10 Soulslike Games More Like Sekiro Than Dark Souls

Highlights

• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice stands out as a gem among 2019 games for its punishing swordplay and stealth emphasis.
• NIOH offers a challenging action rollercoaster with historical references, innovative combat stances, and a unique parry system.
• Wo Long, Thymesia, and Lies of P all provide varying degrees of Sekiro-inspired combat systems and challenging gameplay.

Depending on who is asked, 2019 was either a lackluster year for games or a downright terrible one. However, there is unanimity in the fact that there was one gem from the selections for 2019 in the form of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

The game, developed by the legendary FromSoftware, was a beauty to behold, and even years later, players are still replaying the game and consider it one of the best FromSoftware offerings. Among other things, Sekiro made a name for itself with its punishingly difficult swordplay and parry system, along with its emphasis on stealth. Thankfully, many other Soulslike titles can scratch the Sekiro itch if players want to take a break from the Dark Souls games.

Updated August 2, 2024 by Famutimi Oluwafemi: The term ‘soulslike’ has become a staple in the gaming industry and there are always new titles and even old that fall into thise category. That said, with how revolutionary Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was, there is a growing demand for games that are closer to the Japanese dark fantasy epic, that to the more brooding Lovecraftian surroundings of Dark Souls. Here are some of the best of such games.

10 NIOH

A Great Soulslike With A Dash Of History Just Like Sekiro

Team Ninja’s NIOH is an action rollercoaster that has real historical references, which might be fascinating for anyone with a passing interest in history. The player controls William, a character based on William Adams, an Englishman who is considered one of the only Western samurai.

NIOH might not be as hard as Dark Souls or Sekiro, but it is certainly challenging. It also makes use of a parry system, and the player can choose between stances, which makes combat more innovative and engaging.

9 Hollow Knight

An Indie Darling In Every Sense Of The Word

Hollow Knight is the indie version of a Dark Souls game. It features a deep and interesting story, with gloomy backgrounds and areas, and satisfying boss battles. Hollow Knight incorporates beautiful animation and very innovative gameplay, which means that each victory feels earned, something that should feel familiar to fans of Soulslikes.

It also has a lot in common with a game like Sekiro but also differs as players have to think of the platforming aspect of the game, which can also be difficult to grasp. A lot of Hollow Knight’s difficulty is found in the DLC content where boss rush battles can be maddeningly challenging. So anyone looking to pick this game up should be ready for a tough time.

8 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Get Ready To Parry

Released in 2023, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is sometimes called the Chinese Sekiro mostly because of its feudal Chinese setting. Where Wo Long misses in terms of an engaging story, it more than makes up for with its combat system.

In Wo Long, the player has access to a bevy of weapons, which makes combat varied. The parry mechanic is also reminiscent of Sekiro, but unlike the latter where fans can’t parry and counter certain enemies, Wo Long integrates the parry system in every encounter. It has good replay value and is certainly a great “Sekiro-like” entry.

7 Thymesia

The Combat Leans More Toward Sekiro

Set in a plague-ridden world, Thymesia requires the player to figure out what is causing the plague and bring an end to it. The story itself is vague and not the most compelling, but the bright spot is the very fun combat system.

While the atmosphere, story beats, and characters make this feel more like a soulsborne game, the combat leans more towards Sekiro in the fighting style, which allows the player to dodge attacks or deflect them and enemies need to have both their white life bar and green “wounds” bar depleted to die. While not the most challenging game, it is still definitely a good time.

6 Code Vein

Features A Detailed Combat System For Players To Master

Code Vein was developed by Bandai Namco, who is also the publisher of Elden Ring, one of FromSoftware’s more recent games. Code Vein is unabashedly a Soulslike with a lot of the mechanics linking it to the classic FromSoftware title.

Its similarity to Sekiro lies largely in its deliberate combat system, which revolves a lot around recognizing enemy patterns and responding appropriately, whether it’s to dodge, block, or attack. The game isn’t too challenging and while the enemy variety is lacking, it does feature some awesome boss battles and enables the player to customize their character to their heart’s content.

