The term Soulslike refers to a sub-category of RPGs that heavily draws inspiration from theDark Soulsseries. In Soulslike games, the primary gameplay mechanics involve developing combat strategies, managing resources, and using stamina efficiently. Each game also features its own unique currency, which you receive by defeating enemies and can use to purchase upgrades or items.
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In these games, you lose all your earned currency upon death and have only one opportunity to retrieve it before it’s lost permanently. For new players, it might seem daunting to try a Soulslike game, but thankfully, there are various games available with varying levels of difficulty. So you should have no trouble finding one that suits you best.
8The Surge
As a Soulslike set in a horror Sci-fi setting, the Surge is an action RPG and a great entry point for a lot of new players as it combines both genres really well. You play as Warren who wakes up in an abandoned factory after the surgery to attach him with a mechanical suit goes awry at his new job. Your aim is to work out what’s happening around you, while battling other mech-workers and upgrading your suit along the way.
You can also target and chop specific limbs of your enemies to gain their mechanical parts. This targeting system adds a layer of strategy to the fast-flowing combat of the Surge. The game also has a sequel into which you can sink your teeth if the first one leaves you impressed.
7Code Vein
One sure-shot way of making a Soulslike easier is to play it with friends andCode Veinallows you to do just that. And don’t worry if you’ve no one to play with because an AI companion can also tag along with you on your adventures. Code Vein is set in a post-apocalyptic world, and you play as a vampire who needs to feed on blood, otherwise, you’ll transform into a demon.
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Feeding on blood also gives you access to Blood Codes which makes Code Vein’s combat fairly unique. They allow you to upgrade multiple classes of your character at the same time. Thus giving you a variety of playstyles to choose from, depending on the type of enemy you face.
6Remnant: From The Ashes
If you ever thought that having guns in a Soulslike game would tip the scale in your favor then you should definitely giveRemnant: From The Ashesa try. The game allows you to create a unique character and fight alongside your friends in a procedurally generated post-apocalyptic world.
So every time you load the game you’ll encounter new monsters and bosses. You operate from a hub world where you can level your character by crafting weapons and mods to adopt different playstyles.
5Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
This is an action-adventure game set in the Star Wars universe where you play as Cal Kestis, an apprentice Jedi. In addition to combat, theStar Wars: Jedi Fallen Orderalso makes exploration and puzzle-solving its main focus, thus bringing a bit of variety to the overall gameplay.
Your character can also make use of the Force to push or pull enemies in order to deal them damage. You can also customize the lightsaber’s color in this game and there are eight options to choose from. Gameplay-wise, you’ll be expected to execute well-timed dodges, parries, and attacks in order to defeat your enemies.
4Darksiders 3
Another Soulslike with an emphasis on puzzle solving and exploration isDarksiders3. The game puts you in the shoes of Fury, one of the four Horsemen, who must hunt down the Seven Deadly Sins. Although it is primarily a hack-n-slash and features no stamina meter, its combat is still Souslike, where every wrong move is punished heavily during enemy encounters.
Simply put, you cannot rely on simple button mashing and will need to come up with properly-timed attacks and dodges to gain an upper edge over your enemies. Darksiders 3 also takes inspiration from the Legend of Zelda series in terms of exploration, which is another great thing about it.
3Thymesia
This game takes place in a plague-ridden fantasy world, and you play as Corvus, who is suffering from Amnesia.Thymesiafocuses very heavily on skill-based combat and every enemy in the game has two health bars - a green one and a white one.
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The green bar represents a character’s health and the white one represents their wounds. Wounds act like armor and can heal over time, so you need to attack accordingly. Over the course of the game, you’ll unlock many skills to slow down the enemy’s wound recovery process and cause more damage as well. The game’s story is also shrouded in mystery, so you’ll have to look for clues and interact with characters to understand what’s really happening in this mysterious land.
2Steelrising
If you mix French history and robots together then you’ll getSteelrising, a Soulslike set in an alternate French Revolution. You play as Aegis, the Queen’s bodyguards, tasked with hunting down rogue robots called the Automats.
Steelrising does feature a stamina meter which depletes when you dodge or attack. However, the game features a unique mechanic called Rapid cooling which quickly regenerates the stamina bar at the tap of a button. You take small frost damage when you use this mechanic, and you’ll end up frozen if you use it too much. The game also features a block and a parry mechanic, but they’re not a part of the standard move set and are tied to weapons.
1Tunic
Not every Soulslike has to be set in a dark fantasy world andTunicproves the same. It is an isometric action RPG Soulslike featuring Stamina-based combat, and you play as the world’s cutest fox who is on an adventure of a lifetime.
Despite an inviting appearance the game’s combat is still very much skill based as you’ll need to master dodging, blocking, parrying, and striking, while watching your stamina. Tunic also has a bunch of puzzles to solve and a beautifully interconnected world to explore as well.
