When Fromsoft developed the first “souls-like” title in their lineup all the way back in 2009, I don’t think they realized just how big of an impact they would have on the games industry as a whole. Birthing a new sub-genre that has evolved dozens of times in the fifteen years since its inception, certain elements cement a title into the souls-like family. Dark gothic themes, resting points too far and few between hordes of enemies, and above all else punishing gameplay with no respect to you or your mental health.

15. The Last Faith

If you’ve played one of the other titles on our list Blasphemous, then the painted art style and dark gothic landscape of The Last Faith should make you feel right at home. A recent entry in the souls-like/metroidvania crossovers, The Last Faith brings us into a gritty world infected by the Nycrux plague. Choosing one of the starter RPG classes like Brawler, Rogue, or Stargazer you’ll carve a path through deranged mutants and giant bosses to achieve your freedom.

It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Blasphemous’ dark oil painting art style but it's still beautiful all the same.

Our player character, Eryk, awakens to find themselves deep underground in a crumbling asylum with no memory of their past (sounds familiar right?). Fighting your way through the basic tutorial enemies, you soon find yourself face to face with the twisted form of a  clergyman called the Giant Patron. The behemoth wields a massive statue head as a weapon but with the help of a magical skill called focus, you are able to defeat the colossal clergyman in a somewhat, a-typical souls-like fashion.

Bosses are unique and varied, forcing you to experiment with different tactics.

While The Last Faith deviates from the traditional look of the souls-like genre, with a shift to the 2D art style, it stays true to form in all the areas that matter. Checkpoints too far and few between check, punishing gameplay style that teaches you about the game check, a deep lore that you need to scour every dark corner to uncover big ole’ fat check. Above all else that is what The Last Faith does best, it drops you into a fascinating and mysterious world and leaves it up to the player how much they will get out of the experience.

The Last Faith has some truly terrifying enemies that will give you nightmares for days to come.

The Last Faith is a truly acceptable souls-like title. While it looks beautiful and uses a tried and true formula that other games have succeeded with, something about it leaves you wanting more. The entire experience feels good but shallow, although with a price tag of less than $30 you won’t feel slighted out of your money with this nineteen hour souls-like.

 

14. Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen Gameplay Teaser

Developer Hexwork’s 2023 reboot was a much needed breath of fresh air into the franchise of Lords of the Fallen. While Deck13’s 2014 title felt more like a second or third cousin, the latest iteration feels much more like a step-sibling that you can actually tolerate. With the advent of the game's new Umbral Lamp mechanic that lets the player switch between two different worlds in order to solve puzzles or fight enemies, Lords of the Fallen finally feels like it has something to say all its own. Though some players have reported some technical issues with dropped frames or buggy co-op connection, the war-torn medieval setting and tight combat mechanics more than make up for the minor issues at launch.

Varied and complex fighting styles will keep you entertained for hours in Lords of the Fallen.

You as the player character are sent on a mission by the god Osirus, to cleanse five beacons which will release the game’s main villain and opposing god Adyr. It’s up to the player to defeat the evil god before he can escape his prison realm and destroy everything. In traditional souls fashion there are multiple good and bad endings for the player to decide on, leading to vastly different outcomes for the world of Axiom.

Diverse and unique locations evoke dread with every step, as you crawl through the world preparing for the next ambush around each corner.

The high-fantasy locations in Lords of the Fallen and familiar character movement should instantly remind any soulsborne veteran of its predecessors. The game boasts an enormous list of weapons and armor to be discovered hiding all throughout its several locations, with several being locked behind difficult bosses in a fashion similar to that of Dark Souls. The Umbral lantern adds another level of complexity leading to endless hours of replayability as you traverse the same locations, now twisted by the evil god Adyr’s corruption.

Grotesque monsters will stop at nothing to make sure you don’t succeed in your mission to cleanse the sealing stones..

2024’s Lords of the Fallen is an impressive game that follows the souls-like rubric almost to a T, lending to some memorable moments and unforgettable boss battles. The expansive and diverse landscapes offer an immersive experience as you explore its secrets and uncover the truths the Gods pulling the strings are hiding. 

 

13. Mortal Shell

Mortal Shell The Virtuous Cycle Release Date Trailer

The first time I played Mortal Shell was early 2021, at which point I fully expected it to be another souls-like clone with no real depth of its own. What I got instead was a foray into an alien world populated by tribal abominations, hell bent on separating my soul from my… mortal shell? The unique death mechanic in Mortal Shell gives players the opportunity to have an out of body experience when they die, offering a second chance at life.

