FromSoftware existed before they put out Demon's Souls in 2009, but it was that game that really got the ball rolling. This led to its spiritual successor, Dark Souls, a trilogy thought by many to be one of the greatest in modern gaming history. The visceral combat, the character and class customization, and the world designs are second to none.
Soulslike Games With Better Combat Than Dark Souls
Dark Souls is important to the Soulslike genre, but does it have the best combat? Or do these other Soulslikes have it beat?
Yes, they are hard and unforgiving, but they are also deeply rewarding. There is a lot to like and a bit to dislike about the three Dark Souls games. Here are five other franchises that do a few things better than Dark Souls in some areas, which does not diminish the positives of the series in any way.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Nioh
Samurai Souls
- First Game: Nioh (PC and PS4, 2017)
- Latest Console Game: Nioh 3 (PC and PS5, 2026)
The Nioh franchise started after Dark Souls, and it’s a great one to bring up now, thanks to Nioh 3 having been freshly released. Each game is different, but they follow similar themes like setting the games in ancient Japan and featuring samurai fighting demons across big, open-ended maps. The landscapes are more horizontal than they are vertical, like the many castles and dungeons in the Dark Souls games. The theming is what makes Nioh more appealing from the jump, as there are so many dark fantasy games out there without as many historical Japanese games, or samurai games in particular. This helps Nioh stick out more. Even though the samurai genre is sort of coming back into prominence, it’s still not as stacked as dark fantasy, but that’s a preference not everyone will agree with.
Beyond samurai versus knights, Nioh’s gameplay style is also different. Instead of players coming across specific weapon drops, gear is mostly randomized in Nioh, like the loot of a Diablo adventure. Players can grind not only to level up their character’s stats, but they can also look for the best loot that may change how a build works. Every character will be assisted by several magical abilities, like Spirits, which work in different ways throughout the games. In Nioh 3, they can assist with stealth takedowns, grant stat-boosts, and even send players into temporary states of power, sort of like going Super Saiyan in the Dragon Ball Z anime. Plus, in Nioh 3, players can switch between a samurai and a ninja class, meaning that players can swap between builds on the fly, which is a huge improvement for the Nioh franchise and outdoes the more rigid design of building a character in Dark Souls games. Of all the things it does differently, the class switching is what FromSoftware should take away from Nioh if they ever make a Dark Souls 4.
Monster Hunter
The Power Of Co-Op
- First Game: Monster Hunter (PS2, 2004)
- Latest Console Game: Monster Hunter Wilds (PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, 2025)
Monster Hunter began on the PS2 in 2004 and stayed rigid with its design for over a decade. Players could create their hunter, outfit them with armor and weapons, and then upgrade gear over time by hunting boss-like monsters alone or with friends online. Maps were segmented into tiny zones until Monster Hunter: World changed all that in 2018, making environments more open. Between that game, Monster Hunter Rise, and Monster Hunter Wilds, the new generation can easily rival any Dark Souls game. Like Soulslike games in general, these are difficult action RPGs that almost demand multiplayer to get anywhere. That said, it’s far less complicated to either call for support or to jump into someone else’s game to assist them with a hunt.
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The weapon variety is grand, offering players fourteen to choose from, each with branching paths that can turn them into normal weapons or twist them into elemental ones. Weapons are like classes in other games, each with a learning curve, and those who find their favorites really go all out for them, adding to the diverse nature within the Monster Hunter series. As challenging as the games are, the vibes are way different, as hunters are a solid group who support each other at camp without any sort of dark aura surrounding anything. Plus, the Palico companions are adorable whether they accompany players on solo runs or stay at camp to prepare food. Overall, Monster Hunter promotes a sense of adventure alongside the challenging nature of hunts, and multiplayer is really what sets it apart from Dark Souls. The repeatable nature of monsters is also a plus that Dark Souls games would benefit from.
