23 soulslike games for those who liked Elden Ring 614759

Well, at this stage of digital games, it's pretty hard for enthusiasts of the genre to be unfamiliar with the term soulslike. Anyway, soon we'll explain a little about him to those who don't know him. Next, we prepared a robust list of games soulslike for those who like to be angry, beaten, memorize schemes of blows and lose calories and more calories from sweat, all the result of the need to overcome obstacles and challenges, even in games. 6l4269

From well-known titles to hidden gems, that is, from cute insects, knights and anime characters to doodles, amoebas and the like, let's discover this gold mine of games soulslike. And don't forget, getting angry is part of learning. It is worth reiterating, however, that this list is subjective, as is the categorization of the genre, so don't be offended if a certain game appears here or not.

What are soulslike games? 2c6f

In general, games soulslike are those who borrow characteristics from the Souls franchise, FromSoftwareas the Demon souls, Dark Souls and most recently Elden Ring. Although Elden Ring is not part of the franchise, as the name suggests, we can consider it a more developed brother in that sense, given that the producer applied many of the studies carried out with previous games to the world of Elden Ring.

there are some similar characteristics that allow the grouping of certain games in the genre. For example, characters often have a bar of energy and/or magic in addition to their hit points. Another point of convergence is the imminent presence of death, that is, the possibility of the character dying repeatedly until the mechanics of a boss, enemy or environment are understood. unlike the roguelike, for example, the map does not change randomly here, it remains perennial; what can change is the player's strategy.

intermediate locations are also often established in order to provide a checkpoint, or resting point, to recover health, energy, spells and the like — and, consequently, reviving enemies in that particular area. Inert to this is the loss of items on death, i.e. if you fail somewhere, revive at checkpoint and die before picking up the lost items, they will be lost permanently.

you dodge represent another layer of viscous tissue responsible for forming the heart of the genus, which is also directly related to the energy bar. And speaking of her again, there are the parallels to Study Flask of Dark Souls, that is, potions that heal life or magic, depending on the character's construction and the player's preference.

There are those who argue that the design of maps can also be a major factor when defining the game's genre. For example, Dark Souls has a interconnected map and quite vast; the same goes for some of the games soulslike from the list, like Salt and Sanctuary, Blasphemous etc. It's not exactly mandatory, but hey, classifications, in general, tend to be arbitrary, which even generates ambiguity about the term soulslike by critics and players. If you are interested in venturing into this discussion and learning more about the genre, its characteristics, if it is indeed interesting to call it its own genre and the like, at the end, I will leave you some reading sources.

As this post only intends to show a few different games, let's get to the point. I also include the note given by the Metacritic, aggregator of reviews for games, movies, music, series and whatever else you want — placing the lowest and highest, respectively, as they vary depending on the platform used. Don't be alarmed if several games are also metroidvanias ou roguelike, after all, the three practically form the contemporary gamer triad.

2D soulslike games 6o635j

Games like Elden Ring don't necessarily need to be in a three-dimensional format to be difficult, successful, or good. So it's no wonder that a veritable legion of games soulslike in 2D has taken part in virtual stores. Among them, of course, there are some titles of dubious quality, but many are also great, as you will see below. For clarification, games will be considered soulslike in 2D and 2.5D.

Blasphemous 4p4q13

Rating on Metacritic: 77% — 82%

Opening this window of frustration and contentment, we have Blasphemous, a very peculiar game with a very unique theme. It seems silly to say that, but the game, developed by The GameKitchen, is heavily influenced by Roman Catholic and, more specifically, Spanish aesthetics. The takes control of a surviving pilgrim of the Brotherhood of Silent Sorrow who need to explore the world of cvstodia in search of… redemption? Revenge? Explanation? Well, there's no way to know for sure, but feel free to make your own theories.

One of the game's strongest points is the art direction, which blends seamlessly with the gameplay by featuring wacky monstrosities created by the phenomenon called The miracle. This phenomenon sometimes blesses the citizens of cvstodia, but also curses in cruel and brutal ways. It is the penitent's duty, with his sword Mea Culpa, find out everything there is to find out about this strange event.