Fighting naked is sometimes a requirement in Mortal Shell, as you claw your way back into a body after death. 

Without getting too lost in the weeds, Mortal Shell is essentially about a goddess named Vatra who is trying to birth another god. Along the way humanity intervenes and ends up manipulating said offspring to the point where you (as the great-grandchildren of Vatra) must inhabit one of four specific bodies or, shells. Hacking your way through hordes of the goddess’ corrupted minions, will you be able to defeat the Revered and retrieve the divine organs within their bodies? Or do the inhabitants of Falgrim have a more nefarious plan in play?

Colossal magical weapons will make any souls-like veteran feel right at home.

Mortal Shell presents a well blended world of dark fantasy inspired by Dark Souls and adds its own special sauce of ancient ritualistic architecture. From dark diseased forests, infested with corrupted horrors to massive crumbling labyrinths, overgrown with gnarled tree roots the world of Mortal Shell constantly evokes a sense of tribalistic folk horror. You constantly have a gnawing sensation in the back of your mind that a grotesque monster waits around every corner, summoned by some ancient Norse ritual deep in the European woods.

Combat is wild and anxious, giving you the feeling of scrambling through the mud and dirt in the dark, as you fight tooth and nail against animalistic foes.

If you have ever seen the movie The Ritual about a group of hikers lost in the woods near Sweden, you’ll understand the parallels to the world of Mortal Shell. The controls are fluid and work well within the parameters of the game, so much so that your hands can take a back seat and really soak in the world around you. While the game is frequently on sale ($4.49 on Xbox at the time of writing this) the retail price of $29.99 isn’t a bad deal for a full AAA souls-like.

 

12. Salt and Sanctuary/Sacrifice

Although the duo of titles from developer Ska Studios may look more akin to a certain flash game on Newgrounds from the early 2000’s called Thing Thing Arena (I’m fully aware of how old that makes me sound), you will quickly recognize the soulsborne aesthetic and familiar combat mechanics realized within the two titles. First released in 2016 Salt and Sanctuary was the first in a duology that made big waves in the souls-like community, performing well in major review outlets for its convenient and immersive gameplay that led to better accessibility in the community. While some die-hard souls fans are always up in arms about how the games are becoming too easy, I think it’s nice to have a little bit of variance for all different kinds of players who may not want to spend hundreds of hours learning about perfect frames.

Bosses in Salt and Sanctuary evoke an overwhelming sense of dread and insurmountability.

In the first of the Salt series, you awaken on a mysterious island covered in fog (starting to notice a trend yet?), tasked with defeating a nameless god who has usurped the Three, leaders of the main religion on the island, and imprisoned them. Salt and Sanctuary hit all the right marks with its recreation of a soulsborne experience in 2D, combining the traversal elements of popular metroidvania’s, with a souls-like approach to combat and exposition. Critics hailed the game as one of the first takes on a 2D souls-like that actually got the combination right and I’m inclined to agree.

Combat styles vary from melee to magic and everything in between.

Salt and Sacrifice, the second title in the franchise, seemed to go a little wayward, leaving a lot of reviewers expecting more after the success of the first game. Luckily the two titles aren’t technically connected so you aren’t missing a continuation of the first game if you didn’t get around to it but rather, a stand alone sequel. Critics denounced the title for its new mage hunter mechanic which challenged players to chase magical bosses across expansive sections of the map fighting several small battles, only to then chase them off again to the end of the level and defeat them before being able to progress further.

Enemies will use drastic and varied tactics to catch you off guard on the islands between.

While the duo of Dark Souls homages tick all the right boxes in terms of combat mechanics, dark fantasy themes, and a punishing gameplay loop that helps to drive the players' knowledge forward, the second title falls just short of the massive shoulders and long shadow of its predecessor. Still, like most titles on this list, these games boast a low price tag coming in at a combined total of less than $40 retail and a staggering forty plus hours of content between both. Even if you’re trying to justify the price tags, that's still less than a dollar an hour of fun.

