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Players nowadays have a wealth of options when it comes to games that say they’re “like Dark Souls”, but not all Soulslikes on the market can offer the same compelling experience as Dark Souls. In fact, only a few RPGs manage to capture Dark Souls’ signature brutally-rewarding gameplay and mechanics.
Updated on March 24, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Dark Souls is one of the most groundbreaking action RPGs ever made. The title marked a groundbreaking shift in the gaming industry, showing everyone that gamers didn’t need to be coddled at every step of the way and could make their own decisions to survive in a game where every enemy and boss can pound them to the ground. The title has spawned a sub-genre of its own, with various Soulslikes cropping up that are influenced by the design decisions of Dark Souls. The best of the bunch are mentioned below.
15 God Of War (2018)
RPG fans would likely remember 2018’s God of War as a massive success, both in terms of gameplay and its narrative. In the game, players depart Greece and instead venture into Midgard. Gameplay-wise, this means Kratos can fight a multitude of opponents while issuing commands to his son Atreus, who provides ranged archery support. However, this doesn’t mean fights can’t get as brutal.
Gone are the days of Kratos recklessly attacking waves of enemies. Instead, players have to get a more nuanced approach towards Kratos’ tactics. Players need to deftly dodge attacks while systematically attacking foes with his Leviathan axe or signature Blades of Chaos. While it’s not as unforgiving as Dark Souls, God of War can become brutal for reckless players.
Also like the Dark Souls games, there is a variety of mechanics that one can explore in order to defeat foes in novel ways. For example, the stun mechanic, while a bit tough to utilize before acquiring some upgrades, can make playthroughs more fun and interesting. It is also very satisfying to repeatedly bash foes in the face with Kratos’ shield and then deliver a finishing blow on them once their stun meter fills up completely.
14 The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red’s acclaimed The Witcher 3 remains one of the most immersive and challenging games of its generation. Unlike other action games, players get in the mindset of Geralt. They have to prepare not just the weapons and armor, but also the items – traps, potions, and magical Signs – needed to take down his foes.
The Witcher 3 has a more technical and strategic approach to combat, unlike other games. In fact, some opening fights in The Witcher can become easily overwhelming for reckless players. However, the game does reward players who do their homework by providing technically challenging but invigorating battles.
In addition, the variety of enemies makes the difficulty feel more genuine than in many other RPG titles. Players will need to learn the weaknesses of powerful monsters in order to stand a chance against them. Which magical signs, items, and swordplay style they use are all important decisions that can lead to a resounding victory or tragic defeat.
13 Ghost Of Tsushima
In Ghost of Tsushima, players take on the role of Jin Sakai as he tries to take back the land of Tsushima from invading Mongols. Jin begins to tap into the shadows to accomplish this mission, instead of relying solely on his training as a samurai. The game blends stealth and theatrical action as Jin alternates between stealthier playstyles as the Ghost or performs intricate swordsmanship with his samurai training.
Ghost of Tsushima enables players to tackle missions in whatever way they deem necessary. As such, players can slowly assassinate enemies as the Ghost, or face them head-on as a samurai. More impressively, the game offers challenging experiences regardless of the approach used, forcing players to constantly adapt their combat styles.
Each style of swordplay is strong against specific types of enemies. Therefore, when Jin is surrounded by a variety of foes, it is crucial to swap between them and integrate Ghost weapons and other auxiliary tactics to succeed against the hordes of Mongols, ronin, and samurai that aim to take Lord Sakai’s head. Balancing all of this while in open combat can be quite tricky, though immensely rewarding. With some practice, players can decimate entire armies of foes by themselves through individually stabbing, slashing, and executing adversaries.
12 Code Vein
The idea of an anime Soulslike sounds pretty interesting, and Code Vein makes for a really unique experience in this regard. The surprisingly decent story coupled with great combat makes for a great time indeed.
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That being said, Code Vein does suffer from unbalanced bosses and gameplay at times, along with some truly horrid art and level design. Playing this title in co-op makes most boss fights trivial, while other enemies are so powerful that most players would need to get through these unfair difficulty spikes.
