Summary
Soulslikes are known to be some of themost brutal, unforgiving, and desolate experiencesyou could ask for, offering everything from tragic backstories and lore to seemingly insurmountable boss encounters that will keep you on the edge of your seat and on the verge of tears for hours on end.
Whether you’re chipping away atFromSoftware’s masterpieces or diving into the genre from another angle for the first time, we can all agree that it’s beneficial to see more welcoming sights and sounds to avoid going mad. Fortunately, several experiences offer that solid Soulslike gameplay we all know and love, but under the guise of something more sunshiny and whimsical!
While it may not have stuck its landing fully,Enotria: The Last Songoffers a unique and refreshing take on the tried-and-true Soulslike formula,presenting a wonderful world drenched in Italian folklore,ranging from the canovaccio to the eerie Monaciello and everything in between, making its setting unlike anything you’ve experienced.
From its bright colors to dancing townfolk to the flashy and captivating combat, Enotria offers an excellent experience that is a must-play for anyone looking for a Soulslike in a more welcoming setting. While that doesn’t mean the boss encounters are any easier (trust us, it isn’t), the overall atmosphere and vibes are, which may just be enough to hook you for the long run, even if it’s quite rough around the edges!
Speaking of colorful Soulslikes that are pretty rough around the edges, we have Asterigos: Curse of the Stars up next, which has a surprisingly fun combat system that aims to streamline your actions, which has its fair share of pros and cons to be sure. While it isn’t the most technically sound experience out there, it’s fun to jump in and play, especially if you’re looking for more forgiving gameplay.
Asterigos is a bright and poppy experience that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Still, it also has loads of small design choices that can sour you on the entire experience, ranging from laughable dialogue to unskippable cutscenes to some performance hiccups, making it challenging to outright recommend at full price, but worth checking out if you can find it on sale and want a jollier Soulslike title to play in your downtime!
Fextralife Wiki
Despite its setting, atmosphere, and overall aesthetic being drenched in that sweet dark fantasy you love in this genre,Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originis by far one of the funniest and bizarre entries on this list, even when it attempts to take itself a bit too seriously. From Jack, the game’s main protagonist, exclaiming ‘Bullshit!’ before pulling out an iPod and blaring nu metal to his obsession with finding Chaos, you’re in for a treat from start to finish with this game.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is very fun, snappy, and palatable to play through, especially if you want to bring a few friends along for the ride. While the story will often try to swing things into a more serious tone,it instantly sabotages itself with a random line of dialogue or fistbump that will have you buckled over from laughter,as you attempt to fight a Tonberry that annihilates you twenty times in a row minutes later. It’s superb and we cannot recommend it enough!
Looking for a Soulslike with pure whimsy, excellent animation, and gorgeous art? Well, look no further thanKena: Bridge of Spirits, which you can tweak to be as hard or easy-going as you want it to be, allowing you to get precisely what you want out of it. While it is a Soulslike first and foremost, it also has some excellent puzzles, platforming, and tremendous exploration that ties everything together, making it a must-play if any of that caught your eye.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is pure joy, as each area offers a sandbox for you to explore and poke around in, as you rescue more and more Rot, which act sort of like Pikmin, allowing you to solve more puzzles andobtain even more equipment, outfits, and trinkets for your efforts.This game fires on all cylinders, and if you ever wanted to play a Soulslike made by Pixar, this is the closest you will ever get!
Next up is theLast Hero of Nostalgaia, another dark fantasy Soulslike that takes everything you know and love about the genre, turns it on its head, and then hurls it out the window. All in the name of nostalgia, baby. While you get the obligatory parodies and references to the Dark Souls series, you will even get winks and nods to games like Mario Kart, Final Fantasy, Dead Space, and even Guitar Hero.
Is the Last Hero of Nostalgaia the best Soulslike out there? Not necessarily. However, it does ooze style and offers an unforgettable experience from start to finish. Even if it does stumble every now and again (looking at you, Wilds Warning).If you want a Soulslike that likes to laugh at itself and reference other banger series,then this is the one for you. The combat is also pretty good, so that’s also a plus!
Lastly, we haveAnother Crab’s Treasure, which is arguably the best title on this list and one that brought this beloved series to an even broader audience with its adorable protagonist, unique setting,and surprisingly rewarding combat system.Again, it isn’t perfect or on par with what you would get from the likes of FromSoftware, but it doesn’t really need to be, and this is living proof.
Another Crab’s Treasure executes what it sets out to do with ease and has lots for you to see and do, scratching that Soulslike itch you have while also presenting you with a colorful underwater world with undercurrents of sadness and despair. But, again, Kril is cute, and you may put even cuter things on them, so it sort of balances things out. If you haven’t already, give this gem a chance!
