, the more I think about it souls-lite makes more sense to me personally than souls-like.

This is my perspective, and if the majority feel that my perspective is incorrect then I'm willing to accept it. I appreciate the fromsoft inspirations in Death Howl, I think it's cool. I just personally don't see the gameplay as souls-like. I don't know really know how else to put it honestly.

I appreciate your time into trying to understand where I'm coming from.

[ShinryuEXE]

Originally posted by Mom Bon 🧡:

It's the gameplay for me. And like I said, the more I think about it souls-lite makes more sense to me personally than souls-like.

This is my perspective, and if the majority feel that my perspective is incorrect then I'm willing to accept it. I appreciate the fromsoft inspirations in Death Howl, I think it's cool. I just personally don't see the gameplay as souls-like. I don't know really know how else to put it honestly.

I appreciate your time into trying to understand where I'm coming from.

Sure, the point was though: What about the gameplay? Because all you've given thus far is a vague and nebulous answer.

As for Souls-lite: I'm not on board for that. It's like people who try to define Rogue-like as only games that have gameplay matching Rogue, i.e. top down turn based, tile based movement/combat, with perma-death, and trying to call any other type of Rogue-like as a Rogue-lite, even though the common understanding of the difference between those terms is just that a Rogue-lite is a Rogue-like but with metaprogression (i.e. permanent increases in power from run to run).
It's needlessly pedantic and gatekeepy.

Anyways, like, you're free to feel how you feel, I'm just tired of people getting really hung up on 'this is not a souls-like' and then being unable to give any defensible reason why. Like, you've already accepted Blasphemous as a souls-like, even though it's lacking most of the defining features of the souls-like genre. And yet for some reason you refuse to accept that Death Howl can be called a souls-like deckbuilder, despite having many of the genre defining features of a souls-like.

[Mom Bon 🧡]

When I say gameplay I mean combat for the most part, I made that very apparent in my initial post. And again, it's going to have to be an agree to disagree. I feel this isn't a souls-like, you feel otherwise, and that's okay. I feel that this is a souls-lite, you don't, and that's okay. The projection has gone on long enough.