Discover the best Souls-like games and challenge yourself with these epic boss fights.
“YOU DIED”. Two words that arguably set up an endearing franchise built upon dying as a rite of passage and as a way of ‘getting gud’. It is unmistakable by now how influential the Souls series has been on the game industry, ever since the release of its first title Demon Souls back in 2009 for the PlayStation 3.
If you’re like me and you have already finished the game enough times over that it has somehow lost its replay value, especially with its epic bosses, then here are some of the industry’s best Souls-likes, a subgenre dedicated to masochistically hard gameplay and difficult game design.
15. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2019
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice gameplay
Surprise, surprise. Even after saying that their next game would not be a Souls game, FromSoftware and lead developer Hidetaka Miyazaki still can’t help themselves and ended up using Souls-like elements with one of the most anticipated games of 2019. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice lacks RPG elements, but the combat and its environmental design will heavily remind you of a Souls game, albeit with more leeway and freedom in your movement. Fans of the original Dark Souls who repeatedly died at the bridge/roof-way guarded by the two silver knight archers will rejoice at the fact that Sekiro offers more mobility than previous From games, while still retaining the challenging aspects of enemy and combat design.
Sekiro’s story is set in a reimagined late 16th century period Japan, filled with otherworldly enemies in addition to various warring clans. The game focuses on a shinobi’s efforts to rescue his lord after the latter was kidnapped by an enemy clan, and take revenge upon them after they severed his arm and left him for dead. With the help of a busshi, a term for a Buddha sculptor, and being rechristened as Sekiro, or “the one-armed wolf”, the shinobi gets a prosthetic arm loaded with weapons and tools in order to assist him in his journey.
Boss fights to watch out for: As the game is still in development, news regarding the bosses of the game is still scarce, but From has released a pre-release version which features the Corrupted Monk, a tall, imposing humanoid armed with a katana bigger than a normal man. The boss is surprisingly agile and has supernatural powers which allow him to cloud an area with smoke and appear out of nowhere, making it a good first taste of what is to be expected with the game’s full release.
New and Exciting Ways for Traversal: With the shinobi’s prosthetic arm, the player can traverse areas such as rooftops, adding a new layer of complexity and variety to the game.
Stay in the Shadows: Sekiro features another component that is not found in other Souls-likes – stealth. As a shinobi, Sekiro is well-versed in stealth and certain areas of the game reward you for using stealth as a way to catch enemies off-guard.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Sekiro will feature bosses relative to the 16th century Japanese period, such as this Corrupted Monk with supernatural capabilities and a huge sword.
14. Code Vein (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2019
Code Vein gameplay
With the announcement from FromSoftware that Dark Souls III will be the final game for the series, publisher Bandai Namco is left with either having to publish Souls-likes from other developers or develop their own. They chose the latter, and with that Code Vein was born. This Souls-like is set for release in 2019, and is currently being developed by the team behind the cult classic God Eater series.
Not much is known about Code Vein as it is still in development, but early trailers and screenshots show that it will have an anime art style, also similar to the God Eater series. Truth be told, an anime Dark Souls is long overdue, considering the fanbase’s regular comparison of the series to Berserk by Kentaro Miura, a fact that even Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki doesn’t deny. Code Vein is set in an amusingly cliched “not too distant dystopian future struck by disaster with very few survivors.” The game features vampires, with it taking the tagline “Prepare to Dine” as somewhat of a respectful yet playful nod to the PC release version of the original Dark Souls, “Prepare to Die”. It also differs in that you will be able to take a “buddy” with you as oppose to being on your journey alone while battling different enemies and bosses. It remains to be seen how much this will affect gameplay when it comes to hand-holding, as the Souls series in general pretty much left you to your own devices.
Boss fights to watch out for: A pre-release version of the game features the Queen’s Knight, a black and red knight sporting wings and armed with a huge, spike-laden greatsword and a shield. It looks formidable upon closer inspection and its attacks have some incredible feel of weight to it, leading to the conclusion that it is as hardcore as it can get.
‘Buddy System’: Code Vein sets itself apart from other Souls-likes with the inclusion of a buddy system, a component that is more common with Bandai Namco’s God Eater series.
