What began and earned its namesake with the release of Dark Souls (and, to a lesser extent, Demon's Souls before it) is now a full-blown subgenre of action-RPGs that continues to grow and diversify with each new entry. Thanks to the punishing-yet-fair reputation rightfully held by Dark Souls and its sequels and spiritual successors, the Soulslike subgenre is synonymous with great challenge, leading many to steer clear of any game claiming to be a Soulslike for fear of its greatest challenges or running up against a skill check. However, like with most gaming genres, knowing the less-explicit ins and outs of gameplay can give players a significant leg up.