Top 5 Upcoming Indie Soulslike Games
Mar. 7, 2024Top 5 Upcoming Indie Soulslike Games
Enotria is set in a fantasy world which takes inspiration from Italian culture and folklore, throwing players into the fictional land of Atria. The game’s narrative and aesthetic draw heavily from the heritage of Italy, offering a fresh take on the typically dark and grim atmosphere soulslikes tend to have. It almost makes it seem like a “summer vacation souls” with its vivid, sun-drenched settings and joyous atmosphere, particularly evident in Quinta, a city characterised by eternal celebration and felicitous shores. However, we do know that underneath the perceived happiness of the city lies a sinister story.
The soulslike nature of the game has the expected fundamental mechanics such as dodging, rolling, basic and heavy attacks, parrying, ripostes, and healing. However, instead of mana, we now have the magic of Ardore, a fantastical power that allows players to channel spells, buff themselves, and even alter the environment. You can mould this power to drive your character towards a certain playstyle, from the brute strength of a Guts-style warrior wielding massive weapons, to the precision of a rogue, or the arcane might of a battle mage – or maybe even all of them at once.
The distinctive combat feature of Enotria is its theme of masks, which are dropped by powerful enemies. These masks are obviously a thematic addition, adding to the whole idea of theatre within the game, and they serve as the cornerstone for up to three customizable loadouts, changing the player’s set of traits and the set of special abilities they use. For example, the Mask of Change incorporates a heavy playstyle, giving bonus damage for heavy attacks and increasing stamina to dodge as well as attack damage after dodges. Another mask was The Piercing Wit mask, which buffs your special abilities by adding a bonus effect after you use them. These special abilities are called “Mask Lines”, and up to 4 can be equipped at a time. It looks kind of like having 4 ashes of war equipped at once. A few we have seen include the Carico Irosa mask line which materialises a blue shield and lance from Ardore, the Fatuo Luce, a ranged ability which also buffs your weapon, and the Dardo Verace, which materialises a crossbow. These abilities don’t rely on a mana meter, instead charging up from successful hits against enemies, encouraging an aggressive playstyle.
With each mask you can also edit the Path of Innovators skill tree. This allows players to slot talents into masks, allowing for seamless transitions between customised builds and enabling on-the-fly adaptation to various enemies or bosses you find.
Moving on from masks, the arsenal of weapons in Enotria features swift sabres and colossal hammers among other weapons, each offering different advantages and styles. Coupled with environmental puzzles using Ardore and the innovative use of masks, Enotria is looking to be another great innovation in the soulslike space.
For those who want more intense, stress relieving violence in their soulslikes, you might be interested in the next project of developer Neople and Publisher Nexon (of Dave the Diver) titled “The First Berserker: Khazan”. This soulslike is an upcoming high-adrenaline hack-and-slash action RPG being developed by Neople and published by Nexon.
Khazan’s story is one of betrayal. The Archmage Ozma and General Khazan are both heroes who felled the mighty Berserk Dragon Hismar and his brood. However, Khazan is falsely accused of treason and is exiled as an outcast by the very land he swore to protect. He is eventually infused with ominous energies, becoming the First Berserker, devoted to revenge against his enemies.
As you have probably noticed, the game seems to have seen how Dark Souls took a lot of inspiration from the manga masterpiece Berserk, and decided to expand on that inspiration by making a whole game surrounding the ideas and themes of the series, from the gore to the eclipse and even the massive hunk of iron we see an antagonist brandish in the trailer. The chosen graphical approach is cel-shaded like AI Limit, but is much darker in tone to reflect the harrowing atmosphere of the game, with muted visuals focusing more on the black and red hues, accentuating the colour of blood.
The combat will lean heavily in the hack-and-slash nature of things, thanks to Khazan’s massive weapons, and his mastery over various weapons, be it dual-wielding swords, or having an axe in each hand. He will use his skills to carve a bloody path toward his even bloodier revenge on those who wronged him.
The game is also being touted as an action RPG, promising some RPG elements up its sleeve. Players will be able to collect various pieces of equipment to fully create their own optimised killing machine version of Khazan. The equipment you pick up will all have their unique perks that will expand the build variety you can choose from within the game. There are also going to be character perks and stats along with a level system that will let the players customise their playstyles even further.
The Relic: The First Guardian is an upcoming fast paced soulslike being developed by Project Cloud Games and published by Perp Games. Much like souls, it’s set in a ruined land, being set in the once-prosperous land of Arsiltus, which has been devastated by the destruction of a great relic, transforming it into a land of death roamed by monsters called brutals. Players will take on the role of the last guardian of Arsiltus, embarking on a heroic adventure to recover the pieces of the shattered relic and close the void that has engulfed the world.
The combat shown has been somewhat limited, but did showcase the basis of what to expect. As you expect from the genre, you have basic mechanics like dodging, parrying and light or heavy attacks, as well as spells and abilities which can interact with the environment, such as explosive barrels and throwing fireballs and stuff in the environment to make it fall.