Curse of the dead gods 112q2m

Rating on Metacritic: 78% — 90%

Curse of the dead gods is an roguelike — you will see that roguelike and games soulslike normally cohabit the same existence - with elements closely related to the soulslike. He is available for free this month for PS Plus subscribers with FIFA 22 coins e Tribes of midgard. His style is very reminiscent Darkest Dungeon, but in a 2.5D format that puts you in the shoes of an adventurer who enters a cave and is trapped there; he needs to escape, but for that, he also needs to overcome challenges imposed by the three dead gods.

The game may also rescue the memory of Path of Exile and other games of the genre by the combat system, drop of items and repetitive progression. Not that this is a bad thing, quite the opposite, but understand that you will have to redo the levels over and over again to reach the final victory. Dodge and stop blows (the famous parry) are present, as well as the energy bar, which here are actually five marbles that indicate your remaining breath.

Death's Gambit 6p5y65

Rating on Metacritic: 71% — 81%

Another one from the not-so-selected list of games soulslike which actually look more like roguelike, Death's Gambit puts you in the shoes of Death's right arm, Problem, showing that titles are rarely chosen by chance. Here you'll have classes, incorporating RPG elements as well, and right at the beginning of the game, you'll be able to choose your preference: do you prefer to conjure miracles or wield a mile-long sword? The question remains.

The game is interesting because it also takes the betting part very seriously. You can, for example, trade your healing items for a damage boost or other buff when facing a boss. Also, when you die in one of these bosses, you don't lose everything directly, as is common in these games; the player only loses the same healing items, which can be recovered in the classic way or bought again. At the end of last year, a version 2.0 of the game, called Afterlife, with more bosses, weapons and maps, so enjoy.

Elder Souls 11p4b

Non-Metacritical note: 76% - 80%

Em Elder Souls, which, let's face it, has a very clear relationship with games soulslike, you need to defeat several bosses in a row in another subgenre known as boss rush. The story is relatively simple, with gods being imprisoned, escaping, and taking revenge on humanity for this divine transgression. Of course, this revenge comes in the form of indomitable creatures whose objective is to shred everything that exists.

You take control of a young boy and his friendly sword out of the Minecraft — lie, it's just obsidian, but it's hard to draw parallels that don't relate to the beloved construction game when that word is used. Anyway, you can develop the main character's powers as you like, with reasonable freedom in that sense.

rare lilies 1z2qa

Rating on Metacritic: 84% — 88%

One more from the list metroidvanias now. I don't know exactly how far the adjective cute manages to describe a game on this list, but probably the closest one will be rare lilies. You take control of a girl, the last survivor of a clan of priestesses, in the midst of a desolate and apocalyptic world. These priestesses were known for their ability to purify souls, and that is the duty of the sympathetic protagonist.

The problem is that the world is filled with enemies thirsty for the girl's blood, and the only one capable of protecting her is a knight, or more specifically, a knight's soul given to her by the penultimate priestess. Along with him, you must purify and save as many inhabitants as possible, being careful not to die at the hands of the rancid that populate the destroyed environment.

GRIME 6t5es

Rating on Metacritic: 81%

Unrelated to the eponymous young celebrity, the game GRIME puts you in charge of… I'm not sure. A stone perhaps? a cousin of Thing less pumped? A black hole that created life and decided to assemble armor out of boulders? Well, the sky is the limit and so is your imagination. What matters is that you face geometrically weird enemies in the game and you can absorb bosses to gain their powers, kind of in a Mega Man meeting with Dark Souls.

Sense is what we're least looking for here, what matters is the frustration of you trying to absorb and redirect a spear and failing miserably. It's worth a lot for the concept and the gratuitous violence you always wanted to add to the rock simulator, but never succeeded. Always that you don't defend here, but rather absorb, as insane and surreal as it may sound.