 

11. Remnant from the Ashes/Remnant II

I’ve spent hundreds of hours across both Gunfire Games souls-like shooters, sweeping my way through crumbling cities and overgrown jungles, in search of answers to the giant mysterious floating crystals scattered throughout different dimensions. Each jump brings me to a completely unique world inhabited by its own living people, at least that’s the impression you get from the expertly written world of Remnant. While the formula deviates slightly by adding the use of guns as your primary weapon, Remnant pulls it off with aplomb mixing fast past cover shooting with the souls checkpoint system.

Team tactics matter in Remnant with different class specializations like Hunter, Scrapper, or Ex-Cultist.

Both games in the series center around a hub world called Ward 13 in which humanity has retreated under the barren wastelands, plagued by an interdimensional threat called the Root. Chasing a man named Ford through a series of ever changing worlds, you will meet the most powerful they have to offer in an effort to stop the invasion. I was constantly amazed each time I stepped into a new alien world, curious about the inhabitants that lived there but also terrified of what new threat lurked around each corner.

Large enemies and bosses will force you to use the environment to your advantage.

The combat in both Remnant titles are really where the magic happens, there’s just something about certain games that simply feel good traversing the world. There was never a point in either game that I felt my frustration towards “the controls” was justified, I knew deep down every time I died that I needed to understand the game better. Snapping to cover as I moved down tight corridors made me feel like a NAVY SEAL pushing through enemy lines and, the fact that you can switch shoulders while aiming down sights really cemented how much attention to detail the developers paid to what matters in a game like this.

Bosses and NPCs are varied, spanning alien races of robotic hive minds, or tribalistic satyrs from Greek mythology.

Although the first game in the duology was a bit of a cult classic only just surpassing three million units sold in 2021, a whole five years after launch, the second title was an immediate success. With the backing of industry heavy hitter Gearbox Studios, Gunfire was able to polish up the entire game, fitting for a full AAA release. Remnant offers an incredible arsenal of weapons and armor to find throughout the multiverse and, the fact that both titles are currently free on Xbox Gamepass PC, you and up to two other friends have access to unlimited amounts of fun with the games world re-roll feature.

 

10. Another Crab’s Treasure

I wouldn’t necessarily call Another Crab’s Treasure baby’s first souls-like but, I’d be hard pressed to choose a more accessible title in this list. Dark Souls if it were made by a pirate team from Pixar, the cute and colorful title seems oddly out of place on this list but I assure you Another Crab’s Treasure has the heart of a souls-like. Brimming with attitude and at its core it’s speaking out about a problem in our own world, mirrored in this game by monstrously oversized bosses and infected enemies.

The bright and lively world of Another Crab’s Treasure is a nice change of pace every once in a while.

Sleeping peacefully in your tide pool, you’re awoken by a pesky and persistent loan shark. Well, Ok, he’s more of a shark toy on a stick but, he’s here to take your shell for ten years of back taxes! Setting off towards the new Duchess’ castle to sort out the repossession, we, as the adorable hermit crab Kril, soon find that there is more at work in the deep ocean than just a narcissistic royal crab flaunting her wealth and beauty.

Bosses may look somewhat cute but are still hulking behemoths that will send you sailing across the arena. 

While it may not hit every note of a traditional souls-like, Another Crab’s Treasure leaves itself open to a wider audience removing things like the stamina bar while rolling or running or, pairing down the armor system with shells that provide passive defense but can also be used as a shield. The shells really are where the game shines, offering an almost Kirby-like experience with each new piece of trash you equip to your back, unleashing unique magic attacks. My favorite was the party hat which acted almost like a shotgun blast party popper.

Combat and traversal feel tight but floaty. (cuz you’re underwater, get it?).

Another Crab’s Treasure may not be a full pedigree souls-like, throwing out the grim gothic landscapes with a colorful and amusing underwater world. Instead of fusing the mechanics with a metroidvania approach Aggro Crab studios have gone for an almost Legend of Zelda approach to the way you interact with the world around you. Another Crab’s Treasure retails for $30 but came to Xbox Gamepass day one, so if you have a subscription already there is a fun souls-like with a great message about recycling and pollution waiting for you.

 

9. Lies of P

Lies of P was honestly a title I assumed would be higher up on this list, as it was genuinely one of my favorite games of 2023. The combination of steampunk automatons and re-imagining of technology from history has always been one of my favorite genres. Give me the opportunity to explore a world like that as a mechanical puppet with an interchangeable weaponized arm and I have found my candy store.

