With the release of Elden Ring, dozens of players are diving into the Souls-like genre to try and get a taste of that brutally difficult and combat-heavy action. But while systems like the PlayStation and Xbox have their fill of different variations of the experience, including the Souls series, there are some who remain loyal to House Nintendo.
The Switch has more than its fair share of excellent titles, but it’s no stranger to the Souls-like either. Although Elden Ring hasn’t made it to the adaptable console yet, there are still plenty of games like it that will scratch that prepare-to-die itch all the same.
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Dead Cells
Anyone familiar with the Switch’s E-shop will undoubtedly recognize that it has more than a few Metroidvanias ready for download. It’s no secret that there is a certain amount of inspiration from the genre scattered throughout most Souls-likes, and Dead Cells is a prime example.
As with Dark Souls and Elden Ring, death is a part of the experience. It pushes the player further and further into each dungeon and forces them to reevaluate their combat strategies time and time again, and anyone with a taste for the genre can get behind this challenging title.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Of course, if gamers are looking for a Souls-like with more focus on fantasy and adventure than the white-knuckled difficulty and combat, Dragon’s Dogma is just what the doctor ordered. While it definitely has the same approach to monsters and combat, it removes the dark and brooding nature of the beast and replaces it with a classic fantasy epic.
Gamers will still have different classes and customization options, but a greater focus is pulled toward narrative and exploration. It might not have Elden Ring’s size, but it can certainly match it in terms of quality and sense of adventure.
Salt And Sanctuary
By little exaggeration, Salt and Sanctuary can best be described as 2D Dark Souls. The fact that the game does little to hide that fact only adds to its distinct flavor and personality. There are several parallels and comparisons players can make to the infamous series, but the platforming element offers a different experience compared to its inspiration.
Players will build a class, dodge-roll their way through boss encounters, and explore a grim and dark fantasy world. As familiar as that premise sounds, playing it out in a Castlevania-inspired map truly offers a different breed of game ideal for those wanting a change in styles.
Tails Of Iron
A relatively new member of the Souls-like family, Tails of Iron is a dark fantasy Metroidvania that’s a blend of many elements fantasy fans will want to see. It features a world inspired by Redwall, gameplay inspired by Dark Souls and Metroidvanias, and it’s all narrated by the voice of Geralt of Rivia. For such a short game, it’s packed with more than enough fanservice for the genre.
It’s a war of mice and frogs with brutally crunchy action and tons of sprawling exploration. While it’s not as large as something as the original Dark Souls, it will cover more than enough familiar ground with several original concepts to draw new fans’ attentions.
Death’s Gambit: Afterlife
A flop on its first release, Death’s Gambit rose from the ashes to become something absolutely incredible. Where some Souls-likes have Metroidvania elements, Death’s Gambit is a Metroidvania with Souls-like elements. Its difficulty, combat, and class system have tones of Dark Souls, but the rest is all classic action-platformer.
From the presentation alone, the game has more in common with something like Castlevania, but the dark and foreboding atmosphere paired with the gothic setting, classes, weapons, and death mechanic makes it a solid entry in the Soulsborne genre. That being said, it has a large and sprawling game world that could easily satisfy any die-hard fan of Elden Ring.
Chronos: Before The Ashes
Those familiar with Remnant: From The Ashes will recognize the game’s monsters and world, but those well-established in the Souls series and games like them will find a familiar formula behind the labyrinth. Although the game shares a similar combat system, it incorporates an interesting aging element to its death system.
Death is a part of any Souls-like title, but death can actually benefit a player in this case. With each death, the player’s character grows from a nimble and roguish young man to an experienced warrior to a wise magic-user with each new run. In the end, it’s a constantly evolving combat experience.
Blasphemous
Although this gothic action-horror title takes most of its gameplay influence from famous Metroidvania titles, the visuals, gore, and difficulty are 100% Dark Souls. As the Penitent One, players will hack, slash, and dodge-roll their way through an unholy legion of mutated monsters and demons on their quest to rid the world of an evil blight.
Although not as difficult as others in the genre, the boss fights are just as brutal and the imagery is just as frightening as any of the scariest monsters found in Lordren. Simply put, it’s a Metroidvania made for a Souls audience.
Ashen
Don’t be fooled by its minimalist approach to its design, Ashen is a rich, open-world Souls-like that fans of Elden Ring will certainly enjoy. It’s not so much the quantity of Souls elements as it is the quality. The combat and exploration are expanded upon beautifully, but progression and improvement are better handled here than in most titles in the genre.
It’s less “prepare to die” and more “keep going” as adventurers rebuild a ruined village and destroy demonically corrupted spirits in a world of giant gods and monsters. It’s not as dark and gothic, but there’s more than enough for any level of Souls-like fan to enjoy.
Hollow Knight
If there’s one game that blends Souls and Metroidvania together spectacularly, it’s Hollow Knight. With similar approaches to death and progression, as well as a gothic design and similar motifs, it’s easy to see how much influence the title takes from Dark Souls, but there’s much more to it than that particular flavor alone.
Leaning much more on its Metroidvania roots, it’s the exploration and deep dives into dark and mysterious areas that keep players coming back for more. With that in mind, it’s still great for gamers needing more to explore with a different breed of monster to battle.
Dark Souls: Remastered
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting back to where it once belonged. Dark Souls: Remastered has all the trimmings and trappings of the original game, and it’s practically playable on almost every console. The Switch version, however, has arguably gotten it into the hands of more players.
It’s brutal, it’s punishing, it’s at times unfair, but it’s all that sadistic players on the go could possibly want. Every boss, trap, and encounter in FromSoftware’s hit has been ported wonderfully onto Nintendo’s console, and it’s still begging players both old and new to “prepare to die.”