The Dark Souls series has changed the industry — it's no surprise the first part was called the best game of all time. But what should gamers do, who have avoided all three parts but still crave more? In this collection, we've gathered ten projects similar to Dark Souls!
Bloodborne was released back in 2015 but still holds the title of one of the best PS4 exclusives. But what exactly about the creation of the great studio FromSoftware has captivated the community? Well, the merits are countless.
In concept, Bloodborne is not much different from the Dark Souls series. The hero ventures into a dangerous world where an ordinary enemy can easily deal a fatal blow, and bosses make you suffer. The place of souls here is taken by blood echoes, bonfires have been replaced with lamps, and the locations remain just as intricate. It would seem that all this is familiar to gamers, but there are also plenty of differences.
First and foremost, Bloodborne is distinguished by its combat system, which has become much faster. The hero had no shield, so he could only rely on dodges and parries with the help of a pistol. This forced players to study the enemy's moveset even more carefully and act cautiously.
At the same time, an aggressive style was also encouraged. For example, if you lost health, you could partially recover it by immediately attacking the enemy and retaliating with a couple of hits.
Also, Bloodborne has an absolutely outstanding design. Yharnam is probably still the most beautiful place ever created by FromSoftware's artists. Victorian-era architecture, meticulously detailed streets, exquisite palaces, mesmerizing views — all this can be admired. At the same time, the city constantly surprised: it was unexpected to once notice Amygdala on a cathedral.
The design of ordinary enemies and bosses was also impressive. Former monster hunters who themselves became monsters, transformed residents, werewolves, extravagant creatures — the hero had to fight with so many different foes.
If you have a PlayStation and haven't played Bloodborne yet, try to rectify this oversight as soon as possible.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is often called the most hardcore game by FromSoftware. It might seem that developers allowed gamers to escape dangers with the help of a grappling hook, stealthily eliminate enemies, and resurrect after death, but even that wasn't enough to make the game easier.
The thing is, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice demands maximum skill from the player — for example, if you don't perfect the parrying skill, some bosses will seem insurmountable. And yet, parrying is the most challenging element of defense, requiring high reaction speed and a perfect understanding of the opponent's moveset. It's no wonder many found this perplexing.
However, forget everything Dark Souls and Bloodborne taught you, and understand what the developers want this time, and Sekiro will fully reveal itself. The hero turns into a great ninja, who nimbly jumps across locations, skillfully eliminates enemies, and isn't afraid of even the most formidable bosses.
At The Game Awards 2019, the game was rightfully named the hit of the year — it's indeed good.
Elden Ring became the most extensive and ambitious project by FromSoftware, which will be hard to surpass. The open world turned out to be huge, rich, and diverse — the number of bosses, intriguing enemies, and unique locations is simply countless.
At first glance, Elden Ring retains the foundation of souls-like. Enemies are fierce, dying happens often, there's only one chance to get back to the place of death and retrieve «souls» — all this is familiar to fans of the genre.
However, thanks to new features, the novelty successfully refreshes the genre. You can move around the world on a horse named Torrent. Along the way, there are outposts that can be cleared stealthily. The open world, hiding a multitude of optional bosses and locations, adds interest — nobody could have thought that open-world would be so fitting for a souls-like.
Elden Ring turned out to be such a monumental game that getting lost in it for hundreds of hours is easy. It's no wonder that at its peak, 950 thousand gamers were playing it, and 89 percent of the reviews are positive.
What sets The Surge apart from other souls-like games is its setting and a couple of bloodthirsty mechanics. The action unfolds in a future world where replacing limbs with cybernetics and wearing exoskeletons has become commonplace. Unfortunately, due to a virus, many carriers of these enhancements have gone haywire and now attack anyone they encounter.
The locations are intriguing — true, the events take place in a huge manufacturing complex, and the number of not particularly inventive factory spaces is overwhelming. Alas, you won't see the beauty on the level of Bloodborne, but fans of the industrial style will be satisfied.
Moreover, The Surge features an interesting mechanic that makes the game particularly noteworthy. The trick is that in combat, you can sever cyborg limbs. Each enemy has their vulnerabilities: for example, their torso might be protected, but they ran out of armor for their left arm — that's where you should strike.
Furthermore, this bloodthirsty mechanic has other bonuses. If you encounter an enemy with a cool helmet and you sever their head, you can take the equipment for yourself. By the way, if you collect many similar items, you can upgrade the armor.
These features were enough to make The Surge a quality game — after all, it wasn't for nothing that the game got a sequel.
Nioh is one of the most unusual souls-like games in this collection. It's all about borrowing from other projects: the dynamic combat is reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden, and there's so much loot of varying quality that it feels like playing Diablo. Moreover, the hero has cool abilities that can turn him, for example, into a fiery creature dealing massive damage.
