Let's discuss the top 10 Souls-Likes for 2024! If it's your first time exploring what a Souls-Like can offer, let me explain a few basics. A Souls-Like is a game influenced/inspired by the Dark Souls series and Demons Souls created by FromSoftware. The Souls games (Dark Souls 1,2, and 3) are known for their heavy difficulty and vague storytelling where the player will need to investigate the world, and the items within it, as well as interact with the NPC's. The NPC's make up a large part of the experience of Souls games, adding character, a dose of hilarity, and philosophical intrigue.
The mechanics incorporate a rouge-like style, starting from the beginning of the level where there is a bonfire present. Learning these games was a challenge, to say the least, but patience, persistence, and knowing that I wanted to complete these games to see what the hype was about made it that much more fun and exciting.
My journey started with Dark Souls Remastered in 2021, I learned quickly that I needed to play by the game's rules and not go into it the same way I would any other game. Once I got to that "clicking point" the experience became more of a fun challenge. Soon after beating my first boss, I needed to explore every crevasse, and every bit of what these games had to offer. Dark Souls may be difficult, but it's worth experiencing.
Code Vein
Do you like vampires? Do you like Bloodborne? Imagine the two fused in this open-world soul-inspired environment, utilizing your Vampiric abilities and weapons to defeat enemies. Fight through a mystical world with mysteries to solve and a story to be told in each layer of the game; this is a Souls-like you won't want to miss out on.
The fact that this game is so fast-paced puts this title in the same Vein as Elden Ring for the movement and Bloodborne for the aggressive attack style. Blood Codes also bring a more Souls-like vibe to this game's overall feel and style. You start with three codes (fighter, caster, and ranger), and then you can obtain more as the game progresses.
Overall, this is a game I would highly recommend checking out if you're into faster-paced Souls-likes with great stories and cool-looking bosses.
Remnant 2
Think of Dark Souls, but with guns, the ultimate wish of any Souls player. This game creates an immersive shooter that primarily deals in co-op but can be played as a single-player. Classic Souls themes include weight management, utilizing the right weapon for the right circumstances, and paying attention to your surroundings because, much like any Souls game, paying attention to detail is critical.
With its linear yet open-world style, this is the perfect game for someone just getting into Souls games. Lies of P is also a great starting point, but I'll talk about that title in a bit on this list. While somewhat challenging, the bosses are fun and diverse in their attacks and how the player can approach them, which stays true to the concept of a Souls game where every boss can be tackled subjectively.
Lies of P
So, you know how I said Lies of P is also an excellent starter for beginner Souls players? This game has beautifully crafted bosses, a guided visceral attacking system, and a story that will break your heart. Lies of P is a twist on the world of Souls-likes, with its linear story and capturing the essence of what a Soul's game is.
From learning the character's move sets to understanding what buffs work best for the player, Lies of P delivers a unique experience right out of the gate. Players will learn the Souls mechanics with the right amount of hand-holding needed. While some bosses are more challenging than others, it offers a nice Souls-like balance, delivering on the rouge aspects while making a name for itself in the genre by providing different concepts and ways to look at Souls-like in terms of combat and storytelling devices.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
I bring the first Souls-Vania (besides Blasphemous); Ender Lilies is a Souls-like Metroidvania platformer in many ways. From the music to how the characters and items are constructed to the resting points. Ender Lilies is a beautiful Souls Like that creates an immersion and haunting atmosphere for the player from start to finish.
From tricky mechanics during boss battles to a hauntingly melodic score in every way, Ender Lilies creates this beautifully disturbing atmosphere, taking inspiration from the Souls games. Each area has creatures that will respawn if you die and a heartfelt story coating the seams that hold this game together.
Wu Long: Fallen Dynasty
This is a unique game that mixes elements of being Souls-like and being much like Sekiro (Sekiro, though made by From Software, is not a Souls-like game).