Hollow Knight
Deep Lore In The Deep Down
- First Game: Hollow Knight (PC, 2017)
- Latest Console Game: Hollow Knight: Silksong (PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2025)
There are only two games within this franchise so far, Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong, but they are both 10/10 experiences that showcase the very best of what makes Soulslikes and Metroidvanias good. In the first game, the vibe was very similar to any Dark Souls, as players were a nameless bug, The Knight, who had no memories and could not talk. The lore gained from notes and NPCs helped fill out this dark underground world that used to belong to a grand civilization before things came to ruin mysteriously. Also, when players died, they left behind their upgrades and monetary currency, much like Dark Souls, so it’s easy to see how Hollow Knight was inspired, besides being an homage to Metroidvanias with its interconnected map and power-based progression. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a good example of how the series evolved beyond the slow-paced movement and combat of a Dark Souls game, as Hornet, the new protagonist, had a sleeker build.
Her attacks were faster, she moved quicker in between zones, and she could talk. The map was also open-ended, with more pathways to follow out of order, giving players a greater sense of choice. That may sound like just a comparison between Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong, but it all applies to Dark Souls, too. What really made Hollow Knight: Silksong more enjoyable was the story, as it did a better job setting up the lore without players having to read or watch as many deep dives online. Hornet could come across more towns, or HUB areas, with colorful NPCs that were well-designed and diverse, adding to the color of the game. That’s something it shares with Hollow Knight, too, which makes both games better narrative-wise than Dark Souls, whose NPCs are more morose and lack any sort of pizazz for the most part.
Diablo
Hell Comes To Town
- First Game: Diablo (PC, 1997)
- Latest Console Game: Diablo 4 (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, 2023)
The Diablo series does not initially offer the same level of challenge as a Dark Souls game, but it does have a deep and dark lore system that makes the two franchises comparable. Diablo began as a PC series in 1997, thought by many to have originated the idea of loot-based dungeon-crawling, with its systems being refined in its 2000 sequel. In every game, players can choose their class and dive into dungeons alone or with a party online, slaying hundreds of demonic forces with normal attacks, skills, and spells. While the settings and stories change between sequels, the overall franchise features a war between Heaven and Hell, with the world of man always caught in the middle, which is a cool use of religion in a game, rather than focusing on something original like the many cult followings within the lore of Dark Souls.
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As the franchise went on, it became easier and easier to connect with others. Also, the latest entry, Diablo 4, introduced a lot of great features to help it adhere to the times, including more diverse and branching classes, a character creator, and an open-world design. Not many top-down open-world games exist, making Diablo 4 a neat little outlier. Blizzard, as a developer, always keeps its games relevant well after launches thanks to their patches and expansions, which help players stay more engaged between checking out new content and replaying to reach new difficulties. While Dark Souls games do get expansions, they are small by comparison, but that said, it should be acknowledged that fans still stay engaged regardless.
Castlevania
What Is A Man?
- First Game: Castlevania (NES, 1986)
- Latest Console Game: Haunted Castle Revisited (PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S, 2024)
Castlevania is one of the longest-running video game franchises of all time, premiering first in 1986 in Japan for their NES equivalent, the Famicom. While its prominence has dwindled over time compared to Dark Souls, many gothic horror action titles owe a lot to Castlevania, from Diablo to Dark Souls. Most entries feature a family member of the Belmont clan going after Dracula in his ever-evolving castle through time. The golden era of the franchise began in 1997 with the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which helped establish the Metroidvania genre. Metroid was all about following interconnected maps and exploring with new powers, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night added RPG elements like leveling up and a gear system. This golden age lasted until 2008 with the release of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and after that, the franchise sort of got out of control.
There’s never been a truly outstanding 3D Castlevania game, so Dark Souls has that claim to victory. Overall, Castlevania’s saving graces are its history. Dark Souls helped perfect the Soulslike formula just as Castlevania made it cool to have an action game with a horror background, and how Castlevania: Symphony of the Night introduced the Metroidvania model. The history’s deep lore is also well-realized in many seasons of the Netflix anime adaptation, which shows just how cool it can be to be a vampire/demon slayer throughout time. The true coup de grâce is the music, which helps set the mood between energetic tracks that make it feel invigorating to be hunting monsters and more somber ones that create a sense of foreboding. Even the best of Dark Souls' operatic chants cannot compare to tracks like “Vampire Killer” or “Bloody Tears” from Castlevania, which have been remixed expertly by fans for decades.
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