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Of all the "Souls-like" games, which one is the best? (Mod edit: Read OP)
- Thread starter MajulaDream
- Start date
Salt and Sanctuary is a good 2d game that's kinda like it. I wish I could say Nioh but I've never played a Souls game that got boring as quickly as Nioh did. In fact, no Souls game has ever bored me before beating it.
I like Nioh a lot but Salt and Santuary really embraces the idea of Souls and brings it to side scrolling so well.
To me "Souls-like" is just code for "stop considering this game and just go play DS1/2 again". Nothing Souls-like has ever even been in the same zipcode as Souls. And I'm including the last two From games in that. We'll probably never see anything as good as DeS->DS1->DS2 again. Even though I prefer Kings Field, I'd even say KF never managed such highs as a sequential run since 1 (the Japanese 1) was absurdly short and the PS2 entry was meh. But this is just my opinion, some people love BB/DS3 more than the previous ones even.
So many saying "Nioh" makes my heart dance like a puppy. Yep, can't go back to Souls/BB after Nioh.
Your heart is rotten garbage.
And yeah, I liked Nioh as well, but these sort of hyperbolic claims are genuinely irritating.
Bloodborne, followed closely by Dark Souls 2. I don't think Dark Souls 2 is better than 1 or 3, but it's the one I spent the most time with and got the most enjoyment out of.
Few folks bother to read the OP. That's the internet for better or worse.
Nioh is definitely up there for me, as well as Salt and Sanctuary which I remember feeling unsure of at first but ended up really enjoying it by the end.
I kind of want to send a warning to everyone who posted "Bloodborne" post-OP-edit (which was very early into the thread), as it shows they haven't read the OP.
But it's too much work since it's like half the thread, so I'll just shake my fist at y'all and tell you to feel shame. SHAME
...Ahem. To answer the question, my favourites are Salt & Sanctuary and Nioh.
Lords of the Fallen was mediocre, and while The Surge has some improvements, it's somehow... even more boring? I couldn't even finish it.
But it's too much work since it's like half the thread, so I'll just shake my fist at y'all and tell you to feel shame. SHAME
...Ahem. To answer the question, my favourites are Salt & Sanctuary and Nioh.
Lords of the Fallen was mediocre, and while The Surge has some improvements, it's somehow... even more boring? I couldn't even finish it.
Dunno. I've read people say Souls-likes are everywhere now. (Always thought it was bullshit myself.)
NiOH hands down not only the best Souls-esque game but brought it back to the Demon's souls feel. I never liked the open world thing that Dark Souls did. Plus they did a great job with the whole Ronin/Samurai history.
Salt and Sanctuary overall probably. Hollow Knight has clear inspirations from it but not sure I'd really call it a Souls-like.
Nioh has merits but it misses a lot of what I like about the genre (not exactly a lot to explore or secrets to really find, for instance).
Inferno Climber is underrated.
Nioh has merits but it misses a lot of what I like about the genre (not exactly a lot to explore or secrets to really find, for instance).
Inferno Climber is underrated.
Hyperbole? DS1 was my favourite game last gen (tie with Bayonetta 1). You just can't replicate the feeling you get from your first Souls-game.
Strip that away and you're left with gameplay. BB pushed the series one step ahead with faster combat and a better atmoshere, but in terms of pure fun Nioh
killed it. I wanted to do a new run in BB (already have the plat and finished DLC) after an extensive Nioh session...it felt archaic and like my char was running through a swamp at all times.
Guilty, I skimmed OP and misread.
I have never played a souls like and honestly don't care to. The originality of that series is what made it great, and there are already enough of them to cause fatigue.
Dragons Dogma is pretty great and feels like it might have some inspirations in there, but definitely stands on its own.
I have never played a souls like and honestly don't care to. The originality of that series is what made it great, and there are already enough of them to cause fatigue.
Dragons Dogma is pretty great and feels like it might have some inspirations in there, but definitely stands on its own.
Salt & Sanctuary for me. It successfully merged Souls gameplay with 2d and did it in style. The music is fantastic, the bosses are great and the environments are deeply unsettling. Incredible that it was made by 2 people.
Nioh is next. Fantastic combat, very middle of the road to bad everything else. Didn't play anything else.
Nioh is next. Fantastic combat, very middle of the road to bad everything else. Didn't play anything else.
DD is very much its own thing, borrows pretty much nothing from Souls.
