Soulslike games generally have a decent story/narrative, while Soulsborne games (Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1/2/3, Bloodborne and Elden Ring) have almost no story at all (no, story and lore are not the same). In addition, all Soulsborne games have those weird and possibly misleading messages on the ground. More @Wikipedia
Hover over any link to get a description of the article. Please note that search keywords are sometimes hidden within the full article and don't appear in the description or title.