Despite its punishing difficulty (or maybe because of it), Dark Souls has become one of the most beloved game franchises of all time. Its sprawling open world and tough-but-fair combat have earned it a spot in many players’ hearts. Here are some of the best games like Dark Souls.
For the sake of a little diversity, we’re not including other titles from developer FromSoftware since Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are often seen as spiritual sequels to the Souls games.
Nioh 1 & 2
Nioh may not have the massive interconnected world of Dark Souls, and while the scale of its environment may be disappointing, its combat system is one of the best ever conceived. Taking the methodical, patient gameplay of the Souls game and equipping players with even more tools to navigate the various combat encounters results in a system that’s just as difficult but even more rewarding to master. Being able to switch between stances and styles across a wide variety of weapons means you’ll always feel in control of a situation, even if you’re being beaten into the floor.
Related: Bandai Namco Rejected a Pitch for a 2D Dark Souls III Metroidvania
It helps that Team Ninja’s enemy design is also some of the best in the business. When a game is so heavily focused on combat, encounters need to have a good amount of variety to keep them fresh and engaging. Fortunately, Nioh boasts plenty of excellent foes that bring unique challenges to the table. If you’re looking for a Soulslike that enhances the minute-to-minute battles of Dark Souls, then both Nioh and its sequel (which is even better) should be high up on your “To Play” list.
Lies of P
Admittedly, Lies of P is more often compared to Bloodborne than it is Dark Souls, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong on this list. Where Lies of P most excels is in presentation as players are tasked with exploring the creepy, ominous City of Krat, which has been overrun by rabid automatons. Dark Souls is known for instilling a sense of dread and doom in every location, an aspect that’s plain to see in Pinocchio’s grim adventure. The writing and narrative are also just vague enough to keep things mysterious, tasking players with reading up on the world to learn more about what befell its inhabitants.
Lies of P also boasts an impressive combat system, one that tasks players with thinking on the fly rather than falling into rote patterns. While Dark Souls players may lean into either dodging or parrying, you’ll need to employ both strategies here to survive the streets of Krat. Its bosses are impressive in the scale and challenge, and while it certainly feels a great deal more difficult than anything in the Souls franchise, the speed of encounters only creates an even more exhilarating experience.
Hollow Knight
Speaking in terms of aesthetics, Hollow Knight is a very different beast in comparison to Dark Souls. The 2D metroidvania certainly has plenty of grim elements, but it’s generally brighter and more whimsical in its presentation. Yet what it manages to capture better than any other game in this article is the sense of discovery and exploration that Souls is known for. Wandering around the kingdom of Hallownest, your Knight will unearth plenty of strange characters and events, never knowing what lurks in the next room.
Related: Breaking My Favorite Game: A Speedrun Amateur Tries Running Dark Souls
Hollow Knight is also stuffed with challenging boss fights and a combat system that rewards precision and patience. Those aspects, coupled with a sprawling world design that often loops and winds back in on itself, make for a game that’s easy to lose oneself within. There is plenty to love about this indie darling, and it’s no secret why many consider it to be one of the best games of all time.
The Surge 2
If you’ve ever wanted a little more sci-fi in your Dark Souls, then you should definitely check out The Surge 2. Set in a dystopian future filled with human experimentation, you’ll need to explore a massive city of interweaving streets and platforms to figure out how and why everything went to Hell. Combat is slick and fast, boasting a unique system that allows players to cut off bits of an enemy to extract unique items as loot.
I will say that while The Surge 2 was proceeded by The Surge (obviously), I recommend giving the first game a skip. It’s nowhere near as good as the sequel and suffers from several issues, like clunky combat, awkward enemy design, and annoying boss fights, that were solved in the second game. While it may lack the polish of Dark Souls, The Surge 2 is an excellent take on the genre that FromSoftware spawned.
Blasphemous 1 & 2
In terms of tone, there’s nothing that comes close to Dark Souls‘ grimdark aesthetic quite like Blasphemous. A 2D side-scrolling metroidvania in the same vein as Hollow Knight, The Game Kitchen took every gruesome, horrific visual of Dark Souls and cranked it up to 11. This is not a game for the squeamish, given that there is PLENTY of blood oozing from nearly every pixel. Of course, if that’s your idea of a fun setting, then you’re in luck!
Related: Why Are Punishing Games So Addictive? – Design Delve
The first Blasphemous is a touch simple in its mechanics, being the first game in the series, but the sequel manages to take every element that was noteworthy in the original and improve upon it. More diverse combat, varied world design, and excellent boss encounters litter the horrific world of the Blasphemous games, so if you’re looking for a challenge or just want to get some religious angst out of your system, you needn’t look further.
Remnant: From the Ashes and Remnant II
Often described offhandedly as “Dark Souls with guns,” the Remnant games are… well, they kind of are that, but there’s so much more to them! While the levels themselves may feel like corridors, the overall world design is laced with as much atmosphere as even the most gorgeous Fromsoft game. Enemies are challenging and numerous, and combat is specifically designed for guns, meaning that you’ll never feel like you’re at a cheap advantage because of your rifle.
If you’re a fan of esoteric and vague narratives, then you should be even happier with the Remnant games. The narratives are largely open for interpretation, and each item you uncover slowly builds upon the lore of the wider world. Don’t be put off by the lack of a sword and shield – sometimes a pistol and shotgun are just as good when staring down an excellent Soulslike.