Multiplayer Component: Code Vein will include a multiplayer component with it as with the original Souls series, though the nature of it and whether it is restricted to cooperative only is still unknown.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: The game’s first confirmed boss, the Queen’s Knight. An imposing figure that reminds Souls veterans of something akin to Dragonslayer Ornstein from the original Dark Souls.
13. Hellpoint (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) – 2019
Hellpoint gameplay
If you’ve ever looked at a game like Doom or the Dead Space series and wondered why aren’t there more games that catered to that hellish cosmic experience, then you’re in luck. Coming next year is Hellpoint, a Souls-like developed by Cradle Games, a new developer out to make a name for themselves with a take on the Dark Souls formula that hasn’t been tried yet: parallel universes in space merging to form Lovecraftian entities that torment your character as he tries to survive this nightmare.
Unlike the Doom Slayer or Isaac Clarke, however, Hellpoint sees your character use melee weapons primarily in an attempt to mix an RPG Souls-like with the horror of the isolation in space, with the cherry on top that is Cthulhu-inspired enemies. The game is set in a space station that is orbiting a black hole, affecting everyone in it and adding a layer of suspense and unpredictability. Hellpoint is also based on a structure called the Quantic System, which takes control of dynamic events that change the way the environment and enemies work. If it works, this system could add another level of complexity and depth to this already intriguing Souls-like, and in the process provide fans of the subgenre a new game to look out for.
Boss fights to watch out for: A cosmic being called Undisturbed Defas Namundi is featured in one of the game’s latest demos. It takes the form of a gigantic floating and meditating humanoid Lovecraftian horror that uses an astral projection of itself to attack you. While we are still yet to see if the game holds up on its Souls-like properties, Hellpoint has already seemingly nailed the horror aesthetic it’s aiming for with this boss in general.
In Space, The Black Hole Rules All: Hellpoint is set in a space station constantly rotating a black hole which affects all living life inside, turning them into grotesque monsters and driving them insane.
Sci-Fi Design and Inspiration: The game is being marketed as Souls in space and Sci-Fi Souls, and as such features various concepts related to it. There is also a great variety in enemy design, ranging from the humanoid to the overly grotesque.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Hellpoint’s first boss, Undisturbed Defas Namundi, was featured and introduced to players in a demo. Hellpoint takes a lot of inspiration from the Lovecraftian genre and Cthulhu mythos.
12. Nioh (PC, PS4) – 2017
Nioh gameplay
My personal choice for the best Souls-like, Nioh by Team Ninja is an amazing achievement within the subgenre, proving that although nothing can match the original, there is still room for great games to flourish and for Souls players to enjoy. Based on an unfinished script by legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa and starting out as a multimedia project, Team Ninja managed to get hold of it with the subsequent development lasting four years. It revolves around a fictionalized account of a historic Western samurai named William Adams, as he is enlisted by then-servant Hattori Hanzo in defeating supernatural yokai flourishing in the war-torn Sengoku period in Japan.
As a Souls-like, Nioh lacks RPG elements and instead focuses on William’s exploits as he struggles to win the war against the yokai and historic figure Edward Kelley, who in this game also possess dark alchemical abilities. It does however, retain the challenging aspect of combat, with a wide variety of enemies and bosses to conquer, as well as various melee and ranged weapons to choose from. Nioh is also divided into missions instead of having a traditional interconnected game map, focusing more on a linear storytelling experience.
Boss fights to watch out for: In terms of difficulty, this boss is not the hardest but it’s certainly one of the most memorable. The Yamata-No-Orochi, based on a mythical Japanese creature, a gigantic snake which has eight heads and eight tails and will require you to battle it on top of Nobunaga’s castle. The battle is as epic as it sounds, and will require you to use every ounce of wit to defeat it.
‘Revenant’ Mechanics: An interesting aspect of Nioh is the inclusion of bloody graves, which are markers left behind by the corpses of other players running different instances of the game. These can be activated to spawn revenants, enemies bearing the same level and equipment as their counterparts and allowing players a chance at better loot.
In-Depth Equipment Customization Options: Nioh allows for various customization of different armor parts and weapons found throughout the game, as well as the inclusion of sets that provide bonuses to the player if worn.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: As the game’s final non-optional boss, the gigantic serpent Yamata-no-Orochi provides a decent challenge to the player.
