FromSoftware's newest game, Elden Ring, has been captivating gamers around the world since it came out in late February, but those who have finished with it may be at a loss as to what games they should try next. Successor to the long-running Dark Souls series, Elden Ring expands on the classic formula by transitioning to an open world. Despite being a mind-bogglingly huge game, most players will eventually reach one of its multiple endings, or at least need to take a break. Those who have exhausted all available content may be seeking other similar games to play.
Before recommending other games, it's important to understand what makes Elden Ring so great, particularly because not many other games will be able to offer an exactly analogous experience. After finishing Elden Ring's tutorial, players are greeted by a massive and visually stunning world, and not many games can live up to the same sort of visual splendor or open-world promise.
Elden Ring also may have the advantage where its deep lore and hands-off storytelling are concerned as well, and the way Elden Ring's variety of gear and starting classes keep options open for players is an expansiveness not many games can match. But despite Elden Ring being a unique game, players have plenty of options for similar games to try after completing it, some which offer their own refreshing takes on what is a well-established formula.
Absolver Is A Fist-Fighting Soulslike Elden Ring Fans May Enjoy
Sloclap, the developer most likely known best for their recently released Kung-Fu fighting game Sifu, previously developed a Soulslike adventure called Absolver. Starting out as a basic fighter known as a Prospect, players must travel the lands, defeat enemies, and learn new fighting moves to eventually become an Absolver. The somber yet beautiful world is similar to Elden Ring's Lands Between. Though it does feature several different types of equippable weapons such as swords and gauntlets, the primary focus of Absolver is bare-fisted hand-to-hand combat. It possesses an incredibly unique gameplay style of fighting enemies to learn their moves, then adding those moves to one's own repertoire of custom-made combos.
Four different stances can be utilized to chain together attacks of varying speed and strength. A skilled player can create their own combos that loop between all equipped attacks and make their movements very difficult for enemies to predict. This may all sound very complicated and different from Elden Ring's large-scale boss fights, but aside from combat, the game is organized almost exactly the same way. Altars that replace sites of grace - but function similarly - and the hands-off story with conservative amounts of dialogue are very reminiscent of Elden Ring and Dark Souls. Fans of either game should give Absolver a try.
Blasphemous Is A 2D Soulslike For Elden Ring Fans
Blasphemous is a 2D Soulslike platformer with a similar presentation to the Dark Souls franchise. It gracefully transitions FromSoftware's iconic levels and landscapes from three dimensions to two. The tone and atmosphere carry over as well, but developer The Game Kitchen still manages to keep the game unique with its own distinct style inspired by their Spanish heritage. Solid platforming gameplay is another welcome addition. Even though Elden Ring's dedicated jump button improves its platforming over Dark Souls, Blasphemous outclasses both with its tighter side-viewed movement and climbing. However, regardless of the improvements that Blasphemous makes to platforming, it still maintains an overall challenging combat experience. Players who enjoyed the more difficult enemies and boss fights of Elden Ring should be able to find plenty of enjoyment in the dark and dreary world of Blasphemous.
Jedi: Fallen Order Brings Souls To Star Wars
Fans of both Star Wars and Elden Ring should absolutely give Jedi: Fallen Order a try. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, this Soulslike adventure puts players in control of fugitive Jedi Cal Kestis. It may not be a sprawling open-world game like Elden Ring, but players can still travel between an assortment of different planets, each with their own individual environments that feature distinct differences like Elden Ring's different realms. Those who enjoy more direct forms of story-telling may also prefer Jedi: Fallen Order. Rather than relying on environmental anecdotes and minimal cryptic dialogue, everything is laid out in plain sight. A lovely cast of likable characters moves the plot forward with excellent voice acting performances.
In addition, FromSoftware's classic challenging gameplay is replicated very well, though of course with its own twist. Instead of the scary undead enemies of Elden Ring, Jedi: Fallen Order features Stormtroopers, AT-STs, dangerous alien wildlife, and even lightsaber-wielding Sith. Respawn Entertainment also included a choice between multiple difficulty options, so players looking for a more casual and story-based experience should have lots to enjoy.
Monster Hunter: World Has Bigger Monsters Than Elden Ring
Elden Ring has some enormous enemies across its Lands Between, but none of them seem quite as large as the hulking behemoths from Monster Hunter: World. Though the overall structure of the game is very different, Monster Hunter: World's battles feel somewhat similar to many of Elden Ring's impressive optional boss fights. Players will slowly beat down tough monsters with a large collection of different weapon types, ranging from the quick and light dual swords, all the way to the slow but strong bow gun. Pieces of the monster's body can be broken off to weaken its defenses or collect extra rewards. Similar to Elden Ring, dodge rolls can be used to avoid enemy attacks. This involves learning a monster's attack patterns and timing dodges perfectly to prevent taking damage.
FromSoftware fans should feel right at home using this combat system. However, it's worth noting that this game still might not be for everyone. Elden Ring contains much Western influence and is far more reserved in its presentation and story-telling while Monster Hunter: World is quite the opposite. Unlike Elden Ring's NPCs with interesting backstories, Monster Hunter: World contains an excess of dialogue between the many hunters, all of which are incredibly enthusiastic and vocal, a trait typically shared with anime. Elden Ring players may enjoy the gameplay of Monster Hunter: World, but the rest of the game might not land with everyone. Given the opportunity, however, it's definitely worth a try, as is Capcom's most recent entry, Monster Hunter Rise, though this latter is much more overtly Japanese in flavor.
FromSoftware's iconic games have been astoundingly influential on the gaming industry. They've spawned an entire genre known as Soulslikes, and new games of this style are being released more and more frequently. If the aforementioned titles aren't quite enough, some additional games to check out are Remnant: From the Ashes, The Surge, Mortal Shell, and Dead Cells. However, gamers who have played Elden Ring but not Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, or Bloodborne may enjoy going back and playing FromSoftware's previous games, which feature a lot of the same art design and flavor that Elden Ring has brought to a wider swath of players. Either way, there's no shortage of Soulslike games to check out right now, and there are many more on the horizon.