11 The Surge 2
The Surge was an admirable attempt at trying to create a great sci-fi Soulslike. However, floaty combat and uninspired level design bogged down the entire experience considerably.
This isn’t a problem that players will experience with The Surge 2, which is a marked improvement over its predecessor. While its boss fights might not be the greatest, the amazing level design and enemies present in this game make it a must-play for any Soulsborne fan.
10 Blasphemous
Soulslikes and Metroidvanias are two genres of gaming that have combined quite successfully indeed, allowing players to experience some truly unique and excellent games. Blasphemous is one such title that deserves the limelight for being a great 2D Soulslike.
Blasphemous’ art style and bleak atmosphere is the first thing that players will notice while trying out this excellent title. The combat is pretty vicious, with the player being punished for being greedy or making too many mistakes — a common trait across most Soulsborne games.
9 Dead Cells
It’s a shame that the majority of Dead Cells’ coverage in the media came from the plagiarism controversy surrounding it. That being said, some people would argue that this controversy is what brought more eyes towards this title in the first place, and Dead Cells is definitely a game that deserves a ton of fame for its innovative combination of the roguelite and Soulslike genre.
Each run through Dead Cells feels fresh and engaging, with players slowly understanding the gameplay mechanics and brutal combat of this title. The sense of progression in this game is quite rewarding indeed, and blasting through enemies that posed a major problem at one point never ceases to be entertaining.
8 Hollow Knight
Of course, it would be impossible to talk about excellent Metroidvania Soulslikes without mentioning the phenomenon that was Hollow Knight. The game was truly incredible, allowing players to explore an amazing world full to the brim with cute creatures and amazing boss fights.
There’s a reason why Hollow Knight is one of the biggest and most popular indie titles of all time. Any fan of amazing Metroidvania titles owes it to themselves to try out this amazing game and experience the magic of playing Hollow Knight for the first time — something that players would pay good money for!
7 Remnant: From The Ashes
Fans of Dark Souls would get quite a modern take on its theme with Remnant: From the Ashes. In this game, players fight the tree-like Root, who has begun invading the Earth. As such, players need to rely on a variety of modern weapons and special abilities to take the fight back to the Root. Unfortunately, players quickly find themselves outnumbered as the Root come in various shapes and sizes. Moreover, the technical nature of the game makes enemies extremely unforgiving for careless players.
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Similar to Dark Souls, Remnant places a heavy focus on strategic battles. As such, players are expected to master not just aiming, but also proper dodging. Enemies can easily eliminate players with a few strikes, which demands players to be more careful with their approach to any battle.
Having lots of guns to choose from allows gamers to customize their loadout to suit their preferences. Since the damage the player can do is much greater, due to a gun’s range over melee weapons, the developers of Remnant: From the Ashes have made it so that one is constantly being assailed by a multitude of enemies. Thankfully, they have balanced these waves of adversaries so that it feels like just enough to be hectic and dangerous, yet not enough to feel ridiculous and unplayable.
6 Salt And Sanctuary
Despite its 2D appearance, Salt and Sanctuary offers extremely challenging gameplay perfect for Dark Souls fans. Save for basic mechanics, the game leaves players to their own devices pretty early on. As such, players soon learn they can expand their skills beyond the game’s starting classes and make the best build depending on their gameplay preference.
Salt and Sanctuary rewards players who take their time tinkering with the game’s features and expanding their combat options. The game offers an intuitive skill system that heavily encourages deep customization and trial and error. These features, on top of challenging bosses, will definitely be rewarding to players.
The weapons, spells, and items that can be used also make it feel very much like a Dark Souls game. The boss weapons are especially satisfying as they pack quite a punch, yet do not make the game too easy. Spacing is also a vital component in this game’s combat as melee is usually the most useful for closed-ranged encounters, despite mage builds being totally viable and pretty fun.
