8 best Souls games to play in 2022

A third game similar to Deck13’s Souls, The Surge 2, finally saw the developer achieve his goal. With an enormously creative world connected by freight elevators and other mechanical infrastructure, The Surge 2 completely completes the feeling of discovering that From Software is doing so well, bringing smart improvements to the transmission system by eliminating the need to get “experience” right. to improve the damage of different types of weapons. It also retains an excellent system of targeted cutting from the first game, thanks to which you can focus on inflicting further damage on the enemy or removing a key armor so that you can improve your own load.

Code Vein, inspired by anime like Souls, with great flexibility in combat, is ideal for anyone who loves Dark Souls, but wants to get rid of dark fantasies and devote themselves to full-fledged Gothic vampire nonsense. As in the Souls series, there is a ridiculously large selection of weapons to swing with while relying on vampire abilities to destroy the game’s most difficult enemies. The challenge is usually not as high as the Souls series, although there are a few key moments where you will have to grit your teeth, memorize each boss attack and show them true vampire power.

Ninja’s second hack (and slash) on Formula Souls didn’t make any big changes from the original game, but one addition was extremely important: the burst counter. By using this ability during boss battles, you will be able to consistently stay on the offensive, deal punishable blows, and cut through defenses like butter. The enemies, meanwhile, are also extremely strong, including some of the toughest bosses in any type of Souls, and as with the first Nioh, there are plenty of weapons to try. Everything from double-controlled katanas to huge big axes is available, and finding your “new favorite” is an almost constant process. You can pick up Nioh 2 on PS4 or PS5 as part of The Nioh Collection, a compilation of both Nioh games with PS5 performance upgrades.

Inconspicuous and atmospheric Souls, which takes you 100 hours to complete, Ashen is an interesting Souls in that he is clearly as inspired by building a world from From Software as its structure. The desolate, cold landscape feels like it wants you awayand the enemies are more than willing to speed up your departure. Although it lacks some of Souls’ memorable spots and contains some ridiculous difficulty peaks, Ashen is definitely worth playing. It’s also available on virtually every platform, including the Nintendo Switch, so you can have your ass kicked in the toilet before you go back to digging on the couch.

One of the first games to take the Dark Souls formula and move it to 2D, Salt and Sanctuary captured the gloomy, unattractive tone of their inspiration, but did so through a drastically different art style. This isn’t just pixel art on Dark Souls, but instead a cartoon version that looks like it could be a 2002 Flash cartoon – and we mean it in a good way. It is full of secrets and extremely difficult bosses, and although it sometimes contains some peaks in difficulty that even From Software would question, Salt and Sanctuary is one of the best souls-likes ever created. This is especially impressive given that most of the game was created by only a few people.

A somewhat surprising game similar to Souls, which plays with the rules of the subgenre a little more loosely than some other games on this list, Star Was Jedi: Fallen Order, proves how versatile both Star Wars and Souls can be. The game, which takes place just after the events of the Revenge of the Sith, is characterized by the constant development of your forces as you gradually unlock new attacks and new configurations of lightsabers. Battles often feature dodging, rebounding and counterattacks, and their relatively low difficulty compared to the Dark Souls makes them a great entry point.

After inserting some Souls elements into undercooked Darksiders 3, Gunfire Games took a drastically different approach in Remnant: From The Ashes. Remnant: From The Ashes, which focuses primarily on third-party shooting, uses procedurally generated elements and cooperative multiplayer, although it is also fully playable as a single player experience. Natural-themed enemies, many of whom deal incredible damage, make it quite a challenge, especially if you’re used to the routine of “dodging, attacking, dodging” other Soul-like souls. Nevertheless, the structure will be very familiar to you, with lots of hidden nooks and crannies, which are also often full of enemies.

Blasphemous is a confusing 2D Souls-style scrolling that includes brutal enemies and even more brutal platform sections. One wrong move and you can love all the resources you need to reach a higher level, although the combos you learn along the way will help you in some of the most difficult moments. There is also a pick-and-select upgrade system to improve skills and stats through equipped items, allowing you to build the character you play. It’s definitely not the same level of freedom you’d gain in an Elden Ring or a game like Nioh 2, but replay is very tempting.