The City of Krat is brimming with malfunctioning, dangerous puppets, wandering the dimly lit streets.

The world of Lies of P is overrun by animatronic puppets that were once designed by eccentric inventor Lorenzini Venigni to help humanity replace menial labor and dangerous work. Unfortunately the magical source of power, Ergo caused them to malfunction and revolt against their human creators. You play as Pinocchio, one of those same puppets, only you are good, you aren’t supposed to lie to the humans around you but something magical has given you the ability to do just that.

Bosses like the Scrapped Watchman have powerful unique abilities that you can harness yourself once defeated.

Moving through the dank streets of Krat, a re-imagined fantasy counterpart of a city in Europe, players will quickly draw parallels to Fromsoft’s cosmic horror inspired Bloodborne. Using your mechanical arm to do things like shock your foes, spray them with fire or, even unfold a shield to block your foe’s attacks, you'll discover numerous outfits and weapons to experiment with. Every mechanic in the game feels like such a faithful recreation of the iconic formula you would be forgiven for mistaking the title for one in the Souls franchise.

Moving out of the city reveals another, more sinister plague affecting the inhabitants of Krat.

Lies of P pushes themes that are mirrored even today in the real world, centering around a form of consciousness that isn’t our own and its ability to deceive us and surpass us. Throughout the game you will make choices of whether to tell the truth, painful as it may be, or lie and spare your human companions the immediate sadness of loss. Whichever choice you make will have an effect on not only the world around you but, yourself as a puppet... or,person? Lies of P retails for a full price of $60 but came to Xbox Gamepass PC day one.

 

8.Blasphemous 1 & 2

Blasphemous is the type of game that sticks with you, to this day I can vividly see in my mind the player character filling his traffic cone helmet with my enemies blood and poppin’ it right back on their noggin. The game in no way pulls any punches when it comes to the medieval Spanish inspired themes presented in Blasphemous but, the art work is so beautiful you almost (almost) can’t look away. Combine that with pixel perfect metroidvania platformer traversal and a souls-like approach to everything else, it all comes together to make something truly special that is still beloved by the community even after its sequel’s release.

Bosses and NPCs alike are gigantic creatures, twisted by their reverence of the Miracle.

In true souls-like fashion everything is terrible thanks to a great “miracle” that happened in this world’s history, bestowing great pain and suffering to those worshiping it. This miracle changed those who revered it, raising the most devout to horrible creatures reflecting their sins like Our Lady of the Charred Visage, a once attractive woman who burned her flesh so that those around her would no longer worship her beauty. In this act the miracle kept her face burning forever and, in an ironic twist of fate caused those who once worshiped her to once again do so in more reverence.

Hopefully you’re not squeamish about blood because this game quite literally loves to bathe in it.

The controls and traversal feel on par with a true metroidvania, which is surprising considering most games that attempt a blending of genres tend to suffer in one or the other. Blasphemous doesn’t seem to lack in either department but where it really comes through is the environmental storytelling. Dialogue is far and few between in these games and you will learn more from making mistakes than trying to decipher the riddles from any of the NPCs.

Dozens of different combos and finishers will brutalize your foes.

The second title in the series came out to just as high praise as the first one, proving that the devs know what they’re doing. Unfortunately with a price tag of around $60 for both and an average play time of about fifteen hours between the two the price for entry is a little steep but, I think if you stop and take your time to appreciate the work that went into the beautifully hand drawn artwork it’s well worth the $30 price tag for each game.

 

7. Grime

Grime is an interesting title, if 1995’s Vectorman got a massive cosmic horror update in today’s day and age you would have Grime. Themes of parasitism, a myopic view of your own world, and H.P. Lovecraft levels of spatial existence as you try and decipher just how big the whole of reality is. While the game may not push any new groundbreaking advancements in the genre, it does do exactly what it set out to do with an original story and mechanics are true to form.

Some concepts are hard to understand in Cosmic horror, like this thing’s hands.

GRIME ditches the concept of punishing deaths by letting you keep your souls (or mass in this case) each time you die. While that may turn off some of the die hard souls-like fans looking for that punishing gameplay loop I found it makes exploration more accessible and, letting me explore the breadcrumbs of the story. This of course doesn’t really make the game harder, let’s be honest the only reason it’s there in Dark Souls is to make you feel THAT much better when you succeed. That and adding an extra few hours of grinding.

