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Metroidvania and Soulslike describe different design tendencies, not fixed rulebooks: a Metroidvania usually rewards exploring an interconnected map and returning with abilities that open new routes, while a Soulslike usually puts more emphasis on learning demanding fights and managing the consequences of mistakes. To choose a PS5 game, look past its label and ask what you want to spend most of your time doing: mapping and unlocking, or studying encounters and managing risk.
At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metroidvania | Players who enjoy exploration, route-finding, and abilities that unlock new areas | Interconnected world with paths that may be inaccessible until later | November 2026 |
| Soulslike | Players who enjoy demanding encounters, learning enemy patterns, and weighing risk | Informal label; combat, map, checkpoints, and death rules vary by game | November 2026 |
What is the main difference between a Metroidvania and a Soulslike?
The clearest distinction is the activity each label tends to foreground. In a Metroidvania, progress often comes from understanding how areas connect and gaining abilities or items that let you reach places you could not access before. In a Soulslike, progress often comes from learning how to handle dangerous encounters and making deliberate choices about combat and risk.
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Those tendencies can overlap. A Metroidvania can have difficult bosses, and a Soulslike can have an interconnected world, exploration, and shortcuts. Neither label guarantees a particular map shape, difficulty level, checkpoint system, or kind of assistance. Treat the genre name as a clue about what to investigate, not a complete description of the game.
A useful short version is: choose the Metroidvania side if the idea of “I found a new ability; where can I use it?” sounds satisfying. Choose the Soulslike side if “I understand why that fight went wrong; what should I change next time?” is more appealing. If both sound good, evaluate the individual game’s systems rather than trying to force it into one box.
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Which kind of play sounds more rewarding to you?
Think about what you want a typical session to feel like. A game’s most memorable boss or area may not represent the activity that fills most of its play time, so focus on the repeated loop rather than its trailer, reputation, or one standout feature.
- Choose exploration and route-finding if you like building a mental map, noticing a blocked passage, and later returning with a tool or ability that changes where you can go.
- Choose encounter mastery if you enjoy observing an opponent, adjusting your timing or approach, and gradually becoming more consistent in a difficult fight.
- Choose a blend if you want both. Look for explicit signs of both map-gated progression and combat that asks you to learn and adapt.
These preferences do not measure skill or commitment. A player can enjoy demanding platforming but dislike losing progress after a death; another can enjoy exploration but want combat to be the main challenge. Separate the parts of the experience you enjoy from the parts you merely tolerate.
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Check the game’s actual world structure, progression, combat, checkpoints, and available assistance. Those details predict whether it fits your preferences better than a broad genre label does.
| Decision point | Questions to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| World structure | Is the world interconnected, open, or arranged around a preferred sequence? Do abilities open blocked routes, or are progress and exploration organized another way? | A map can feel like a puzzle to learn, a series of branches, or a guided route. The label alone does not tell you which. |
| Main activity | Do descriptions emphasize discovery and traversal, or challenging fights and learning enemy behavior? | This helps you estimate what you will do repeatedly, rather than relying on a single feature. |
| Progression | Do upgrades mainly unlock movement and access, change combat tactics, or offer build choices? | Progression can change where you can go, how you fight, or both. |
| Failure and checkpoints | What happens when you die? What, if anything, can be lost or recovered? Where do you return? | Death consequences and return points can make failure feel like a manageable setback or a meaningful risk. They differ from game to game. |
| Help and support | Does the game offer map aids or notes, cooperative play, summons, or another route past a difficult section? | Assistance options affect how you can respond to a hard encounter or a confusing stretch. |
| Control demands | Does the game foreground platforming, precise movement, combat timing, or some combination? | Two games in the same broad category can place very different demands on the player. |
When looking up a game, prioritize official descriptions for its advertised systems, then seek a detailed explanation of the exact mechanics you care about. If a source says “challenging” but does not describe checkpoints, death consequences, or help options, do not assume those details from the adjective.
