There you go, you just finished Elden Ring and you feel like orphans. It's not dirty; your body changes. And if, like many, you think you've "fallen into it", don't worry: there are dozens of games that can be placed in the very specific category of "Souls-like".
Alongside our selection of the best metroidvanias and the best action-RPGs, this new top takes us into the inhospitable territory of Souls-like.
This is a rather special kind of role-playing game, which draws its originality from an increased difficulty, and above all a game design that does not forgive errors.
Among the essential markers of the genre, we note the presence of an endurance bar which limits the blows and requires an economy of dodging, and the fact of losing part of one's experience with each death. Definitely, if we can't recover his body.
In short, a rather demanding genre, but which has this rare ability to grab us and never let go. At least not before having completely digested us!
Elden Ring: the best representative of the genre
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View PriceView TestElden Ring
- A fascinating and coherent universe
- Unforgettable Art Direction
- Deeper than ever gameplay
- The open world, a welcome breath
- The Best Gateway to Games FromSoftware
- Less frustrating than Dark Souls
- Colossal and non-artificial content
You weren't going to escape it. With Elden Ring, FromSoftware does nothing but bring its formula to the top.
The first successful attempt to bring Souls-like into an open-world setting, Elden Ring is receiving – including in our columns – absolutely rave reviews.
Offering a variety of rare approaches, where all weapons and all builds can be viable, the game fascinates with its unforgettable universe full of secrets.
Hidden passages, deep lore that is only available to players who are sufficiently curious, and of course the challenge met: Elden Ring ticks all the boxes and, for the moment, none comes close to it.
Hollow Knight: the successful mix of genres
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Hollow Knight
- A perfect synthesis of the genre
- Artistically unforgettable
- Very generous lifespan
Those who have already done so understand why Team Cherry's game is in this selection.
If, visually and philosophically, Hollow Knight is more metroidvania than Souls-like, the imprint of FromSoftware games is obvious.
There is the fact of resting on benches to regain life and activate a checkpoint, to be particularly attentive to one's environment to be guided by an intoxicating level design, and also this cryptic universe, which requires the attention of every moment to be understood.
Team Cherry's calls to FromSoftware are numerous, but the game obviously shines in its own aspects. Its artistic direction, first, combined with a memorable soundtrack by Christopher Larkin.
A game with a colossal lifespan, further extended by several challenging DLCs, which has enough to keep you busy for a good hundred hours.
Bloodborne: Fear the Old Blood
9
See PriceBloodborne
- A cleverly revisited Souls-like formula
- An artistic direction as frightening as it is sumptuous
- Unforgiving but oh so rewarding gameplay
Still (unfortunately) exclusive to the PS4 (but playable via PS Now on PC!), Bloodborne represents a masterful step aside from FromSoftware in 2015.
After Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2, the Japanese studio offers a dive into a Victorian Gothic universe, suffused with Lovecraftian inspirations.
Here, no shield or even magic build. You play as a hunter during a terrible night when the inhabitants of the city of Yharnam are turned into bloodthirsty beasts.
A game where the approach is much more offensive than in Dark Souls, in the sense that your character can regain a portion of his HP if he retaliates quickly after taking damage.
Perhaps a little less varied in its possibilities, Bloodborne remains in memory for its simply unforgettable universe and the exhilarating clashes that await you there.
Mortal Shell: the student who wants to surpass the master
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Mortal shell
- Hard-hitting fights
- Various “classes”
- Visually enticing
Don't lie to us, the critics' feedback on Cold Symmetry's game is rather mixed. Still, Mortal Shell meets most of the specifications that we retain here.
Very dark, and known for its difficulty, Mortal Shell offers visceral combat and above all an original system of archetypes. Here, we don't create a character, but we come to "own" armor - the famous mortal shells that give their name to the game.
Each armor, which can be found in the environment, offers a variety of blows and distinct weapons. The more you embody the same type of armor, the more skills you will unlock and will be harder to take down.
Recently updated on PS5 and Xbox Series, Mortal Shell has also offered itself a DLC called The Virtuous Cycle, which offers an endless challenge in the form of a mode inspired by rogue-likes.
The Surge 2 : le Souls-like futuriste
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JVFR
The Surge 2
- Original combat mechanics
- Variety of clashes
- A universe that stands out
If we especially remember his second opus, The Surge is also very recommendable in the genre.
Made by Deck13, already responsible for the friendly Lords of The Fallen, The Surge 2 is rather original in the landscape thanks to its combat system, to say the least... bloody.
Indeed, like a Dead Space, we can focus our blows on certain parts of our opponents' bodies to amputate them and therefore quickly gain the upper hand over them.
While not quite as polished as the games it's inspired by, The Surge 2 offers rewarding combat, an engaging progression and loot system, and a rather original universe — understand "who doesn't is not in shades of grey”.