Keeping your currency on death leads to a ton of anxiety free exploration.

The game boasts a staggering list of armors and weapons for you to discover through platforming secrets, puzzles, or defeating bosses. Ten different weapon classes will give players the opportunity to experiment with different play styles from heavy long reaching scythes, to quick and deadly dual blades. Your armor sets also add a unique bonus to one of your rpg-esqu stats, helping to give you an edge over the numerous enemies and bosses lying in wait between you and the truth of the stone people and your true purpose in their world.

The armor and weapons of Grime are almost as diverse as its inhabitants.

Grime hits all the right marks blending more metroidvania mechanics than other titles in the list but, does it so well I’m not upset about the slight trade off. The story may not be as dark or bloody as some of the others but if you enjoy existential horror set in a Greek tragedy this game has several of those themes. Grime is available on Steam for just $25 somehow, so go find out what happened to all the mysterious flesh people for yourself.  

 

6. Death’s Door

Another Zelda-like on the list, Death’s Door is an isometric souls-like about a crow who is tasked with reaping the souls of the dead. One of these souls is stolen from you though, sending you on a journey into the muted and melancholy world of the dead. While the top down title leans heavily into the puzzle solving tactics of our favorite elf eared hero of time, Death’s Door skillfully combines aspects from many different genres with the core mechanics and gameplay loop mimicking a souls game.

The muted colors of the world give a lonely feeling to all its inhabitants as you wander through its barren landscapes.

On the surface Death’s Door may not seem like much of a souls-like but the punishing combat, grim landscapes, and need to scour every corner for lore actually hits most of the criteria. Like most of the games on this list, you’ll need to listen to NPC’s stories as you traverse through the worlds, as well as hunt for scraps of information down side paths guarded by dangerous foes. No you won’t lose all your progress if you die twice in a row but, you do collect a currency called souls and use them to grow stronger.

Bosses take inspiration from all different walks, culminating into some truly memorable fights.

In truth I went back and forth on whether not to include Death’s Door in this list, as a borderline die hard souls fan myself it just doesn’t seem to lean into the genre hard enough. After enough research and reading though, it seems the internet just doesn’t agree with me and I have to concede. I do think this is a wonderful game that truly resonated with a ton of people, I just wasn’t one of them but that shouldn’t stop me from acknowledging the amazing reviews from critics and fans alike. Retailing for a measly $20, head on over to Steam and find out whether or not I’m wrong.

From dank sewers to opulent castles, you’ll traverse a wide range of areas in Death’s Door.

 

5.Nioh

Team Ninja’s 2017 release, Nioh had a lot of souls-like fans waiting in anticipation as one of the first samurai infused in the genre. Trailers of hacking your way through hordes of giant Japanese inspired monsters from history amidst burning villages looked way too cool. Then seeing the gameplay footage of the souls-adjacent combat and mechanics cemented it within the community.

Japanese inspired demons called yokai stalk the dark villages throughout the country.

Nioh’s conception actually began all the way back in 2004 (an entire five years before Demon’s Souls would even be released) facing a tumultuous development cycle that finally culminated in the game's release in 2017. Assuming the role of William, a real Irishman from history who became a samurai, on his quest of tracking down the sorcerer Edward Kelley. While many of the story elements are based on real people from history it’s highly embellished with the addition of Japanese demons called yokai.

Distinct weapons and armor unleash devastating attacks against the frightening demons.

The second title in the series predates the events of the first, following a merchant who has the ability to shift into one of said yokai. Critics praised the game for doubling down on what made the first title so successful but said that most of the already existing issues were untouched. While both titles sport a large roster of weapons to experiment with, the second game goes a step further shifting your yokai form depending on your actions throughout the story.

Team Ninja dipped into my nightmares with some of the boss’ in Nioh 2.

While Nioh 2’s DLC leaves off tying into the events of the first game, fans are still clamoring for a third installment to the series. Team Ninja still has plenty of room to figure out what William was doing in Japan during the events of the second game. Both titles come with a hefty price tag of $50 a piece but are often on sale and unlike some of the other titles on this list, can provide hundreds of hours of AAA gameplay.

