Summary
Everyone knows a Soulslike game at a glance these days. Checkpoints that respawn enemies, limited healing items, losing exp/currency on death, and high-octane boss fights are all clear indicators of this sub-genre of games. However, not every Soulslike that comes out is just a carbon copy of theDark Soulsgames or any of the other From Software iconic titles.
In fact, most ofthe Soulslikes that come out these daysactually build upon the sub-genre and add inventive new mechanics and systems on top of everything else. That’s what we want to take an in-depth look at today, those inventive and creative additions these developers make to their Soulslike games that help make their entries so absolutely memorable.
8Focus Points
Black Myth: Wukong
Let’s start things off with (at least at the time of writing this) the newest AAA Soulslike to come out,Black Myth: Wukong.Black Myth: Wukongis a game that one could argue isn’t even technically a Soulslike, butthat’s a conversation for a different day. Instead, let’s talk about one of the best new gameplay systems thatBlack Myth: Wukongadds to this sub-genre of games, the Focus Point system.
Tying Heavy Attacks to a specific resource that players earn throughout the course of a fight by both hitting the enemy and expertly dodging attacks is a fantastic idea. And, extending both the reach and damage of these Heavy Attacks depending on how many Focus Points are used for the attack is also an ingenious way of rewarding players for learning and mastering the classic’player vs terrifying' bosscombat system ofWukong. While Focus Points wouldn’t work in every Soulslike, there are a lot of games this system would work well in and we’re excited to see how future games build upon the system or even reinvent it.
7Weapon Combinations
Lies of P
Lies of Pis such an incredibly polished entry into the Soulslike sub-genre of games. In fact, for a lot of people, this istheir favorite Soulslike game overall(not including any of the From Software games, of course). And, a lot of this favor comes from how fine-tuned a lot of the systems inLies of Pare such as the Perfect Guard system and the Staggering system. But, these systems aren’t technically ‘new’ to the subgenre.
However, what this game does add to the Soulslike sub-genre that is entirely new (outside ofa whole bunch of lore) is the Weapon Assembly system where players can mix and match any blade and any handle to create entirely new weapons with combined movesets and Fable Skills. While there are some combinations that are a bit too strong compared to the rest, this system is incredibly well-thought-out, and it’s a system we hope returns in future Soulslike games in some capacity.
6Weapon Stances
Nioh & Nioh 2
TheNiohgames obviously weren’t the first to come up with the idea of different weapon stances during combat, but they were the first Soulslike games to really popularize this mechanic and make it work in that specific game format.
Having different stances represent different playstyles for each and every weapon option in the game only serves to give players even more ways to feel like their playthrough is entirely individual to them, which is fantastic. Plus, when combined with all the other systems that these two games introduce such as Ki Pulses, Guardian Spirits, and more it all blends together to make the end result feel so entirely polished and deep.
5Targeted Attacks & Loot
The Surge 1 & 2
Both ofThe Surgegames managed to expertly integrate a mechanic that Souls game fans had been theory-crafting for the longest time if From Software ever made a futuristic Souls game, targeted looting. To be more specific, inThe Surgegames players can actually make efforts to target specifically armored limbs of their enemies in the hopes of cutting said limbs off and gaining those exo-skeletal parts for themselves.
This way, players have to constantly decide if they want to attack the unarmored area to get rid of enemies quicker or target the armored areas for the chance to get new loot and potentially make themselves stronger in the long run, which just serves to add an entirely new level of complexity to the already complex Soulslike combat formula.
4Gun Combat & Separate Modes
Remnant: From the Ashes & Remnant 2
TheRemnantgames, bothRemnant: From the AshesandRemnant 2specifically, add a whole lot of new stuff to the Soulslike sub-genre. For one, these games are primarily aboutmultiplayer-focused gun combatin a Soulslike game, something that doesn’t sound like it should work but absolutely does. However, these games also have a core gameplay system that is equally as inventive and unique, the re-rolling system.
Essentially, players have three different ‘modes’ they can interact with at any point in the hub of both games, Campaign Mode, Adventure Mode, and Survival Mode (Boss Rush Mode inRemnant 2). Each mode is connected to the same character and hub, but players' progress in each mode is separate from each other. This allows players to re-roll their Adventure Mode as much as they want without affecting their progress in Campaign Mode and vice versa. Because of this, farming for the absurd amount of items inRemnant: From the AshesandRemnant 2is a lot easier than it would be in most other Soulslike games, and that’s a testament to the intelligent core design of the game that the developers at Gunfire Games managed to figure out.
3Roguelike Mode & Modifiers
Lords of the Fallen (2023)
The originalLords of the Fallenback in 2014 still holds the metaphorical title of ‘first non From Software Soulslike game’, and despite all its flaws, nothing can take that away from it. And while the second game that came out back in October of 2023 also had its fair share of issues, the game was leaps and bounds ahead of the originalin terms of core design and creativity.
Plus, the developers at Hexworks also put the work in to patch the game, fix flaws, update systems, and even add new mechanics over the course of the game’s lifespan, eventually even adding a roguelike mode in their final free update for the game. After messing with this mode, we can safely say that this is something that most Soulslike games would absolutely benefit from having, as it just adds so much more content to the game without technically ‘adding’ all too much in the grand scheme of things.
2Open World & Unique Combat Mechanics
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
Flintlock: The Siege of Dawnis another Soulslike that came out in 2024 and one that doesn’t get the amount of credit it deserves. This game is clearly inspired by the Souls games and all the other Soulslikes out there, but it also really innovates on the sub-genre and tries a bunch of different ambitious things.
For one, the game is essentially open-world in a very similar way to a lot of the open-world Ubisoft games. Players explore the world, unlocking new fast travel hubs, regions with new side quests, and new shops with cosmetics to purchase. On top of this,Flintlockalso innovates on the core combat system of Soulslike games in its own unique way with the way Black Powder Charges work, almost all of Enki’s combat mechanics, and more. It’s a very defensive-focused game by design, allowing players to deal gigantic bursts of damage to enemies as long as they make use of the proper windows and either parry or counter the enemy’s attacks effectively.
1Multiple Playable Characters At The Same Time
Deathbound
And finally, let’s talk about a bit more of an indie Soulslike withDeathbound.Deathboundis an incredibly unique game that, likeFlintlock, tries a lot of different ambitious things in it. And while the finished product is a bit awkward to play and has some pretty clear-cut problems, there’s also a lot that works in it. Thankfully, the game’s most important system, AKA the multiple characters in one body, works pretty well.
Essentially, inDeathbound, players are controlling 4 characters at a time, who are all different souls trapped in one body. As they fight enemies, the player will be swapping between these characters mid-attack, mid-dodge, or basically whenever they want to make utmost use of the unique skills and abilities each character has. It’s an incredibly creative idea and in practice, it works pretty well, and most Soulslike fans would probably agree that this system or a system like it is something that other future Soulslikes should also implement or attempt to build on.