11. The Surge 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2019
The Surge 2 gameplay
The sequel to Deck13 Interactive’s Souls-like sleeper hit, The Surge 2 will feature a new setting away from the original’s CREO megacorporation complex and into a larger city in the midst of an ecological collapse. After the events of the first game, a plan to release nanobots into the atmosphere in order to rectify the wrongs ended up having the opposite effect, (who would have thought) instead driving the mechanically-enhanced human population insane, leading to massive chaos.
As with the original Surge, the game features modular upgrading paths as its framing for RPG elements, following the techno-centric nature of the series. However, it departs from the upgrade a gear system slightly, with players being able to weaponize everyday items into deadly equipment, a system similar to the Dead Rising series. In addition, the enemy and boss AIs have been improved, so expect a greater challenge this time around.
Boss fights to watch out for: A pre-release version of the game has shown a terrifying statue boss called Goddess Helena that attacks the player as he wanders the Park sector of the city. The boss’ design is shown to be consistent with the former Surge game, melding inanimate objects with machinery to form monstrosities.
Huge City Setting: The Surge 2 departs from the CREO complex in the first game into a bigger open world in the form of a city ravaged by the nanobot infestation and subsequent breakdown of society.
Character Customization: In a departure from the first game which featured only one playable character, The Surge 2 will allow for character customization for better immersion.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: The Surge 2’s pre-release version includes the boss named Goddess Helena, a mechanical statue that shoots gigantic beams of laser.
10. Eitr (PC, PS4) – 2019
Eitr gameplay
A game shrouded in mystery and is still in heavy development stages, Eitr is a Souls-like played in an isometric fashion and sharing many qualities with dungeon crawlers, more specifically Diablo. It is being developed by Eneme Entertainment and is set to be published by Devolver Digital, although the exact date is still unknown. There is very little news available about the game, save for the barebones about its plot and setting. Here’s hoping that it gets past everything and doesn’t end up as one of this decade’s vaporware, a term used for games in limbo and development hell.
Eitr’s story derives from Norse mythology and is focused on the Shield Maiden, as she sets about to stop the spread of the substance eitr, which has poisoned the great tree Yggdrasil and is about to engulf all nine realms. Finding herself to be immune to the poisoning effects of the wretched substance, the Shield Maiden faces various enemies and bosses in her journey to find out the mystery of her fate.
Boss fights to watch out for: As there is little news regarding the ongoing development of the game, much of the information regarding the enemies that will be featured is derived from the single gameplay trailer that has been released. A huge Norse warrior is briefly seen fighting the Shield Maiden, indicating that the game will feature bosses based on figures from Norse mythology.
Isometric Souls: In a vast departure from other Souls-likes, Eitr will feature gameplay from an isometric view, similar to dungeon crawlers like Diablo.
Hordes of Enemies, Rendered in A Unique Art Style: Eitr features a somewhat pixelated art style for a unique game design and features various enemies to confront the Shield Maiden in her journey.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Eitr will feature bosses inspired by Norse figures, such as this towering Viking warrior.
9. Devil May Cry 5 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2019
Devil May Cry 5 gameplay
Dante’s back, and he’s more stylish than ever. Capcom’s fifth entry in the Devil May Cry series, aptly titled Devil May Cry 5, sees the return of Dante, the series’ main protagonist after the events of Devil May Cry 2 (its story takes place last chronologically). The player will be able to control Dante, Nero, who first appeared in Devil May Cry 4, and a new character only known as V, who Capcom says will play an integral part in the story.
While the past games were not particularly known to be Souls-like in nature, Devil May Cry 5 is revamping the combat and will be given a higher difficulty, in addition to a huge plethora of enemies and bosses. The hack-and-slash component will be turned up to eleven, and various moves and combos are included to make the game feel stylish as ever. The game will run on Capcom’s new RE Engine, which is chosen to give the game a photorealistic effect.
Boss fights to watch out for: A single demon boss named Cavaliere Angelo was featured in a pre-release gameplay video during Capcom’s panel in the Tokyo Game Show 2018. It moves around the battlefield with speed and reflexes to match Dante’s and will more than likely test the player’s mettle once he faces him.
The Gunplay Cometh Again: Devil May Cry 5 brings back the action-filled sword and gunplay that made the series very popular, while cranking up the challenge several notches higher. Pictured above, Nero stylishly executes several demons.