Map and route questions
Ask how much of the map is optional and how clearly the game marks a blocked route. Some players enjoy keeping mental notes and revisiting suspicious doors; others prefer a map that records points of interest. A game may provide a connected world without giving you every answer immediately, or it may divide exploration into large branches with a recommended order. Confirm whether fast travel, shortcuts, map markers, or room-by-room completion tools are available if navigation is a major concern.
Progression and build questions
Find out whether a new ability primarily changes movement, opens a route, improves damage, or enables a different combat style. In an exploration-led game, an upgrade can turn an earlier dead end into a destination. In a combat-led game, progression may instead let you favor a weapon, spell, defensive option, or other build choice. These systems affect replay value and experimentation, so do not assume that “ability progression” means the same thing in every title.
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Failure, recovery, and checkpoint questions
Death can be a short interruption or a central risk-management mechanic. Check where the character respawns, whether ordinary enemies return, whether collected currency or experience can be recovered, and whether a failed recovery attempt loses it permanently. Also check how often safe points appear and whether a boss attempt requires a long run from the previous checkpoint. These practical details often matter more than a game’s advertised difficulty.
Assistance and access questions
Look for optional co-op, summons, adjustable settings, map guidance, or other ways to reduce a particular obstacle. Assistance may help with a boss without changing exploration, or it may be unavailable for a platforming section. Online co-op and PvP can also have separate requirements from the single-player campaign. Verify the PS5 store listing for any network requirement instead of assuming that every online feature is mandatory.
What do PS5 examples tell you about each style?
PlayStation’s descriptions give useful examples of advertised mechanics, but they are not a neutral ranking of difficulty or quality. Use them to identify features that interest you, then check the specific systems that matter to your choice.
Exploration, abilities, and nonlinear routes
PlayStation describes Hollow Knight: Silksong as following Hornet through an unfamiliar insect kingdom, discovering powers and using an expanding range of weapons, traps, and mechanisms. That combination can appeal if you want exploration and combat together; the description does not establish how difficult it is or how much guidance it provides. See PlayStation’s PS5 and PS4 2D platformer roundup for the advertised details.
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Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown illustrates how traversal and combat can interact. PlayStation says Sargon gathers time powers that expand combat abilities and allow access to previously inaccessible areas; its description also mentions twin blades, a bow, and a combat ability gauge. If you want a mix of movement, progression, and fighting, those advertised features are more informative than a simple label alone. They are not a neutral assessment of the game’s difficulty.
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Combat, risk, and help
Demon’s Souls, the PS5 remake, is a concrete example for players curious about demanding combat and risk. PlayStation describes it as having “ruthless combat,” warns that careless mistakes put collected souls at risk, and advertises both cooperative summoning and PvP invasions. These are documented attributes of this game, not universal requirements for every Soulslike. Its official PlayStation overview is the source for those details.
That example also shows why it is worth separating “hard combat” from “no help.” A game can ask you to manage risk while also offering a way to play cooperatively. If you want to know whether a particular game supports help, look for that feature directly rather than inferring its absence from the genre name.
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Does a genre label tell you how difficult a game will be?
No. “Soulslike” is an informal label without a firm official definition, and difficulty alone does not tell you which mechanics a game uses. A game called a Metroidvania may still include demanding combat or platforming; a game described as Soulslike may differ substantially in its map, checkpoints, or death rules.
Difficulty also has more than one source. You might find precision movement difficult but enjoy repeating an encounter, or be comfortable with combat but dislike uncertainty about where to go. When judging a game, identify the specific demand that matters to you: boss fights, traversal, navigation, punishment for mistakes, or limited assistance. Avoid treating a reputation for difficulty as a substitute for that information.
A comparison guide from iTechGuides on comparing Soulslikes likewise cautions that a label does not settle whether a world is open or connected, what combat rewards, or how checkpoints and assistance work. The practical lesson is to confirm those features for the game you are considering.
How can you make the choice if you like both?
You do not have to choose a genre in the abstract. Make a short list of what you most want and what you most want to avoid, then compare candidate games against it.
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- Name your preferred loop. Pick one: exploring and unlocking routes, learning combat encounters, or alternating between both.
