FromSoftware's Dark Souls is well-known for its difficulty, simply there are a few games that provide a more hard experience for gamers. Difficulty in video games has e'er been a hot topic, with contend over whether hard games gatekeep some people from enjoying them. This argument hasn't stopped developers from creating challenging games for the markets they appeal to, however, and few take quite the reputation ofDark Souls.

The Nighttime Souls series has long been regarded for its difficulty. Programmer FromSoftware moved away from the common hand-holding of many games at the fourth dimension, instead offer something with a unconventional approach to storytelling and memorably difficult (and sometimes birdbrained) gameplay. Combat encounters were challenging, with each area of Dark Souls culminating in a boss fight that took all of the player's skills to survive.

While the difficulty has oft been overblown, Dark Souls'influence on the industry can nonetheless be felt today. Many more than difficult games take begun to bound up in response, and plenty of them are harder than theDark Soulsgames - including later offerings out of FromSoftware. Here are five games that eclipsed the difficulty ofDark Souls.

Bloodborne

A Gothic horror/Lovecraftian have on theNighttime Soulsformula, FromSoftware'due southBloodborne is more difficult than theSoulsseries. Enemies are more aggressive in combat scenarios, and Blood Vials (healing items) have to be institute/purchased throughout the game instead beingness automatically refilled upon death likeDark Souls'Estus Flasks.Bloodbornealso has some of the hardest boss fights FromSoftware has created, especially in its DLC expansion, The Old Hunters. Fiends like the Orphan of Kos and Laurence, the Outset Vicar have proven to be a far greater claiming than a majority ofNight Soulsbosses.

Cuphead

While Cuphead's 1930s drawing fine art manner initially made waves, the game chop-chop developed a reputation for being an extremely difficult side-scrolling adventure likewise. The game is largely a boss rush with a few run-and-gun levels scattered throughout, and these dominate fights will give fifty-fifty the most seasonedNighttime Soulsveteran a run for their coin. Players must constantly dodge projectiles and other enemy attacks while dealing damage to the multi-phase bosses, all while managing the limited 3 lives they take before defeat. This makesCupheada truly challenging experience.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis some other game made by the same programmer every bitDark Souls, and FromSoftware definitely exceeded the difficulty of their prior games here. WhileDark Soulslets players create grapheme builds that fit their preferred playstyle,Sekirois solely focused on sword-based combat combined with Combat Arts that have to be mastered to become past challenges. Combat is fast-paced and leaves petty room for error every bit players parry, contrivance, and assail to survive a diversity of enemies. Bosses and sub-bosses inSekiroare specially challenging, requiring a bang-up deal of exercise and precision to overcome.

Nioh/Nioh 2

TheNiohfranchise was designed by Squad Ninja to be a more attainable entry into theSoulslikegenre, with a more than cohesive story and the world being cleaved down into levels with a natural progression. However, gainsay and gameplay mechanics make the series a much tougher experience thanDark Souls.Early game enemies have high health pools that take patience to whittle down, and many enemies can 1-shot players who aren't staying on their toes. Nioh'senemies are as well often faster than those inDark Souls,with the Demons and Yokai regularly getting multiple attacks in if players are slow to react. Having to decide which combat opinion to use and managing the Ki system while fighting these difficult enemies tin also be overwhelming, making theNiohgames by and large more difficult thanDark Souls.

The Witness

While non a gainsay-focused RPG likeDark Souls,The Witnessmakes this list for being one of the most difficult puzzle games ever fabricated, i that shares the Dark Souls ideal of asking players to effigy things out for themselves.The Witnesshas players solve puzzles on an open up-world island, with each puzzle opening up new areas on the map to explore. Its puzzles can be highly circuitous, and its story even takes theDark Souls approach of explicitly telling players almost zero. It's a very different claiming compared to Night Souls,but i that demands a similar rigor in its mental gymnastics.

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Mason Teague (150 Articles Published)

Mason is a freelance Game Features Writer for Screen Rant with a Available's Degree in Journalism and Mass Media from Wingate University. Being involved in video game journalism has always been a goal of Stonemason's, and being able to contribute his gaming cognition to Screen Bluster is a dream come true. Working out of North Carolina, Bricklayer spends his free time trying to catch up on his backlog of games or finishing i of the x Television set shows he'south currently watching.

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