Although Dark Souls gets the plaudits, it’s Demon’s Souls that created the soulsborne formula, which has influenced games from the industry’s most iconic series like the rebooted Tomb Raider games, the latest mainline Legend of Zelda title Breath of the Wild, and EA’s recent Star Wars game Jedi Fallen Order.
Like Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls has been a source of frustration for many gamers, as it’s a PlayStation exclusive. When rumors began surfacing that a remake was in the works, hopes raised that a PC iteration would release. These hopes were soon crushed though, as the game released as a PS5 launch title. To make matters worse, the game has surpassed expectations and is currently the highest-rated soulsborne game on Metacritic with a whopping 92. Thankfully, the huge catalog of games on offer for PC gamers offers plenty of alternatives.
10 The Dark Souls Trilogy
FromSoftware’s Dark Souls trilogy took the gameplay formula that the original Demon’s Souls created and shot it into the forefront of the gaming industry.
Realistically, if you’re excited by the prospect of Demon’s Souls, there’s a good chance that you’ve already played the now iconic Dark Souls trilogy. But those who haven’t are in for a treat as the three fantastic games, along with their excellent collection of DLCs are all available on PC.
9 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
After announcing that Dark Souls III would be FromSoftware’s final Dark Souls game, many fans were understandably disappointed but also excited to see what direction the company would go in next.
The answer was Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, a game that keeps many of the core elements of the Soulsborne series but makes a few key changes, particularly with the combat that focuses on posture and ditching the use of a stamina bar. The game received universal critical acclaim, most notably winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019.
8 Nioh
Team Ninja, who are best known for Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Hyrule Warriors, added to their collection of excellent close-quarters-combat games in 2017 with Nioh.
As anyone who has played Ninja Gaiden or Hyrule Warrior may expect, Nioh provides a hack and slash alternative to the more methodical Demon’s Souls.
7 Lords of the Fallen
Of all the games on this list that aren’t made by FromSoftware, Lords of the Fallen is the most similar to Demon’s Souls. The game doesn’t shy away from its influences, with clear similarities like the patience and timing-centric combat, punishing difficulty, and emphasis on boss fights.
Lord of the Fallen is one of the weaker games of the lists, scoring just 73 on Metacritic. But it offers an experience so similar to Demon’s Souls from a gameplay perspective that it’s definitely worth including.
6 Remnant: From the Ashes
The so-called “Dark Souls with guns,” Gunfire Games’ Remnant: From the Ashes throws players in a post-apocalyptic world and puts them up against some of the toughest enemies and bosses from any game on this list.
Along with its differing weaponry, Remnant: From the Ashes differentiates itself from the Souls series with its heavier focus on co-op gameplay. Up to four players can team up to tackle the entire game together, with enemies’ difficulty scaling accordingly.
5 Hollow Knight
The 2D cartoony aesthetics of Hollow Knight may make it seem like a far cry from Demon’s Souls, but if Remnant: From the Ashes is the third-person shooter of Souls-likes, then Hollow Knight is the unofficial genre’s Metroidvania.
Along with memorable boss fights, one of the game’s similarities to Demon’s Souls is its Geo currency, which works very similarly to Souls.
4 Ashen
A44’s Ashen was clearly heavily inspired by the soulsborne series, but commendably added numerous ambitious mechanics as an attempt to differentiate it. A great example is the village building; like in Souls games, there is a hub-world that NPCs will join after questlines are completed. Unique to Ashen though, is that those characters will build houses in the player’s village, expanding it significantly and rewarding players for their progression.
The indie game was impressively nominated for Golden Joystick’s Xbox Game of the Year award but ultimately lost out to The Coalition’s Gears 5.
3 The Surge
A spiritual successor to another Deck13 game on this list, Lords of the Fallen, The Surge offers a sci-fi alternative to Demon’s Souls, putting players in a dystopian future.
The action RPG was a commercial success for Focus Home Interactive, likely thanks to its generously long campaign of around 40 hours, and consequently received a sequel in 2019.
2 Titan Souls
Much like the aforementioned Hollow Knight, Titan Souls may initially appear like a vastly different game to Demon’s Souls, but when playing it there are clear similarities to be found.
The top-down adventure game’s key connection to Demon’s Souls is its boss fights that are both memorable and punishingly difficult. The boss’s difficulty in Titan Souls is largely due to players only being able to take one hit.
1 Salt and Sanctuary
James Silva’s Ska Studios was predominantly known for its The Dishwasher series before the release of Salt and Sanctuary, as well as its affinity for odd titles like I Made a Game with Zombies in It! and TIME VIKING!!!!!ANDSPACERAPTOR.
The once little-known studio has put itself on the indie map with the Salt and Sanctuary. The game features excellent combat mechanics and surprisingly intricate RPG elements, that fully earnt the two-person development team’s creation its 84 Metascore.
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