Hollow Knight 74w2c

Rating on Metacritic: 85% — 90%

I'm sure someone will offend me for putting this title here, but the list is mine, so I'll do what I want, thanks. What made me introduce it were some mechanics that fit the description, like detour, connected maps, and the timing correct to face bosses. No, they are not unique in this genre, but I think it's always worth some categorical juggling to recommend Hollow Knight, one of the best games of recent years.

There is not a single piece of this title that is not done with mastery, from the soundtrack to the encounters with NPC's. Everything is extremely polished and dynamic. The game inserts the player into a world worthy of Insect's life, cursed by an infectious plague that has turned the inhabitants of Hallownest in hostile creatures or, to draw a parallel, hollow, empty. The lone knight's duty is to discover the source of this infection and contain it.

loot river 44w62

Rating on Metacritic: 74% — 77%

Released last week, loot river is a very nice little game with a relatively innovative mechanic: you can use small islands to get around the map which, as the title suggests, is made up of a river. That means switching platforms to face enemies, running away, changing heights and calculating routes so you don't get caught off guard, all in a tide of challenging and potentially disastrous combat.

Unlike the vast majority of the other games on the list, I haven't played this one, so I can't really give you an overview of the story, but it seems to be some journey up the river whose hidden purpose you should discover within the first few minutes of gameplay. What stands out the most, in this case, is the differentiated transport system with blocks.

Lucah: Born of a Dream 441st

Rating on Metacritic: 79%

The style of this one can scare a lot of people away, but don't be afraid and don't refuse news: it's a great game inspired by Dark Souls, with a unique and very engaging art direction. The basic commands, as you might imagine, are here, such as dodging, attacking and blocking, as well as the challenging monsters already established in games of the genre. Anyway, it looks like it was drawn by that talented friend we all had at school, but who, like any artist, tears the drawing in half because he thinks it's bad, which is already a good indication of quality.

Lucah: Born of a Dream is a surrealistic adventure that puts you in the shoes of... Lucah, who has to face his demons, literally, as they materialize and are about to consume him inside his own dream world — look at the title doing it justice again. To defeat them, you can use Mantras, which work like the spells in the title, and a lot of patience.

Salt and Sanctuary 522a2

Rating on Metacritic: 80% — 84%

one of the first games soulslike that I ventured after the main ones of the franchise of FromSoftware, Salt and Sanctuary It's simple but amazing. In addition to the obvious reference, he is also heavily influenced by Game of Thrones, giving a taste of easter eggs series/book enthusiasts. The art isn't overly elaborate or innovative, but it gets the job done, and even lends a cartoonish charm to the title, especially with the bosses.

Unlike other titles in the games list soulslike, this one is much more drawn to the format Souls even without many elements of roguelike, metroidvanias and others. Instead of souls, however, the character's fuel is salt, as the title suggests. There are several guilds too, each with advantages and disadvantages, and even one to change the ending the player conquers.

Titan souls 441g1i

Rating on Metacritic: 73% — 74%

Titan souls reminds a little of another game already mentioned before, in this case, Elder Souls, and not just because of the linguistic similarity. He is also a boss rush, that is, you face bosses in sequence until you reach the objective. There aren't many twists and turns and the story is quite simple: you take control of a hero who, with a single arrow, must face titans responsible for safeguarding fragments of a superior soul, the one that governs all living beings.

The lack of depth to the story, however, is compensated for by the speed and technical thinking needed to face the bosses, whose difficulty, which is already cynical at the beginning, only gets worse throughout the game. Another interesting aspect is the gameplay, which works in a single-shot regime, that is, you only need one hit to die; the good news is that bosses do too.

UNSIGHTED 6y4226

Rating on Metacritic: 84% — 88%

UNSIGHTED is a national jewel of the highest quality, created by the incredible Tiani Pixel and Fernanda Dias, from the studio pixel punk. It Mega Man e Dark Souls had a child, what would he be like? Well, the answer is this game; in it, all we find are androids or automatons and have an expiration date, shall we say, certain, just like the replicants in Blade Runner. Some will live a year, others a week. This mechanic is great, as it puts the player to choose the fate of some NPC's, which can even play them against each other.

