What Are The Most Fun From Software Games Of All Time?
Is there a gaming company that has not made a "bad" game for more than a decade? Well, I think there is one candidate for the answer.
We all love From Software games. They have created a new genre of games that took the world by storm. The games From Software has made are all great games that are really fun to play; but, which ones are the most fun? Today, we will be finding the answer to this question.
10. King’s Field
Everyone played or at least heard of the Souls games. You played them, your friends played them, your dog probably played them. Did you know the origin story of these games? King’s Field was released in 1994, the first video game ever made by From Software. This game is the legacy of Dark Souls and the very first “Souls” game.
In King’s field, you play as Jean Alfred Forester, the royal heir to Verdite. At the start of the game, you are plopped down into the world, with no tutorial, no handholding, nothing. The game is difficult, extremely difficult. You know how these games are. Well, King’s Field is another beast entirely. You will die in this game, many, many times.
In King’s Field, you will go through hordes of skeletons, weird octopi creatures, knights, and game mechanics like a very-difficult-to-get-to-save system that will suck the soul out of you. I don’t want to spoil too much, but you might also come across some old friends from the newer Souls titles. So, don’t forget to have an eye on your sword’s durability and your potion count, and have fun.
Released in an era of a very low polygon and pixel count, the game looks really outdated, I know. However, if you are a fan of From Softwarethat has played the souls titles, playing this game will be an eye-opening experience.
9. King’s Field 4
While the King’s Field wasn’t that big of a success when it was first introduced to the western market, the company continued to improve itself and make better titles. Released in 2001 in Japan and 2002 in North America, King’s Field IV: The Ancient City is considered the best game in the series.
Taking things to Heladin, you can traverse through countless traps, monsters of all kinds, and a convoluted and terrifyingly difficult world. Playing as Prince Devian, the game is a much better-constructed version of the first game with similar but improved mechanics. You can traverse the world, solve puzzles, manage your ever-growing inventory, and get one-shotted by seemingly easy enemies.
The game is unrelenting from start to end. The difficulty might become manageable at certain points in the game to just become even more difficult than before. To beat the game is to pay homage to From Software and understanding what they would go on to do in the future.
8. Armored Core 3
Not that From Software only makes bang-your-head-against-the-wall, oh-my-god-is-this-game-for-real-right-now games. While we all love the company for making those challenging games, their biggest series before the Souls games was Armored Core. It basically had nothing to do with King’s Field that came before it or the Souls titles that would come after it.
No. Armored Core is a mecha shooter. The third game of the series was released on PlayStation 2 in 2002. The game is fast, unrelenting, and more fun to play than one can imagine. In Armored Core 3, you pilot huge mechs that are called the Armored Core units and fight against other huge machines while also doing objectives.
One of the fan favorites, Armored Core 3 is seen by many to be the best Armored Core game, me included. If you have never heard of this series of games made by From Software, maybe you should give it a shot. The tightly constructed gameplay quality From Software is known for is also on display in this title.
7. Demon’s Souls (Remake)
It starts now. Every From Software best games list starts to look the same after the first 3 games. From Software created a new genre of video games, starting right here, in 2009. While we are listing the remake of Demon’s Souls in this list, just imagine that this spot is also for the original.
King’s Field started it all, and Demon’s Souls cemented it beyond a shadow of a doubt. In this RPG masterpiece, you will be going through the world of Boletaria. You will have to conquer five different regions of this place to return the Old One to its slumber. I don’t want to say more to not spoil the whole game but be ready for a rich and unforgiving world filled with every monster imaginable.
Released in 2009 for the PlayStation 3, the game received a remake from Bluepoint Games made in 2020 for the PlayStation 5. If you don’t have a PlayStation 3 to play the original, or if you think the graphics might not look up to speed for the next-gen, try the remake. The remake pays significant homage and respect to the original while improving the technical aspects of the game by quite a lot. Like, “how did technology advance this much in 11 years?” kind of improvement.
While the game did not receive the praise it would get after a decade when it was first released, it started something in the gaming world that still shakes it to its core, especially in RPGs. The game is brutal, like every game that would be released after it, but still a lot of fun along the way.
6. Dark Souls 2
This might be the spot where things get a little controversial. After the colossal success of Dark Souls 1 (we’re going to get to it, don’t worry), the main creative genius behind the games everyone knows and loves, Hidetaka Miyazaki, started work on Bloodborne (we will definitely get to that). While Miyazaki was working on Bloodborne, the other side of the studio kept working on Dark Souls 2.
And what a game it was, it has its die-hard fans and its haters. It has new mechanics, like fast travel, healing items that you can improve as you find items, and new ideas for bosses.
Yes, boss fights. We should talk about boss fights. The main criticism of this game was the bosses and how they were just “dudes inarmor”. Well, yes. But as you fight the Pursuer wielding a great sword three times the size of your character, this “dude in armor” will fill you with adrenaline and you will be overcome with joy as you defeat him on your 30th try.
The world is rich, colorful, sometimes bleak, dark, and simply terrifying. The lore is rich but hidden, the main aspects of why people love these games are still here, and more. Explore, die, and get good.
