The Best Soulslike Games For When You Don’t Have Much Time To Play

Soulslike games have always been known for their grueling difficulty and rich, expansive worlds. Many titles, like Elden Ring, can take upwards of 50-100 hours to complete a single playthrough and provide the player with virtually endless replayability.

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However, sometimes these vast open worlds and longer runtimes can be quite daunting, time-consuming, and difficult to get through if players only have an hour or two to spare. Thankfully, there are plenty of Soulslike titles that offer shorter, bite-sized experiences that still give the same rush of beating a final boss, but are condensed into a more digestible package that can be picked up quicker and sometimes beaten in a single session.

9

Thymesia

Short And Sweet

Released

August 15, 2022

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Violence

Fast-paced combat with satisfying animations and sound effects, Thymesia has it all. It takes a lot of the best elements from mainstream Soulslikes and places them in a gothic, medieval world full of challenging knights and all manner of horrifying foes. The main gimmick is the plague weapons, where the player can steal the weapons of enemies and use them against their opponent in wild and interesting ways.

After defeating a boss, Corvus returns to a hub location which presents a choice of location and objective, whether it be taking down the next main encounter or backtracking to increase in power. As the game is split into level-like stages, play sessions can be short and picked up quickly, and the game itself is filled with flavor and exploration despite only taking around seven hours to complete.

8

Death’s Door

Become The Reaper

Released

July 20, 2021

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

Soulslikes come in all shapes and sizes and, in this case, Death’s Door is turned into a charming, isometric take on the formula. Tasked with claiming the souls of the dead, players traverse over mountains, lakes, and limbo itself, taking down puzzle-based boss fights with an arsenal of magic and melee weapons.

Exploration feels intuitive and rewarding, with each area providing a new set of enemies and paths to take that both expand skill trees and uncover the story, whilst allowing the player to exit at convenient times whenever needed. The combat variety is vast, as each boss demonstrates a unique set of moves that must be mastered, and the movement is crisp and responsive, rewarding good plays and punishing the bad.

7

Blasphemous

Gorgeous Yet Gruesome

Released

September 10, 2019

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Nudity, Violence

Metroidvanias and Soulslikes go hand in hand, and Blasphemous is a contender for a top entry in both genres. A world inspired by Spanish architecture and religious imagery, coupled with visceral action that rivals Bloodborne, it’s a complete package that’s best enjoyed over many play sessions.

The winding paths, the expansive skill tree, and the trinket variety give players high levels of control over how the game plays out. In terms of difficulty, Blasphemous sets the bar high, and the entire experience is elevated to new heights in the sequel.

6

Another Crab’s Treasure

Underwater Warfare

Released

April 25, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Tobacco, Violence

The aptly-named developer Aggro Crab, a newcomer when it comes to the Soulslike genre, delivered an unforgettable and distinct game that uses comedy, social commentary, and whimsical character design to tell the story of a crab who has lost his shell. Enemies in Another Crab’s Treasure can be tough, but it never takes more than a few tries to keep progressing and every time the game boots up, it’s never hard to continue from where it was left off previously.

Shell-on-shell combat takes the spotlight, swapping between tanky hard items and discarded balls for an additional movement ability. Whenever a new shell is discovered, there is a rush of joy as it’s either a level-up or a comedic beat that hits hard every time.

5

Nioh

Supernatural Samurais

Systems

Released

February 7, 2017

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Violence

Before Elden Ring there was Sekiro, and before that was Nioh. Japanese aesthetic Soulslike encounters are placed in a level-based game that makes playtime vary between long boss-based missions to slowly chipping away at shorter side quests. While completing the game itself is a time-consuming process, each play session can be boiled down to one or two twenty-minute missions that keep things brief when needed.

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The arsenal variety is vast, allowing players to swap between weapon types and stances on the fly, all the while growing stronger and stronger to take on the powerful Yokai that await.

4

Titan Souls

Brutal Boss Rush Battles

The game that inspired its spiritual successor, Death’s Door, Titan Souls ticks all the same boxes but in a more simplistic and bite-sized format. There are no upgrades, no level-ups, just pure dodge-fueled boss combat from start to finish.

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Though other games may offer more depth and longevity, Titan Souls has a lot to offer in a short playthrough and scratches the Soulslike itch right from the start.

3

FlyKnight

A Bug’s Life Gone Medieval

FlyKnight

Systems

Released

January 31, 2025

Old school never felt so good. Whether playing solo or with a friend, FlyKnight provides a tactical dungeon-crawling adventure that doesn’t keep the player pinned down for days. Bugs, beetles, and other creepy crawlies roam the paths, and whether a player chooses to chop off an arm or a head dictates how the enemy will react and attack.

Take a break from fighting and do some fishing. Then, when ready, the bosses that await are fast and mighty, forcing the party to work together to take them down and acquire powerful rewards that will help with the rest of the adventure.

2

Nine Sols

Sekiro Deflection Perfection

Action

Platformer

Soulslike

Released

May 29, 2024

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Use of Alcohol

This is the new gold standard and one that rivals legendary titles like Hollow Knight. Deflect mechanics are incredibly satisfying if done well, and Nine Sols not only accomplishes this, but elevates the dopamine kicks with each successive block, parry, and kill.

Enjoy a rich ‘TaoPunk’ art style and a world filled with expressive and heartwarming NPCs that make the environment come alive with their dialogue and interactions. All the content can be enjoyed without much of a time investment and, thanks to the plentiful save points and simplistic map traversal, the game rewards exploration whilst avoiding roadblocks to keep the story going.

1

Remnant: From The Ashes

Dark Souls Meets Guns

Released

August 20, 2019

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence

If Bloodborne was a toe dip into Soulslike gunplay, Remnant: From the Ashes is a full-on cold plunge. Worlds are procedurally generated, providing a new experience for each playthrough, and loot becomes a necessity as the player becomes stronger and stronger to take down the tougher bosses in each world.

The game also offers co-op multiplayer with up to two other players, but going solo works fine for leveling up and finding new armor and modifications, or if the player is ready to take on the next big story encounter. Breaking the game apart into stages and levels allows each session to end with some progress made but leaves players still wanting more.

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