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There is no specific new game identified here, so it would be misleading to declare that it is the next Elden Ring, harder than Dark Souls, or better than Lies of P. A useful comparison starts with the features that make these games feel different: world layout, combat demands, build flexibility, death and checkpoints, boss support, and how the story reaches the player. Once the new game is named and its features are verified, those are the questions that can produce a fair comparison instead of a vague difficulty ranking.
What makes a game a Soulslike?
“Soulslike” has no firm, official definition. GameSpot’s genre explainer treats it as a family resemblance rather than a checklist: difficulty is part of the conversation, but it does not establish the genre by itself. A game may have punishing bosses yet differ from Souls games in how it handles exploration, checkpoints, character progression, or story.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Dark Souls Trilogy (PS4) | $38.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin - PlayStation 4 | $21.39 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition - Xbox One | $24.80 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Dark Souls: Remastered (Nintendo Switch) | $43.79 | Buy on Amazon |
That distinction matters when evaluating an upcoming or newly released game. Calling something a Soulslike does not tell you whether its map is open or tightly connected, whether it rewards parrying or patient spacing, whether enemies return after a rest, or whether you can get help on a difficult encounter. Those mechanics need to be checked individually. They also shape the experience more directly than a broad label such as “hard” or “easy.”
The three reference games offer useful contrasts, not a universal standard. Dark Souls is a reference point for interconnected but more ordered paths. Elden Ring is the open-world example, with more freedom to explore and approach major areas by different routes. Lies of P provides a distinct setting and combat toolkit, and a published review reports formal difficulty settings and NPC summons. A new game may borrow from one, several, or none of these designs.
#1 Best Overall
- DARK SOULS REMASTERED - Then, there was fire. Re-experience the genre-defining game that started it all. Return to Lordran in the beautifully remastered game in high definition, 60 fps with single-player or online multiplayer with dedicated servers. Includes the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.
- DARK SOULS II: SCHOLAR OF THE FIRST SIN - Prepare to Die again. The second installment of the series includes the base Dark Souls II plus all three DLCs: Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, and Crown of the Ivory King.
- DARK SOULS III: THE FIRE FADES - Now only embers remain… Dark Souls III is the final journey in the series where players can fight through intense combat solo or team up for in co-op or PvP multiplayer. Includes the award-winning game and both DLC chapters: Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City.
- ALL ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS - Visit the EP!C corner to download the music of the Dark Souls saga composed by Motoi Sakaraba and Yuka Kitamura. 110 tracks and more than 6 hours to listen and take back any Dark Souls fan to the intense boss fights and the best moments of their deadly journeys.
How the three reference games differ
| Game | World and setting | Combat and progression details established by the sources | What the comparison can show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Souls and Dark Souls Remastered | Bandai Namco describes earlier Souls games as interconnected, branching paths with exploration and puzzle solving, commonly linked by hubs and a more ordered progression. | The supplied descriptions do not establish a comparable list of combat mechanics or a general death-and-checkpoint rule for this table. | Use it to assess map connectivity, branching routes, backtracking, and how progression is ordered. |
| Elden Ring | PlayStation describes an open world, stealth, new movement mechanics, Torrent, and a revised multiplayer approach. Bandai Namco contrasts the game’s free exploration and multiple routes into legacy dungeons with earlier, more ordered paths. | PlayStation highlights a wide variety of weapons, magic, and skills. Bandai Namco says upgrade materials are more abundant than in older entries; that is the publisher’s comparison, not an independent ranking. | Use it to assess player freedom, detours, alternate approaches, and options for character development. |
| Lies of P | NEOWIZ describes a Belle Époque-inspired ruined city, Krat, and a Pinocchio reinterpretation. | Its official description highlights weapon combinations, Legion Arms, abilities, and choices between lying and telling the truth. A 2026 Tom’s Guide review describes demanding, boss-focused combat and reports difficulty settings and NPC summons. | Use it to consider how a distinctive setting, combat tools, narrative choices, and challenge options fit together. |
These descriptions are not a standardized test. Publisher pages are evidence of what a game advertises, not independent proof that one design is better. The review observations about Lies of P should likewise be treated as that reviewer’s assessment, not a universal measurement of difficulty.
