Action RPGs Similar To Dark Souls That Are Not Soulslike Games

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The ‘soulslike’ genre—known for its tough battles, dark worlds, and challenging enemies—has exploded in popularity over the last few years, inspiring many different games. While players love the difficulty, sometimes it’s appealing to enjoy an action-packed game that feels similar, but with its own unique gameplay and satisfying experience, rather than strictly adhering to the soulslike formula.

Many games have taken inspiration from Dark Souls, but there are still plenty of RPGs that are just as fun, and sometimes even more so. These games feature challenging, stamina-based combat where careful timing and strategic attacks are key. They don’t let you get away with reckless play, demanding patience and skill. Unlike many ‘soulslike’ games, the emphasis isn’t on magic or ranged attacks; instead, it’s on intense, close-up fights that can feel incredibly difficult and unforgiving.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Fighting Against Creatures Of All Sizes

Details:

  • Tactical timing in combat
  • Large foes that can feel like soulslike bosses

Combat in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen demands strategic thinking. Stamina depletes quickly if you attack carelessly, so players need to carefully plan each move. Fighting larger enemies requires even more planning – you might need to climb on them to hit their weak spots, or fall back and regroup when you’re low on health to avoid powerful attacks.

The game clearly takes inspiration from Dark Souls, especially in how dangerous the enemies are. Even regular enemies can be incredibly tough, quickly defeating players and creating a constant sense of threat. This feeling of danger persists throughout the game, challenging players both in terms of skill and strategy, whether they’re facing a powerful boss or a simple foot soldier.

Ghost of Tsushima

Intense Swordsfights From Start To Finish

Details:

  • Satisfying melee combat
  • High-stakes duals that require patience and concentration

Ghost of Tsushima’s combat is all about strategy. Success in fights depends on precise timing and keeping your distance. You’ll need to switch between fighting styles to deal with different enemies, and reacting quickly is crucial – a wrong move can lead to a swift defeat.

The combat feels very intentional. Players can’t just button-mash; they need to learn the system and carefully choose when to attack. It demands focus, and while it’s similar to other ‘soulslike’ games, it distinguishes itself by emphasizing precise timing and strategic openings rather than constant, frantic action.

Greedfall

Weighty Battles With A Huge Amount Of Brutality

Details:

  • Challenging fights with unique mechanics
  • A combination of combat styles, both ranged and melee

GreedFall is a role-playing game where combat is more about careful planning than fast action. Success depends heavily on your positioning – running into a group of enemies will likely leave you with no escape.

Enemy placement is inspired by games like Dark Souls, encouraging players to carefully draw out opponents one by one and progress slowly, rather than rushing into large battles. The encounters are challenging and require patience – players must strategically time their healing and attacks to secure victory.

Rise Of The Ronin

Borderline Open-world Sekiro At Times

Details:

  • Posture system for varied fight styles
  • Timing-based attacks in every encounter

In Rise of the Ronin, combat is quick and exciting, but requires careful planning. Players must manage their stamina (Ki) to balance attacking and defending. Battles are dynamic, with players constantly trading hits, but it’s important to stay disciplined – a single mistake can be fatal.

Ultimately, skill is the most important thing, and players who practice can quickly learn to block and counter attacks, becoming very strong. However, even skilled players can be defeated by mistakes. This creates a challenging and tense experience, similar to Dark Souls, where success depends on your ability and focus, not just luck.

Monster Hunter Wilds

Taking On Monsters Both Big And Small

Details:

  • Combat rhythm that rewards patience
  • Effectively a series of coordinated boss battles

Monster Hunter Wilds focuses heavily on challenging boss battles, leading some to compare it to the ‘souls-like’ genre. However, it still feels unique. Each hunt isn’t just about fighting the monster; it’s a careful process that starts before the battle even begins, requiring players to prepare thoroughly by considering various external factors.

Winning hunts depends heavily on understanding how monsters attack. However, it’s not just about dodging – players need to plan for long chains of attacks. The game shares a similar learning curve with Dark Souls; with enough practice and knowledge, difficult bosses become much easier. Skilled hunters will eventually overcome even the toughest enemies after learning from many failures.

Severance: Blade of Darkness

A Precursor To The Soulslike Genre

Details:

  • Precise stamina-based combat
  • Enemy moves become incredibly important to learn

Severance: Blade of Darkness feels like an early version of the ‘Souls’ games, featuring many of the same elements years before that style became popular. The fighting is deliberate and impactful, and quite unforgiving – managing your stamina is crucial. Plus, attacks are directional, meaning players have to carefully consider their positioning and plan each move.

Even late in the game, many fights can be really tough, demanding patience and careful observation before jumping in. Before Dark Souls became famous for its difficulty, Blade of Darkness was already pioneering engaging combat challenges that went beyond simply making enemies have a lot of health and deal high damage.

King’s Field

FromSoftware’s Early DNA

Details:

  • An early example of the soulslike genre
  • Challenging and brutal level design

While FromSoftware is famous for creating the “soulslike” genre, their challenging game design goes back much further than Dark Souls. King’s Field was one of the first games to feature many of the elements now common in soulslike games, such as precise combat and tough enemies. Though it lacks the modern look and feel of later titles, King’s Field shares a similar focus on exploration, leaving players to navigate vast, unforgiving dungeons with minimal guidance and very little opportunity to rest or feel secure.

Considering its age, the combat feels a bit old-fashioned compared to today’s soulslike games, but you can definitely see where the genre got its start. Progressing through the game is tough – there aren’t many checkpoints, so you mostly advance by memorizing enemy patterns and learning the levels. It’s a game that truly tests your skill and patience. Rushing in or being careless won’t get you far; instead, you’re encouraged to carefully explore and figure out the best way to handle each enemy – a style that became a staple of the soulslike genre.

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2025-12-27 02:39