Now that the dust has settled on Elden Ring, we’ve been thinking about how it compares to FromSoftware’s other recent games. That in turn led us here, a definitive ranking of all the “Souls” games developed by the people who made the genre what it is today.
We’re well aware that FromSoftware were making games before the release of Demon’s Souls, but for this list, we’re sticking to the high-difficulty, action RPGs that put them on the map. This one’s probably going to get contentious quickly, so strap yourself in.
I get the impression that Sekiro is something of a marmite game for Souls fans, that is to say, they either love it or they hate it. As you can probably tell, I lean towards the latter.
As the final game in the Dark Souls trilogy, there’s something very knowing and “nudge nudge, wink wink” about Dark Souls 3. There’s nothing wrong with it really, but it feels more like a greatest hits album than an exciting new work.
The focus on community cooperation, combat fundamentals, and of course, reclaiming lost souls are all elements of Demon’s Souls design that have remained largely untouched for the last 13 years.
Dark Souls 2 wasn’t developed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, and in many ways, it shows. The levels are weirdly disjointed, it often feels more unfair than challenging, and some of the bosses are downright dreadful.
What really set Dark Souls apart from its predecessor was the level design. The sprawling, interconnected, Metroidvania-inspired world of Lordran remains one of the best-realized settings in all of gaming.
The latest, but not quite greatest FromSoftware offering absolutely raises the bar for the kind of game it is, but I can’t bring myself to call it the best Souls game ever made.