5 Lords Of The Fallen (2023)

Features A Resurrection System Similar To Sekiro

The Lords Of The Fallen is the reboot of an earlier game simply called Lords of The Fallen released in 2014. The Lords Of The Fallen is a different kettle of fish in that it gets the Soulslike trope really well with a few innovations.

It compares to Sekiro in how it utilizes the world of the dead, which is an alternate realm the player can access by way of a lantern. If the character dies, he can be revived, similar to how Sekiro can be revived by Kuro’s Dragon Heritage.

4 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

A Soulslike With A Little More Jank

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to the highly successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The game takes place quite a while after the first game and it is a good idea to check out the first game before playing this one, but it is not mandatory.

Survivor has the player hop planets while fighting different enemies and while some might bristle at its comparison to Dark Souls, it is totally a soulslike. The difficulty is right up there especially on the Grandmaster difficulty, and it leans into the style of Sekiro with some of the parry mechanics and the intricate fighting style. The game also includes stances which helps to vary the fighting style quite a bit and keeps things interesting for the player. Survivor is an amazing sequel to a game that took many by surprise and it’s a great game to try out.

3 Ghost Of Tsushima

A Vibrant World Set In 13th Century Japan

Ghost Of Tsushima is an adventure game that brings the Japan of 1274 to life with stunning vibrancy. The exploration and story elements of the game are genius and players can sink hours and hours into it without feeling tired. The combat feels authentic and is reminiscent of Sekiro in that it revolves around parrying the enemies attacks and fighting back.

While not nearly as difficult as Sekiro or any of the other souls games, it is a great example of a game to usher newer players into the harsh world of challenging games. For gamers looking for a challenge, the game also features a ‘lethal mode’ where both enemies and players die in a couple of hits. This really freshens the game up and gives the player an element of satisfaction as they mow down enemies in the most realistic fashion.

2 Kannagi Usagi

Sekiro, But With Bunny-Inspired Anime Girls

• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Developer: Tonoji
• Genres: Action game, Indie game
• Publisher: Tonoji
• Released: November 2023

Kannagi Usagi is a strange game: released late in 2023, the developer, Tonoji, is relatively unknown and this is the only game they have made. The game is free and available on Steam and anyone who has played it says the same thing— it is exactly like Sekiro.

The game is short, and can be completed in under 30 minutes. It features solely boss fights where the player will need to parry attacks while looking for an opening against the opponent to strike back and try to attain victory.

There is no real story to speak of, neither is there anything like exploration as the game lives and dies by its combat. Its remarkably similar fighting style to Sekiro makes it a perfect primer for people who haven’t played Sekiro and need something to give them a feel of what to expect from the FromSoftware game’s combat. The difficulty is not as punishing as Sekiro, but it is enough to prove a challenge for the average gamer.

1 Lies Of P

Where Understanding The Flow Of Battle Is Paramount

This 2023 Soulslike was unabashed in showing off where it got its inspiration from and if one were to simply compare by atmosphere, this game is more like Bloodborne. But, what makes it much closer to Sekiro is the importance of parrying attacks. In Lies Of P, the player is helpless without understanding the flow of battle and when to parry.

In terms of difficulty, Lies of P does not disappoint as it was so challenging that dissident voices forced the developers to patch the game to make it a tad less difficult.

Honorable Mention – Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Tenchu was a game released in 1998 that tasked the player with carrying out missions using stealth. Thus, it predates the use of the “Soulslike” term and doesn’t neatly fit the definition. However, Tenchu‘s influence on Sekiro is unmistakable. A lot of the battle mechanics and difficulty will remind any Sekiro player of the game, so it’s worth mentioning.

FromSoftware was heavily involved in the production of Tenchu 3 and 4, which is something that also links the two games with Sekiro. Tenchu might sport some dated visuals now, but it is still a very good game to help get into the groove for Sekiro.