FromSoftware’s Dark Souls released in 2011 was a spiritual successor to their previous endeavor “Demon’s Souls”. It took the world by storm birthing a new kind of action RPG which everyone has come to know as souls-likes. This new found genre being all the rage in streets, inspired several game developers to join the race in creating the next big ‘souls-like.’
Below we have listed a bunch of souls-like games that have popped up on everyone’s radar in the past decade. Some of these games went on to garner a niche and faithful fan-base, while some of these went to be nominated at the prestigious game awards.
The best Souls-like games of all time
The Surge
The Surge is an interesting take on the souls-like game framework, it scraps the medieval fantasy side of things out the window and brings in an original sci-fi setting. With humans using modified exoskeleton suits and futuristic weapons to combat enemy machines. But other aspects of the game play out exactly like Dark Souls.
Developed by the German studio Deck13, the game sports a checkpoint mechanic that resets areas just like a bonfire in Souls games. Combat involves locking on to the enemy, while dodging away from their attacks before finding an opening to land a hit. The game was successful enough to get a sequel in 2019
Another Crab’s Treasure
At first glance “Another Crab’s Treasure” looks like a fun and colorful underwater adventure game with cute crustaceans. But the game is actually a brilliant take on the souls-like genre. You play as a hermit crab named Kril, who must traverse through an uncharted sea bed.
As a crab, Kril has lost the ownership rights to his shell due to unpaid taxes. Now he must utilise man-made scrap objects as his temporary shell and weapons to go after the ‘loan shark’ that took away his shell. The developer Aggro Crab has carefully crafted the gameplay around the souls-like structure, but with comedic elements sprinkled all over it.
The Lords of the Fallen
Not to be confused with the ‘Lords of the Fallen’ which released back in 2014, and was developed by Deck13, the same creatives who were behind ‘The Surge’ games. Both the ‘Lords of the Fallen’ games are published by CI Games, and the recently released ‘The Lords of the Fallen’ (2023) is considered a soft-reboot of the first game rather than a sequel.
The game is like most other souls-likes, following the same style of combat and checkpoint system, but also introduces some of its own original flare. The game has multiple realms that can be switched between to solve puzzles using a special lantern.
When the player character dies in the living realm, he wakes up in the realm of the dead and is given a chance to return back by collecting back lost experiences.
The First Berserker: Khazan
Publisher Nexon’s attempt at dipping their toes into the souls-like genre, by adding another title to the ever growing list of the Dungeon Fighter games, have been found to be critically successful. Events of The First Berserker: Khazan takes place around 800 years prior to the events of the Dungeon Fighter universe.
The game follows the story of Khazan, a great war general who was framed and banished from the Pell Los Empire. After escaping death, now he must traverse through the lands and work towards his goal of revenge.
Khazan forms a bond with the Blade Phantom, which grants him the ability to regenerate his shattered body in exchange of a powerful vessel with unrelenting thirst for vengeance, truly a match made in hell.
Thymesia
Thymesia is a souls-like game developed by Taiwanese developer OverBorder Studio. It takes its influences from FromSoftware’s Bloodborne IP for most of its aesthetics.
You follow the story of a Corvus, who has taken up the task to save the Kingdom of Hermes from a plague that sweeps the world, and unrestrained use of alchemy that has been mutating everyone and creating monsters.
Corvus sports the guise of a plague doctor, utilizing the disease and alchemy to his advantage in fast-paced combat. The game was released in 2022, and is probably one of the lesser known soul-likes in the ever growing list of titles in this subgenre.
Steel Rising
Set during the 1789 French Revolution but in an alternate universe where machines and marionettes under the control of Louis XVI, have taken control of the revolution.
An interesting take on the souls-like genre where you play as an automaton bodyguard named Aegis, who is fighting against this oppression in order to find out what is conspiring in the backdrop.
Developed by the French studio Spiders, the game was eventually released after a series of delays in September of 2022, to moderate success and has since gained a small fan following. Steel Rising is worth checking out at least once for its take on the 1789 alternate reality France setting, which you get to explore with a steampunk protagonist.
Lies of P
Probably the most well known and most celebrated title out of this list. Lies of P was developed by the Korean studios Neowiz and Round8, released in 2023 it quickly became one of the best single player titles in recent times which was made utilizing the souls-like game design.
The game’s plot is slightly based on Carlo Collodi’s classic novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio. Set around the 1800s’ fictional steam-punk inspired European city of Krat, which was taken over by rouge puppets that were inflicted by puppet Frenzy.
You play as the puppet P, who has woken up in this city and now must find the man named Geppetto.