Nioh doesn't have a single world. The hero selects a mission on the global map and heads there to slice yokai to pieces. This approach allowed the developers to create many diverse and beautiful levels: burning villages, docks full of pirates, exquisite dojos, and much more. However, it didn't avoid the inclusion of some dull caves.
The developers deserve special praise for the bosses. Facing the Giant Frog or the Obsidian Samurai even once will make them unforgettable. In addition to abilities and a variety of weapons, different stances help survive boss fights: the gamer chooses whether their strikes will be slow and dangerous, fast and light, or somewhere in between.
Nioh turned out to be a quality souls-like that brings a lot of new elements to the genre and provides great entertainment.
Released in 2014, Lords of the Fallen is often underrated. Critics say that the Polish developers didn't come up with anything interesting, mercilessly exploited other people's ideas, and completely ignored optimization and bugs. However, over time, the community has grown to love the game — it's no coincidence that there's significant anticipation for the second installment.
Overall, Lords of the Fallen truly lacks uniqueness. Castles and other locations are clearly inspired by Dark Souls, enemies often look simplistic, and the bosses lack a distinctive flair. However, this doesn't negate the fact that the souls-like concept is solidly implemented: swinging a sword is fun, defeating strong enemies without learning their move sets is impossible, and exploring the terrain is interesting.
Moreover, Lords of the Fallen allows you to feel like a true knight in bulky armor, wielding an unwieldy sword. Every strike lets you feel the full weight of battle. Fans of fast-paced combat in the style of Bloodborne might not appreciate this, but many have found CI Games' approach appealing.
In the end, Lords of the Fallen proved to be a worthy souls-like game that isn't embarrassing to play after FromSoftware's projects.
The gimmick of Mortal Shell is that the main character is not a mighty warrior. Instead, you play as a spirit that won't survive even a single hit. To deal with hordes of enemies, it must inhabit the shells of different characters and control their bodies.
Each shell has its own characteristics. A balanced warrior, a rogue with low HP and high stamina, a heavy knight with strong armor, a scholar who can frequently use abilities thanks to high resolve. There are options for every taste, and you can change shells regularly — the key is to find the body of a fallen character.
Otherwise, Mortal Shell is a classic souls-like game that comes close to the quality of Dark Souls in terms of execution. Locations are beautifully drawn, enemies are inventive, and the graphics are pretty good.
The main issue is the lack of content. A gamer familiar with the genre will breeze through the game in about eight hours and be surprised when they encounter the final credits. However, some might consider the modest duration a plus.
Gamers are accustomed to wandering through locations with melee weapons and beating up enemies in close combat in souls-like games. Of course, games like Nioh had bows, but you couldn't use them constantly. However, Immortal: Unchained is entirely built around shooting.
In Toadman Interactive's creation, various creatures constantly attack the hero. There's a sword on your back, but more often than not, you'll need to keep your distance — ranged weapons play the most crucial role in Immortal: Unchained.
However, no matter how accurately the character shoots, surviving won't be easy. Enemies are also armed with guns and constantly challenge you. Other villains skillfully dodge volleys, protect themselves with shields, and quickly rush towards the player.
Of course, Immortal: Unchained can't be praised for beautiful levels, and not everyone will find the gameplay engaging, but «Dark Souls with guns» has found its audience.
Remnant: From the Ashes tells about a post-apocalyptic world where monsters have crawled onto the streets of modern cities. There are plenty of dangerous creatures, but the hero has many ways to deal with them. He can shoot from various firearms, slash the undead with a sword, build diverse builds, and even effortlessly clear locations in co-op.
Gamers are used to the idea that for cooperative play in souls-like games, you need to go through some hoops. Find special consumables, go to a specific place, and so on. In Remnant: From the Ashes, all you need for co-op is the desire to play together.
Another feature is that the hero can fight equally effectively at both long and close range. Weapons change quickly, and there are many build options.
However, it's worth noting that the authors have made a slight shift towards action. There are frequent instances where impressive waves of enemies are unleashed on the characters — until you kill them all or survive for a certain amount of time, you can't progress further in the story.
Tunic deceives expectations brutally. In the story, a cute fox wanders through a beautifully drawn world, uncovering its secrets. Initially, enemies perish after a couple of feeble stick hits, and the gameplay seems casual, but as time progresses, the game reveals its true nature. It turns out, the creators of Tunic were inspired by Dark Souls.
The fox constantly encounters adversaries that force it to dodge, learn move sets, and react quickly. Multi-phase bosses require even more effort to defeat — to take them down, you have to give it your all. Additionally, the fox has only one chance to pick up resources lost upon death, and it resurrects at an altar.
Besides souls-like elements, Tunic borrows from classic «The Legend of Zelda» and various Metroidvanias. However, it's particularly fans of FromSoftware's works who will derive the most pleasure from playing it.
If you love souls-likes but have always found the genre's typical visuals too grim, give Tunic a look.
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What souls-like games would you recommend? Share in the comments!