New Weapons For All: Devil May Cry 5 features both returning weapons such as Dante’s Rebellion, Sparda and Ebony & Ivory, as well as new ones, such as these Buzzsaw-like weapons that transform into a motorcycle called Cavaliere when combined.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: One of the game’s first bosses to be announced is the demonic Cavaliere Angelo, featured during Capcom’s panel in TGS 2018.
8. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2017
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice gameplay
I cannot recommend this game enough. If you’re looking for a game that’s not just a Souls-like, but something that transcends descriptions, play Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. This masterpiece of a game is described as an “independent AAA title” by its developer and publisher Ninja Theory. Developed by a group of twenty people but released and marketed like a major publisher-backed game, Hellblade blends several genres, including hack and slash elements, puzzle and psychological horror.
Hellblade is inspired by both Norse and Celtic mythology and follows a Pictish woman warrior named Senua who makes her way to Helheim while defeating otherworldly creatures in order to rescue her dead lover’s soul from the goddess Hela herself. In the background, however, she is dealing with her own psychosis, as she suffers from it but believes it to be a curse put on her; haunted, disembodied voices will often fill the silences of the dark, desolate places she visits, adding an amazing layer of depth to the game and complimenting the weighty combat design. I could write and discuss this game for hours on end, purely because of how it portrays mental psychosis really well, and as such puts you in a place of immersion like never before.
Boss fights to watch out for: Hellblade features only four boss fights, all of them based on mythical Norse figures: Valravn, Surtr, Fenrir and Hela. Each encounter is as amazing as the last and will definitely make an impact on your own journey.
Motion Capture Goodness: Hellblade features amazing motion capture design for the main character, Senua, as she is portrayed by Melina Juergens.
Stunning Locations, Even in a Nightmarish Landscape: The game features a variety of different landscapes which seem to reflect the various psychoses of the main character, giving the game an incredible amount of depth and immersion.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Helllblade features only four bosses, but each one is well-crafted and executed. My personal favorite, Fenrir, is designed in a blue shadow realm and almost corporeal in some instances.
7. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2015
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay
Next to Bloodborne, this game is considered to be one of the best games of the modern era – an amazing action adventure title that cemented its developer CD Projekt Red as a paragon of impeccable game design. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is easily something you already have knowledge of if you’re a gamer, as this title reassured that single-player games are most definitely not dead, contrary to what Electronic Arts would have you believe. Wild Hunt is a direct sequel to 2011’s The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and the series itself is a loose adaptation of sorts to The Witcher series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The game focuses on Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known in this world as a witcher, as he seeks his adopted daughter Ciri and ultimately save her from the Wild Hunt, a force from an otherworldly dimension hellbent on capturing her and using her powers.
The game features both action RPG elements as well as hack and slash features. Geralt has access to a vast armory of weapons, armor and tools, as well as some magic to help him defeat various enemies in the game. There is also a big emphasis on narrative, as Geralt’s dialogue choices via a wheel as well as his actions throughout the game will directly affect the ending, of which there are several. The game features a wide variety of enemies, mini-bosses and bosses, all with varying degrees of difficulty
Boss fights to watch out for: There are three main bosses from the Wild Hunt, in addition to several mini-bosses scattered throughout the game. Imlerith, one of the Wild Hunt elite soldiers, will provide one of the best challenges in the game and is equipped with a formidable frost shield to counter your attacks.
Vast Open World: The Witcher 3 features a huge open world for you to discover. The game map is filled with secrets and side missions for completionists, all challenging to their own merit.
Huge Variety of Enemies: The Witcher 3 has a wide plethora of enemies, both human and creature. Every one will provide you with a challenge, so make sure to always be prepared.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: One of the Wild Hunt’s elite soldiers, Imlerith, also acts as one of the game’s main bosses, in addition to the various mini-bosses scattered in the game world.
6. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) – 2011
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine gameplay
A hack and slash video game under the Warhammer 40K universe, Space Marine can barely be classified as a Souls-like; released in 2011, the same year as Dark Souls, its gameplay design is something akin to the God of War series, focusing more on brutal combat that pits you against various enemies. However, it does offer amazing combat design as well as boss fights, in addition to its emphasis on heavy melee combat. Developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ, Space Marine focuses on the Ultramarines chapter of the Warhammer 40K universe, a series of media covering books, tabletop games and video games.