Wo Long incorporates a strong story based on China's history, rewarding combat and using spells to spice things up. This is a different type of soul-like, but if you want something combining great combat like Sekiro and what is already there from Nioh 1&2, you're in for a treat!
The gameplay is complex and refreshing, showcasing a fast play style and spell use that seamlessly blends with what the typical Souls-like is and the new style of magic used throughout the game. It allows you to incinerate enemies and creates fun and immersive gameplay.
Blasphemous
This Souls-like brings beautiful morbidity to gaming: the art, the boss fights, and how the game is presented to the player. The graphics hold a nostalgic feel close, and it feels like I'm playing a game from the late 90's. For those who want an excellent Souls-like to dive into and a time capsule, give this game a go!
The mechanics and certain puzzles made this game stand out in how simply the game is delivered, and the story can resonate deeply. This might be a hot take, but in some ways, this game reminds me of Silent Hill in its creepy aesthetic and item collection.
Hollow Knight
With respawns at checkpoints and benches being your bonfire, Hollow Knight is another Metroidvenia on the list that imbues a Souls-like aura. With little ghosts of yourself, adorable NPCs, and simply breathtaking music, Hollow Knight is like a warm, chaotic blanket ready to hold the player.
With chaotic bosses and enchanting music that sings like a lullaby, Hollow Knight takes the player through tricky platforming sections while enemies coat the areas you're traversing.
Lords of the fallen
Lords of the Fallen takes on the challenge of bringing great mechanics, and a linear story to the structure of what a Souls -like is. Not to be confused with its predecessor of the same name, Lords of the Fallen, this title takes on a more fluid and linear approach to the franchise making the mechanics flow better than your typical Souls title. The weapon's upgrading system, which is quite frankly broken in the best way possible, gives your weapons a ridiculous amount of power in addition to buffs (holy damage, poison, fire, etc).
You play as a Lamp Bearer traversing the brutal world 1,000 years after the original game. The world of Axiom is your playground, and as a Lamp Bearer, you can resurrect, utilize magic, and see a world beyond the veil of the living.
Elden Ring
In my opinion, Elden Ring is one of the most approachable Souls-likes on this list. With ranging difficulties, and a plethora of builds to create your custom way to play, this is the Souls-like that has gotten the most people into the Soul's series. Elden Ring created stunning bosses, a vague yet plentiful story, and a character that upon greeting you calls you maidenless, what could be better?
The mechanics in this game are leaps and bounds better than a Souls game, so there's a reason why Elden Ring is a lot of people's first impression of anything Souls-like. This game greets the player with a warm hug, inviting their curiosity to play in a vast world where when you think you know everything, think again because new adventures await around every corner and under every pot-shaped rock.
Mortal Shell
Mortal shell takes on a very unique approach to a Souls-like in that it will utilize things that make a Souls game a Souls game, but will twist it to the story that they are telling so it fits the narrative. Mortal Shell is a more disturbing version of Dark Souls Remastered from the bosses to the merchants. Even the way it's approached, it mimics Dark Souls Remastered in certain ways, from the design of the way the game looks (the loading screens), to the classic way any Souls game starts, giving you a boss battle where you know you need to die in order to truly start the game.
In Mortal Shell you will play as the Foundling, that much like a Hollow from Dark Souls Remastered, or a Tarnished from Elden Ring need to become acquainted with the world they've been thrust into. This game blends horror, fantasy, and Souls-like, combining it all in one splendid package allowing the player to explore the genre at their own speed. This Souls-like I found to be a tad slower paced than others, so this could be a great starting point for players to dive into the franchise.
What are your favorite soulslike games?
Ideally, Souls-Likes creates a world where the player must figure out the story for themselves with minimal guidance or instructions upon entering the game. Going into some of the best Xbox games such as these, we, as the players, must toss out everything we know and play by its rules. Souls and Souls-likes are challenging and fun and teach us that it's okay to lose as long as we keep fighting.
Is there anything missing here that should be in this list? Drop in the comments, let us know.
