Of all the games that didn't need to exist, I'm glad this one does. It's less a soulslike and more a Nioh-like. You might not think Nioh-like is a real word, but neither is soulslike. Our methods of describing games are ever-changing, yet has also gotten to the unfortunate point where we don't knoew how to do so without comparing them to other games. The two Nioh games are great, but they have a lot of bullshit. Bullshit which makes them hard to recommend despite how fun they are. Stranger of Paradise plays exactly like a Nioh game, has the exact same build depth and bloat of collectibles as Nioh, and contains the same corny anime writing as Nioh. The difference is that Stranger of Paradise doesn't want me to die in two hits from common enemies, which is very cool. Beyond that, the amount of diversity present is fantastic. The job system is deep and constantly evolving, with new abilities and skills to be learned as you level up. You level up so quickly as well, so you are essentially always growing. I found myself constantly swapping jobs to experiment with what they brought, even as late as the last few levels. Team Ninja needs to hire a level designer, but this is peak action gameplay. I will write more about the story and characters in my list, but those are great too, and it reminds me of playing my PS2. Big surprise of a game here, one of the best this year. 5/6