7 Best Soulslike Games For Feeling Like A God

Soulslike games are known for being incredibly challenging, often featuring powerful bosses who are gods, or have some connection to divinity. Unlike many RPGs, these games don’t usually let you feel like an all-powerful hero, especially when you first start playing. Instead, they aim to make you feel vulnerable and mortal, facing enemies that are brutally difficult and determined to defeat you.

I really enjoy the challenge that Souls-like games offer, and I don’t want them to be any simpler. But it’s also great to occasionally just dominate enemies and feel incredibly powerful.

Okay, so open-world and RPGs are full of games where you’re basically a god, right? But Soulslike games usually aren’t like that, even though they share some stuff with those genres – sometimes they are even considered RPGs! Still, I’ve found a couple that you can really break if you know what you’re doing. It’s usually only experienced players who can pull it off, but not always. Some of these games let you become seriously overpowered even if you’re not a pro.

Some criteria and notes:

Let’s be strict with the “Soulslike” definition and try to avoid games that need to be stretched to fit the genre. So, Stellar Blade, Jedi: Survivor, and Black Myth: Wukong will not be considered.
Playing a god isn’t enough. For example, Darksiders 3‘s Fury has the backstory that almost makes her seem like a god, but she isn’t so powerful in-game as to feel like one (unless played on the lowest difficulty).
For a game to qualify, the player has to be able to become/feel OP within the first playthrough. So, no New Game +7 where you can destroy all bosses with two hits after learning their movesets by heart.

7. Another Crab’s Treasure

Don’t Bring A Fork To A Gun Fight

Another Crab’s Treasure is a Soulslike game, but it’s worth noting it’s not the most punishing one out there. You won’t feel overwhelmingly powerful as you play. You control Kril, a small crab on a quest to get his shell back, and while he’s capable, he’s not particularly strong. Most enemies can defeat him fairly quickly, though he does have a lot of different abilities depending on the shell he’s wearing.

Okay, so if you REALLY want to become overpowered in Another Crab’s Treasure, there’s this mode where you give Kril a handgun. Seriously, a crab with a gun! And it’s amazing. He basically destroys everything in one hit. Does it make the combat super easy? Yeah, definitely. But honestly, the “Give Kril a Gun” mode is just a ton of fun. Plus, since Another Crab’s Treasure is also a platformer, if you’re more into just running and jumping, this mode lets you skip a lot of the tougher fights and just enjoy that part.

6. Titan Souls

One-Hit God

Titan Souls is a challenging game where you play as a young archer on a quest to defeat 20 (or 21, in hard mode) massive Titans. It’s a ‘boss rush’ style game, meaning you fight boss after boss. The archer is incredibly fragile – one hit and it’s game over! But here’s the catch: the Titans are just as vulnerable. Each one can only take a single arrow to defeat, making every shot crucial.

Each boss fight is like a challenging puzzle. Players need to carefully study the enemy’s patterns, find their vulnerabilities, and wait for the perfect moment to strike with a single arrow. Dying is expected and part of learning, but defeating a massive Titan feels incredibly rewarding because of the huge size difference and the fact that you only get one shot.

5. Demon’s Souls (Boss Fights)

Slayer Of Demons

Let’s be clear: Demon’s Souls isn’t an easy game, and that’s true for both the original and the remake. In fact, it can be more challenging than many other games in the ‘Souls-like’ genre, even compared to other titles from the same developer. Just exploring the world is incredibly tense, with tough paths leading to each boss and very few convenient shortcuts. Interestingly, getting to a boss is usually harder than actually fighting the boss. While most ‘Souls-like’ games are known for their difficult boss battles, Demon’s Souls is different – its impressive enemies often fall relatively quickly.

I think Demon’s Souls has just two truly tough, required boss fights: Maneater and Flamelurker. False King Allant might be another, if you want to include him. But even those aren’t overwhelmingly difficult, and players familiar with similar games probably won’t find them too challenging.

Most of the time, you won’t feel incredibly powerful, but defeating big bosses like the Tower Knight and Storm King can feel amazing, especially when you manage it without much effort. You’ll also find bosses like the Adjudicator, Old Hero, and Leechmonger are surprisingly easy to defeat.