- Identify your non-negotiable. Examples might be a connected map, abilities that open new areas, difficult fights, cooperative help, or clear information about death consequences.
- Check official feature descriptions. Look for specific language about map structure, powers, weapons, checkpoints, death, and co-op. If a detail is not stated, treat it as unknown rather than filling it in from the label.
- Separate a challenge you welcome from one you do not. Wanting tough combat does not automatically mean you want backtracking or a particular loss-on-death rule. Likewise, wanting exploration does not mean you want easy bosses.
- Decide whether the mix is acceptable. A game may match your favorite feature and still include another demand you dislike. Choose based on the overall loop, not a single attractive mechanic.
This approach is especially useful for games that blur genre boundaries. Interconnected exploration and punishing combat can coexist. Rather than arguing over which label is correct, ask whether the particular combination is the one you want to play.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you compare the cost and edition?
The genre decision is separate from the purchase decision, but platform and edition details can prevent an avoidable mistake. Demon’s Souls is identified by PlayStation as a PS5 remake and has a Blu-ray purchase option. If you are shopping for a physical copy, search a current regional retailer for a phrase such as “Demon’s Souls PS5,” then confirm that the listing names the PS5 edition, includes the disc you want, and is sold in your region.
Do not rely on an old price, stock notice, or bundle description. Physical prices, availability, packaging, and retailer terms can change, and a listing may describe a PS4 version, a used copy, or a different edition. The available product information does not establish a universal current price. Check the total cost, delivery, return policy, and any required online subscription at the retailer or PlayStation store you intend to use.
There is no need to add a peripheral or repair accessory to make this genre choice. A controller, cleaning kit, or PC utility does not answer whether a game’s map, combat, or death system suits you. Buy only what the specific PS5 title and your preferred format require.
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Read a genre label as a starting hypothesis, then look for concrete verbs and systems. “Discover,” “unlock,” and “reach previously inaccessible areas” point toward exploration and ability-led access. “Learn,” “risk,” and “summon” may signal combat mastery, consequences, or assistance—but each still needs context from the specific game.
Official store and editorial descriptions can establish what a publisher advertises, but they may not answer practical questions such as how often checkpoints appear or whether a difficult encounter can be bypassed. If a choice turns on one of those details, confirm it from a source that discusses that mechanic directly. Do not infer a precise rule from a broad genre tag or marketing phrase.
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Ultimately, neither category is a promise of a single experience. A Metroidvania is a stronger bet when interconnected exploration and new routes are the draw; a Soulslike is a stronger bet when demanding fights and deliberate risk appeal. The individual game’s map, progression, combat, checkpoints, and support options make the decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Metroidvania games always 2D?
No. The term describes a pattern of interconnected exploration and progression more than a required camera perspective. Check an individual game’s presentation and controls rather than assuming its genre label dictates them.
Do I need to play earlier games before starting a Soulslike?
The label does not imply a required play order or shared story universe. Check the particular game’s store description or official materials for story connections and prerequisites.
Can I play a Soulslike offline?
That depends on the specific game and which features you want; online elements such as PvP or co-op may be optional, but the label alone cannot confirm offline requirements. Check the game’s official platform listing for its online requirements.
Is Blasphemous 2 a Metroidvania or a Soulslike?
It is often discussed in relation to Metroidvania design, including interconnected exploration and initially inaccessible areas, while also featuring bosses and combat. Rather than treating those terms as mutually exclusive, consider whether its actual mix suits you.
Is a connected map enough to make a game a Metroidvania?
Not by itself. The stronger signal is a connected world combined with progression that lets abilities, items, or events open routes that were previously inaccessible. Confirm how the individual game uses its map and upgrades.
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The Bottom Line
Pick a Metroidvania when discovering an interconnected map and using new abilities to open routes is your main pleasure. Pick a Soulslike when studying demanding encounters and managing risk is more appealing. For any PS5 game, verify its actual map, progression, combat, checkpoints, death rules, and help options before you buy.