Needless to say, inclusive language is also to be congratulated, which is always a delight to see. The use of time is also very curious, showing the studio's creativity in revitalizing the genre, which increasingly needs news to stay alive and active.

unworthy 5u6b5r

Rating on Metacritic: 78%

Another one of the games soulslike that fit into the category Metroidvania, unworthy it is a vivid representation of a warrior's downfall. Set in a gray world, the player cannot jump, subverting a bit of the concept of platform titles and definitively inserting them into the gaming universe soulslike, with depth and a touch of reflection.

Whoever skims through a video may get the impression that it's a bit stuck or slow title, but it's not. That feeling comes from the game's — purposefully — oppressive atmosphere. The combat, as strange as it may seem without the jumps, is actually quite decent and provides several challenges for the player.

Vigil: The Longest Night 3b4s47

Rating on Metacritic: 75%

Closing our games list soulslike in 2D we have Vigil: The Longest Night, also a platform game that reminds, even by the description of the own developers, Salt and Sanctuary. Considering that the former is the legitimate heir of the soulslike in the 2D universe, nothing fairer than inserting the game here in the list as well. The coolest part is that it has a bit of horror in it; I always found it curious that no title bet on this formula, but that's ok, life goes on.

The protagonist, Leila, is charismatic, as is her city, which is practically in ruins. The destruction was caused by some sort of supernatural infestation that is not known to have come from some sort of magic or dream. Or dream magic. Or magical dream. Or whatever you want to call it, given that it's not quite clear, but hey, each interpretation is noteworthy, at least for now.

3D soulslike games 3b1z8

Well, now things change a little bit. If you're looking for more open-ended adventures in games like Elden Ring, the games soulslike in 3D can give a more accurate north. ing that the Elden Ring is quite recent, so don't be alarmed by the inferior graphic quality of some titles, but rather take the opportunity to celebrate the technical qualities and the frustration provided by them.

Blue Fire 4f335l

Rating on Metacritic: 71%

This nice little game is the first of our games soulslike in 3D. Blue Fire presents the narrative of a small character armed with two swords whose objective is to save a princess. It seems quite simple, but on the way you'll need to investigate several places to understand what happened in the world of Penumbra — the name alone is already very suggestive for high adventures.

The art is quite cartoonish, even for a 3D game, so this might alienate some players, but that doesn't mean the game is bad, quite the opposite. It manages to perfectly marry the mechanics of the platform genre with classic game mechanics. soulslike, such as diversion, blocking, and items used to restore health.

Bright memory q4w22

Rating on Metacritic: 55% — 68%

the dear Bright memory has the most breadth of our list, largely because of limited gameplay. I don't say limited in the necessarily bad sense of the term, but because the game lasts about half an hour, depending on your skill. The interesting thing is that it was entirely developed by a single person and mixes game elements soulslike in a first-person shooter game. It sounds insane, but that's exactly what happens, and the result is wonderful.

I would also give it a low grade simply because the deal ends, but the absurd quality, even more when we that all this was developed by one person, is more than enough to put this game on the radar of those who want something quieter to enjoy. have some fun.

Code Vein 2tj1y

Rating on Metacritic: 70% — 75%

otaku opium, Code Vein that's pretty much what you imagined as soon as you read the word otaku. Some people like it and some people hate it, but the fact is that it's an interesting addition to this collection of games inspired by Dark Souls. I myself was quite excited when it was announced, but I was a little disappointed with the final product. Still, it's worth a try, you never know.

Keep in mind that this is literally dark souls meets anime, which doesn't mean anything bad by itself, but it doesn't mean anything good either, let's face it. The weapons are interesting and the character design is flashy, but the biggest criticism is for the maps, which seem more like constant repetitions of themselves, without that classic touch of polish in other games on the list, which can cause some strangeness and disgust.

