It’s no secret that the widespread popularity of FormSoftware’s Souls series(Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Demon Souls) has led to a whole new genre. Dubbed “souls like” or “souls-like,” this genre is defined by its unforgiving combat encounters, larger-than-life boss battles, and interconnected world and level design.
Many modern games today draw inspiration from the classic Souls formula, adding their own twist to offer players new and exciting gameplay experiences. If you’re a fan of the genre, then you came to the right place.
In this guide, we’ll showcase some of the best soulslike games worth your time and money. Let’s get started.
5 Best Soulslike Games
Without further ado, here are the 5 best soulslike games you can jump into in no particular order:
Blasphemous II
Credit: Creative Bloq
If you’re a fan of pixel-art graphics and Metroidvania elements in video games, then Blasphemous II would be the perfect pick for you. It borrows a lot of common soulslike tropes such as difficult enemy encounters, intricate parry systems, massive boss battles, and a convoluted storyline with deep lore.
Blasphemous II isn’t the first game to combine the two genres (Metroidvania and Soulslike); that honor probably goes to Hollow Knight. However, Blasphemous II arguably has much better combat and a dodge system like the traditional Souls game, and the world feels something ripped right out of Dark Souls/Elden Ring.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Credit: Vg247
Coming from the studio that invented the genre, people had massive expectations from FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice ahead of its March 2019 release. Frankly, it didn’t disappoint, offering a soulslike experience that’s unlike any other on this list. Featuring a deep combat mechanic that rewards aggression instead of the clunky, calculated fighting style of the Souls series, Sekiro easily is one of the best soulslike games out there.
The game uses a posture system that keeps the players switching between offense and defense in the blink of an eye, and it doesn’t have a stamina meter. There’s also a grappling hook that players can use to traverse the world quickly. Compared to the studio’s other Souls games, this one offers a lot more flexibility in movement.
Nioh/Nioh 2
Credit: Games Radar
Team Ninja took all the best elements of Souls games as a baseline and found a way to do their own thing with the Nioh games. It still has that deliberate, calculated combat style because of a stamina meter. Still, with the addition of different fighting stances along with a way to regain stamina quickly using well-timed button presses, you can be a bit more dynamic with how you approach each fight. Similar to Sekiro, the game is set in a fictional version of Japan and borrows a lot of elements from Japan’s folklore and history. The game has a strategic depth that’s hard to find in other soulslike games out there.
Lies of P
Credit: Dexerto
What happens if you take all the elements of a Souls game and put it in a dark and twisted reimagining of the world of Pinocchio? That’s exactly what you’ll find out when you play Neowiz’s newest title, Lies of P. The game wears its soulslike inspiration on its sleeve, featuring an extremely familiar combat system for fans of the genre.
But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The combat feels smooth, and Krat’s fictional world feels extremely rewarding to explore. As for new concepts, each weapon in the game can be customized drastically to change up the moveset and their damage. Instead of a secondary weapon, players can
Lords of the Fallen (2024)
Credit: Sportskeeda
The original Lord of the Fallen, when it came out in 2014, was a decent Souls clone, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. There were a lot of issues with it, and most players found the controls to be a bit too clunky for comfort. The boss battles were also quite underwhelming, to say the least.
But with the 2023 remake, the studio finally struck gold, giving players a truly immersive, soulslike experience. The combat feels tight; transitioning to and from the Umbral Plane adds an extra dimension to the levels, and the entire world seems extremely well put together. Sure, it had a few performance issues at launch, but after a few patches, the game looks and plays perfectly.
