The Soulslike genre has flourished since its inception in the late 2000s. The genre is named for FromSoftware's Demon's Souls and Dark Souls titles and describes games that evoke their gameplay. Most Soulslikes are third-person action-RPGs with punishing difficulty, a melee combat focus, and certain design conventions.
Dark Souls fans will recognize core Soulslike mechanics, like dropping resources on death and having one life to fight back to them. Some fans believe only FromSoftware can hit home with the formula. However, the recent Lies of P is only the latest in a long line of successful and well-liked Soulslike titles from other developers.
10 Lies Of P
Lies of P clearly hearkens more to FromSoftware's own Soulslike Bloodborne than it does their flagship series. It has the same aggressive, kinetic combat and iconic gothic Victorian setting that set Bloodborne apart from the company's other titles. Many fans and reviewers have noted Lies of P's Bloodborne similarities as a significant positive.
Lies of P isn't a complete rehash of one of FromSoftware's most beloved titles. Its retelling of the Pinocchio story in a brand-new setting is new ground for the genre. Its mechanics include a mechanical arm similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and a more upfront plot driven by the player's choices. Many think these new elements heighten Lies of P above other Bloodborne-inspired games.
9 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
The Star Wars universe can feel like an unusual choice for a Soulslike game. Its stories tend towards the optimistic and futuristic compared to the grim fantasy aesthetic of Dark Souls. Nonetheless, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has become one of Star Wars' most beloved recent video games thanks to its adoption of Soulslike gameplay.
Dark Souls fans recognize Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's fluid melee combat and checkpoint system from FromSoftware games. The result is some of the most satisfying action in a Star Wars game ever. However, Fallen Order keeps the inspiration to gameplay. It tells a much more upfront story that feels like a classic Star Wars movie.
8 Code Vein
Code Vein comes from Dark Souls publishers Bandai Namco, but without FromSoftware developing it. The inspiration is clear to see from the gameplay. Its melee combat, character creation, boss fights, and more all remind players of FromSoftware gameplay.
Nonetheless, Code Vein has its own innovations, most notably the presence of AI partners in combat. This adds a unique dynamic to the game and lets its gameplay explore areas Dark Souls shies away from. Its aesthetic is also over-the-top and animesque, unlike the more grounded and Western-inspired design of the Dark Souls franchise.
7 Blasphemous 2
Blasphemous 2 is one of several titles that take elements of Soulslike games and transpose them into an entirely new genre. Dark Souls and Bloodborne draw on the Metroidvania genre, with dense environments full of secrets that reward backtracking. Blasphemous 2 puts these elements to the forefront as a 2D action-adventure game.
Blasphemous 2 lacks the RPG elements common to most Soulslike titles. Players have limited choices for weapons and movesets, and very limited ways to alter their stats. Nonetheless, its Guilt Fragments mechanic, interconnected world design, and challenging boss fights that emphasize learning boss patterns are reminiscent of the Soulslike genre.
6 Nioh 2
The Nioh franchise blends admitted Dark Souls gameplay with elements from other franchises. Its melee combat, although familiar to fans of previous Team Ninja games, draws heavily on the typical Soulslike formula. However, its loot system is more reminiscent of Diablo or Destiny, where players constantly get slightly better equipment to change their playstyle.
Nioh 2 evolves further away from the Dark Souls franchise. It introduces new combat mechanics and has an increased emphasis on multiplayer gameplay. As a result, it has some of the slickest gameplay of any recent action-RPG with many more accessible elements than FromSoftware games. Some even consider it a direct improvement over Dark Souls.
5 The Surge 2
The Surge 2 makes no secret of its Dark Souls inspiration. Instead, it tries to set itself apart with aesthetics and storytelling genre. The Surge 2 is a science fiction game set in a grim future where resource shortages and technocracy have left Earth's governments strained and struggling to compete with robots.
The Surge 2's combat doesn't reinvent the wheel in any way compared to Dark Souls. Nonetheless, the game feels different and fresh because of its unique aesthetic and sci-fi sensibilities. Many players consider its gameplay a marked improvement over the first The Surge, noting its tighter combat and improved interface as highlights. However, The Surge has defenders for its storytelling.
4 Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Even as the Final Fantasy franchise has embraced a more action-RPG playstyle in recent years, it has avoided Soulslike stylings in mainline titles. By contrast, the alternate universe Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin dives in headfirst. It plays like a hybrid of Dark Souls and Nioh, with a greater emphasis on skill-based melee combat than any previous Final Fantasy title.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin does have its stumbling blocks. Many players and reviewers find fault with its story, particularly the main character Jack Garland. Nonetheless, its tight Soulsborne combat and love letter to the Final Fantasy franchise help keep it fresh in the eyes of many.
3 Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is another title that pushes the boundaries of what players consider a Soulslike. Much of its gameplay resembles Metroidvania games far more, with intricate 2D environments for players to explore. Nonetheless, Hollow Knight has clear elements of Dark Souls in its gameplay, from its boss battles to its Shade mechanic on death.
Furthermore, Hollow Knight's grim fantasy setting and reliance on environmental storytelling hearken back to many players' favorite aspects of FromSoftware games. It's clearly its own entity, not overly beholden to Dark Souls. It's also a fantastic game that draws on some of the Soulslike genre's strongest elements.
2 Mortal Shell
Mortal Shell makes no secret of how heavily it draws on Dark Souls for inspiration. Its grim tone, storytelling, and combat style speak strongly of FromSoftware's influence on the title. However, Mortal Shell doesn't look to reinvent the wheel. It instead puts its own distinct spins on Soulslike gameplay through a few new features.
Mortal Shell takes a very different tack with character building. Players take control of one of four different Shells, each with its own playstyle and abilities. This, alongside its central 'Hardening' feature in combat, creates an experience that is very familiar for Dark Souls fans, but more than just a rote copy.
1 Remnant II
The Remnant franchise puts a unique spin on Soulslike conventions. The base combat and gameplay loop resemble Dark Souls with one core difference. Remnant II is a third-person shooter. Players fight through challenging enemies, dodge attacks, and chip away at boss health between rolls. However, they do this with firearms rather than melee weapons.
Remnant II also builds on Remnant: From the Ashes' procedural generation to make it a much bigger part of the game. Unlike the carefully crafted environments and enemies of most Soulslike games, Remnant II has much more of its content created randomly, up to and including its boss fights and story content.