After playing last year's soulslikes, Shadow of the Erdtree reminded me that no one knows how to use ambushes like FromSoftware

Elden Ring screenshot - man with torch standing near giant ants and a pile of gooey dead bodies.

Soulslikes—that is, the genre of games loosely defined by their similarities to FromSoftware's Dark Souls and Demon's Souls—are pretty common nowadays. Turns out that thoughtful and deliberate combat, challenging difficulty, and solid RPG mechanics are a good set of ingredients for a game.

I played quite a few last year—I played Lies of P, Remnant 2, and I reviewed Lords of the Fallen as well. They're all pretty dang good games in their own right, with Remnant 2 feeling like the most inventive of the bunch, what with tying the knot between ARPG mechanics and the soulslike secret sauce.