If you’ve exhausted the Land of Shadow in Elden Ring, there’s plenty of other Soulslikes on the horizon to punish yourself with.
It’s been over a decade since developer FromSoftware created an entire subgenre with Dark Souls, but its influence has only continued to accelerate as the years go by.
While it’s hard to find titles to match FromSoftware’s pedigree, there have been some standout exceptions, including the likes of Nioh, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Another Crab’s Treasure, and (if you stretch the definition slightly) Hollow Knight.
Judging by what’s to come, beyond Elden Ring’s Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion, we might be adding more to that list soon. So here’s all the Soulslike titles to keep an eye on for the rest of 2024 and beyond.
Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn – July 18 (Xbox/PS5/PC)
Developed by A44 Games (Ashen), this action role-player has whiffs of both Dark Souls and God Of War, as you fight to save mankind from extinction by taking out the old gods.
The biggest strength might be the combat arsenal of lead character Nor Vanek, who juggles between melee weapons, firearms, and the ability to summon a fox-like creature called Enki – to distract enemies, teleport, or infuse attacks with magic.
Enotria: The Last Song – September 19 (Xbox/PS5/PC)
If Steelrising managed to feel refreshing with its French setting, Enotria: The Last Song is hoping to achieve the same with a world inspired by Italian folklore. Even without that knowledge, the sun-kissed location goes some way to breaking the typical Soulslike mould.
The combat hook here is role-altering masks you equip, with the developers promising there’ll be over 30 to collect in the final game. There’s also a reality altering mechanic used in both combat and puzzles, which could give the game another unique edge.
Phantom Blade Zero – 2024 (PS5/PC)
Originally announced at Sony’s State Of Play in 2023, this blend of Chinese martial arts and steampunk is expected to arrive at some point this year.
Gameplay wise, it looks closer to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – with fast, crunchy combos and an equivalent of the stagger system. While it looks familiar, despite the ‘kungfupunk’ lean, it might give FromSoftware a run for its money in terms of outlandish boss designs.
Black Myth: Wukong – August 20 (PS5/PC)
Inspired by the Chinese novel Journey To The West, Black Myth: Wukong has mostly struck a chord through its impressive visuals – with its developer insisting it’s not technically a Soulslike.
It sure looks like one though, even if there are also some clear influences from God Of War and other third person brawlers. A key hook is the various transformations you can undergo during fights, including a giant wolfman who wields a fire glaive.
Deathbound – 2024 (Xbox/PS5/PC)
If you’re after something a little different, Deathbound gives the Soulslike formula a party dressing. Here, you can dynamically transform between characters with different combat skills on the fly, collecting more as you progress.
While it’s unclear how flexible the customisation is between these different warriors, it’s an interesting idea that will hopefully help it stand out from the crowd.
Soulframe – TBA (PC)
The developers behind Warframe are cooking up a Soulslike MMO in the aptly titled Soulframe, which is still early in development.
Considering Warframe’s popularity and the fact it’s free-to-play, you would assume this will work in a similar way. Digital Extremes are next set to showcase the title during a Devstream at TennoCon on July 20, so expect more details then.
Tails Of Iron 2: Whiskers Of Winter – TBA (PS5, Switch, PC, Xbox)
If you’re after a 2D Soulslike, the sequel to Tails Of Iron looks set to be the best bet outside of the eternally delayed Hollow Knight: Silksong. The first game was a pleasant surprise and comes from Manchester-based developer Odd Bug Studio.
After a war with frogs in the first outing, Whiskers Of Winter sees rat prince Arlo venture against a new deadly threat in the north.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers – 2025 (PS5, Xbox, PC)
Announced during this year’s Xbox Games Showcase, this action role-player is another take on the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice mould. Set in the late Ming Dynasty, it follows a young female pirate warrior who is trying to piece together her past, while a mysterious disease ravages the land.
It looks pretty derivative, but like Black Myth: Wukong, it carries a level of polish which might make still make it interesting.
Whatever FromSoftware is working on next
At the time of writing, it’s unknown what FromSoftware’s next project is after Shadow Of The Erdtree. While it seems like Elden Ring might continue in a cross-medium fashion with a film or TV show, director Hidetaka Miyazaki has been fairly clear that a direct sequel is not imminent.
Last month, he said he’d like to work on a traditional Japanese role-player, in the vein of the studio’s previous games like Enchanted Arms. He’s also said he’s open to returning to Armored Core, but with the sixth instalment Fires Of Rubicon only out last year, it might be a while before that series comes back around again.
Miyazaki has also suggested that he’d like to ‘sharpen’ the combat philosophy in both Bloodborne and Sekiro. After describing the ‘fluid and active’ mechanics in Sekiro, he said: ‘Personally, I think there’s one more level we can crank it up to and sharpen that and hone in on that mechanic even more.’
That sounds like he’s got a new Soulslike already in mind but whether it’d be part of an existing franchise or something brand new is currently a mystery.
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