Despite their near-universal acclaim, the Dark Souls games are often hard to classify. They intrinsically defy genre, employing elements of roguelike, Metroidvania, action-adventure, role-playing, horror, and hack-n-slash to create unique masterpieces of medieval mythologies. Core mechanics of the series include punishing difficulty and iterative gameplay that forces players to painstakingly retrace their steps -- oftentimes with a debuff applied -- in the event of a death or misstep.
From this legacy came a variety of other games, building upon Dark Souls' novel alchemy of genre. While not all of them live up to FromSoftware's classic titles, they're all interesting in their own ways and represent imaginative successors of truly magnificent source material.
10 Nioh & Nioh 2
Developed by Koei Tecmo, Nioh and Nioh 2 can perhaps best be described as Dark Souls meets Dynasty Warriors. It features plenty of high-octane hacking and slashing that rises to the impressive level of difficulty that is characteristic of FromSoftware titles.
The first game follows the story of an Irish samurai during the warring states period of Japanese history, while the second title eschews this narrative framing for a more Souls-like customizable character. One key difference between the two games is Nioh's core transformation mechanic that allows players to transform from warriors into yōkai --supernatural beings that imbue the player with newfound power and abilities. With stunning visuals and engaging gameplay, the Nioh games are not to be missed by any fan of the Souls series.
9 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Set in the war-ravaged kingdom of Ashina during Japan's Sengoku Period, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice tells the story of a disgraced shinobi attempting to rescue his ward from an evil warlord. Sekiro breaks from the Dark Souls tradition with a comparatively brief main campaign and a relatively straightforward narrative.
There's still plenty of lore to be uncovered by die-hard Sekiro fans, but the narrative design relies far less on cryptic whispers and more on character-driven realism. Notably, Sekiro also places players in control of the eponymous shinobi, adding a role-playing element to the game absent from the Dark Souls, which requires players to create a character.
8 Mortal Shell
Gamers would be forgiven for thinking that Mortal Shell was a FromSoftware game. The debut title from fledgling studio Cold Symmetry bears an uncanny resemblance to the aesthetics, narrative stylings, and gameplay mechanics featured in the Dark Souls series --so much so that it's almost impossible to play without some cognitive dissonance.
Despite its more forgiving combat, it lacks the polish and signature Miyazaki touch that elevates the Souls series above its peers. Still, Mortal Shell is an excellent game for first-timers looking to get their feet wet with a Souls-like experience. They'll be left hungry for more, and there's lore and challenging combat aplenty for them in the Dark Souls series.
7 Bloodborne
Another game produced by FromSoftware, Bloodborne is one of the most Souls-like games that is not officially within the Dark Souls franchise. Though it possesses numerous similar mechanics, such as experience points that can be lost and retrieved upon death, Bloodborne is more than just a reskin of Miyazaki's previous games. Players find themselves as beast hunters in Yharnam, a gothic European city plagued by a curse of Lovecraftian proportions.
Filled with a host of otherworldly monsters, Bloodborne fits squarely into the horror genre while keeping numerous gameplay elements from FromSoftware's medieval fantasy titles. Franchise fans should be warned, however, that Bloodborne's combat system varies greatly from that of prior games, and even Souls veterans can easily find themselves on the receiving end of an eldritch god's tentacles.
6 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
EA Games' 2019 hit Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes the Metroidvania style most frequently seen in 2D games and brings it to three dimensions with great success. The story tells the tale of Force-sensitive rogue Cal Kestis as he attempts to revive the deposed Jedi Order to oppose the Empire. Like the Dark Souls games, Fallen Order features a checkpoint system that allows players to restore their health and save their progress in exchange for respawning nearby enemies.
It's a daring concept for the Star Wars franchise, but the game's linear narrative and forgiving combat allows for greater audience accessibility. The game works surprisingly well, effortlessly layering a memorable story from the Star Wars canon over FromSoftware's award-winning model.
5 Hollow Knight
Like the Souls games, Hollow Knight features a nonlinear narrative that gives players numerous paths through its critically-acclaimed Metroidvania-inspired main campaign. It features dynamic hand-drawn animation that summons Hayao Miyazaki's work to mind, framed with an unforgettably simple aesthetic that recalls the earliest Disney films and 2017's Cuphead.
Styled as a labyrinthine Metroidvania, Hollow Knight tells a tale of a warrior entrenched in a battle between gods. With a lore-driven story and punishingly iterative gameplay, this 2D masterpiece is sure to be appreciated by any fan of FromSoftware's work.
4 Darksiders III
Gunfire Games' 2018 title Darksiders III represents a radical divergence in gameplay from prior games in the franchise. Notable similarities to Dark Souls include a host of colossal bosses and dynamic stamina-driven combat.
Where Darksiders III shines, however, is the verticality of its gameplay enabled through jumping and grappling, an element not used by FromSoftware until 2019's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. In this way, Darksiders III brings the excitement of a classic 3D platformer to the Dark Souls model in a fresh manner that defies a single genre.
3 Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, 2014's Lords of the Fallen marks one of publisher Bandai Namco's earliest attempts to replicate the Souls model outside of FromSoftware. The game leans heavily into the medieval fantasy aesthetic, at times feeling more like an action-adventure game and at others like a combat-intensive RPG.
Like the Souls games, Lords of the Fallen features gameplay defined by enduring setbacks, namely the loss of experience points incurred upon death. This is further enhanced by the presence of a timer that causes the hard-won experience to expire -- a rare example of a game exhibiting gameplay even more punishing than in the Dark Souls series.
2 Remnant: From The Ashes
The second title from Gunfire Games to make this list, Remnant: From the Ashes follows a drifter fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic landscape ravaged by an otherworldly entity called The Root. This title is all about its combat, with numerous weapons available to a player at any moment.
Featuring a vast world filled with challenging monsters, it also meaningfully expands upon Dark Souls' melee-based gameplay with an arsenal of guns and projectile weapons. Remnant: From the Ashes brings to mind the Fallout franchise during its strongest RPG moments and even recalls classic action titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, both of which are available for free on PlayStation 5 with a PlayStation Plus membership.
1 Code Vein
2019's Code Vein bears the unique distinction of being both developed and published by Bandai Namco, the publisher of the Dark Souls games. The game's stamina-driven combat system, open world, customizable clothing, and expansive Gothic-futurism aesthetic can't help but remind gamers of FromSoftware's classic series.
One of Code Vein's most notable divergences from the Souls games is its cell-shaded anime stylings, which bring a fresh aesthetic to the familiar gameplay. At its most dynamic, Code Vein can even feel like recent iterations of the Devil May Cry franchise, all of which renders it an eminently worthwhile genre-defying Souls-like title.
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