Sometimes, you just crave a game that presents a serious challenge.

Such games contribute significantly to maintaining a reasonable playtime for shorter games, especially considering the frequent boss refights.

Without a doubt, the ideal genre for this kind of experience is a Soulslike game.

A feature image collage of the gloomy landscape of Steelrising, the Serpent boss from Elden Ring, and characters fighting a giant boss in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

Biomutant places you in the midst of an open-world game with branching narratives, centred around the damaged Tree of Life and conflicting tribes. Its mutation mechanic allows you to change looks, abilities, and more throughout the game.

The Xbox Series X|S will make a Soulslike player of you yet.

Look no further - this list has you covered!

Its mutation mechanic allows you to change looks, abilities, and more throughout the game.

biomutant gameplay racoon holding a sword

Dont forget to meditate often, as those meditation points act as your bonfires in this game.

The first major improvement is the enhanced combat, which introduces new lightsaber stances that provide more combat options.

The world is also larger, filled with side quests, characters, and plenty to explore.

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Biomutant places you in the midst of an open-world game with branching narratives, centred around the damaged Tree of Life and conflicting tribes. Its mutation mechanic allows you to change looks, abilities, and more throughout the game.

And yes, the Souls-like aspect is still very much present.

They both have remastered versions, too.

The gameplay is familiar, but there are some unique quirks to each game that keep them unique.

Cal Kestis wall runs while being shot at by Stormtroopers in Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order..

You get to create your own character before joining a group to find various Bloodsprings.

in which you fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

This is due to the necessity of mastering deflections to succeed.

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Cal Kestis is a Jedi Padawan who must escape the clutches of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It’s a third-person action-adventure game with elements of the Metroidvania genre, and gives you access to plenty of Force abilities.

The beauty of this game lies in its straightforwardness.

it’s possible for you to focus on mastering combat while enjoying the story.

You mist take on demons that have permeated the land, becoming a hero in the process.

Cal Kestis in Jedi: Survivor.

8Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

A Final Fantasy Souslike??

You take control of Jack, someone interested in destroying Chaos.

It follows the story of Jack, a man obsessed with destroying Chaos.

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a 2023 sequel from Respawn Entertainment that continues the story of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Knight who fights to survive the brutal Galactic Empire.

What sets this reboot apart is its introduction of the Umbral World.

Lords of the Fallen is a next-gen soulslike action RPG, and a soft reboot of the 2014 original.

Developed by Hexworks, it features two parallel worlds - the living Axiom, and the dead Umbral.

8 Nioh 2

You get to play as a shinobi in a very classic take on the Sengoku period of Japans history.

You must take on formidable bosses along the way, using all your skills to survive and conquer.

If you’re a fan of Soulslikes, 2023 came with a ton of them!

Code Vein the hero thirsts

Mortal Shell launched in 2020, and is an action RPG set in a dark, brooding atmosphere.

Malenia from Elden Ring, the generic knight from Dark Souls, and the protagonist from Sekiro.

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Code Vein is an action RPG designed to be played in co-op, either with a friend or an AI partner. in which you fight to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Colliding swords showcasing the Combat in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

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Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an action RPG from Team Ninja, set in a dark fantasy parallel to Han Dynasty China. You mist take on demons that have permeated the land, becoming a hero in the process.

Jack, Jed, Ash, and Neon in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

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Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin in an action RPG from Team Ninja, and serves as an alternate-world prequel of sorts to the original Final Fantasy. It follows the story of Jack, a man obsessed with destroying Chaos.

Jack and his party in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Strangers of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin - Main Character Wistfully Closing Fist

the party from stranger of paradise battling enemies

Jack and group Strangers of Paradise

Astos in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin

Gambler in Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin

Lords of the Fallen reboot

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Lords of the Fallen is a next-gen soulslike action RPG, and a soft reboot of the 2014 original. Developed by Hexworks, it features two parallel worlds - the living Axiom, and the dead Umbral.

The Wolf fighing against the Corrupted Monk in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice

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Bringing classic FromSoftware gameplay to feudal Japan, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice sees a lone shinobi, Wolf, seek revenge. You must take on formidable bosses along the way, using all your skills to survive and conquer.

Mortal Shell

Three-image collage of a close-up of the Scrapped Watchman from Lies of P, the main character build standing in the violet Umbral atmosphere in Lords of the Fallen, and the player approaching Nimue in Remnant 2.

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Mortal Shell launched in 2020, and is an action RPG set in a dark, brooding atmosphere. It features a possession mechanic, in which you take control of the dead and use them as shells to unlock different abilities.

Triple-A Games