Dark Souls isn't an RPG

[Mr Dizazta]

Despite thoroughly enjoying the game, I cannot honestly say that Dark Souls in an RPG, JRPG or WRPG otherwise. The games overall emphasis on survival, loneliness, and its theme of inevitability that the Age of Darkness will happen no matter what the Chosen Undead does seems to point in the direction that Dark Souls is a part of the Survival Horror genre.

First off, lets look at the game's class system. For one it is entirely pointless outside starting stat investment and equipment. You can start out as a Pyromancer but by the end of the game you can be decked out in heavy armor and have a great ax.

NPC interaction seems to be relegated towards merchants and only a select few NPC who aren't merchants. The way the game handles NPCs and how majority of the will eventually turn hollow was when I stop thinking of Dark Souls as just an RPG and more as a Survival Horror.

EDIT: Since I can't think of anything else to add to the OP, I will simply ask that if you agree that Dark Souls is more Survival Horror than RPG or vice versa. Or do you believe that using blanket terms to describe a game does that game a great disservice?

 

[Erttheking]

Ok...and? This thread has next to zero discussion value. Your OP is more of a statement than anything else. Not much to go on.

 

[Fireaxe]

For it to be survival horror it would have to actually try and be horror, which it really doesn't. It's just an RPG with more of a survival theme.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Yes it is.

It also has elements of survival horror.

 

[Corven]

There may be some horror themes like others are saying but I don't believe there is any "surviving" anywhere near dark souls in the strict sense of what survival horror usually means in games these days. In survival horror games you are usually up against enemies that you cannot defeat therefore you must do anything to survive encounters with them, from hindering their progress to hiding from them.

In dark souls you don't "survive" encounters with enemies, you adapt, overcome and eventually defeat them.

 

[deleted139124]

DELETED

 

[Shinsei-J]

Since I first played Dark Souls I never really felt that it was a straight up RPG, while it may use many RPG elements
(character customization mostly) at its center I always thought of it as a 3D metroidvania of sorts. As in, if you were to trim the fat around the game eventually all you would have left is, fighting monsters, navigating a labyrinth like map and beating bosses, and that sounds like a metroidvania game to me.

Along with an RPG I don't really consider that it's a survival horror ether. The setting is unsettling and the monsters often made me uneasy but I never felt that to be the focal point of the game, it was just an aesthetical choice that enriched the gameplay and helped in immersion as a nice side dish to the main meal of hot metroidvania action.

Ok...and? This thread has next to zero discussion value. Your OP is more of a statement than anything else. Not much to go on.

While the OP may not be worded as such I think this is a nice chance to discuss about genres and blanket terms while focusing on a game that can't really be held to any single one of these categories yet incorporates elements from nearly all of them.

Though Mr Dizazta still may want to just edit their post anyway to add a question or concluding statement that people can discuss.

 

[NihilSinLulz]

What? A game can't be horror and an RPG? Parasite Eve and the majority of the Castlevania games say hi.

I'd say Dark Souls is an action game with option levels of RPG. Revengance would also fall into this category. Basically, you COULD beat both games without ever upgrading and just being super freakin' awesome, but 99.9% choose not to because we arn't crazy

 

[Mr Dizazta]

Since I first played Dark Souls I never really felt that it was a straight up RPG, while it may use many RPG elements
(character customization mostly) at its center I always thought of it as a 3D metroidvania of sorts. As in, if you were to trim the fat around the game eventually all you would have left is, fighting monsters, navigating a labyrinth like map and beating bosses, and that sounds like a metroidvania game to me.

Along with an RPG I don't really consider that it's a survival horror ether. The setting is unsettling and the monsters often made me uneasy but I never felt that to be the focal point of the game, it was just an aesthetical choice that enriched the gameplay and helped in immersion as a nice side dish to the main meal of hot metroidvania action.

Ok...and? This thread has next to zero discussion value. Your OP is more of a statement than anything else. Not much to go on.

While the OP may not be worded as such I think this is a nice chance to discuss about genres and blanket terms while focusing on a game that can't really be held to any single one of these categories yet incorporates elements from nearly all of them.

Though Mr Dizazta still may want to just edit their post anyway to add a question or concluding statement that people can discuss.

I was planning to edit the OP as I was having a hard time putting my words onto the post to reflect my feelings.

 

[Shinsei-J]

I was planning to edit the OP as I was having a hard time putting my words onto the post to reflect my feelings.

Fair enough, I know how hard it can be getting that opening post to encourage the discussion you want to have.
[sub]Cool amphabulous avatar by the way.[/sub]

 

[Windcaler]

I disagree. Dark souls is more RPG then most games that have the RPG label on them. However its roleplaying elements are more interactive, requiring the player to fill in the blanks. When you can create your background and easily roleplay a variety of characters how can that be anything but a roleplaying game?

 

[Mr Dizazta]

Going on what Shinsei-J suggested, I edited the OP to reflect describing a game's genre and blanket terms the describe a game.

 

[Savagezion]

If it plays like Demon Souls, I would agree with Mr. Dizazta probably more than someone saying it is an RPG. The only thing RPG-y about Demon Souls was character equiptment and levels. CoD has both of those. The gameplay of Demon Souls is based on exact timing similar to QTE's without screen prompts. While not exactly like QTE's in the sense that there isn't only one combination that is viable - but exact timing of presses is the key and there is no flex on that. No "spray and pray" or button spam style 'tactics'. The game's atmosphere and story is basically "How long can you survive while we try to kill you? No matter how long you do, you're doomed."

People have said Minecraft is survival horror. If that is true Dark Souls is as well. If you don't see them as survival horror, I would put forth Minecraft as a sandbox and Dark Souls as an Adventure title. I align more with Action/Adventure or Survival Horror class over RPG myself. Action/Adv (Tomb Raider) and Survival Horror(Resident Evil) are also known for QTE exact timing presses as well.

 

[sXeth]

Its prettymuch Castlevania with some lite-rpg stuck on (err well, I guess various Castlevanias have had some lite-RPG stuck on too). It doesn't entirely indulge in some of the bullet-hell gameplay bits of the 2d Castlevanias did, but most of the rest is there. So whatever genre that is.

 

[Maximum Bert]

I see we are onto what makes an RPG again and I dont think any definitive conclusion will be drawn this time either. Is it an RPG? is it a WRPG, JRPG, action game, survival horror, action RPG lovecraftian fantasy? It dosent really matter the game will still be the same or rather it is what it is. For description purposes I have always seen it labelled as an RPG and right or not its never really bothered me that this is the case.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

You can't have a survival horror RPG? Since when? I don't see why everything has to be branded a specific genre. You play a role so it is a roleplaying game. If anything, I'd argue Dark Souls is more of an RPG than others that carry the title.

 

[lacktheknack]

lolwut

It's got stats that you raise as you see fit to extend your abilities in the playstyle that you choose. It's just as much an RPG as any released in the last few years.

 

[Artea]

Dark Souls is not an RPG. That being said, it's still more of an RPG than games like Mass Effect that claim to be full-fledged RPG's.

 

[Zhukov]

a) Semantics.

b) Who cares?

Seriously, who cares what belongs in what genre? What insight is gained by cataloging something into one genre or the other? Video game genres in particular are so broadly defined, if they're defined at all, that knowing a game's genre can tell you very little of what playing the game is actually like.

I'm not even saying this in defense of the game. I don't much like Dark Souls.

This is becoming something of a pet hate for me. Right up there with "It's not a real game" and "Game should only be fun".