Soulslike games worth trying for exploration alone

Highlights

• Lords of the Fallen 2023 offers unique exploration opportunities by switching between realms to discover hidden areas and bosses.
• Blasphemous 2 links the main navigation with weapons, reveals secrets and angels for better fights.
• The vast empire, legacy dungeons, and underground cities of Elden Ring promise endless exploration.

The original Dark Souls trilogy presented a menacing, dark fantasy world full of secrets and threats. As more and more developers took inspiration from these iconic games, players were able to explore increasingly dark, monster-infested worlds.

While Soulslikes are best known for their impressive boss battles, their worlds and settings have a lot to offer as well. These games often have excellent environments and feature secret dungeons and bosses that reward a curious traveler. Here are ten of the best exploration experiences a player can have in the Soulslike genre.

10 Lords of the Fallen

Between two worlds

Lords of the Fallenis, like its predecessor, a very committed Soulslike that is heavily inspired by the original Dark Souls Trilogy. However, the 2023 title has a unique twist as it takes place in two worlds at once. To defeat the dark god Adyr, the protagonist must travel between the realm of the living and that of the dead.

Access to alternate worlds during the journey opens up new avenues for exploration. As with any good Soulslike, Lords of the Fallen takes advantage of this with several optional areas and bosses. It's worth paying attention when switching between worlds.

9 Lies by P.

Wandering the streets of Krat

The bizarre premise of Lies by P. has given way to a surprisingly excellent Soulslike with a rich setting and backstory. The fallen city of Krat holds many surprises for the intrepid puppet.

The game Blood transfused The influence is easy to spot for anyone familiar with From Software's iconic gothic adventure. The player spends much of their time in the dark, ruined streets of Krat. In true Soulslike fashion, Pinocchio can discover many secrets and twists by carefully patrolling the robot-infested streets and buildings of this decaying city.

8 Dark Souls 2

A surreal stay

The Dark Souls The trilogy has always had a strange relationship with space and time. Even in the first game, time broke apart, bringing together warriors who lived hundreds of years apart. Dark Souls 2 goes one step further with the surreal kingdom of Drangleic.

The locations in Dark Souls 2 make no sense. For example, the player can take an elevator from the top of a tower to the ground floor of a castle surrounded by lava. This makes exploration a much more unpredictable endeavor. Players can never be quite sure what they will find around a certain corner, which gives the world a strange, dreamlike quality and adds a completely surprising character to the player's adventures.

7 Blasphemous 2

Accepting the miracle

Blasphemous 2 takes a unique approach to the Metroidvania formula by tying most of the core movement systems to the player's arsenal of weapons. Unlocking a new sword not only opens up possibilities in combat, but also allows the repentant to access new areas and unlock secrets.

And the world of Blasphemous 2 is certainly full of mysteries. Those who investigate carefully will discover hidden angels, secret nun-like creatures, and powerful new spells and altarpieces that enhance the Penitent's combat abilities. If players hope to unlock the game's true ending, they'll need to look closely at the world around them.

6 Dark Souls 3

Plumbing work in the ruins

Even by the standards of the series, the world of Dark Souls 3 is grim. This entry covers the complete dissolution of the Age of Fire and the collapse of the eternal cycle that has held the trilogy together all these years. Ruins and palaces from across the trilogy collide and shatter in a magnificent and tragic spectacle.

The dying world of Dark Souls 3 is full of secrets and worries for the player to uncover. If fans take the time to explore every nook and cranny, they can find truly shocking things, like the ancient demon ruins from the first game, now buried and covered with burnt-out demon corpses. Dark Souls 3 is the perfect farewell to this cult series and is full of references and treasures.

5 Hollow Knight

Harvesting Hallownest

Hollow Knight is known for mixing the tropes of the Soulslike genre with the Metroidvania formula. In keeping with this combination, much of the game's story revolves around exploration. The game is set in an insect world where a mysterious and mystical ruin lies buried beneath a small town, attracting explorers and diggers looking for ancient treasure.

Although the player character has his or her own reasons for visiting the ruins of Hallownest, exploration is still an important part of the game. Secret upgrades and collectibles are hidden behind false walls, and tricky platforming challenges Hollow Knight. Given the extreme difficulty of the game's bosses, players need to grab every advantage they can get.

4 Blood transfused

The Secrets of Yharnam

The blood-soaked streets of Yharnam serve as a suitably gothic backdrop for Blood transfusedFrom Software's cult cosmic horror Soulslike. As in many other Soulslike games, Yharnam is deeply interconnected, with tricks and shortcuts connecting areas to the heart of the city. Thanks to clever navigation, players never get lost.

As the night wears on, the situation in Yharnam becomes increasingly dire, and it is the player's sole responsibility to find the source of this madness. Careful exploration will help the good hunter uncover the truth behind Yharnam's destruction and prepare to confront the unknown.

3 Dark Souls

Linking Anor Londo

The iconic Dark Souls brought players to the kingdom of Lordran, a once proud kingdom slowly consumed by the curse of the undead. Dark Souls became an instant classic for several reasons, but what impressed players the most was the map design. Lordran is a fully interconnected world that players can completely map from one end to the other.

As players explore each region in the game, shortcuts and alternate paths are discovered, allowing them full access to the world and its map. The ability to fast travel isn't unlocked until about halfway through the game, and they can only teleport to certain campfires, so figuring out where to go requires intimate knowledge of the game's interconnected world.

2 Ashen

Search for home

Ashen is an unconventional Soulslike. It features a simplified cel-shaded art style, in contrast to the large, detailed palaces and temples of the original Dark Souls trilogy. But that doesn't make exploring the game any less fun. AshenThe diverse open world of is still full of secrets and discoveries that the player must uncover in their search for a home.

The world's passive multiplayer system means that players can meet each other face-to-face on any expedition, triggering new encounters based solely on the players' collective choice. This dynamic multiplayer system strengthens a world already rich with dungeons and caves that cry out for adventure.

1 Elden Ring

Mapping the countries between

When it comes to the sheer amount of things to discover, few games can compete Elden RingThe Lands Between is a vast realm, and there are things to explore all over the map. The game is famous for its massive Legacy Dungeons, but caves, catacombs, and ruined settlements across the realm offer just as much adventure, and just as many secret treasures.

The vast extent of the lands between the worlds is only a part Elden Ring's immense size. Deep beneath the earth lurks an extensive network of subterranean cities, with even more secrets waiting to be unearthed. And of course, the recent DLC introduced another massive region for players to explore. You could invest hundreds of hours in this massive Soulslike game and still not have seen everything there is to see.