Ever since the soulslike genre gained popularity, there have been ongoing debates about whether these games must be relentlessly hard and punishing in order to qualify for the genre. To balance maintaining the genre's distinct features while appealing to a broader audience, developers began experimenting with difficulty settings and reducing the harsh penalties for failure. This led to the emergence of a new direction, often referred to as "souls-lite." Although there isn't a universally agreed-upon definition of souls-lite, these games retain key soulslike elements such as challenging bosses, rewarding exploration, and the 'bonfire' checkpoint system with respawning enemies while being more approachable and less punishing at their core.