Best Soulslike Games That Only Give Players One Weapon

Best Soulslike Games That Only Give Players One Weapon

• Soulslikes often feature challenging combat, parry systems, and various bosses inspired by Dark Souls games.
• Some Soulslikes, like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, streamline gameplay by focusing on a single weapon.
• Soulslike games: Nine Sols, Blasphemous, Another Crab's Treasure, Titan Souls, En Garde!, Hollow Knight.

From Software's series of Dark Souls games are iconic for their interconnected worlds and challenging combat. This combat often includes an expressive parry system, well-telegraphed enemy attacks, a dodge roll, and stamina management. While not all Soulslikes feature extreme challenges to overcome, many of them feature a variety of challenging bosses to defeat.

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There have been an abundance of Soulslikes released over the years that take inspiration from From Software's now-classic franchise, with many of them also leaning on its RPG elements to provide players with plenty of potential character builds. However, some Soulslike games - including From Software's own Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - streamline the experience by reducing the player's potential arsenal to a single weapon.

Nine Sols

Martial Arts Combat With Manifested Weapons

Nine Sols

Platform(s) PCReleased May 29, 2024Developer(s) RedCandleGamesGenre(s) Soulslike, Platformer, Action

Nine Sols is a Metroidvania with Soulslike combat, featuring a parry system and a variety of challenging bosses that many fans of both Dark Souls and games like Hollow Knight will enjoy. Despite having multiple ways to attack in-game, Nine Sols themes the different available attacks around a single weapon: the player's fists or, more specifically, the energy that comes from them.

Nine Sols may be more Metroidvania than Soulslike, but the influences from games such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are clear as day. Furthermore, the interconnected world will likely appeal to many fans of From Software's classic Dark Souls games.

Blasphemous

A Gritty Grim-Dark Adventure

Blasphemous

Platform(s) Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleased September 10, 2019Developer(s) The Game KitchenGenre(s) Soulslike, Metroidvania See at Playstation Store

This mash-up of the Metroidvania and Soulslike genres is a grim-dark, gritty adventure through a distinctively bloody fantasy world. The game features brutal, high-resolution pixel art and gameplay that focuses on exploration and challenging combat.

Blasphemous features a satisfying parry system and a variety of hard-hitting, unique bosses that provide memorable moments throughout. However, players are only given one weapon: the Mea Culpa, a weighty longsword. While this may seem limiting, a variety of upgrades and powerful prayers (spells) allow Blasphemous to remain an engaging experience with plenty of skill expression.

Another Crab's Treasure

A Remarkably Accessible Soulslike Experience

Another Crab's Treasure

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC, Xbox OneReleased April 25, 2024Developer(s) Aggro CrabGenre(s) Soulslike, RPG, Adventure See at Playstation Store

This colorful underwater adventure puts players in the shell(s) of a hermit crab, exploring a watery kingdom and taking out powerful bosses in Dark Souls fashion. Similarly to Soulslikes such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Another Crab's Treasure only gives players access to a single weapon.

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The fork that Another Crab's Treasure gives players is their only means of attacking enemies at melee range, but thankfully, it can be upgraded throughout the game. Combined with its limited stats that make leveling up much simpler, Another Crab's Treasure is a remarkably accessible Soulslike experience.

Titan Souls

A Boss-Rush Soulslike With A Dense Atmosphere

• Platform(s): PC, PlayStation
• Released: 2015
• Developer(s): Acid Nerve
• Genre: Soulslike

Titan Souls is a Soulslike boss-rush game that gives players access to only one weapon: a bow and arrow. With this weapon, players are thrust into the game's world and tasked with taking down a variety of challenging, mesmerizing bosses, each designed in beautiful pixel-art.

Each boss provides its own unique challenge, offering an almost puzzle-like experience to each encounter. While there's not much to do in between boss fights, the world of Titan Souls is extremely atmospheric, reminiscent of games like Shadow Of The Colossus.

En Garde!

A Bright And Colorful Swashbuckling Soulslike

En Garde!

Platform(s) PCReleased August 16, 2023Developer(s) Fireplace GamesGenre(s) Action-Adventure

This bright and colorful indie game takes players on a swashbuckling adventure, fencing their way through a variety of challenging encounters across a brisk campaign. While En Garde! may be a short and sweet linear game, its challenging combat will likely appeal to Soulslike fans.

En Garde! gives players access to a single weapon, but they can also use the environment to their advantage, kicking a variety of objects at enemies to take them out. En Garde! is a far cry from the original Dark Souls, but its engaging combat (complete with a parry and stamina system) makes it a worthwhile adventure.

Hollow Knight

An Interconnected World And Tight, Satisfying Combat

Hollow Knight

Platform(s) Switch, PS4, PC, macOS, Linux, Xbox OneReleased February 24, 2017Developer(s) Team CherryGenre(s) Metroidvania See at Official Site

Part Metroidvania, part Soulslike, Hollow Knight features a deep, interconnected world that's a consistent joy to explore, with new surprises around every corner. However, this interconnected world isn't too far from the looping paths of Dark Souls, and there's an equal focus on providing players with memorable interactions with NPCs.

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However, it's not just the overall atmosphere and focus on exploration that Hollow Knight shares with Dark Souls, but its combat system as well. Hollow Knight features challenging combat complete with a dash that helps players to avoid enemy attacks, as well as a parry system.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A True Soulslike With Just One Weapon

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Platform(s) PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleased March 22, 2019Developer(s) From SoftwareGenre(s) Action RPG See at Official Site

Developed by From Software, the developers of the Dark Souls series, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a particularly unique Soulslike game. This is due to the fact that players are only given one weapon: the iconic katana. Thankfully, a well-crafted skill tree helps players scale with the game's rising difficulty curve, ensuring they feel a sense of progression throughout.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is arguably one of the hardest Soulslikes available, with some truly challenging bosses. While its gameplay may be more restrictive (and somewhat more linear) than the Dark Souls games, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice focuses on mastery, tasking players with learning the ins and outs of their move set in order to succeed.

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