5 FromSoftware Games That You Forgot Were Awesome

FromSoftware has ascended to the top of the video game developer mountain. After years of solid releases like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Armored Core, and Sekiro, the developer went and launched one of the greatest games of all time, Elden Ring. FromSoft’s team rarely misses these days, giving fans plenty of great games to dive into over the last 15 years or so. That said, it wasn’t always such a hit-maker. During its early days, FromSoft had a few duds, but that also means that the early era has several hidden gems that most players have forgotten.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Here are five great FromSoft games you’ve probably never played.

Who knew that FromSoft made a cutesy action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2? Well, obviously, I did, but The Adventure of Cookie & Cream isn’t widely remembered these days. That’s too bad because Cookie & Cream actually had one neat innovation in its multiplayer modes.

See, you can play Cookie & Cream like a traditional action-adventure game, and it’s mostly fine. There are some wacky visuals, entertaining action, and a chill vibe that’s easy to mesh with. You can also jump into two-player mode, which can be played traditionally, but is much more interesting when you dive into the two-player, one-controller mode.

That’s right, Cookie & Cream lets two players hold one controller, using their side to control either Cookie or Cream. You see this a lot at speed running events, where one person controls Mario’s movement, and the other does the jumping. However, Cookie & Cream gives you full control over your own character using just half the controller. It’s a fun idea that, if nothing else, physically brought you and your friends closer together.

4) Ninja Blade

Ninja Blade launched the same year as Demon’s Souls, so FromSoft was starting to gravitate to the type of game that made them so successful. Ninja Blade goes in the opposite direction.

Instead of the relatively slow-paced, deliberate battles we saw in Demon’s Souls, Ninja Blade apes games like Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry. That means blistering fast, stylish action. In fact, Ninja Blade is so focused on being “cinematic” that quite a bit of the action is reduced to quick-time events.

That can be a turn-off for many, but also your ninja surfs on a missile, so it’s worth the trade-off. Seriously, there are some bonkers set pieces in Ninja Blade. You might not gel with its QTE-heavy combat, but you should at least watch a YouTube video see how silly it gets.

3) King’s Field IV

King’s Field was FromSoft’s original big series. In many ways, you can see the primordial ooze that would become the Souls series when playing through any of the King’s Field entries. They’re slow, difficult action RPGs that are renowned for their complex level designs and massive worlds.

For this entry, you can put your favorite King’s Field entry, though I still like IV the best. It’s a little easier to go back to, as the only PlayStation 2 game, though it’s still tough to get your head around at first.

No matter which King’s Field game you pick, it’s worth at least trying one. You might fall off quickly, but getting to see where the Souls games came from makes these games a fun time capsule. Maybe someday they’ll get the Digital Eclipse documentary treatment.

2) Lost Kingdoms

One Christmas, my cousin and I rented this weird-looking RPG that used monster cards for its real-time combat. Over a weekend, we drank about two months’ worth of Mt. Dew to stay up, sleeping just a few hours each night so we could finish it before he had to leave our grandparents’ house and go home.

For years after, I would fondly think back on that odd, little game we’d randomly rented from Movie Gallery, but could never remember what it was called. The memory finally hit me when I was in front of the computer sometime around 2014, and I looked it up. When I learned that the weird card battler I loved in middle school was made by the studio behind Dark Souls, my jaw dropped.

I could tell you about how great Lost Kingdoms‘ deck customization and card combat are, but I think that story does the game justice. It’s such a great game that it stuck with me for decades despite not even knowing its name and playing it over two days. Sure, part of that might be nostalgia talking, but I’ve since gone back, and you absolutely need to try Lost Kingdoms and its sequel.

1) Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors

Otogi 2 is a game for the Sekiro sickos. Like that masterpiece, Otogi 2 emphasizes fast-paced action combat. You need to be at the top of your game to get through its many trials using one of the unique characters. Mastering their moveset is a challenge, but one worth taking on.

Thankfully, Otogi 2 and its predecessor are backwards compatible on the Xbox Series X/S, making them fairly easy to get your hands on. Like King’s Field, getting back into the swing of early 2000s gameplay might be a bit of a chore, thanks in large part to the frustrating camera controls, but it’s a neat way to see how FromSoft’s development style has evolved over the years.

While both Otogi games got solid critical scores, they just never got a big audience. In fact, Electronic Gaming Monthly’s editor-in-chief at the time explained why Otogi 2 didn’t get a big feature in the magazine by saying, “As good of a game Otogi 2 is, we still have to acknowledge that relatively few people want to read about it.” What a shame.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!