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It took me a while before I really started to enjoy challenging games. The idea of being defeated over and over again until you finally succeed was not equivalent to fun for me – until I finally understood the point of Souls games.
The key is to take all the frustration that emerges from the punishing mechanics to keep you motivated and on your toes, sharpening your skills at each try (and not make you simply rage about it).

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Once you have mastered that, your victory will eventually come, with an incredible, rewarding feeling of annihilating that damn monster that took you three hours and almost made you throw the controller at the wall.
Also, you should not force yourself if it is not clicking. Take your time. The game that you choose to play is also very important – that is why I am here to guide you with an infallible order of experiences that are going to make you fall in love with Souls and unlock a brand new world of gaming.
10 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Force Is Strong With Souls

I consider Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as a good starter, since it borrows some of the core aspects of a Soulslike, but while doing it as its own thing with a high level of adventure.
You play as Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan who survived Order 66 and now needs to fight the Empire from the shadows – a quite simple story which highlights the exploration and gameplay that are similar to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but in a more accessible way.

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Its world structure is gorgeous and divided into interconnected levels, with backtracking, a lot of secret areas, and many enemies and bosses to defeat. And what makes the difference is the presence of an adjustable difficulty level.
So it ends up being a great, and most importantly, fun way to train your abilities and timing without the frustration factor, increasing its difficulty when you gain more confidence and get more comfortable with it.
9 Another Crab’s Treasure
Who Said You Can’t Laugh With Souls?

Another Crab’s Treasure
- Released
- April 25, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Publisher(s)
- Aggro Crab
- Engine
- Unity
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 14 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
If you want a Soulslike that you can also laugh with, what you are looking for is definitely Another Crab’s Treasure. You play as a hermit crab who needs to recover his shell that was stolen by moneylenders.
It mixes elements of Souls, platforming, and RPGs, and it is just as wacky as it sounds, even including a fun shell-swapping mechanic that allows you to use weird items in combat and exploration, such as a soda can, a gacha capsule, and even a Nintendo 64 cartridge.
What I love about it is that, despite having a lighthearted tone and colorful visuals, it also has challenging combat that has just the right amount of difficulty – almost to the point of frustration, but not truly getting there.
It is pretty different from what we are used to in the genre, bringing a nice breath of fresh air to the table. Also, if you ever get frustrated, you can simply “shell-swap” a gun and shoot everyone. Sounds fun, right?
8 Remnant II
Shooting Souls

- Released
- July 25, 2023
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Gunfire Games
- Publisher(s)
- Gearbox Publishing
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 65 GB (January 2024)
- Metascore
- 85
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Remnant II is basically what I like to call “Dark Souls with guns”, because it is a dark, gritty shooter for players who are into challenging and cooperative experiences.
It is set in a post-apocalyptic world that was corrupted by a plant-like entity and taken over by enormous, creepy creatures. So, basically, fighting them is a regular breakfast for the remaining humans who are still alive.
That said, you and two more friends need to explore interconnected worlds to fight against all dangers that threaten humanity with extinction.
With that setting, its Souls aspects can be felt in the gameplay, with movement and dodging being similar, as well as huge bosses with different stages. But there is no penalty for dying, and there is also difficulty selection, so it is a very forgiving Soulslike game to start with.
7 Death’s Door
Little Crow’s Souls

- Released
- July 20, 2021
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- Acid Nerve
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- Unity
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 3 GB (November 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
I do not think that Death’s Door is a Soulslike game as we would expect from the genre, but I have to say that its tone, world-building, and combat feel like an ambitious mix between Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda classic titles.
And yes, it is just as amazing as you are picturing it right now, and can get you hooked pretty quickly, especially if you are into short, combat-driven adventures.
You control a crow who works as a reaper, collecting souls (literally) for a mysterious organization and, consequently, having to battle and kill your “clients”. It has an interesting, melancholy story and dark setting, along with charming visuals and tough boss fights (with A LOT of dodging strategies).
Also, after finishing for the first time, you unlock a harder mode, where you need to face everything all over again with a simple and weak umbrella as your main weapon. It is a nice and fun way to sharpen your skills even more.
6 Blasphemous
Amen

Blasphemous
Speaking of games that enjoy adding elements of Soulslike to their formula, Blasphemous is also an excellent experience for getting used to (and consequently, hooked on) punishing mechanics.
It is actually an incredible Metroidvania that some people have nicknamed a “2D Dark Souls”, especially for having a dark medieval aesthetic, plenty of bosses, and challenging gameplay, with a respectful die-and-respawn-with-healing system.