A big part of the playstyles within combat is defined by the 5 distinct weapons types within the game, each with their own unique skills and movesets. Shields and a one handed weapon offer very balanced gameplay by integrating both offence and defence, as well as a special overhead ability. Long Swords have reach and strength without sacrificing any dexterity, alongside a special AOE 360 spin ability, making it extremely offensive. Daggers are quick and agile, with a noticeably faster attack speed than any other weapon, as well as dextrous special moves which integrate jumping and dodging along with a special attack, making for a very fast playstyle not commonly seen in soulslikes. Our 4th weapon type are two handed weapons, colossal weapons which sacrifice mobility for a stalwart defence and attacks which drain enemy stamina, staggering them. The last weapon type is the Battle Staff; a magic weapon incorporating physical attacks along with heavy gravity magic, with each physical hit reducing cooldowns on abilities.
In terms of progression and how you get stronger with these weapons, you may be relieved to hear that there is no leveling mechanic; your character will get stronger over time with various runes and items they find, and any useful items or gear you craft.
The world and characters don’t seem very inspiring upon first glance, but the art style and animations do seem to make up for it, offering some unique and flashy animations for every attack as well as a dark and bleak atmosphere wherever you go, which to me is very important for soulslike games which take place in a once prosperous land now fallen to ruin.
AI Limit presents a desolate future where civilization has crumbled, leaving behind a world tainted by an enigmatic substance known as the Mud. Roaming the dark land are monstrous entities with the survivors who find themselves locked in a struggle for existence. You will play as Arrisa, a formidable Blader endowed with extraordinary regenerative abilities. She embarks on a series of adventures to unravel the mysteries of the apocalypse while cultivating hope in a forsaken world on the brink of despair.
The combat sequences look more fluid and dynamic than what you would think from a soulslike, with Arrisa being armed with an array of weapons, and executing dazzling combos while utilising the unique skills associated with each weapon. The weapon skills system seems to be the main augment of her arsenal, offering a plethora of attack choices. For instance, her left-hand mechanism is a versatile tool that casts multiple spells.
To learn more about the city of Havenswell, Arrisa uses her Blader abilities to extract information from scattered artefacts. The city is a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to be uncovered, which gives more context and lore about the past events that lead to the fall of civilization. As players embark on the journey, these secrets become an important part of the overall narrative, so it will be somewhat reminiscent of the lore systems found in the original souls series.
As you have probably realised, Al Limit’s gameplay preview has similarities with Code Vein from their shared roots in the post-apocalyptic genre as well as a similar direction in art style. The gritty ambiance, eerie visuals, and the overall atmosphere for survival creates some crossover. So, if you were a fan of Code Vein, I would definitely recommend keeping an eye out for this upcoming soulslike.
The game is set in an era inspired by the Napoleonic period and Mesopotamian deities, merging historical elements with fantastical influences. The game world is built around New Zealand’s landscapes, such as the flora and fauna as well as local features like Pukeko and Moa birds to create a relatively fresh environment. The setting of the game’s narrative is described as a “flintlock fantasy”, which combines elements of black powder technology with old gods and dark magic.
In this game’s lore, the gods of the world have descended upon the physical realm, and released a pestilence on humanity. The central location in the game, the City of Dawn, is described as the origin of the undead populating the world and the new dominion of the gods from where humans have been expelled. With the introduction of gunpowder, warfare has now evolved, providing humanity with new means to counter the gods and magic. The narrative focuses on humanity’s efforts to reclaim the City of Dawn and shut the door to the afterlife to stop the influx of undead. You play as Nor, a woman with a strong conviction against a god who killed her father, fighting alongside her pet Enki to attempt to eliminate the gods for the first time in human history.
The game’s world is segmented into three major zones, each with secrets and hidden elements across various landscapes, including underground areas, peaks, and castles, all of which are designed to reward curiosity and exploration. Players can impact the game’s world through their actions and decisions, unlocking new quests and altering the narrative’s course, though whether there are multiple endings is not confirmed as of yet. Alongside exploration, players will also be able to recruit NPCs that can offer help in navigation or even assistance in combat.
Combat in Flintlock is a blend of the traditional soulslike elements and a few new features. Players can equip a diverse arsenal using a combination of axes, firearms, and magic, making for a dynamic combat system. Enki, the protagonist’s companion, actually plays a very useful role in combat, providing magical support to stun or levitate enemies, with ice magic or gravity magic. You will have 3 types of skills; powder, steel and magic which you can acquire via the skill tree. An example move we saw which was between the Powder and Steel trees was Destructive Descent, an AoE Ground Slam damaging enemies around Nor. The combat is also great in art style, with flashy effects, decapitations, and also fatalities which seem to be the only way to actually kill enemies, perhaps taking a page out of God of Wars combat. The enemies we have seen so far include lots of undead skeletons and monsters, as well as human knights, angry chocobos, massive spiders, creepy crab monsters, a haunted suit of armour and more.
Overall, the game doesn’t look too innovative if we take into account the elements from outside the Soulslike Genre as well, but it does seem to be executed quite well, promising a good art style along with a somewhat intriguing story. I will definitely be keeping up to date with this one.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
