Why Don’t Souls Games Have a Pause Button?

The Souls series, developed by FromSoftware, is notorious for its challenging gameplay and lack of a pause button, which is a deliberate design choice to keep the game tense and immersive, forcing players to stay focused and engaged at all times. By not allowing players to pause the game, the developers aim to create a sense of urgency and consequence, making each death feel more significant and punishing, while also encouraging players to think on their feet and adapt to the game’s difficult situations.

Understanding the Design Choice

The absence of a pause button in Souls games is a key element of their design, and it’s essential to understand the reasoning behind this decision to appreciate the games fully.

The Purpose of No Pausing

The primary purpose of not allowing players to pause is to maintain tension and immersion throughout the gameplay experience.

Game Mechanics and Difficulty

The Souls series is known for its punishing difficulty, and the lack of a pause button is a significant contributor to this aspect, as it requires players to be fully engaged and attentive at all times.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. What happens if you quit in Dark Souls? When you quit the game, you’ll appear where you left, unless you tried the DC-death trick from Demon’s Souls. Quitting creates a save state of your progress, and enemies you killed will stay dead, except for Crystal Lizards.
2. Is Demon Souls grindy? Yes, Demon’s Souls is exceptionally grindy in often frustrating, time-wasting ways.
3. Why is Demon Souls so difficult? The Souls games are challenging because enemies do extreme amounts of damage, and players are punished for their inevitable failures, losing their souls upon death.
4. Can you pause in Demon’s Souls? Like all FromSoftware games of this type, except Sekiro, you can’t just pause the game, but photo mode pauses the game entirely.
5. What level should I stop at in Dark Souls? Usually, most players end up above level 100, but unless you want to use the character for PvP, you should level as high as you can, with most stopping between levels 90-125.

Game Mechanics and Features

6. Does Dark Souls 3 have a pause button? No, Dark Souls 3 does not have a pause button, as it’s designed to be played online, and menu quitting works fine.
7. Does Elden Ring not have a pause button? While you can’t technically pause Elden Ring, you can stop the action by opening certain menus.
8. Why can’t you jump in Souls games? Jumping in Dark Souls can only be accomplished when your character is running, with instructions varying depending on the console.
9. What is the highest level in Dark Souls? The maximum level in Dark Souls is 709-713, depending on your class.
10. Does Dark Souls get harder when you level up? No, leveling up does not increase the difficulty, but some players stay at a specific level to easily connect with other players.

Gameplay and Progression

11. Why is my character blue in Demon Souls? If your character is blue, it means you’re in soul form, with a reduced health bar that can be restored by beating a boss or using a stone of ephemeral eyes.
12. Do you lose souls when invading in Demon Souls? If you invade someone’s world and fail, you’ll lose a soul level, and the victor will gain your souls.
13. How many hours does it take to beat Demon Souls? Demon’s Souls takes around 23 hours to complete the main objectives and approximately 57½ hours to achieve 100% completion.
14. What is the most active Dark Souls game? DS3 and Bloodborne are the most active Souls games.
15. Which Souls game is best to begin with? The best order to play the Soulsborne games is: Sekiro, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 3, and finally Elden Ring, which is the most newcomer-friendly game in the series.