NEXT 1y385x

The young NEXT It's not rated on Metacritic for a simple reason: it's in early access on Steam, meaning it hasn't been released yet. It is the 's solo project mattlawr for the last couple of years, which is spectacular given that the game's demo is one of the funniest things out there. And the best thing is that the developer always reads the of s, working on the game to make it even more iconic.

In it, you control a skeleton that needs to escape from the abyss. That's it. Seems like a little thing, doesn't it? Well, know that the skeleton is armed with a shotgun and a string that looks more like the abandoned chain of the Scorpion in hell. It is possible to make combos by jumping, hoisting and performing high aerial maneuvers to defeat enemies, showing the versatility of the games soulslike.

Going Under 1d1246

Rating on Metacritic: 73% — 81%

Perhaps the most charismatic of games soulslike from the list, Going Under is quite fun to put the player in the corporate environment in the role of Jackie, intern of a corporation recently acquired by a tech giant. The problem is that all the others startups acquired by this giant have been destroyed and their workers transformed into monsters, which means that our fearless colleague has to face hordes of disgruntled wage earners to survive.

Quite unique and with a very inviting weapon swap mechanic, the game is full plate for those who want something more different, so to speak, from the dark fantasy scenarios that permeate the genre, both in 3D and 3D. Just be careful not to get a headache, because there are too many lights and colors to distance yourself from it.

Mortal shell 5n3b2p

Rating on Metacritic: 74% — 76%

Another one that I followed the development, Mortal shell is clearly inspired by the franchise Souls, albeit darker and less friendly. Instead of multiple weapons, armor and items, the player can use four husks, each functioning as a class. Also, healing items are less recursive and there is a cap on them; another mechanic inserted that makes up for this lack is the absorption of life, which serves to leave the player whole for longer periods.

The interesting part lies in the possibility of being able to change carcasses in rest areas, which contributes to the gameplay not being so plastered, even with only four classes. Of course, after a while, this in itself gets tiring, but the game is not so long that it becomes a problem, taking its 15 hours on average.

Nioh 3tz3b

Rating on Metacritic: 84% — 88%

It's hard to categorize Nioh like one of the games soulslike because it seems, at the same time, to be that kind of game, but not to be. Again, I emphasize the difficulty in defining it, given that it works as an intermediary game between Dark Souls and himself Elden Ring, using unique and interesting mechanics that would distance you from both, such as the change of posture and choice of weapons that, in themselves, are well differentiated.

Anyway, both the first title and its sequel are great, even more so for those who like Japanese history, and especially Feudal Japan. Many classic characters will be present and will be a full plate for connoisseurs of the genre. For those new to the subject, there is no need to worry, as games work just as well for one group as they do for another.

Remnant: From the Ashes 3n1by

Rating on Metacritic: 77% — 81%

Remnant: From the Ashes had a well-defined premise: to be a third-person shooter with elements from the series Souls. It succeeds with relative ease in this mission, even more so when it places the in a devastated world full of bizarre and random monsters. The interesting thing is perhaps this part of the randomness, but at the same time, it can leave those who like more linear stories a little disappointed. Not that it matters, because if you like linear stories, you're definitely not a big fan of games. soulslike.

It is worth mentioning, however, that the focus of the game is multiplayer or co-op. That means it's a lot more interesting when you get your peers together and have fun in a few sessions. Considering he's already a little old, maybe it's hard to find random people at this point in the championship, but hope is the last that dies.

The Surge 3v5q2p

Rating on Metacritic: 72% — 78%

both titles of The Surge innovate by bringing science fiction into the universe Souls. The first one is a little harder, so to speak, since it was released in the early period of the franchise, back in the days of Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. Therefore, its mechanics, similar to those of the time, are more broken and a little slower, even more compared to the second. However, they both hit the nail on the head in creating the tech-ravaged world, which is a welcome addition.

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Sources: Iron Pineapple, how to geek, PC Gamer, Games Radar