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Never has a unique style of gameplay been taken to heart quite so wholeheartedly than the Dark Souls and general FromSoftware system of video games. Elden Ring being one of the best-selling games in US history is only the tip of the iceberg. Spawning influence in everything from strong indie game contenders to heavy hitting AAA game titles, Dark Souls has some pretty amazing games like it.
There are games that take heavy inspiration, which are commonly known as ‘soulslike’ and there are games that use the same combat and gameplay systems, which form their own list. Here’s our pick of not only the best ‘soulslike’ titles, but also the best games like Dark Souls.
God of War/ God of War Ragnarok
What the move to PS4 and next-gen in this soft reboot of the popular God of War franchise meant was an update to gameplay mechanics. Whilst God of War and God of War Ragnarok both retain the awesome combo-stacking and creativity of the first games, they add the additional options of combat that are reminiscent of games like Dark Souls. Parry, stagger, stun and most importantly, roll with God of War’s updated combat. This certainly keeps things more interesting.
Not only this but the addition of mystic gateways too also acts in a very similar way to the bonfire system in Dark Souls in which you can fast-travel to other locations, save progress and upgrade armour and weapons, also much like a well know action RPG (Dark Souls). Stats like strength and defence can be stacked, whilst others like runic or cold can be upgraded much like magic in Dark Souls too!
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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
This surprising title in the Star Wars video game franchise is a perfect example of where elements of what make Dark Souls great is applied very well. Taking place after the events of Order 66, the purge of the Jedi, fight as Cal Kestis in this customisable combat experience.
Not only does Fallen Order take inspiration in the rolling and evasion of Dark Souls, as well as the cunning timing of attacks, it also makes use of incredible bosses and mini-bosses. Moreover, if you’re a fan of Star Wars, and a fan of Dark Souls’ attention to detail, here’s the best concoction of the two. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes planets and places Star Wars fans know well, and adds a terrific exploration element. Not only this, but adding extra new places only enriches this even more.
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Blasphemous
The only 2D scroller on this list – with notable mention of Hollow Knight – Blasphemous is an incredibly good looking game. Just gazing at the lofty gothic halls and creepy dungeons you’ll instantly feel at home if you’re a fan of Dark Souls.
As a brutal, gory action-platformer with RPG elements, Blasphemous has you hack n’ slash your way through the unforgiving world of Cvstodia to break unwavering damnation. Undead, you are, in a familiar way to your protagonist is Dark Souls, upgrade your weaponry and run the gauntlet through dark passages and up creative world design (also like Dark Souls) to fight creative and terrifying bosses, taking heavy influence from Hidetaka Miyazaki. Need we say more?
Buy Blasphemous for only $24.32 at Green Man Gaming
Monster Hunter: Rise and Sunbreak
If challenging boss fights and the needed preparation for them with suitable weapons, upgrades, armour, abilities and items were your thing in Dark Souls, you’ve come to the right place. Having a steeper learning curve than most games, this is very much reminiscent of Dark Souls.
Where the two differ is the boss fights in Monster Hunter definitely take precedent over everything else in Monster Hunter, and the amount, size and frequency are all dialled up whilst the smaller enemies pose little to no threat and are instead used for sources of mining resources. In Dark Souls, however, whilst bosses remain on the tough side, smaller enemies can also be balanced and provide an exciting challenge, adding to the world building.
Buy Monster Hunter: Rise + Sunbreak for 50% here for Steam copies
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FromSoftware games
Of course, we couldn’t get very far into this list without discussing the many many games that are created by the same development team as Dark Souls: FromSoftware. These include Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 2 and 3, Bloodborne, Nioh, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and most recently, Elden Ring.
All these games provide unique takes on the dark fantasy that everyone adores about Dark Souls (bar the sequels), yet keep the same fantastic combat systems, with minor yet effective tweaks to accommodate the world’s that are built around them. Definitely check them out if you haven’t already.
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Best soulslike games
Now we move on to the games that emulate Dark Souls, and would be considered more ‘soulslike’ than like a Dark Souls game.
Mortal Shell
First off, we have this a game that truly packs a weighted punch: Mortal Shell. Mortal Shell is an action role-playing video game developed by Cold Symmetry and published by Playstack. It was released on 18 August 2020, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.
Mortal Shell is the most forgiving soulslike on the market, and it’s the perfect game to play for curious newcomers. Although Mortal Shell is the most forgiving, it’s still a challenge. The combat acts in a similar way, yet still manages to feel almost completely unique, a challenge that many soulslike games fail.
Buy Mortal Shell for $30.38 here for Steam
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Remnant from the Ashes
This is a 3rd person action RPG looter-shooter style game in which you travel to an apocalytpic world to save what’s left of humanity. Whilst Dark Souls is unique in how in depth the story is, what will keep you invested is the dark, gruesome and grotesque landscape and monsters infesting it.
The kicker in this game, and what we find really refreshing is that whilst the combat acts in a similar way, guns are used instead along with various other weapons. What’s also unique is the added excitement of procedurally generated worlds and maps, meaning that unlike the same monsters appearing in the same locations like Dark Souls, you can expect different monsters and bosses popping up anywhere.
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Code Vein
Here’s a post-apocalyptic anime action RPG created by Bandai Namco studios. Team up with an AI partner or a friend in co-op multiplayer and venture out into a world of destruction in this story driven connected dungeon experience. This really reminds us of the summons systems in Dark Souls and is a very fun aspect of the game.
Completely design your own character and choose your own partner to battle evil forces as a revenant. Use and upgrade special abilities and weaponry to ensure victory.
Here it is for an incredible 87% off on Steam!
Games like Dark Souls
Is Elden Ring a difficult game?
Elden Ring is certainly no cake walk. It might not be the most challenging, but we would consider it definitely top 5 for FromSoftware.
What games are like Dark Souls?
Anything with a mix of dark fantasy, RPG, evasive and tactical combat and expansive lore which provides a bit of a challenge is what we would consider to be a game like Dark Souls.
