Out of all the Soulslikes out there, Bloodborne is easily one of the most beloved and widely appreciated, with many citing its gorgeously grim environments and revolutionary combat that practically ushered in a new era for the genre. The faster pace was a stark contrast from the slower, more methodical approach in the earlier Souls games, but it was a welcome change that was widely met with praise across the board.
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However, in the years since the game's release, quite a few new Soulsikes have broken the mold even further and demonstrated a higher caliber of combat excellence in a variety of ways. Some wear the influence of Bloodborne proudly, while others diverge down a different path, showing how challenging and fast-paced gameplay can take on more than one form.
The First Berserker: Khazan
Stylish Parries And Skills Galore
- More diverse combos/attacks.
- Ability upgrades vs. Basic stats.
- Tiered parry system.
The First Berserker: Khazan takes some huge steps forward despite coming from a relatively small developer, transporting players to a dark world full of demons and decay. Players take on the role of Khazan, the great general who is seeking revenge, and will be taken on a journey through icy mountains and putrid swamps filled with grotesque creatures and enemies waiting to be conquered.
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The combat itself is incredibly fluid and satisfying, allowing players to use one of three weapon types, each with their own set of skills and perks. The parry system is far more advanced than a simple gunshot, allowing players to block, counter, and fully deflect attacks that can then be used to chain into other combos, giving them exceptional control over how they deal with certain enemies and attacks. Choice is core to the experience, as players will have many different tools and methods they can use that subsequent playthroughs will feel like an entirely different game at times.
Stellar Blade
Speed Meets Elegant Aggression
- More skill-expressive parrying.
- Mobility options that feed into combat.
- Unique abilities that extend the fighting beyond just sword swings.
Stellar Blade is a futuristic hack-and-slash Soulslike blend that fuses the player with technology every step of the way. Eve is a soldier sent to save mankind, and despite being equipped with a single metallic blade, she can tear through mechanical giants and monstrous foes without breaking a sweat. The combat is heavily reliant on timing and choosing attack windows, but there is far less downtime than in Bloodborne, where players often need to bide their time to make the perfect attack.
Instead, Stellar Blade allows them to run head-on into battle, unleashing a flurry of attacks and abilities that look just as powerful as they actually are. The game really steps into another gear later on, as players acquire more specific combos that target weaknesses or benefit certain approaches, culminating in the cinematic Tachy Mode that turns them into an unstoppable warrior with a whole new set of skills to play with.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Setting A New Standard For The Genre
- Incredibly challenging yet rewarding parry-based combat.
- Faster and more engaging.
- Meaningful upgrades that change how certain attacks can be countered.
Bloodborne may have laid the foundation for parrying in Soulslikes, but Sekiro really ran away with it. There's no changing weapons or upgrading specific attack stats, but the game still manages to deliver an unforgettable combat experience that remains the best in its class all these years later. Parrying is the name of the game, but it isn't just a button-mashing session. Instead, players need to carefully learn every single attack chain and combo, many of which can be filled with perilous attacks and other blows that each require a unique solution.
Sekiro does have a lot of the satisfying DNA of Bloodborne, but it feels much more engaging, as player skill plays a bigger role in deciding how challenging the game will be. Also, the skill tree is far more interesting, giving players tools like the Mikiri Counter, which allows them to stomp on thrust attacks and adds a layer of depth to many fights across the world. In general, the game just feels more polished and refined, taking everything that FromSoftware learned in their previous games and pushing it to the absolute limit.
Hollow Knight
More Options And Satisfying Abilities
- More aerial combat opportunities.
- Polished hitboxes and clear attack patterns.
- Upgrades and charms that meaningfully impact gameplay mechanics.
Hollow Knight’s combat thrives on exceptional clarity and precision, with players being shown exactly where hitboxes are and where attacks are going to land. Every blow feels responsive and meaningful, allowing skill to take a firmer hold and not be obstructed by things like camera angles or visual ambiguity. Because of this clearer combat feel, encounters become fairer and more satisfying, and they reward skill far more while still punishing mistakes.
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What sets Hollow Knight even further apart from Bloodborne is its emphasis on mobility. Aerial slashes, pogo attacks, dashes, and spell weaving create a fluid style of combat that outpaces FromSoftware's more grounded approach, which can often lead to moments of pause during intense fights. The Charm system amplifies this flexibility, allowing meaningful modification of everything from damage to movement, giving players greater control over how they want to face the dangers of Hollownest in far more transformative ways.
Nioh 2
Nearly Unmatched Variety
- Depth through stances, Ki, and Yokai abilities.
- Greater build variety and experimentation.
- Higher skill ceiling and expression.
Nioh 2 builds on the foundation of other fast-paced Soulslikes — including the first Nioh — but pushes it into far more intricate territory. The game introduced stances and weapon-specific skill trees that added a layer of mechanical depth that just isn't present in Bloodborne. That depth extends to the actual combat, where precise timing and deliberate decision-making become crucial elements for defeating the tougher late-game bosses, and even basic encounters become complex when factoring in all the different techniques and mechanics at play.
The addition of Yokai abilities and Burst Counters elevates this further, allowing players to interrupt powerful enemy moves and instantly shift momentum. Combined with extensive build crafting, players have a whole toy box of methods to try out and experiment with, encouraging them to test and refine their combat style. The result is an experience that feels both highly technical and endlessly customizable, offering a much higher degree of mastery and individual expression that surpasses what is offered in Bloodborne.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- March 24, 2015
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
