heres a list of what makes a soulslike, i would say for it to be considered one it must meet at least 2/3 of these criteria:
a strong focus on Melee/magic combat with few ranged options
Weapon Durability/weapon upgrades
typically 3rd person with a camera lock function for fighting
dodging/parrying as the primary defensive mechanics
stamina bar that drains when sprinting/jumping/attacking/parrying
a checkpoint system that also functions as an enemy reset and a place to refill health/upgrade stats
differing attacks based on buttons pressed/combos entered (think light and heavy attacks on seperate buttons)
equippable items that grant stat bonuses/boons
difficult boss fights that typically take multiple attempts to complete
a respawn mechanic tied into the story of the game/the game lore
enemies with specific attack patterns/timings that allow for memorization
a lack of a defined/unified story or lore system (i.e., most lore comes from item descriptions or some other collectable but easily missable mechanic)
obviously this is not all inclusive but i think its a fair approximation of what makes a soulslike a soulslike.
