12. Lords of the Fallen (2023). The best souls-likes, rated easiest to hardest
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- Release date: October 13, 2023
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: HexWorks
- Publisher: CI Games
Still a fairly fresh premiere, taken out of the soulslike oven less than a year ago. CI Games took a long time to create a sequel to its first soulslike game from 2014. The developers decided to rename it as a reboot of the one-shot "series" and completely remodel it. Result? A fairly decent representative of its genre with a few intriguing ideas. What about the difficulty level?
The difficulty level may seem a little strange due to the combat system, but I can't quite identify what is wrong with it. Maybe it's a matter of inaccurate hitboxes and odd attack animations? Or maybe the "tankiness" of the opponents? Balance isn't the strongest aspect of this game, which often presents us with a significant challenge.
11. The Surge
- Release date: May 16, 2017
- Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
- Developer: Deck13 Interactive
- Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
The Surge is a prime example of how we perceive a technically inferior soulslike game as more challenging. As I mentioned before, The Surge has serious problems with the camera, which significantly increase the level of difficulty. Then, there's a certain inertia of combat and bizarre collision detection of attacks. I belong to the people who enjoyed this game, but I still remember how much it frustrated me and how many times I died due to the strange level designs.
On top of that, The Surge has aged surprisingly badly. It's just 4-years-old in theory, but it feels outdated by two generations.
