First off, I've been both a PC and PlayStation gamer for a long, LONG time. I've never felt more entertained and at peace when playing a game that was nicely paced, story-driven, character-rich and at a difficulty level that demanded at least some kind of graft and reasonable timing, in parts, to progress through.
Any video game that swerved too hard away from these or excessively focused into one of these areas over the others just dispelled my immersion and instead, proved an unnecessary challenge. Instead, these types of games just seemed more chore-like, unnecessarily irritating and laden with added stress. All of which culminated in me simply walking away from it.
With the rise of Soulslike games (i.e. from the FromSoft catalogue: Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and Elden Ring, plus a whole bunch of others) over the last decade or more and the seeming acceptance by the general gaming public that a game which is more stress-inducing and challenging on a consistent basis than arguably anything that has come before, is acceptable.
Am I the only one that just is not a fan of Soulslike games?
What are your thoughts on this topic?