5. Dark Souls 1
Here it is. You may not like where we placed it. It was the game that introduced the idea of how Souls games functioned. I remember playing it in high school, never really believing that I could even beat the game. And I couldn’t. It was too unforgiving, too brutal, well, too unfair.
As I went back a few later. I realized that it was none of those things. The game is forgiving (at times), brutal to the extreme; yes, but immensely fun. Finally, it was fair. No matter how many times you died, it was your fault. You used checkpoints to progress and used them to level up and hit harder. However, the main way to overcome the challenges in this game was to, well, get good. Get better.
You have to learn how your enemy functions, moves, attacks, or defends. From the asylum demon to the ash-filled endgame, your enemies change from gigantic lava creatures to agile knights in exile. Everyone and everything has a story, and the world is rich beyond belief. The game design is majestic and could be taught at art institutes.
If you have never played a Souls game, or a From Software title for that matter, start here. You might be saying: “If this game is that good, why is it the 5th one on the list?”. Great observation, random straw-man reader that I created in my head. Dark Souls is a masterpiece, yes. However, the games we will be talking about from this pointare even better (in my opinion, of course).
4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Released in 2019, Sekiro can be described as a stripped-down Dark Souls. The game takes place in a Japanese setting, where you play as a nameless shinobi working under Lord Kuro, the divine heir. If you’ve ever wondered what game has the best combat mechanics ever, you are in the right place.
You can’t change armor or have new weapons (well…); ok, you can use a variety of shinobi prosthetic tools in your arsenal, but you can’t change your katana. You can get new skills, but there is barely any customization. Well, that’s different than the Souls series! Well, do you remember parrying? Yes, you could parry a lot of enemies in the Souls series, but you could get through the games without any parries if you wanted to.
Not Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. You have to deflect the incoming attacks of your enemies by pressing the deflect button perfectly as they hit you and then attack. The combat is tight and while it may seem basic, there are many varieties of attacks, enemy types, and other things, it never gets old, even when you are slashing through enemies non-stop in New Game+.
Experience a more story-focused title with everything you love about the Souls series and more. The combat gameplay is the best there is and mastering the game and bashing your head against the wall as you die to the same boss for the 10th time never felt better.
3. Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 is a love letter to Dark Souls 1. You will recognize places, enemies, and NPCs all over the world. As the world of Dark Souls comes to an absolute, over-the-top, and amazingly brutal collapse, you are tasked with the impossible. The fire is fading, the fire that keeps the world alive, and the age of darkness is near. The lords of cinder have been summoned back from the grave to give light back to the flame once again; but they refuse. You are tasked with bringing them back.
The mechanics are the tightest it has ever been. From Software is also more confident in their game, and they are not afraid to make it even more difficult. You are used to this by now, getting killed by the same enemy who knows how many times. There is more customization, more armor, and more weapons. Bosses with multiple stages, relentlessly difficult areas with hidden loot and lore.
The world of Dark Souls 3 is rich and the most jaw-dropping. It is a final farewell to the Souls fans and believe me, it throws everything at you and does not shy away from trying new things, but also really familiar ones as well.
Also, play the DLC. Please, play the DLC. The ending of the second DLC is the best sequence in gaming I have ever seen from the time I started playing video games, almost two decades ago now.
2. Elden Ring
You’ve gotten used to intricately designed, small but detailed areas and worlds by now. Well, how about open world? When Elden Ring first got announced, it seemed like a risk. However, as we have the latest From Software title in our hands now, we knew it was a risk worth taking.
The world of any From Software game has not been this intricate and filled with detail since now. With a world created by George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, you can’t expect less, honestly.
Go through the Lands Between as the Tarnished, one of many, and try your luck against the unhabitable world, countless monsters, and gods. With countless pieces of equipment, crafting, mounts, summons, and countless new mechanics, even after five and more games, the worlds created by From Software feel even more fresh than before.
1. Bloodborne
We know that Miyazaki likes to read Berserk, but H. P. Lovecraft, we didn’t know. Bloodborne, released exclusively for the PlayStation 4, is dark, terrifying, gothic, bloody, and above everything, Lovecraftian. The game tricks you first, with a Victorian-gothic architecture and down-to-earth fights and enemies; however, as you progress, you see Yharnam for what it is.
Go below the bottomless depth of the world of Yharnam as a hunter. You will start by hunting werewolves and monsters and by the end, you might have the chance to have a go at Old Gods. The game is bloody, brutal, and even has guns! The game also gives you trick weapons that you can transform on the go to have another set of attacks and mechanics. These weapons are probably the best designs for weapon in any video game ever.
The world is also rich, and if you are a fan of 19th-century gothic horror and H. P. Lovecraft, you will fall in love with this game.
You might be asking yourself: why is Bloodborne number 1 on the list? Well, it’s all personal opinion at the end of the day. I am fascinated with H. P. Lovecraft’s works and the world he created, and this game is a masterful homage to the fear of the unknown and malevolent gods, among many other tropes H. P. Lovecraft was known to write about. If you have a PlayStation 4, give it a try. For me, this is the most difficult game From Software has ever made and every day we pray for a remake or at least a remaster for PC. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and also, fear the old blood. Fear the old blood.