Nioh 2: for lovers of pain
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JVFR
See the priceNioh 2
- Ultra-generous content
- The Magic Yokai
- Lots of loot
- 60 fps for everyone!
- Cool cinematics
- Pleasure in pain!
Ah, Team Ninja is second to none when it comes to developing onion-based combat systems. The studio, behind the remarkable Ninja Gaiden, released a Nioh in 2017 that got Souls-like fans talking a lot. And its sequel, released in 2019, has won them over.
Unlike the first opus, this demanding action-RPG lets us create our own character, and has new game mechanics.
In Nioh 2, we face yokai, and some will leave behind their souls that we can then use in combat. Very powerful special skills, which are as likely to turn the tide of a duel as to offer a wide variety of approaches according to your preferences.
In short ? An outcome of Team Ninja's proposal, which will nevertheless require a lot of patience and pugnacity to overcome it; the game is known for its high challenge.
Ax : lame musicale
9
JVFR
See PriceSekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Innovative parry-based gameplay
- Impressive bestiary
- Refreshing additions for a FromSoftware
A real step aside for FromSoftware, Sekiro's greatest achievement is to manage to make us forget everything we think we know about the souls-like formula. Here, there is no need to flee. You have to get in touch and face your fears! An exhilarating combat system, but which is backed by a particularly high difficulty. No keep in all hands.
We fall back on our feet once again with the penultimate game from FromSoftware. Named game of the year in 2019, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice marks a complete break with studio habits.
Here, no character creation, nor souls to spend to improve your avatar. We embody the shinobi Sekiro, armed with his only katana throughout the adventure, and whose only variable in combat will be the different modules that he can attach to his prosthetic arm.
Sekiro differs from the usual Souls-like in several ways. More open, in the sense that you can avoid enemies by being discreet or going through the roofs, it mainly offers fights based on rhythm rather than dodging.
Here, the idea will be to stay in contact and parry the enemy's blows to break his guard before retaliating. A game design that pushes many fans to consider Sekiro as a rhythm game more than an action-RPG. But beware: it is generally considered the most difficult game to come out of FromSoftware's furnaces. You have been warned.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: Head in the Stars
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JVFR
See the priceStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- A really good single-player Star Wars game (finally!)
- Visually and acoustically successful
- Sumptuous fights
- BD-1, this love droid
- A coherent mix of genres
If one could have imagined that Fallen Order would be inspired more by Jedi Knight than Dark Souls, it was not. Respawn Entertainment's game is pure Souls-like in the world of George Lucas, and that's what makes it particularly remarkable.
Obviously less evil than the other titles in this selection (a Star Wars product must remain accessible to everyone), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order offers a perfectly calibrated challenge and an exciting adventure.
Alternating between new environments that thicken the extended universe of Star Wars, and very "fan service" moments, this Souls-like released in 2019 has had excellent critical and commercial reception. So much so that a sequel has already been formalized by Electronic Arts. See you somewhere in 2023!
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin: Surrender to chaos
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JVFR
See the priceStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
- Exhilarating fights
- Several difficulty modes
- Great variety in jobs
First of all: don't wait for this Stranger of Paradise for its scenario. Critics are categorical: this Souls-like Final Fantasy spin-off is so poorly written it's almost comical.
Still, if that doesn't hold you back, and the isekai (normal people who suddenly find themselves in a fantasy world) don't make you roll your eyes, Team Ninja's game (them again!) shines through. its accessible and deep gameplay.
Real-time action-RPG mixed with Souls-like, Stranger of Paradise allows the player to quickly switch between two jobs (combat archetypes) to vary the pleasures. There are about thirty of them in total, and a veritable avalanche of loot allows you to test a wide variety of equipment.
The game is not nearly as difficult as other titles presented here, but different difficulty modes make it possible to impose some caution or, on the contrary, to go through the game without too many problems.
Dark Souls 3: a classic
9
JVFR
Dark Souls 3
- Epic conclusion to the trilogy
- A flamboyant artistic direction
- Varied gameplay where everything works
We complete the loop with the other standard meter of the genre. Before Elden Ring reshuffled the cards, Dark Souls 3 was considered the pinnacle of FromSoftware craftsmanship.
Breathtaking from start to finish, the role-playing game released in 2016 is back on a sound footing after a second installment that has greatly divided the community.
With the most dazzling art direction in the series, Dark Souls 3 wraps up the trilogy in the most beautiful way and offering the most varied gameplay possible. Once again only the talent of the player or the player makes the difference between a bad and a good build.
While it may not offer the most memorable boss fights in FromSoftware's repertoire, Dark Souls 3 impresses with the breadth of its universe and the many winks it manages to slip into it.
If Dark Souls, the first of its name, is now considered the best game of all time by the Golden Joystik Awards, it seemed to us perhaps a little too "rough" to make its way through this selection. It remains of course largely recommendable, but Dark Souls 3 seemed to us much more suitable to conclude this top.
