The Soulslike genre has grown significantly over the past decade,with more and more developers entering the space, each bringing their own unique art style, setting, and gameplay. There is no shortage of titles that capture the essence of FromSoftware, while falling short in other ways, as each new addition to the catalog hopes to bring something new to the table that other games either failed to accomplish well enough, or something entirely new that redfines how the genre is seen and how future games will be made.
One of the staple mechanics found not just in Soulslikes but across the gaming world is stamina, a meter that governs the player’s ability to move around the world, dodge incoming attacks, and deliver blows of their own to the countless enemies that await. The Soulslike genre and stamina bars are a match made in heaven, as it is a simple and easy tool to set the pace of fights and encourage players to take their time rather than being able to mash their controller. Many games have introduced new variations on stamina bars that still control the flow of gameplay in similar ways, while others choose to omit it entirely, relying on other new mechanics to take the mantle and make the game feel complete despite losing a core tool that is found in so many others.
While the term Soulslike might make players think of close-up combat and complex game mechanics,Death’s Doorbreaks down stereotypes and demonstrates that Soulslikes can come in all shapes and sizes and still be amazing games. The biggest difference between this title and others in the genre is the way players engage with the world and the fights within it. Many of the bosses are much more puzzle-based than straight-up brawls, requiring players to think on their feet and make split-second decisions about where to stand and how to approach the battle.
The isometric perspective is also a nice change of approach, letting players see large areas of the map at once, as well as some hidden loot they may have missed along the way. Without a stamina bar, the game feels great, and there is not a single point where dodging or running around the various areas feels sluggish or boring. Everything has a purpose, and while it is certainly a lot shorter than some other titles in the genre, it is a nice game to experience over a few evenings and gives more than enough excitement in the tense boss fights and encounters throughout.
A post-apocalyptic world with an anime art style, all within a Soulslike? What’s not to love? Aggression is everything, and the lack of a stamina bar feels like a meaningful change that actually changes how the player is able and wants to play. Players can dodge, attack, and run around as much as they choose to, with no worries about running out of steam and no need to back off and recover, a nice change that keeps the gameplay intensity high throughout.
It isn’t a cakewalk, however. The gameplay still poses its own challenges, and players can’t just run in swinging however they please. Instead, they will need to time the windows for attack carefully and when to dodge out of the way. And the difficulty that players will come to expect from the genre is certainly there, ramping up over time and providing a decent challenge to new and veteran Soulslike players. It might not be the most breathtaking and groundbreaking experience out there, but it has some great moments and is worth adding to the list for players struggling to find their next game.
With the success ofNiohandNioh 2,Team Ninja has once again pushed out a solid Soulslike that, while not breaking too many boundaries, provides more than enough challenge and excitement through its storytelling and diverse gameplay possibilities. TheJapanese setting is nothing newfor the genre or even the developer, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t look gorgeous at every point in the game, with traditional styled NPCs and enemies each bringing their own beauty and fear to the plate. When it comes to stamina,Wo Longintroduces an altered version called the spirit gauge, which is the resource that governs how the player uses certain abilities and attacks throughout the combat.
The unique aspect is the way in which the bar goes up and down and even into the negative, as the bar is effectively two-sided, and players can build up negative spirit and recharge the bar itself. It does function in a similar fashion to a stamina bar for posture breaks, for example, but it feels distinctly different as a meter that isn’t just in the background and one that can be actively manipulated at any given point to great effect. Adding an extra level of skill expression is a welcome change, and the game itself definitely doesn’t hold back on the difficulty side, keeping the challenge high and the margin for error low right until the final credits roll.
It was only a matter of time before someone combined the difficult and punishing gameplay of a Soulslike,with the tried and true formula of a Metroidvania, andDead Cellsis a perfect example of how to do it correctly. It has all the elements that define each genre, bringing in roguelike elements as well, where each run can feel completely different from the previous one. The gameplay is both fast and calculated, as players are encouraged to not only play quickly in order to rack up some nice rewards but to clear areas thoroughly so they don’t miss out on some potentially run-defining loot.