4. Elden Ring (With The Right Build)

With The Right Spell, Ash of War, or Spirit Ash, The Tarnished Becomes A Destroy of Elden Lords

I’m a little reluctant to recommend Elden Ring because it’s really challenging. You don’t really feel powerful unless you make specific choices with your character. Even with a perfectly optimized build, you won’t feel overpowered until the very end, and there isn’t one single playstyle that can easily beat every enemy.

Despite its popularity, Elden Ring might be one of the easiest Soulslike games to exploit, and I’m not talking about glitches or bugs.

It’s easy to become incredibly strong in this game, quickly turning tough enemies into trivial threats. While sticking to a traditional sword and shield approach will likely keep you balanced, builds focused on Intelligence and Faith can become overwhelmingly powerful. Combining spells like Comet Azur with items like the Cerulean Hidden Tear lets you unleash unlimited magic, making even dragons fall quickly. Powerful weapon skills (Ashes of War), especially with weapons like Rivers of Blood, and Spirit Ashes like the Mimic Tear can also make you nearly unstoppable.

Because it’s an open-world game, Elden Ring uniquely allows players to get revenge on tough opponents. You can explore new areas, find better gear, and become stronger, then return to defeat enemies that previously challenged you.

ELDEN RING’S ENDINGThe ending also, basically, casts the Tarnished as this world’s new god.

3. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Soulslike God Of All Jobs

When Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin first came out, opinions were divided. Many criticized its confusing story, awkward cutscenes, and graphics that felt a bit old. But the gameplay itself is excellent, which isn’t a surprise since it was developed by Team Ninja. The game borrows elements from Nioh, like lots of ways to customize your character and levels that are separate from each other, but Stranger of Paradise is generally easier to play, even on its hardest difficulty setting.

The game won’t be easy; players will really need to be at their best to succeed. So, how does the game make you feel powerful? Jack can take on 28 different jobs, each with its own unique playstyle – essentially making him a master of everything. He’s also incredibly strong and enjoys using powerful attacks to completely defeat his enemies.

As the story continues from the original Final Fantasy game, Jack transforms into Chaos, a powerful, god-like being.

2. Nioh 3

A Samurai And Ninja God

Yeah, one more Team Ninja Soulslike game.

Team Ninja excels at creating games that are both incredibly powerful and surprisingly challenging. Nioh 2 perfectly demonstrates this – it gives players a huge range of skills and abilities, letting them overcome almost any obstacle. But the game also features tough enemies and bosses that keep you constantly on your toes.

While still similar to the previous game at its core, Nioh 3 significantly improves the feeling of being a powerful warrior. One key change is the ability to instantly switch between two combat styles: Samurai and Ninja. The Ninja style, in particular, is incredibly strong, boosting speed, reducing stamina use, and providing a readily available supply of special attacks. I often found that I could defeat regular enemies with the Ninja style before they even had a chance to react.

Unlike the previous games, Nioh 3 features larger, more open levels broken up into sections with recommended character levels. While you can attempt tougher areas early, most players will naturally progress through the game as intended. You’ll quickly become very powerful, letting you easily defeat enemies and clear level after level without much challenge. Overall, Nioh 3 is noticeably easier than the first two games, which contributes to a feeling of being incredibly strong.

At the conclusion of Nioh 3, the player character rises to become the Shogun – essentially, the ruler of all Japan.

1. Dark Souls (Sorcerer Build)

An Intelligent God Who Destroys From A Distance

Many games in the Soulslike genre have a particular character build that players consider an “easy mode.” This is true for the Dark Souls series and other similar games, but the original Dark Souls from 2011 is the most famous example. If you invest in the Intelligence stat, find some Moonlight weapons, and learn a few powerful Sorceries, you can become a very effective mage and defeat bosses in Dark Souls relatively quickly.

Magic and sorcery are quite strong in Dark Souls 2 and 3, but those games are designed with better balance, making these types of character builds viable.

Using spells like Homing Crystal Soulmass or Dark Bead, sorcerers can attack enemies safely from far away. Many bosses struggle to defend against this, letting you essentially become an unstoppable force, dealing massive damage while they’re unable to retaliate. It’s a powerful strategy that leaves strong enemies helpless.

2026-04-04 20:06