World structure: does the map invite detours or send you forward?
First ask whether the new game has an open world, an interconnected map, or a mainly linear sequence of areas. Then look beyond the label. A map can be technically open while still funneling the player through a preferred route; a linear-looking area can contain meaningful branches, shortcuts, and loops.
Look for routes, gates, and loops
- Route choice: Can the player reach the same destination by more than one path, or is there a single progression route?
- Connections: Do paths loop back to earlier locations, link areas through hubs, or require long returns through cleared territory?
- Gates: Are paths blocked by story events, keys, combat challenges, or character strength? The type of gate affects whether exploration feels like a choice or a requirement.
- Detours: Can a stuck player explore elsewhere and return with useful knowledge, equipment, or upgrades?
Bandai Namco’s description of earlier Souls games emphasizes branching, interconnected paths and more ordered progression. Its contrast with Elden Ring is free exploration and multiple routes into legacy dungeons. That makes the games helpful endpoints for a map comparison: a new title may sit between them, but the evidence should come from its actual routes and gates, not from the word “open.”
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Combat: identify the demands instead of ranking difficulty
“Harder than Dark Souls” is not a useful conclusion unless the specific challenge is explained. Combat difficulty can come from narrow timing windows, demanding spacing, stamina limits, enemies that punish healing, or bosses that require learning several attack patterns. A game can be forgiving in one respect and demanding in another.
Rank #2
- All 3 DLC Pack Contents: Crown of the Sunken King, Crown of the Old Iron King, Crown of the Ivory King
- Additional NPCs Added For Enhanced Story Experience To Assist Guiding Players Through Level
- Parameter Setting Adjustments for Improved Balance
- Augmented Item Descriptions
- Increase in Maximum Online Players
Questions that reveal the combat rhythm
- Does the game reward waiting for an opening, staying close, or attacking aggressively?
- Are blocking, dodging, parrying, or a mix of defenses central to survival?
- How important are stamina and positioning, and what happens when the player commits to a long attack?
- Do ordinary enemies teach the same timing and spacing that bosses later test?
- Can players switch weapons or abilities to change their approach, or does the game expect one particular response?
The available descriptions do not establish a side-by-side timing or stamina comparison across all three reference games, so a new title should not be assigned a combat style based on the genre label alone. Lies of P is a concrete example of why the details matter: NEOWIZ highlights weapon combinations and Legion Arms, giving players distinct tools to consider. A proper comparison would explain what those tools do in play, rather than simply calling the game difficult.
Build flexibility: how much can you change your approach?
Build flexibility is about more than how many weapons appear in a menu. A useful comparison asks which tools are available, whether abilities can be changed, and how costly experimentation is. If a player invests in an approach that proves uncomfortable, can they adjust without starting over? The available material does not establish respec rules or the cost of changing builds for the three games, so those points need game-specific confirmation.
PlayStation highlights Elden Ring’s variety of weapons, magic, and skills. Bandai Namco also says upgrade materials are more plentiful there than in older entries. Together, those descriptions point to a comparison worth making: how many viable approaches the game supports, and how easily players can develop them. They do not, by themselves, prove that every option is equally strong or that experimentation is free.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFor a new Soulslike, check whether different weapons change movesets or just damage numbers; whether abilities work with multiple equipment choices; and whether upgrades are scarce enough to make early decisions feel permanent. State the actual rules and costs if they are established. If they are not, say so rather than assuming that familiar genre conventions apply.
Rank #3
- The Complete Dark Souls III Experience All on One Disc: Includes the award-winning base game, PLUS both complete DLC expansion chapters: Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City.