Stamina doesn’t really fit into the gameplay loop at all, and being able to roll around and swing at the countless enemies without the fear of running low feels great. It is a very memorable experience to conquer the final boss for the first time, but it doesn’t spell the end of the game, as there are several options to keep the gameplay feeling fresh that augment runs in wild and interesting ways, as well as several expansive DLC packs that not only add an array of new items and enemies, but plenty of new endings to the game, giving an incentive to dive back in and battle through foe after foe and conquer the bosses that await.
It’s hard to imagine a world beforeHollow Knight,as so much of its DNA is found in the games that follow and the genre as a whole. Taking a beautifully hand-drawn underground world and thrusting the player into it with some of the best Soulslike gameplay around, it really revolutionized how genres can be intertwined and how amazing exploration can be when done right. Players have all the freedom in the world to dash across the screen and slash through bug after bug, as, without a stamina bar, the gameplay is fluid and crispy, letting the parries and dodges feel as good as they possibly can.
The world feels open and vast, and the lack of clear direction or a comprehensive map at the start makes each journey into the depths feel meaningful and lets the player uncover plenty of secrets and horrors that hide in the caverns below. The art style is probably the biggest draw, being so unique and inspiring plenty of titles to follow suit into a more charming and cartoony style in contrast to the dark fantasy found in other Soulslikes. Players will just keep coming back for more, with so much to explore and find, and so many high-quality boss fights that feel like mountainous feats to take down, it stands as a genre definer and a game players will remember for years to come.
An unexpected gem thatcame straight from the bottom of the sea,Another Crab’s Treasureis an absolute treat and a Soulslike that breaks open the shell on all expectations and provides one of the most unique yet challenging experiences in years. Part of the game’s charm is the emphasis on social commentary related to pollution and recycling, which is then paired with plenty of comedic moments that always land and break up the bleakness with bursts of hilarity.
The gameplay takes a lot of influence from the parry side of the genre, letting players choose between a boat-load of shells as a means to defend themselves, all without the constraint of a stamina bar holding them back. Once players get the hang of the deflect mechanic and have taken on a few larger crustaceans, the rest of the game is an absolute blast and is an amazing game that came out of a studio that has never made a Soulslike before, so to make one of this caliber and quality is not only impressive, but a crowning achievement and cements the game in plenty of top 10 lists for fans of the genre.
Hollow Knightwalked soNine Solscould run. So much DNA of the former is found here, expanded upon and combined with some of the most satisfying deflection gameplay on the planet. The developers themselves describe it as “Sekiro-style” and the influence is clear to see. Much like its inspirations,Nine Solsbrings some absurdly challenging combat that relies heavily on reaction time and split-second decisions and removes any worries related to meters or bars, leaving HP as the only resource that players really need to pay attention to.
It is the perfect Metroidvania and does everything other titles in the genre do, only way better and more comprehensively, combining the excellence of the Soulslike genre’s grueling combat with amazing enemy design, heart-wrenching storylines, and boss fights that require robot-like reactions in order to beat. For any fans of the genre looking for their next favorite game, or even players who are unsure how to enter the Soulslike space,Nine Solsis as close as it gets to a perfect game and is only beaten out in the genre by the very game it names as its inspiration.
Sekirois the best overall gaming experience that FromSoftware has ever created, the best Soulslike, and the best example of theperfect parry mechanic that no game has even come close to replicating. It is hard to know where to begin complimenting the game as there is just so much to love, from the rich lore and storytelling, to the stunning visual design and style, to the jaw-dropping action sequences that leave the player feeling like they just defeated an entire army, only for the boss to stand back up again.
Few games are deserving of a 10/10 score, and there is a good argument to suggest thatSekirodeserves even higher, as it revolutionized the way video games see parrying and has paved the way for so many amazing titles to follow suit and bring their own set of challenges and unique gameplay elements. Posture is, in a way, the stamina bar, but the beauty of the game is that if the player plays good enough and parries their absolute heart out, the bar will never go down, which gives a huge incentive to become as skillful as the Samurais themselves and have an equal fighting spirit as Wolf himself.
