Are first-person souls-likes more accessible?

I'm a bit late in talking about it, but I got into the Valor Mortis playtest early. I actually wasn't even expecting it; I was so focused on doing crazy shit in the AH-64D in DCS that I almost ignored in the invite.

However, I knew I should take a break, and I was curious..

..Are first-person souls-likes more - or less - accessible?

Well, I decided to find out. Short answer? In some ways, yes, but, depending on the encounter designs.. Also no.

Let's expand on that a bit, but like the playtest, this will be short and sweet.

The pros of a first-person souls-like

One area where I've frequently struggled is reacting with proper timing to whatever action my foes are taking. If a souls-like has both parrying and dodge, I'm almost always going to rely on a dodge build. This is because dodging tends to be more forgiving for dodging too early; parrying early frequently means at least some form of punishment, and you can't always parry every attack (while - in most souls-likes - you can dodge just about everything).

I actually find that first-person perspectives - with the enemy design I saw in Valor Mortis - tended to give me a slight edge in my reactions vs. a 3rd-person souls like.. Typically because you're less worried about camera angles, and tend to have a more zoomed-in view on the foes, so you're better able to notice the aggressive actions right when they happen.

This meant I was able to parry a lot more than I ordinarily would.

Additionally, I felt a greater deal of immersion in general; This made it more exciting to play, and it was able to hold my focus better overall.

These 2 aspects may not seem like much, but they can be literally game-changing if you struggle with souls-likes.. However, not everything is all sunshine and roses from a first-person perspective.

The cons of a first-person souls-like

In my opinion, there are 3 primary sticky points that can potentially negate the accessibility of a first-person souls-like.

The first is an unfortunate one: Without a 3rd person perspective, you typically aren't able to avoid "gotcha!" surprise flank attacks, which do exist in Valor Mortis.

A 3rd person perspective can give you that split second to react to someone about to hit you from behind; Unfortunately, Valor Mortis failed to provide any indicator that you were about to get shived in the kidneys until it was already happening.

The next one is dependent on the enemy design for the rest of the game; enemies like bosses tend to frequently be large.. And if you look at something like Elden Ring, it's not just the bosses that are huge.

Big enemies mean you're spending more time staring at an enemy's ankles (or the equivalent) than you are watching for their attacks.. And if that ankle doesn't telegraph their next attack? Yeah, you're going to have a bad time.

Finally, if a souls-like has a platforming puzzle section? Yeah, platforming from a first-person perspective tends to suck. Be prepared to fall into lava or whatever death traps exist if you're trying to do a platforming puzzle from the first-person perspective.

So, are first-person souls-likes more accessible?

They absolutely can be, but only if the avoid the 3 sticking points: Flanking attacks (or at least provide a way to indicate you're about to get hit from behind), oversized enemies, and platforming.

If those can be avoided, I'd gladly play a first-person souls-like in a heartbeat!