I would say the best one I've played is Nioh. They did a genuinely great thing with stamina management with this game (ki pulse) and also put it in a setting From hasn't done.
Also come on, Giant Toad boss fight was rad as hell.
Also come on, Giant Toad boss fight was rad as hell.
I liked Nioh, but didn't finish it. I got further in it than I did Salt and Sanctuary though. Thought I would enjoy that game but never really got past the first area before I got distracted by other stuff. Hollow Knight is probably my favorite even though I didn't play it myself - just watched full Let's Plays. Waiting for the Switch version to play it.
Really surprised at how many people completely didn't read the OP in here. Also surprised at how few Souls-like games I could come up with that I'd played. For some reason I'd gotten it in my head that the market had been flooded with Souls-likes, but I guess it's more a case that games have adapted bits and pieces of the formula versus truly being a Souls clone.
Really surprised at how many people completely didn't read the OP in here. Also surprised at how few Souls-like games I could come up with that I'd played. For some reason I'd gotten it in my head that the market had been flooded with Souls-likes, but I guess it's more a case that games have adapted bits and pieces of the formula versus truly being a Souls clone.
OP
OP
Thanks for the mod edit lol. I tried :P
Nioh is one I've thought of getting into once I have time. Might come close to scratching the itch lol.
Nioh is one I've thought of getting into once I have time. Might come close to scratching the itch lol.
NiOH.
The level design in all the Soul's like games are no where near as engaging as the level design you'll find in other Metroidvania's so the most important part of these games inevitably becomes the Combat.
Nioh has hands down the best combat in any souls-like.
Let it die is awesome!This many pages and barely any mention of Let it Die other than myself. This leads me to believe most of you have not played let it die.
Play Let it Die gang. It's free on PS4. It is for senpais only though...
Hollow Knight, Momodora IV and Hyper Light Drifter share too many specific, core elements with the Souls games to not be in consideration.
They aren't 3D and don't have stat building throughout a given playthrough, but the level progression ("bonfires," boss runs), the way health and healing are used, the tone of story, interaction and path-crossing with NPCs (and playing a part in their plotlines throughout each game), how finer aspects of combat matter (spacing, taking damage in relation to health/healing), tragic boss back stories, ambiguous morality of motivations/justifications for player character, different builds (not as variable as Souls, but still highly significant), and an interconnected world are all featured in each to varying degrees.
HK and Momodora are Metroid-likes and HLD is like A Link to the Past, but they are too close to the Souls series in key ways to not include them in this discussion, especially in a non-objective manner—regardless of whether they can truly be classified as Souls-like, people who like that series will find something they like in these three. They are each incredible games on top of that.
They aren't 3D and don't have stat building throughout a given playthrough, but the level progression ("bonfires," boss runs), the way health and healing are used, the tone of story, interaction and path-crossing with NPCs (and playing a part in their plotlines throughout each game), how finer aspects of combat matter (spacing, taking damage in relation to health/healing), tragic boss back stories, ambiguous morality of motivations/justifications for player character, different builds (not as variable as Souls, but still highly significant), and an interconnected world are all featured in each to varying degrees.
HK and Momodora are Metroid-likes and HLD is like A Link to the Past, but they are too close to the Souls series in key ways to not include them in this discussion, especially in a non-objective manner—regardless of whether they can truly be classified as Souls-like, people who like that series will find something they like in these three. They are each incredible games on top of that.
Unfortunately there are not many Souls-like games. Lords of the fallen, The Surge, Nioh, Salt & Sanctuary... that's it. Sad but true, especially if you see how successful the Soulsborne games are.
I need to play Salt and Sanctuary. I've never beaten a souls-like, but I'm really good when it comes to 2D games. Maybe S&S would finally be my chance to git gud!
I love the shit out of The Surge, but it's easily Nioh.
Though I'd sort of argue against including the game as it wears Souls mostly as a marketing strategy. The game is much more Ninja Gaiden meets Diablo than it ever is a Souls game.
Though I'd sort of argue against including the game as it wears Souls mostly as a marketing strategy. The game is much more Ninja Gaiden meets Diablo than it ever is a Souls game.
The Surge is quite excellent, I agree. I love Nioh too.
How do you get to Creo World however?
Don't worry, i'm another one that plays avidly Let It Die. The F2P mechanics are implemented how they could knowing that there's GungHo Online pressures to make people play, but, hey nothing stops you from farming money, grinding and waiting till log in bonuses to get good chuinks of items and Death Metals. senpai.