Summary
- Soulslike mechanics have been successfully blended with other genres like Metroidvanias and shooters.
- Games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Blasphemous, and Salt and Sanctuary create unique genre hybrids.
- These hybrids maintain challenging gameplay while offering fresh approaches to storytelling and mechanics.
The Soulslike genre has grown far beyond its grim roots. It’s not just about cryptic lore, punishing difficulty, and haunting boss fights anymore. Somewhere along the way, developers started asking a bold question: What if soulslike mechanics didn’t have to exist in a vacuum? What if they were fused with other genres, like Metroidvanias, third-person shooters, or even Saturday morning cartoons? And weirdly enough, it worked. Some of the best modern games have taken FromSoftware’s DNA and injected it into entirely different ecosystems, resulting in genre hybrids that are both fresh and brutal.
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Here are the most memorable Soulslike fusions out there. The ones that didn’t just borrow the formula but transformed it into something that stands on its own.
8 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Jedi Training, But Make It Soulslike
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- Released
- November 11, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
No one really expected Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to wear its Soulslike influence so openly. But there it was: rest points that respawn enemies, stamina-based combat, and aggressive parrying baked into every fight. Cal Kestis isn’t just swinging a lightsaber for flash. He has to learn every enemy’s move set, commit to attacks, and eat his mistakes like a proper apprentice of pain.
What makes it a hybrid, though, is how that design philosophy collides with traditional action-adventure pacing. It leans into Uncharted-style traversal, Metroidvania progression, and cinematic storytelling without feeling bloated. One moment, players are analyzing attack patterns from an elite Purge Trooper, and the next, they’re wall-running through ancient ruins on Zeffo. It might not be the most punishing Soulslike hybrid out there, but it’s easily one of the most approachable.
7 Blasphemous
Metroidvania With A Guilt Complex
Blasphemous
- Released
- September 10, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Game Kitchen
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania, Soulslike
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
There’s pain, and then there’s Blasphemous. A 2D soulslike Metroidvania that trades in gore-drenched religious iconography and guilt mechanics instead of souls. Every pixel bleeds with Catholic imagery and Andalusian folklore, which fits perfectly with the deliberate weight of its parry-heavy combat and intricate level design.
It’s more than just atmosphere, though. Blasphemous combines nonlinear exploration with the kind of tight, punishing melee combat usually reserved for FromSoftware’s darkest corners. Checkpoints are limited, enemy placement is intentionally cruel, and boss fights feel like biblical tests. But its real secret weapon is the lore, which unfolds in item descriptions, half-whispered dialogue, and grotesque side quests. It's a Metroidvania that doesn’t want to be charming. It wants to be penance.
6 Salt and Sanctuary
Saltier Than Lordran's Swamps
Salt and Sanctuary
- Released
- March 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
If someone flattened Dark Souls into a 2D side-scroller and left in all the nasty surprises, they'd end up with something like Salt and Sanctuary. It's aggressive, ugly, and beautiful in that deeply uncomfortable way that only souls like can be. The art style might look like a chalk sketch nightmare, but underneath it is a combat system with real depth.
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Dark Souls is a classic, but notoriously difficult game. For gamers who want something more forgiving, these similar titles are great choices.
What sets it apart is how directly it lifts from Dark Souls, yet makes meaningful changes to suit its side-scrolling format. Players still level up at sanctuaries, lose salt upon death, and build toward a variety of classes. But the platforming, branching skill tree, and weighty feel of each weapon push it into its own lane. The studio, Ska Studios, even added couch co-op, which feels like a middle finger to the lonely world of Lordran.
5 Code Vein
Gothic Anime Meltdown
Code Vein
- Released
- September 27, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
If Dark Souls and Tokyo Ghoul had a moody child obsessed with trench coats and memory loss, it would look a lot like Code Vein. It’s an anime-styled soulslike that doesn’t pretend to be subtle. Massive swords, slow and heavy swings, and a bizarrely deep class system built around “Blood Codes” that let players change their build mid-run.
Where it diverges from traditional soulslikes is in the addition of a companion system. Players are never truly alone in Code Vein; their AI partner heals them, revives them, and joins in on fights with their own moveset. It changes the flow entirely, making encounters more manageable and less punishing without completely removing the challenge. That, paired with its visual novel-like storytelling and over-the-top fashion, makes it an oddball but a lovable one.
4 Tunic
Fez With A Sword And A Vicious Backstab
Tunic
- Released
- March 16, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Andrew Shouldice
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
At first glance, Tunic looks like a cutesy Zelda clone starring a bright-eyed fox in a green tunic. But behind the innocent art style hides one of the most cryptic and punishing soulslike hybrids in recent years. There’s a stamina bar, brutal enemies, checkpoints that respawn mobs, and an obtuse manual system that replaces traditional tutorials with fragments of a fictional language.
But where it breaks away is in how much it expects players to figure out on their own. Tunic is as much a puzzle game as it is an action RPG. Combat is simple but punishing. Exploration is encouraged but never explained. And that manual? It’s not just a collectible. It’s the key to unlocking everything, from hidden mechanics to entire sections of the world. It’s a love letter to old school mystery layered over a soulslike framework.
3 Nioh 2
Samurai Souls With Lightning In Its Veins
Nioh 2
- Released
- March 13, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Team Ninja didn’t just borrow Soulslike mechanics for Nioh 2. They surgically fused them with the studio’s own action DNA, resulting in one of the most mechanically dense entries in the genre. It leans hard into fast-paced combat with multiple stances, Ki management instead of stamina, and a loot system that’s closer to Diablo than Dark Souls.
But at its heart, it’s still a soulslike. Levels are tightly designed gauntlets full of hidden paths, trap encounters, and punishing yokai bosses. What makes it unique is its historical fantasy setting. Players fight their way through a twisted version of Japan’s Sengoku period, clashing with warlords and demons alike. Unlike most soulslikes, Nioh 2 gives players the ability to fully customize a silent protagonist, shifting the tone from bleak despair to controlled rage.
2 Remnant 2
Dodge, Roll, Shoot, Repeat
Remnant 2
- Released
- July 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Gunfire Games
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Soulslike with guns. That pitch alone was enough to get people curious about Remnant: From the Ashes, but Remnant 2 took it several steps further. Instead of traditional melee combat, players wield shotguns, assault rifles, and pistols alongside their dodge rolls and stamina bars. And they’re not just mowing down enemies in corridors; they're doing it in procedurally generated worlds that remix bosses, maps, and enemy placements on every new save.
What’s more surprising is how tightly the mechanics hold together. Gunfire feels weighty, melee combat still matters, and build variety explodes thanks to the dual-class system. Pair that with some truly bizarre world designs, like a realm ruled by sentient beetles or another based on a cosmic opera, and what emerges is a shooter that plays like a roguelite wearing a soulslike’s armor.
1 Hollow Knight
Bug Souls That Broke The Internet
Hollow Knight
- Released
- February 24, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Linux
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Everything about Hollow Knight feels deliberate. The stiff, frame-perfect parry timing. The soul meter that charges from attacking. The benches serve as both save points and moments of silent reflection. Team Cherry might never have called it a soulslike, but the community did. And with good reason.
It’s also one of the most impressive Metroidvania fusions out there. The world of Hallownest opens up in layers, with new movement abilities leading to deeper secrets and tougher bosses. Death has weight, exploration demands patience, and lore hides in item descriptions and background art rather than exposition dumps. Somehow, Hollow Knight delivers the loneliness, challenge, and triumph of Dark Souls through the antennae of a silent little bug knight.
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