Space Marine features a hybrid of both shooting and melee combat, in relation to its source material of space marines under the Imperium of Man faction. The main story follows Captain Titus and his 2nd company as they attempt to liberate the Forge World Graia from an alien Ork invasion, sponsored by the Forces of Chaos. The combat itself feels very weighty, owing to the fact that the included weapons in the game are massive in size.
Boss fights to watch out for: An arena fight with the leader of the Ork invasion, Warboss Grimskull is one of the harder bosses in the game. His two-phase encounter will punish those who do not prepare in advance, so be sure that you are well-equipped before the battle.
Mow Down Orks by the Numbers: Primarily a hack and slash title, Space Marine features a variety of weaponry, both melee and ranged, in your quest to rid the Imperium of heretics like these orks.
Multiplayer Features: Space Marine features a selection of multiplayer game modes in addition to its single player campaign.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Warboss Grimskull, featured, is a leader in the Ork invasion of Forge World Graia and one of the harder bosses in the game.
5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, OS X, Android) – 2013
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance gameplay
What happens when you remove trim down the fat of a regular Metal Gear game, put an ultraviolent cyborg as its protagonist and just make the game focus on boss fights? You get Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in all its unapologetic glory. Even its use of the nonexistent word “revengeance” should clue you in on how batshit insane this game is. Developed by PlatinumGames for Konami and a spin-off of the mainline Metal Gear series, MGR follows the cyborg Raiden as he confronts the private military company (PMC) Desperado Enforcement.
Rising is a huge departure from the series tactical stealth action and instead focuses on hack and slash gameplay on steroids, seeing Raiden use a high-frequency blade which can dismember, bisect and vivisect his targets with ease. MGR also features a Blade Mode, which slows down time and allows precision cutting of various limbs in a geometric plane. The game almost exclusively focuses on bosses, featuring lengthy battles with members of Desperado Enforcement with very small sections devoted to other enemies and areas.
Boss fights to watch out for: Probably my favorite in the game is the two encounters with Samuel Rodrigues AKA Jetstream Sam, a cyborg and one of the core members of Desperado Enforcement. The first encounter sees Raiden losing decisively as part of the story, making it motivation to finally beat him in the second one as revenge. Jetstream Sam is a masterclass in boss design, being so challenging to the point that you will praise the developer’s efforts in coding him.
Destroy Metal Gears by Your Lonesome: As a cybernetically enhanced human, Raiden is capable of defeating full-sized Metal Gears on his own, which also act as multi-stage bosses.
Variety of Weaponry: Besides the high-frequency blade, Raiden has access to different weapons, sometimes earned by defeating other enemies.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Raiden’s second encounter with Jetstream Sam, as he seeks revenge for their prior encounter.
4. Lords of the Fallen (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Android, iOS) – 2014
Lords of the Fallen gameplay
Deck13 Interactive’s first foray into Souls-like territory, Lords of the Fallen is an action adventure game with heavy RPG elements. Of all the games on this list, Lords of the Fallen is the one with the most Souls-like qualities, which is both a blessing and a curse; retaining qualities from Souls helped it gain a foothold on players looking for a pure Souls experience, likewise too much similarities but less polish lead it to be labelled nothing more than a Dark Souls clone and prevented it from having an identity of itself.
Lords of the Fallen is set in a fictional fantasy realm and sees you playing as Harkyn, a former prisoner who’s on a mission to stop a god from unleashing the full power of his demonic forces as he tries to reclaim the world. Uncannily similar to the Souls series in terms of combat, the game features a wide variety of weapons, armor and even magic. There is a class system as well, which leans heavily on RPG roots, but the magic system can be used by all classes, giving the player a wide sense of variety in terms of customization and future playthroughs.
Boss fights to watch out for: One of the most memorable boss fights in the game is the one involving The Annihilator, a huge imposing knight with a gigantic mace which he can throw around.
Huge Variety of Weaponry: Lords of the Fallen features a huge variety of weapons to choose from, with special weapons for different classes.
Battle Different Enemies: Lords of the Fallen features a wide variety of enemies, from small grunts to big hulking bosses.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Harkyn fights The Annihilator, the last of the Rhogar Lords.
3. Darksiders III (Pc, PS4, Xbox One) – 2018
Darksiders III gameplay
The long-awaited entry to the Darksiders series, Darksiders III tells the story of Fury, sister of both War and Death, featured in both Darksiders and Darksiders II, respectively. Developed by Gunfire Games and published by THQ Nordic, Darksiders III follows Fury in her own story that runs parallel to her two Nephilim siblings as she seeks to defeat and destroy the Seven Deadly Sins after they escape imprisonment and wreaking havoc on earth.