 

4. Dead Cells

The next game in the list may seem more rogue-lite than souls-like but, if you think so you’ve probably missed the breadcrumbs of lore hidden throughout the world. In between difficult boss battles and fast paced combat that tests the limits of how quickly you can frustratedly sprint through mobs trying to recoup some lost time, are wonderfully original NPCs that help you piece together the lore of the world around you. With exactly fifty different weapons to choose from and over sixty powers and skills, it’s completely up to you how to maneuver through the tight randomized levels.

The world of Dead Cells is brimming with giant chemistry equipment, in a unique aesthetic that helps tell the story of its sordid history.

Waking to find yourself in an underground prison, you are an immortal head possessing one of several bodies in an attempt to escape your confinement. As with all souls-like tutorial levels, once through the real objective reveals itself to you, this time in the form of a malaise covering the island you’ve found yourself on. The player character decides to defeat the king currently residing over the island in an effort to ya’ know… change something.

Enemies will test your proficiency with each weapon type, forcing you to adopt new tactics mid-fight.

From swords, spears, and even boots to kick your foes with, to bows, throwing axes, and magical bursts of fire the possibilities of fighting how you want are endless. Where Dead Cells really shines are the randomized powers and skills in each run, like the ability to teleport behind your enemies or turn yourself into a chicken that lays explosive eggs for a short period of time. As you progress through the game you’ll not only unlock more powerful skills and weapons but, the stronger a weapon becomes, the better chance you have to get a beneficial power up called an affix, that will do things like add an elemental effect or toss a grenade when you swing.

Different enemies will use ranged or melee attacks, most of the time in some sort of combination, so you need to rely on all the tools at your disposal including the environment.

Dead Cells is at the top of this list for a reason, the combination of roguelike elements mixed with souls-like mechanics at its core works really well. Tossing out the usual formula of pushing bonfire to bonfire your challenge now becomes the entire level in one go, getting ejected out of the dungeon on a single slip up. Coming in at $25 retail, Dead Cells offers an infinite amount of replayability with its massive amount of weapons and powers combined with the random level layouts, you could play a thousand times and still see something new. 

 

3. Sekiro Shadows Die Twice

 Our first Fromsoft title in the list. I purposely left the original Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls off this list since they were our control of what to base the entire thing off of. Sekiro (and another not-so-mystery title on this list) deviates from the originator’s formula in two massive areas, the grapple mechanic and the heavy emphasis on parries. These may not seem like a big deal at first but, as we now know, have had a massive impact on the soulsborne formula. The shift to a feudal Japanese setting also helped set it apart from its already successful family.

Traversal plays a whole new level of importance in Sekiro.

First, the grappling rope feature of your mechanical arm. At first glance doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal but just think back to the previous entries in the souls franchise, think about how much easier Sen’s Fortress from Dark Souls would have been, or just how much less terrifying the Prison of Hope from Demon’s Souls would be if you could just grapple up through the middle? Fromsoft’s new mechanic caused some hurdles for the traditional formula that led to them innovating to accommodate this new feature in all sorts of ways, from grappling horse mounted bosses or giving you a stealthy edge on a large group of enemies.

Your grappling hook is useful for more than just clearing the rooftops of burning samurai villages.

The second major change was the heavy emphasis on the parry mechanic. While it held a big emphasis in previous titles of making the game easier, it was never necessary. Sekiro changes this, turning the game into a hair trigger reaction simulator, forcing you to not only watch your opponent’s every move but know what each one means for the coming attack. The brutal parry system in Sekiro has set it as a challenge all its own among Fromsoft’s other unforgiving titles, leading to a whole community of players dedicated to frame perfect counters and no damage runs.

Surprise your foe with perfectly timed parries, sometimes the only way to break through a particularly skilled opponent's defenses.

It’s easy to see why Sekiro is so beloved among the soulsborne community, with its punishing gameplay loop, overly-difficult boss battles, and scavenger hunt style exposition it is a Souls game through and through. Though the difficulty may prove a significant challenge to some new souls-like players, the rewards are definitely worth it. This AAA title comes with a AAA price tag of $60 dollars but, like most Fromsoft games, is often on sale at a heavy discount.

 

2. Hollow Knight

I’m a little biased about the next game in the list seeing as it’s one of my favorite games of all time and, the fact that it placed so high on this list (ranked by critic scores) helps to reaffirm how good it really is. Our player character arrives in an ancient town set above an enormous underground empire called Hollownest, in an attempt to rid the kingdom of a terrible infection. Our lonely knight is silent throughout the entire campaign, leading us to infer most of the story through notes and writings or the dialogue and actions of the few NPCs found within its empty halls.

