Few titles have reshaped modern gaming like Dark Souls. While numerous other developers have imitated or taken inspiration from it and created their own souslikes, its influence stretches far beyond its own genre. Developers have adopted its signature blend of challenge, atmosphere, and world-building. But what truly made Dark Souls iconic was the way it rewarded patience, curiosity, and mastery. It turned learning from failure into an art form and gave players the satisfaction of triumph earned through perseverance. In the years since its release, countless developers have drawn from its design philosophy, crafting games that evoke the same sense of mystery, tension, and triumph.
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Yet not every Souls-like has to be a direct imitation. Some titles channel the spirit of Dark Souls while shifting genres. These titles capture the emotional and oppressive aspects of FromSoftware’s games, but abandon the challenging action in favor of something else. The following four titles embody that essence in their own unique ways while showing that the soulslike formula doesn’t have to be the same.
4) Death Howl
Death Howl is one of the most intriguing takes on a soulslike game. Instead of an action-RPG adventure game, it is a roguelike deckbuilder. It takes the punishing intensity and deliberate combat of FromSoftware’s classic and transposes it into a grim, primal setting. Set in a world where beasts and man coexist in violent opposition, its visual design is stark and feral, evoking dread without relying on traditional horror elements. Death Howl features a world that feels alive, dangerous, and indifferent to your presence.
Where Death Howl truly distinguishes itself is its approach to exploration. This plays directly into the tension and pacing as players discover a dark world full of threats. This is enhanced by the game’s sound design: from monster noises to the environmental cues, everything supports the idea that you are exploring a world where you should not walk.
In its raw brutality and quiet mystique, Death Howl earns its place among the best soulslike experiences on the horizon. The gameplay may not be as flashy and fast, but it requires being prepared and thinking your decisions through. Developer The Outer Zone is launching Death Howl in 2026, and it is not a game soulslike fans want to miss.
3) Darkest Dungeon
Where Dark Souls challenges the player’s mechanical skill, Darkest Dungeon tests their endurance and mental fortitude. Red Hook Studios’ gothic masterpiece transforms the essence of a Souls experience into a strategic, turn-based format, swapping precise swordplay for psychological warfare and party management. Every expedition isn’t just a descent into danger, but despair as well.
The Dark Souls influence is apparent from the first torchlit crawl. Progress in Darkest Dungeon is grueling and often temporary; death is permanent, and even survival comes with consequences. Party members suffer stress, paranoia, and madness, mirroring the emotional toll of endless struggle. Each decision, when to push forward, when to retreat, carries immense weight. There’s no easy victory here, only the grim satisfaction of surviving another day.
Like Dark Souls, Darkest Dungeon uses its systems to tell a story about persistence in the face of overwhelming odds. The oppressive art direction, coupled with its haunting narration and Lovecraftian tone, reinforces a sense of inevitable decline. It doesn’t outright give you the story, but asks you to piece it together yourself as you use strategy to keep your party alive and sane.
2) Tunic
At first glance, Tunic looks like a charming, colorful adventure. But beneath the cute fox and pastel-hued world is one of the most intricate and challenging games of the past decade. It channels Dark Souls’ sense of mystery and discovery and pairs it with simple but engaging combat. Tunic proves that the soulslike genre can thrive outside dark fantasy; it’s proof that charm and challenge can coexist.
The game’s brilliance lies in its restraint. Instead of lengthy tutorials or overt exposition, Tunic presents a world that communicates through silence and symbols. The in-game manual, written in a mysterious runic language, slowly reveals itself as players experiment and piece together its meaning. It’s a modern echo of Dark Souls’ environmental storytelling, where understanding the world feels like solving a grand puzzle with a unique twist.
Combat in Tunic is deceptively simple but demands the same patience and precision that define Dark Souls. Enemies hit hard, resources are limited, and every encounter teaches a lesson in timing and observation. Yet what truly makes Tunic stand out is its atmosphere: a sense of wonder tinged with melancholy. Every discovery feels earned, every hidden path feels like a revelation, and the game gives you little guidance, making each more rewarding.
1) Hollow Knight
If one game truly captures the spirit of Dark Souls without directly imitating it, it’s Hollow Knight. Team Cherry’s indie masterpiece embodies everything that defines the Souls philosophy: precise combat, cryptic storytelling, and an atmosphere soaked in melancholy and mystery. Yet it does all this within the framework of a 2D Metroidvania, proving that the Souls ethos can transcend genre entirely.
Set in the haunting underground kingdom of Hallownest, Hollow Knight tells its story not through dialogue, but through architecture, ruins, and fading whispers of a fallen civilization. Every corridor hints at a forgotten tragedy; every boss fight feels like a clash of wills between broken remnants of a once-great world. This environmental storytelling is subtle and powerful, mirroring the atmospheres of Dark Souls.
The combat, too, channels that same deliberate pacing. Attacks are fast but precise, demanding impeccable timing and resource management. Like Dark Souls, Hollow Knight is punishing yet fair, each death teaching something new about patience, rhythm, and resilience. Its interconnected world rewards exploration and mastery, offering shortcuts and hidden areas that continually recontextualize your understanding of its map. Years after release and even after Silksong, Hollow Knight remains one of the best soulslikes and Metroidvanias.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
