Summary
The First Berserker: Khazantakes place in the Dungeon & Fighter seris, developed by Neople and published by Nexon. The game has a dark fantasy vibe that mixes anime-inspired visuals with Soulslike gameplay. It’s got some stylish and over-the-top combat with an engaging gameplay loop.
If you’re looking for other games with similar elements, whether its the combat system, or the dark fantasy themes, there are plenty of great options. Some of these games share the Soulslike DNA, while others have similar game designs or gameplay loops.
Stellar Blade isn’t a Soulslike, but it still has fast-paced, stylish combat. This was studio Shift Up’s first triple-A game, after previously working on mobile titles only, and it was really impressive for the developer’s first big outing.
The game was backed by Sony, with former president Shuhei Yoshida visiting the studio in 2021 and being impressed by early development footage. The game has great lore, taking place in a post-apocalyptic, ruined Earth. Some of the game’s worldbuilding can feel reminiscent of Nier: Automata, but Stellar Blade stands out with its own interesting sci-fi setting.
Black Myth: Wukong is another Soulslike, but it brings enough unique stuff to the table to differentiate itself, specifically the great worldbuilding and boss designs that arebased on the Journey to the West novel.
Developed by Game Science, a studio that had never made a big game before, it quickly grabbed the attention of everyone when it was first revealed back in 2020. The gameplay sticks to the core formula but adds its own twists, like transforming into different forms to gain new abilities. It was also backed by Sony as part of their effort to support more third-party developers in Asia, and the quality is on par with big triple-A games.
Nioh 2 is a fantastic game from Team Ninja, the developers behind the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series. It takes everything great about the first Nioh and makes it better, with more refined combat and better enemy variety.
The story still follows a strong narrative based on Japanese mythology and folklore. The fast-paced combat is what really makes it stand out, with a focus on skill and aggressive play. It was published by Sony and has remained a console exclusive, skipping Xbox. Nioh 2 is probably one of thebest non-FromSoftware Soulslikeout there.
Lies of P is another South Korean-developed game, and just like Stellar Blade, the studio behind it had only worked on mobile games and other smaller projects before. The game takes more inspiration from Bloodborne rather than Dark Souls, especially in its atmosphere, vibe, and combat style, but it stillhas its own identity.
It follows a dark and twisted version of the Pinocchio story, set in a city filled with deadly puppets and animatronics. The combat is more about precision and counters, with a heavy focus on timing. It also has an interesting mechanic where you can modify your arm with different tools.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is another Soulslike from Team Ninja, but this time, it takes place in a fictionalized version of ancient China, much like Black Myth: Wukong. It also shares a lot of DNA with Nioh, but the combat is even more focused on parries and counters, making it feel like a mix between Sekiro and Dark Souls.
The story revolves around the Three Kingdoms era but with a lot of supernatural elements. It’s also got a faster pace than most Soulslikes. If you liked The First Berserker for its action-packed combat and fantasy themes, Wo Long has a similar kind of experience.
If you want to play something from the creators of the Soulslike genre itself, then Dark Souls 3 is a great pick. It refines everything from the previous two Dark Souls games, and might just be thebest entry in the entire trilogy.
The bosses are some of the best in any game from the studio, with an impressive amount of variety and lore attached to them, and the world design is top-tier as usual. This game is a pretty good choice If you’ve never played a FromSoftware game, too.
The Surge 2 is an underrated Soulslike from Deck13, the studio behind 2014’s Lords of the Fallen and the first Surge game. This game stands out from others in the Souls sub-genre since it doesn’t have a fantasy setting, instead being a sci-fi game taking place in a Dystopian future.
The game has its own unique twist with a limb-targeting system that lets you cut off specific enemy parts to get new gear. There’s a variety of enemies here, including robots and normal humans, a lot of whom have mechs of their own.
Tales of Arise is an action-adventure JRPG and not a Soulslike, but it has an anime-inspired art style similar to The First Berserker, and it’s easily one of the best games in the long-running Tales series.
It has party-based, fast-paced combat along with a pretty deep and interesting story. The combat is flashy and combo-based, making it feel more like a stylish action game than a traditional RPG. It also has a great cast of characters and some strong storytelling, which makes it engaging from start to finish.
