Summary
There’s a common misconception with Soulslike games that a lot of players and developers seem to be missing.What typically ‘makes’ something a Soulslike gamein the first place is usually something like there is a dodge roll, the game is primarily built around skill-based 1v1 combat, collecting some sort of ‘currency’ to use to level up stats, and more. But, not enough people talk about the fact that the Souls games are only so beloved because of their atmosphere.
If the worldbuilding, environmental storytelling, and overall tone of any of From Software’s Soulsborne games fell short, they wouldn’t be nearly as popular. So, let’s take a look at some other Soulslikes that absolutely nail their overall atmosphere rather than just talking about the ones that have similar mechanical systems.
10Unsighted
Time Really Is Ticking For The NPCs In This Game
First up is a game calledUnsightedthat came out in late 2021. This game is almost more similar to the handheldZeldagames or something likeHyper Light Drifterthan it isDark Souls,being a Metroivania and all, but it does still check all the boxes that also make it a Soulslike.
Unsighted’satmosphere is entirely built around this idea of ‘time running out’ as the power source that makes all the automaton characters in this game ‘live’ is quickly running out. This general solemn tone or sense of ‘hopelessness’ is seen in a lot of the game’s music, dark or rainy environments, and even in some of the most important gameplay mechanics.
Among all the (likely hundreds) of ‘likeDark Souls’ list articles, videos, and more out there,Hollow Knightis probably on 98 percent of them. There isn’t aconversation about Soulslikeson any forum whereHollow Knightisn’t mentioned at some point.
However, no one talks about (or talks enough about) the fact thatHollow Knightis actually on a similar level to the Souls games when it comes to environmental storytelling. Whether it’s stuff like figuring out the White Lady’s relationship with Hallownest’s Pale King based on where she’s first found (and the item she gives The Knight) or the story of how the Greenpath became the Queen’s Gardens and so on. There aren’t a lot of games that manage to pull this off as subtly (or as effectively) asHollow Knightdoes.
September 26th, 2018
Grasshopper Manufacturers
GungHo Online Entertainment Inc.
The next entry is almost assuredly one that almost nobody expected to be here, but it absolutely deserves a spot. When it comes to grueling difficulty and the act of trying to make as much progress as possible while avoiding absurdly strong enemies,Let It Dieis one of the premiere examples compared toDark Souls.
That said, the overall tone ofLet It Diecan be hard to place at first, and that’s sort of exactly the point. The developers at Grasshopper Manufacture are known for making ‘off the walls’ worlds in their games (No More HeroesorShadows of the Damned,for example) andLet It Dieis no different. This extremely dystopian yet oddly charming world where the skateboarding depiction of ‘Uncle’ Death itself sends players into the mysterious Tower of Barbs is one that players are constantly desperately striving to understand as they play more and more of the game, and that’s impressive.
Out of all the games on here,Mortal Shellis probably the one that gets the closest to mimickingDark Souls’overall atmosphere. While the environmental storytelling inMortal Shellisn’t quite as strong, just about every other aspect of the game gives off the same ‘world on the brink of the end’ vibe that all 3Dark Soulsgames have.
Sure, it’s a slightly different ‘flavor’ of this atmosphere, and the game is constantly being compared toDark Soulsand not quite matching up when talked about on forums, but managing to get this close to From Software’s brand of worldbuilding is absolutely still worthy of praise.
Asone of the most recent exampleson this list,Lords of the Fallen (2023)has a very unique type of ‘feel’ to it. The game has an identity all its own, no doubt about it, but the best way to actually describe this identity is by saying something like ‘Dark SoulsmeetsBlasphemous’.
The heavily religious ‘order’ of this world can be seen in every environment the Dark Crusader treks through. And, more than that, there’s never a moment where an NPC ‘breaks character’ from the almost biblical style of speech, and that does a lot to make this atmosphere top-notch.
Sure, this next game has it sort of easy when it comes to worldbuilding since it’s entirely based on one of the most well-known fables of all time. However, whileLies of Pis a unique twist on the Pinocchio story, that’s not the part worth mentioning here in regard to its atmosphere.
There is no part ofLies of P’sworld where it isn’t immediately clear that the ‘puppet uprising’ happened and that something is deeply wrong with the status quo. Whether it’s the abandoned city streets littered with corpses, the pristine opera hall where the Puppet King resides, or even the landfill where the puppets of this setting used to be discarded in before rising up, it’s all immaculately designed.Lies of Pis compared toBloodbornea lot, and that’s fair, especially since both games have the player character gradually understanding the real ‘truth’ of the world throughout their adventure.
While most of the other examples on here are about games with a very dour, solemn, or downright fatalist sort of setting or worldbuilding,Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisenis different.
The keywords that describe this game’s atmosphere at almost every point are ‘blood-pumping battle’. Every new monster introduction has players feeling excited to figure out how to bash their heads in, and most of the places where these creatures are found make total sense in regard to the environment around them. Plus, more than anything else, the concept of the ‘Arisen’ in this setting and dragons as a whole is entirely unique toDragon’s Dogma.
When it comes to the number of secrets found throughout a Soulslike environment,theRemnantgames have even From Software beat. BothRemnant: From the AshesandRemnant 2are games where the developers have made it clear multiple times how much of a focus they placed on storytelling and/or environmental storytelling, and it shows.
Whether it’s the disgusting bug-made ‘nests’ inCorsus to represent the Iskal invasion, the general emptiness and incomprehensible skyline of N’Erud to represent this doomed world bordering a black hole, or even how almost picturesque Yaesha looked inR: FtAto represent that the Root hadn’t made it there quite yet. These games hide so many secrets in their environments, and while players are looking for these secrets it’s incredibly easy for them to also unintentionally figure out parts of the storytelling in each world as well.
Let’s be honest,Ashenisn’t one of the most ‘well-known’ Soulslikes out there. It’s not completely unknown, but it doesn’t make nearly as manyDark Soulscomparison lists as something likeHollow Knightdoes.
However,it’s a beloved game, and the aspect of it that should be covered more is how it manages to impart this atmosphere of ‘hope’ or ‘rebirth’ throughout its events. The player character inAshenis steadily rebuilding the world from a dire state as they progress, and this theme can easily be felt in its environmental design, sound design, and visuals overall.
And last up is another well-known Soulslike,Hellpoint. WhileHellpointis talked about as being a good gamefor people who want games similar toDark Soulsmechanically, it also has one of the most interesting settings as well.
Essentially,Hellpointtakes place in a derelict space station orbiting a black hole in a world where humanity messed with alternate universes, the result of which caused multiple realities to combine in an instant, creating an event called ‘The Merge’. To make a long story short,Hellpointis ‘Occultism meets Sci-F’i in a way that truly is unique, and almost every part of the Irid Novo station matches this core concept in some way, shape, or form.
