You are laying down on a bed. Standing over you is an elderly man claiming that he must give you blood to allow you to survive. The old man then states that you’re about to experience a very odd adventure that will seem more akin to a nightmare. You then faint upon seeing beasts encroaching upon you. Upon awakening you are now alone in the room and are indeed about to head into what most would consider a living nightmare. You are a hunter and to avoid being the hunted you must fight to survive against those who once were humans. Welcome to the night of the hunt…

Bloodborne needs to be mentioned first on this list for being created by developers From Software, the ones who obviously made Dark Souls. While not set in the medieval time period like its predecessor, Bloodborne has a very unique setting that seems to take place in a mid-19th century. Players will face a multitude of creatures such as werewolves and monstrous beings that were once human in combat that is fast and visceral. While Dark Souls caters to a play style that’s more defend and guard, Bloodborne aims to make players take chances in combat using weapons that can switch forms such as a hammer that can be altered into a sword. Bloodborne is an amazing title and while it will make you scream at times when an enemy overcomes you with speed that seems to defy human reaction time, when you finally learn the intricacies that Bloodborne has you will find joy that only Dark Souls players understand.

The human race has fought constantly against gods and after many battles, stand triumphantly. As the victors, humanity takes the now fallen gods and imprison them hoping that they can avoid any more conflict. Time passes and the story focuses on Harkyn, a convicted man who is released from his prison by a monk called Kaslo. Harkyn needs to regain his power that is the only means to defeat the Gods who have somehow escaped their confinement. Standing as humanity’s only hope, Harkyn must travel around in order to kill the various Gods. The question remains though, will Harkyn really save humanity or will the power corrupt him?

Lords of the Fallen makes its players feel like literal walking tanks which may seem like a departure from Dark Souls but Lords of the Fallen aims to do something that Dark Souls does quite often, lead its players into a false of security. Lords of the Fallen Harkyn is tough, he is able to wield powerful magic and large weapons without much effort. However, the various enemies the players face will challenge you to make sure you know how to use those powerful skills efficiently. Lords of the Fallen aims to make the player adapt to survive similar to Dark Souls in every possible way. Adding to an already great game there are several possible endings depending on players various choices in game leading to multiple playthroughs. Overall if you loved Dark Souls you will find a lot to love in Lords of the Fallen.

You awaken on an island in an unfamiliar location. You remember that you were shipwrecked but beyond that nothing more. While it seems the island is just a fog filled desolate place, you soon learn there are others on this island and while some wish to help you along your new journey, others wish to kill you any way possible. Arm yourself and fight the various enemies if you wish to survive. Your journey will not be easy but it will be one you must take to continue living and to discover the truth about this odd island.

Ska Studios, developer and publisher of Salt and Sanctuary should be commended. On paper a side scrolling version of Dark Souls seems odd and not possible, yet Salt and Sanctuary does just that but with incredible success. The high difficulty, the hidden lore that must be found to make a story and the risk/reward gameplay that makes Dark Souls is the main staple found in Salt and Sanctuary. Combat is fierce and fluid requiring players to use their various weapons wisely and effectively. The unique hand drawn art style looks incredible, breeding a unique styling suitable to a game of Ska Studios quality. All these elements combine to make a worthy game to be among the list of games similar to Dark Souls. Trust us, if you want something different but still in the same vein that is Dark Souls, you will thoroughly enjoy Salt and Sanctuary.

You were once a normal human. You remember those days. Then the day arrived, The Dragon appeared and sought you out. Removing your heart, you should have perished like a normal person, but instead you survived. You are now an Arisen, a warrior chosen by The Dragon to find it and defeat it to regain your human heart. Leaving your quiet life behind you, the small world you once knew will grow and expand before your very eyes. What awaits is a journey that will be fraught with amazing sights but also dangerous beasts of varying size. Arisen, if you wish to become human once again you will fight and you will get stronger to be able to stand against the same being that made you into what you are now.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is actually two elements in one, an upgraded version of the original release and a separate add on dungeon that will test players using deadly new threats and locations. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen in many ways is the concept of what if Dark Souls was even larger in scale. Boasting strong visuals, a myriad of weapons the player can use to take down foes and some incredibly tough battles, players of Dark Souls will feel at home in no time. The ability to jump on enemies both small and large was always an interesting premise that separated Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen from most adventure games like it and will be a lot of fun for players to learn and experiment with to take down foes like Griffins or Chimera. If you want a more freedom like game in comparison to Dark Souls, but that still retains that feel and essence of it, you’ll definitely wish to play Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. Now then, if you’ll excuse us we have a giant dragon to slay!

The future seems beautiful and finally the labors of technology seem to be advancing even further than ever before. Warren, our main protagonist, is happy to be given a new lease on life working for CREO, the leading power behind fixing the world one disaster after another. However, during Warren’s initiation things go south quickly and he wakes up to find that something horrible has transpired while he was knocked out. The facility has been devastated and the workers have changed, becoming frantic and insane. Warren now must fight in order to learn what is happening and if he wishes to survive. Life gives and takes as Warren will soon learn.

The Surge, the latest production from Deck13 Interactive has only recently released but it stands as a true testament to what Dark Souls could be like if thrown into a sci-fi setting. Like Dark Souls, The Surge is all about taking chances in both combat and leveling up. Players will be forced to do battle with various enemies both human sized and fifteen foot tall while using an interesting mechanic that allows players to aim for specific body parts to get new gear and do incredibly brutal finishing attacks. Like Dark Souls, combat is a mixture of being defensive but taking chances, you could run around hacking away at various enemies but will find little success in that when your stamina bar runs out leaving you open to other opponents. As you do progress in the game similar to Dark Souls you will gain new equipment that makes your character stronger and more durable, which we at Honey’s Anime won’t complain about in such a tough game. If you were getting tired of the usual dark medieval settings of Dark Souls, why not take a ride into The Surge’s dystopia like setting?

In Japan there exists a powerful golden stone called Amrita. Queen Elizabeth I wishes to gain said power to win against Spain in the current war. The story begins however when we are introduced to William Adams, locked in a tower in London he is saved by guardian Saoirse, a being that has always saved William from death even now. However, during their meeting, Saoirse is taken by Edward Kelley who wishes to use the guardian’s ability to help him get Japan’s Amrita stones. Edward Kelley travels to Japan, followed by William yet not all is quite right in Japan currently. Oni have become extremely violent and have begun attacking villages and killing innocents. William now will have to take up the sword in order to save his guardian spirit as well as hopefully bring Japan back under control.

Nioh is an amazing game that mirrors Dark Souls in so many ways all while having an identity all of itself. While combat is a mixture of counters and smart evasive maneuvers, the niche to Nioh comes from having stances that lead to a variety of different means of taking down foes. Similar to Dark Souls death doesn’t mean a simple game over, players can regain their souls if they can return to their area of death before dying again. Nioh also has an interesting system of allowing dead players from their individual games to be summoned as NPC opponents the player can fight for experience. Bosses in Nioh also require learning their timings and movements to gain the upper hand and avoid a painful death. Nioh is a tough game and if you loved the difficulty found in Dark Souls, you’ll be pleased at the challenge. We highly recommend Nioh for anyone who wants a beautiful game with a high difficulty and unique combat only developers Team Ninja could supply so harmoniously to their games.