Various levels of infection have caused the inhabitants of Hollownest to become extremely hostile.

At its roots Hollow Knight is a story about plumbing the depths of a once forgotten and infected kingdom, using your prowess in combat to unearth its secrets. The game is not forthcoming with its story in the slightest, making you as the player string theories together all your own. Souls-like fans will feel right at home, facing terrifying infected insects scurrying around dark cramped environments just to obtain one more piece of the big picture.

The inky, gothic aesthetic is incorporated perfectly into the insectoid world of Hollow Knight.

I’ve never played a soulsvania that felt quite as good as Hollow Knight. Most of the time they’re either too floaty or the hitboxes have issues etc, etc. During any of my playthroughs of Hollow Knight the controls never bothered me. Your character feels like they weigh just the right amount, platforming feels like everything is spaced perfectly, and I never once felt scared that a too large hitbox would get me killed during a tense boss fight.

Hollow Knight makes it feel good to dodge and parry, instead of a frustrating wrestling match.

I really can’t express my love for this game enough, from the immaculate controls to the original and engaging story, Hollow Knight is a truly special experience. To this day there is still debate within the community as to the origins of our player character or who the mysterious mushroom man is and I think that speaks volumes about the effect it had on those who played it. Xbox Gamepass currently has the Voidheart edition for free along with its four subsequent DLC’s but it's also available on Steam for an extremely low $15 dollars. The Team Cherry devs also have a subsequent sequel in the works called Hollow Knight Silksong, where you play as the titular Hornet who eludes the player throughout the events of the first game.

 

1. Elden Ring

 Was it any surprise that we would end up here, in a list of the top souls-like titles of all time (playable on pc)? Elden Ring is the culmination of Fromsoft’s work on soulsborne titles through the fifteen years since its inception. While some players had issues with the new open world structure of the game (myself included) Elden Ring has proved, through a slow methodical search of all the content it has to offer, that it is the pinnacle of the souls-like formula. Is it technically cheating that the devs behind Elden Ring were the ones that invented the formula? I don’t think so, I think it just shows that the originators can evolve and adapt with what gamers want nearly two decades later.

The somber glow of the Erdtree casts a golden light across most of the Lands Between.

Waking to find themselves in the mysterious Lands Between, the player sets out on the mission of repairing the Elden Ring and becoming an Elden Lord themselves. Of course in true souls-like fashion, everyone has their own agenda and the task won’t be as easy as it first seems. Various NPC’s of conflicting factions will try to sway the player to use the power of the Elden Ring for their own purposes, leading you to make a judgment call based on the information you’ve gathered. Will you harness the power for yourself and become an Elden Lord? Or is the allure of power not for you, choosing to seize it for another and elevate them to godhood?

Your mount, Torrent, is essential to navigating the dangers in the Lands Between.

The combat mechanics in Elden Ring are exactly what soulsborne veterans will expect from a Fromsoft title. Everything has been carried over, with a unique Elden twist on some of the fan favorite items. Like the renamed Crimson and Cerulean flasks or the furled finger replacing red eye orbs, as well as some new additions like the Flash of Wondrous Physick which lets players craft their own unique recovery item. Weapons and armors are also varied and numerous, each telling its own little snippet of lore for players to dig through on their hunt for the truth about the Lands Between.

PvP combat is back in a big way in Elden Ring with the addition of the arena.

With a near perfect score across multiple outlets it’s clear Elden Ring hit all its marks which is no surprise coming from the industry originator of souls-like titles. While Sekiro shares the same pedigree, it shows the company's willingness to branch out with the formula and try new things for their fans. I myself have spent hundreds of hours across multiple characters exploring the different playstyles and endings the game has to offer. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC drops June 20th leading many players to jump back in to shake off the dust in preparation, will you be ready to uncover the secrets hidden beyond the boundaries of the Lands Between?

Final Thoughts

While I may not agree on the exact order of this list, I do think it does wholly encapsulate the souls-like genre. Over the years different companies have thrown their hat into the ring and helped the entire community grow for the better. Whether that’s making it more accessible for those who may not have as much time or expanding the mechanics to different worlds that others may enjoy too, the point of a genre is to explore all the different ideas, themes, and subject matters within a specific artform. My only hope is at the very least this list helps others find more media they can love and appreciate.

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