u/By-Torrent

Thanks to all of you, I finally discovered and got HOOKED on the 2D stuff:

Hollow knight: the masterpiece everyone says it is. Got 105%.

Salt and Sanctuary: I loved the atmosphere and the mapless world design. Very DS1.

9 sols: this is my fav so far- I’m on the 7th boss on standard. The combat is brilliant and I like the story and the world too.

So what would be a good one to do next? Things I like/prioritize:

1. dark atmosphere- helps with immersion for some reason
2. level design/exploration - really enjoyed S&S interconnectivity
3. gated ability progression- I don’t think I’m saying this right, but I like this feature
4. challenging combat and/or platforming - I doubt anything will touch 9 sols but parry feature would be nice

THANKS! Also- I’m on PS 5

Feels like a rite of passage in this game - it took 4-5 sessions of 2-3 hours each to learn those moves.

I used the charged shot for a lot of it. I feel it is a brilliantly designed fight- it’s up there with Maluca in Khazan, Genchiro in Sekiro, and Nm Grimm in HK. It was harder than Grimm.

Anyway, I don’t know why I waited so long to play this unique game- top notch combat- and I’m really starting to get into the story!

Man they should make a sequel! Good times.

So the ones I’ve played:

Lies of P - liked a lot but felt the world was very linear
Khazan - incredible combat
Wo Long - enjoyed, not “dark enough”
Rise of Ronin - fun, but kind of a mess
Wuchang - awesome world design
Wukong - pretty, but combat was oddly lacking as was world design…
AI Limit - fun, great level design
Lords of the Fallen 2023 - incredible atmosphere and most true to “souls” genre, but had flaws
Remnant 1 and 2 - incredible, near the top
Nioh 1-3 - great on their own
Mortal Shell - liked it a LOT, can’t wait for 2
Thymesia - liked the Sekiro-like combat, but levels fell apart at the end
Enotria: Last Song - incredible world and atmosphere
Bleak Faith Forsaken - janky, but loved the world design.
HELLPOINT- loved this one for the world design and atmosphere
Ashen - beautiful world art, good game, janky combat
Steel Rising - actually liked this one
Stellar Blade - okay overall, 2 desert areas were incredibly boring
Code Vein I - I liked this! And I’m not big on pure anime

This may not be a popular opinion…. I’ve tried some 2D stuff like Hollow Knight and 9 sols….. was hard to get in the vibe of those….. maybe the atmosphere wasn’t dark enough, I don’t know.
Not sure if I’d get into the more “cutesy” ones like Another Crab’s treasure and ?Last Hero - unless they are highly recommended. Tried Surge 1 a long time back and something didn’t click….

What’s left out there? Probably a lot….. help me out. Thx.

I’d be up for trying some 2D stuff if the atmosphere and vibe are right…. More on the dark side…

For me, in no real order:

1. Mortal Shell
2. Enotria
3. Hellpoint
4. Bleak Faith Forsaken
5. Ashen

In all of the above, ATMOSPHERE was a key feature that really made me like these games.

Hoping to discover some new obscure Soulslikes with this thread.

Wow did I have a blast. The atmosphere, exploration, and yes, the combat as well was exactly what I needed. On to the DLC, and NG+ with a different shell. As someone who is always starved for soulslikes, it hit the spot. Can’t wait for 2.

That is all.