Soulslike games likeElden Ringoffer players countless optionsfor how they want to build their character. But that’s not the norm. Several Soulslike games instead focus on curating a specific combat experience and tuning the weapons and player options around that approach.
A wide array of weapons and playstyles is definitely not necessary to make a good Soulslike. Some of the best games in the genre keep things tight so fans can focus more on the narrative and level design. Here are Soulslike games with rigid combat systems.
Strayed Lightsis asmall indie gamewith a very distinctive art style and an extremely simple approach to combat. Every attack an enemy throws at the player will either be red, blue, or purple. The player must change the color of their own character to parry the correct color and dodge away from purple attacks, which cannot be parried.
This simple approach to combat is used to tell an immersive, dialogue-free story about emotion and corruption. The protagonist must cleanse their mystical relatives of overwhelming negative emotions in order to bring peace to their world and restore equilibrium.
With a heavy emphasis on timing and reflexes in combat,En Garde!does share a lot of DNA with other entries in the soulslike genre. However, unlike other games, this one presents players with just one weapon. As the name suggests, players will be going intoEn Garde!with nothing but a rapier in their hands.
The game uses the limited attack options at players' disposal to encourage engagement with the main selling point ofEn Garde!The arenas players must fight in are full of environmental tricks and traps that can seriously damage and incapacitate foes. Combat inEn Garde!is designed around using the environment to one’s advantage, and players ignore these resources at their peril.
Lies of Pdoes boast a decently-sized library of weapons, and it even has a unique customization system, letting players mix and match weapon elements. But the game’s overall combat system is certainly geared toward a specific approach to fighting.
While the setting ofLies of Pis exceptionally unique, presenting a bizarre steampunk take on the tale of Pinocchio, the combat takes heavy cues fromBloodborne. To that end, no matter what weapon the titular puppet wields, fights are designed to be fast, brutal, and aggressive. The game features a prominent stagger system, where players can knock down foes once they become groggy in order to finish them off fast.
It’s hard to find a combat system more restricted thanTitan Souls. The protagonist of this small indie game has a bow with one arrow, and that’s it. Once the bow has been fired, the arrow can be called back, traveling a straight path to the player and damaging anything in its path.
This extremely simple combat system services the overall theme of the game. Every enemy inTitan Soulsis a major boss battle, and each one of these bosses will die in one hit when the player exposes and strikes its weak point. This makes the combat inTitan Soulsmore of a puzzle, as players figure out how to use the boss’s movements against it and line up the perfect circumstances to finish it off.
Soulslikes don’t need to be dark fantasy and horrifying monsters, and few gamesexemplify that better thanAnother Crab’s Treasure. This strange, lighthearted Soulslike casts players as a hermit crab trying to reclaim his beloved shell while unraveling the mystery of increasing ocean pollution in the process.
Unlike games likeDark SoulsorElden Ring,Another Crab’s Treasuregives players just one main weapon. The rusty fork fans start with is the only weapon they’ll get for the entirety of the game. Players can upgrade it over the course of their adventure, and by the end of their quest, they should be intimately familiar with the tool.
This 2D Metroidvania has a grim dark fantasy setting that would easily mark it as a Soulslike even if its intense combat and monstrous bosses didn’t. As thrilling as the game’s combat can get, however, there’s not a lot of room for experimentation. The Penitent One has one main weapon, a sword called Mea Culpa, and that’s the only weapon players will be wielding throughout the game.
Blasphemousdoes offer players a decent array of magic prayers to discover throughout the game, andMea Culpa can be upgradedwith new moves and powers as well. But at the core of the game,Blasphemousis a hack-and-slash experience, and the sword will always be the only reliable way to take part in combat.
WhileWo Long: Fallen Dynastydoes havea decent variety of weapon stylesfor players to use, there are plenty of gameplay systems that players will need to engage with if they want a chance at success in combat. The game takes heavy inspiration from games likeSekiro, putting a strong emphasis on stealth and parrying in combat.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynastyalso has a unique system known as Spirit. This special gauge goes up in combat with successful hits and parries and goes down when players take damage or rely too much on dodging. If the spirit gauge hits zero, players will stagger, but if they keep it high, they can spend it on special moves. This encourages aggression and parrying in combat, especially since bosses have a similar gauge and can be knocked off their feet if the player fights aggressively enough.
The legendaryHollow Knighttakes heavy influence fromDark Soulsin spite of its 2D format. UnlikeDark Souls, however,Hollow Knightgives the protagonist just one weapon to use throughout the entire game. The Nail functions as a relatively simple sword that will accompany the Knight through their entire adventure.
Players can upgrade the Nail over the course of the game, increasing its damage and combat effectiveness. There are also spells and abilities to unlock throughout the game to supplement the Nail, but if players want to succeed in combat, they’ll have to learn how to wield this one main weapon effectively.
Bloodbornedoes havea decent library of weapon types, offering different combat styles for different players. However, the systems intrinsic to the game are all designed and tuned around a very specific approach to combat.Bloodbornediffers wildly from its predecessors, theDark Soulsgames, by focusing heavily on aggression, speed, and movement.
Unlike theDark Soulsgames that preceded it,Bloodbornefeatures almost zero shields. The only way to defend against enemy attacks is to parry them with a well-timed gunshot, and then punish them with a strong visceral attack. This is reinforced by the Rally system, which allows players to regain some of their lost health by attacking quickly after taking damage. Players can choose from a number of weapons for theirBloodborneplaythrough, but if they’re not playing fast and aggressive, they’re not going to get very far.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis unique in From Software’s library of Soulslikes in that it gives players only one weapon to rely on. The title character does have a prosthetic arm with special gadgets, but they won’t carry a fight like the katana will. The game forces players to learn its complex systems of parrying and dodging if they want to succeed in battle.
By eschewing the traditional RPG mechanics intrinsic to theDark Soulstrilogy,Sekirodelivers a very streamlined challenge. Mechanical mastery and character building come second to personal mastery. The player needs to personally master the game’s combat systems, and if they do,Sekiro’s single weapon won’t be much of a limitation at all.