- Intense Combat Action: Challenging, genre-defining gameplay. Diversified combat action allows players to craft their own unique style.
- Team up for some jolly good cooperation or test your ability in PvP battle: All PvP maps unlocked and accessible. Improved online matchmaking functionality.
Death, checkpoints, and enemy resets
Death and checkpoint rules create the recovery loop between attempts. They can determine whether a difficult boss means a quick retry or a long trip through dangerous territory. These are useful comparison questions, not universal rules that every Soulslike must follow.
- What is lost at death? Check whether the game removes currency, experience, items, or another resource, and whether the player can recover it.
- Where does the player return? Identify the checkpoint or other return point and how far it is from the failed encounter.
- What resets? Determine whether resting restores enemies, changes the world, or preserves cleared progress.
- What remains? Check whether opened shortcuts, collected key items, boss progress, or other milestones persist.
The supplied descriptions of Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Lies of P do not establish a complete, directly comparable set of death and checkpoint rules. Those details should be verified for the particular game rather than filled in from genre expectations. When the rules are known, describe both the penalty and the recovery path: a loss that can be reclaimed near the checkpoint is materially different from one that requires repeating a long route.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Bosses and ways to manage a difficult fight
Boss encounters can test whether a player has learned the game’s timing, spacing, and defensive options. But boss difficulty is only one part of challenge management. A player may have the option to summon help, explore elsewhere, change equipment, or adjust a formal difficulty setting; another game may offer fewer ways to change the conditions of a fight.
The source material establishes different forms of support in the references. Bandai Namco’s account of Elden Ring highlights free exploration and multiple routes into legacy dungeons, which can let players choose another route instead of pressing immediately into a major area. Tom’s Guide’s 2026 review of Lies of P reports that it offers difficulty settings and NPC summons, alongside demanding, boss-focused combat. These are distinct approaches and should not be collapsed into a single claim that one game is easier.
Rank #4
- Delve into an epic dark fantasy universe stricken by decline and the Curse
- Each playthrough surprises you with new challenges and unexpected facets of the game
- Hundreds of unique combinations of weaponry, armour, magic and crafting options to create your own play style and gaming experience
- From your first steps to mastery, build your character while refining your playing skills. Learn to strategise freely and experience the rewarding taste of overcoming daunting foes
- Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
For a new release, confirm whether help is available for the specific encounter, whether it is an NPC or another kind of assistance, and whether difficulty settings affect combat. Also check whether exploring elsewhere is a meaningful option. If those facts are unknown, avoid predicting how the game will feel to every player.
Setting and story: compare the premise and delivery
A Soulslike’s tone and narrative can distinguish it as much as its combat. Compare the premise, the kind of world the player explores, and how much the story depends on choices, direct explanation, or environmental discovery. Do not infer that every game in the genre uses the same storytelling method.
NEOWIZ presents Lies of P as a Pinocchio reinterpretation set in the ruined, Belle Époque-inspired city of Krat, with choices between lying and telling the truth. Those are specific, source-backed features of that game, not genre requirements. A fair comparison with a new title should describe its own setting and story choices, then explain what is actually different. A dark atmosphere alone is not enough to establish that two games tell stories in the same way.
What can be said about the new game right now?
Because the game’s name is not specified, no reliable feature-by-feature verdict is possible. The established facts support a comparison framework, not a claim that an unidentified release is more open, more difficult, or more flexible than the three references. A direct verdict needs the title and evidence for its mechanics, map, progression, and support options.
When those details are available, compare the game against the reference that best fits each question rather than forcing a single overall ranking: use Dark Souls for ordered interconnected paths, Elden Ring for open-world freedom and alternate routes, and Lies of P for its documented setting, weapon combinations, Legion Arms, and reported challenge options. Keep official feature descriptions separate from independent review judgments, and mark unconfirmed mechanics as unconfirmed.
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