Souls
Arguably the greatest draw of any Souls game is its combat. Every move or action must be calculated yet instinctual, forcing the player to study the intricacies of each title lest they die over and over again. Though dying in most games is usually a bad sign, the Souls series makes it integral to the learning experience, thus earning it the niche popularity its enjoyed for quite some time now. Souls games taught the industry that introducing a challenge to players can make for more rewarding gameplay, as long as that challenge is within reason.
Though it seems like every game is compared to the Souls series today (to the point where the phenomenon is a meme), it’s very easy to see the franchise’s influence in Assassin’s Creed Origins’ combat. This newest entry in the series has eschewed the Batman: Arkham Asylum-style gameplay in favor of making players constantly keep track of their surroundings. Attacks and defensive capabilities are mapped to opposite ends of the controller, meaning players have to alternate between actions in the heat of the moment. Enemies strike all at once too, whether from far away or close range, and AI capabilities have improved greatly. Gone are the days where combatants idly stand there and wait for the player to kill them. In Assassin’s Creed Origins, everyone genuinely feels as if they’re fighting for their life, including players themselves.