5 Ashen
Albeit open-world and co-op, Ashen provides a gritty and brutal take on action RPGs. As such, players venture into the open and should work their way to survive the game’s roster of challenging bosses. Thankfully, the game does offer a multitude of weapons and the item equivalents of Estus Flasks and Souls – making Ashen both recognizably inspired by Dark Souls but still unique in its own right.
Ashen also demands the same technical prowess as other Soulslike games. However, Ashen does so with a gorgeous backdrop and an environment that just waits to be explored.
Exploration is a huge part of this game, with the most adventurous players usually finding the best loot and weapons. There are multiple kinds of armaments as well, including those for long and short-range combat which allows players to do battle as they see fit. One thing that separates it from Dark Souls games is that the character progression is based more on equipment than stats, making it possible to swap builds a lot easier with little punishment for doing so.
4 Mortal Shell
In Mortal Shell, players get an experience that is both recognizably inspired by Dark Souls but offers a darker take on aesthetics. In the game, players need to find Shells that will help them in their journey throughout the game’s vast open world. These Shells, which act like classes, provide players with different abilities and skillsets.
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Mortal Shell’s slower take on combat makes it incredibly unique compared to other titles. In fact, this rather “slowed” pace serves as the main highlight of the Mortal Shell experience. This caveat can be incredibly frustrating for players, but also welcoming to those looking for new challenges.
The slower gameplay makes it feel much more like the first Dark Souls game as opposed to later FromSoftware titles like the much speedier Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne. There is a definite rhythm to the gameplay that feels right for the setting, though this slower pace does not make things easy, as enemies can be unpredictable and deal massive damage.
3 Nioh 2
Fans of Dark Souls will appreciate the flashier look of the Nioh series. Nioh 2 in particular serves as a great love letter to the Souls franchise thanks to its wealth of gameplay features and nuances. Players can finally create their own characters to explore the series’ wonderful take on Feudal Japan with a supernatural motif.
In Nioh 2, players can now access Yokai Skills that enable them to “steal” abilities from various enemies. This element, when paired alongside Nioh 2’s various weapons and intricate movement, can make for an extremely compelling experience.
The unrelenting bosses, as well as certain types of common foes, will give players plenty of reason to experiment with the different weapons and abilities — all of which are novel and have a definite purpose, which makes many different builds viable. The armor set bonuses are also a nice feature that adds a reason to farm certain enemies or explore the world more thoroughly in a way that extends the amount of time that one can enjoy Nioh 2.
2 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Fans of the Souls games will likely try out Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for a stealthier approach to Dark Souls’ signature gameplay. In the game, players take on the role of Sekiro as he protects his master from a wide variety of enemies. However, what makes Sekiro special is his Prosthetic Arm, which he can equip with various tools that can further diversify his combat strategy against bosses.
Sekiro rewards players who approach gameplay with both stealth and uncanny bravery. In fact, Sekiro can perform various stealth-based attacks and also rely on shattering enemy defenses mid-battle. Players can get a more action-oriented experience, which serves as a great alternative to Dark Souls.
Those who enjoy playing Dexterity builds in the Dark Souls franchise will find the combat particularly enjoyable as there is a great focus on parrying, dodging, and utilizing Sekiro’s various combat techniques to annihilate foes. Also, wielding a katana will feel pretty appropriate for many Dark Souls Dexterity build fans.
1 Bloodborne
Fans of Dark Souls who want a Soulslike game with a similar theme but more dynamic combat would appreciate Bloodborne. As with FromSoftware’s Dark Souls, Bloodborne players play from a third-person perspective while using various gameplay mechanics. Players can wield a firearm alongside an extra item, as well as unique melee weapons (Trick Weapons) that have multiple states.
Perhaps the most notable approach of Bloodborne would be its fast-paced combat. The game’s Rally system encourages players to play a game of risk-versus-reward as they can retrieve lost health by attacking opponents within a small window.
In addition to all the awesome mechanics that players have come to love from games by FromSoftware, there is even deeper lore than in the Dark Souls franchise that draws from Lovecraftian stories as well as other types of horror, dark fantasy, and even some science fiction media that can chill one to the bone and make their blood run cold.
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