Darksiders III features an overhauled combat and open world system that grows harder with each Sin defeated. The game features a levelling and crafting system similar to its predecessor, and the player will make use of Fury’s whips, swords, flails, daggers and magic while in combat. It also features puzzle solving and platforming elements, which are both present in Darksiders II. The Seven Deadly Sins act as the game’s main bosses, with each of their defeats bringing Fury one step closer in her goal for the Charred Council.
Boss fights to watch out for: The Sin who leads the others is called Pride, aptly conceived and written. It takes the form of an angel with resplendent wings and a large rune broadsword. This boss will fire beams of energy that can be really difficult to manage, culminating in a back and forth that is memorable for the whole game.
Huge Open-World Design: Darksiders III takes place in a chaos-ravaged earth, as well as some parts in the Nether and the Hollows.
Whip It: Fury primarily wields a whip in combat and is much more adept at magic than her brothers War and Death.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: The self-proclaimed leader of the Sins, Pride is also one of the most powerful, and will definitely give you a hell of a time.
2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, OS X, Linux) – 2014
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor gameplay
Set in the legendarium of J.R.R Tolkien, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an action RPG set in an open world Mordor. The game is famed now for its use of the Nemesis system, which allows the game to track any Uruk that had significant encounters with the player character and use that data to plan out the interactions for when they meet again. This allows for a game experience tailored specifically to your playthrough and game choices. It was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment.
The plot follows a Gondorian Ranger named Talion, who gains supernatural abilities after bonding with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, who created the One Ring with Sauron. The game sees them take revenge upon the Black Hand, who murdered Talion’s wife and son while attempting to bond with Celebrimbor himself. Shadow of Mordor allows Talion to infiltrate and cause destruction to various Uruk hierarchies, as well as control Uruks himself in order to wage war against Sauron.
Boss fights to look out for: The game features only three main bosses: The Hammer of Sauron, the Tower of Sauron and the Black Hand himself. However, each warchief encounter is like a boss fight in and of itself, allowing for endless variety of different Uruks wielding different weapons.
Double the Trouble: Shadow of Mordor sees Talion merge with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, granting him new supernatural abilities.
Release the Caragors: Talion has access to various wraith powers such as the ability to control other creatures, such as the caragor native to Mordor.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: Although the game only features three storyline bosses, Shadow of Mordor gives you access to the Nemesis system which allows you to choose between different Uruk mini-bosses.
1. Monster Hunter World (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – 2018
Monster Hunter World gameplay
My favorite game released this year, Monster Hunter World, for me, is the definitive successor to Souls-likes. Developed and published by Capcom as the newest and grandest entry in the Monster Hunter series, the game sees you hunting monsters (duh) of every kind in order to get better equipment, allowing you in turn to defeat stronger monsters, and the cycle continues. The game, while being definitely grindy and an exercise in patience, is also very challenging; each monster acts as its own boss, giving the game a grand scale in terms of gameplay design.
Monster Hunter World has tons of different weapons to choose from, with each weapon type having different varieties to them, depending on their monster components. The game is well known for its amusingly high skill cap, present especially in earlier games; veterans of the series have even complained that World was dumbed down for a new brand of audience, laying testament to how difficult the earlier releases were. Monster Hunter World is primarily an online game, allowing you to squad up with different people in order to defeat more powerful monsters, though it also gives you the option of playing solo if you should choose to do so.
Boss fights to watch out for: My favorite monster in the game and the designated filter for the boys and the men is the Tempered Kirin, a stronger version of an elder dragon which looks like a unicorn. It is one of the hardest monsters in the game to beat solo (at least for me) and is certainly one of the most memorable in the whole game.
Various Side Activities To Cover: Monster Hunter World allows you to cook food while in the field, granting various stat bonuses to your character.
Epic Scale on All Fronts: The game makes you feel small by pitting you against gigantic behemoths so that once you defeat them, you feel that overwhelming sense of achievement.
It Wouldn’t Be a Souls-like Without a Challenging Boss Fight: A turning point in the game’s progression is the mission that pits you against two Kirin, elder dragons that look like unicorns.
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