Rating Soulslikes

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

Interesting to see Nioh 1 so ahead of Nioh 2. I'd probably put Nioh 2 at the top of my own list, the combat is just so damn deep and open-ended by genre standards, it bridges the gap between being a standard Soulslike and a Character Action game. I definitely understand how that could be a bridge too far for people that prefer a more methodical combat style though.

The difficulty ranking is interesting too, as I've always found DS2 SotFS to be one of the easier Soulsborne games. Just goes to show how varied experiences can be in this genre.

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Dark Souls 1 will always be my favorite in the series, the jank and questionable design ideas is part of the charm imo, I also preferred the vibe it has, feels more dirty and personal, and I just see the rest of the series as becoming progressively loosing charm and personality, which isn't what I wanted from Dark Souls.

Nioh 2 is pretty fun, I like how varied it is with the weapons, and how the demon power you have equipped gives more things to think about, I also prefer its Multiplayer and Co-op, it feels more involved combat wise as well.

Hellpoint, it has some really nifty ideas, like the map and some enemy spawns changing according to the in-game moon cycles, the Unity jank does hurt it a lot, I do like the mix of sci-fi with occultism, I also like the system of having to fight yourself near places you died.

Dark Souls 2 SotFS is alright, I didn't like it as much as DS1, but I did like some of the combat additions, I liked to challenge myself with the dual-wield build.

Salt & Sanctuary, its more of a metroidvania really, its more fun thanks to the patron god system and all the navigation power ups, its alright.

 

[Retro Doomer]

I only Completed Dark Souls 1 yet so I would rank it from most fun to least fun
NieR: Automata (It is a Soulslike ? that is news to me anyway it would be number 1 here for me)
Dark Souls 1
Elden Ring
Bloodborn
Hollow Knight
Dark Souls 3
Nioh
Watching paint dry
Dark Souls 2 (Its gorgeous but the gameplay man)
I only ranked the once I played

 

[Kamako]

The different responses to this question are brilliant. Some thoughts I must mention:

TL;DR: I think the best examples of this genre are some of the best games ever made.

I played Bloodbourne first, and it was fucking brutal.
I always considered myself a gamer™, so when I first played BB and got killed by the very first enemy, then transported to a different location with no warning, I thought "what the fuck is this? Poor game design, is what."

But it isn't. The beauty of these games is that the best ones make you feel like death is all but guaranteed and the loss of resources is such a tough thing to recover from when you first start playing, but once you persevere you find that death is barely a penalty at all, and the resources you acquire as you go further into the game more than account for any you may have lost earlier on.

I kept at BB and soon was feeling a kind of thrill and fear about what was lurking behind every corner that I'd never experienced before and it was utterly engrossing. Not only that, but the reward of overcoming a tough encounter was massive.
The feeling of exploration is unparalleled as well, which may be my favourite reason to play. Stumbling across a shortcut, or going down a really obscured path which in any other game would be "out of bounds", only to discover you've unearthed a massive, sprawling environment is one of the greatest design feats a game can accomplish imo.

Last thing I'll mention: I completely understand the hate. Especially for Dark Souls II, where the punishment for death is so high, but that game is actually designed for true masochists, and when I first started playing these games and didn't know about any of their strengths beyond "These games are commonly considered really hard", it was exactly what I was hoping for, and it delivered.