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If you want even more blasphemy, or even try a lighter version of it instead, go for its sequel, Blasphemous 2. It removes systems like instantly dying from falls or spikes, being slightly less Souls.
5 Salt and Sanctuary
Throwing Salt Over Your Shoulder

- Released
- March 15, 2016
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ska Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Ska Studios
- Engine
- FNA / Microsoft XNA Game Studio
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- May 17, 2016
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- August 2, 2018
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PS Vita, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Now it is finally time to talk about an actual Soulslike that is fully 2D – the true “2D Dark Souls” in my heart – a little action-RPG called Salt and Sanctuary.
When I first played it, it felt like the game managed to perfectly capture all the feelings, the challenge, and the joy of playing through the original Dark Souls. But on a much more contained and smaller scale, of course.
What matters is that, from the character creation screen to the seamless exploration and stamina system, it is as Souls as a platformer allows it to be.
Also, its story is capable of making Hidetaka Miyazaki completely jealous of dealing with forgotten islands, a lost princess, grotesque creatures, and horrible secrets.
4 Lies of P
Pinocchio Meets Dark Souls

- Released
- September 19, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Round8 Studio, Neowiz
- Publisher(s)
- Neowiz
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 35 GB (November 2023)
- Metascore
- 84
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
In my opinion, Lies of P is the best Soulslike game not made by FromSoftware (since it is pretty hard to beat the studio that basically established the genre, right?), so there is nothing more fair than putting it right before we get into Soulsborne territory.
It is an action-RPG that is surprisingly inspired by the classic tale of Pinocchio – yes, the wooden boy that cannot lie, otherwise his nose will grow.
You actually control him in a dark, nightmarish city, where puppets have revolted against humanity. So it is up to you, with the help of Geppetto (obviously), to find a way to stop this madness and even turn yourself into a real boy.
You have this weird, yet compelling story guided by challenging gameplay, with different builds, tricky systems like timing and parry, and plenty of tough bosses to defeat. A pretty cool mix, and one that now even features an easier difficulty if you really need to ease yourself in.
3 Elden Ring
It Is Time, Tarnished

- Released
- February 25, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- no
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- Metascore
- 96
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The reason I did not put Elden Ring earlier on the list (as I imagine many would do) is because I feel that Margit, the Fell Omen, also known as the first major boss of the game, can crush a beginner’s hopes and dreams right on the spot if you do not know what you are doing.
But it is FromSoftware’s most accessible title by far, and it manages to do that by offering different systems and mechanics to amplify build options for your characters, consequently making the journey easier (as much as possible for a Souls experience, of course).
On top of that, we have an open world full of secrets that encourage you to freely explore, since every corner has something interesting to find and keeps you engaged. But it is also possible to simply follow the main story, if you so desire.
2 Dark Souls
Everlasting Classic

- Released
- September 22, 2011
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- No, Dark Souls 3 is not cross-platform between PS4 and PC
- Cross Save
- Dark Souls always save your game data using steam cloud
- Franchise
- Dark Souls
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- PC Release Date
- August 24, 2012
- Platform(s)
- Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
- How Long To Beat
- 100 hours
- X|S Optimized
- no
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
I have already been called crazy for saying so, but the original Dark Souls is like a basic training for getting into Soulslikes for me.
Despite being very challenging and even scary at first sight, trust me when I say that the first half of the game perfectly teaches the players how to play it – and, most importantly, while you are already playing it.
That idea is so well-crafted into the gameplay that you suddenly see yourself immersed in the gimmicks, mechanics, and mysteries of that world without even noticing, fully exploring Anor Londo, befriending Solaire, and looking for a way to trick the Iron Golem into falling off the ledge.
1 Bloodborne
Embrace The Old Blood

- Released
- March 24, 2015
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- ps4,ps5
- Cross Save
- yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- no
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- How Long To Beat
- 33 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- no
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Bloodborne was my first Soulsborne ever, and became my favorite one after finishing it. Also, it is one of the few games that I consider to be a true masterpiece of horror. So it was impossible not to be on this list.
But I have to confess that I was a little confused on my first try. Those first corridors of wolves and enemies are not beginner-friendly at all, and even made me give up for a while. Months later, I tried again with a friend – and so my journey truly began.
In a Lovecraftian horror setting, you play as a Hunter in this fictional, dystopian universe where most humans have gone mad and ended up transformed into monsters. It is up to you, then, to defeat them and uncover the mysteries of this world.
You have this challenging, yet extremely exciting experience that deals with epic boss fights, an extremely gothic atmosphere, and even entities beyond human comprehension. And I guarantee that every fight rewards you with an amazing, rewarding feeling.
Give it a try, because this one is the main culprit for Souls being my favorite genre today – and I bet it could be yours too.

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