It’s hard to deny the utterly pervasive influence that Dark Souls has had on video games as a whole over the last decade. It feels like every Game Awards or Summer Game Fest showcase is filled with a half-dozen or more grimdark Soulslikes, and even games that don’t try to directly ape Dark Souls have tried to adapt some kind of “Souls” element — like the Star Wars Jedi games. And while there are plenty of fantastic Soulslikes out there, an unfortunate side effect of the genre's rise has been the death of character action games, fast-paced combo-focused experiences like the original God of War trilogy or Devil May Cry. But 2025 has provided a spark of hope for fans of those pure action games, not just because of what’s released this year — but because of what’s on the horizon. Action games are back, baby.
The PS2 was arguably the height of both quantity and quality for that specific brand of action game, which you’ll often see called “character action” or “stylish action.” These games focused heavily, almost exclusively, on the actual feel and flow of combat — letting you link together lengthy combos, crazy air combos, and brutal executions. While character action games do often include upgrade systems, they’re usually extremely understated — and more of a way to unlock new combos and moves to use in combat. Souls games, by comparison, are much more about methodically building your character and adapting to enemy movesets, although they unequivocally fall into the action category as well. But there’s a seismic difference between the style and tones of character action and Soulslike, and it’s abundantly clear that one has won out in recent years.
