A soul with faster and more aggressive combat than the Elden Ring

Released in February 2022, Elden Ring is still remembered as the true king of the soulslike genre, bringing the best qualities of FromSoftware's signature action games to a vast open world, surpassing everything else out there with the sheer scale and variety of zones, locations, dungeons, enemies, bosses, spells and weapons. While the game's combat is definitely one such highlight, offering a variety of classes through character stats and equipment, resulting in fans still finding new over-the-top combos, the breadth of its combat system could be overwhelming and lack the depth that some other, more condensed and action-packed games can offer.

With many recent games blurring the lines between classic soulslike combat and traditional action, leaving fans in constant debate over the core criteria of each genre, few soulslikes deliver much faster and more aggressive combat than Miyazaki's masterpiece. By focusing on fewer weapon and tool types, speeding up enemies and overall more dynamic combat, emphasizing parrying, and bringing in entire combo systems with unlockable moves through character progression, these new games offer different combat flows to suit every player. Below are some great examples of souls that have faster, more aggressive and intense combat than Elden Ring.

First Berserker: Khazan

To feel anger

Half soul-like, half pure action game Star Blade or Nier: Automata, First Berserker: Khazan it's all about fast-paced, gut-wrenching combat with plenty of unique moves, a few but highly sophisticated weapon types to choose from, and a variety of special powerful abilities that players unlock as they play. actually Khazan it offers so little other than a brilliant combat system and dozens of bitingly tough bosses to face that it almost feels like a fighting glove.

The combat is as challenging as it is spectacular, constantly coming up in discussions of the best combat system in the genre to date, and rightfully so. By mastering a spear, greatsword, or dual weapons such as an ax and sword, along with their signature moves and accurate parrying, First Berserker: Khazan players become almost unstoppable, destroying everything in their path. Fortunately, the game's bosses are more than up to the challenge, leading to some amazing encounters where the blade dance never ends.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Parries Dance

When you look at FromSoftware's own offering in the soulslike genre, few games stand out with more flexible, aggressive and fast-paced combat for those who find Elden Ring a little too slow. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is without a doubt at the very top, often cited as the best action game combat system of all time, period. Built entirely on timing and parrying, players must master this brutal fight to have any chance of progressing beyond the opening bosses, as there is no room for hesitation or mistakes. An axe.

Fully powered by a single katana weapon, with a very limited range of other tools such as only a handful of special attacks or hand prostheses (each consumes resources so players can't keep spamming them for an easy win), Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice offers several drawbacks. Instead, it keeps players constantly aggressive, relentlessly dealing with whatever enemies throw at them until an opportunity presents itself to end the fight with a single hit. Next to An axe, Bloody it's also worth noting among FromSoftware's own games, with faster, more aggressive combat that falls somewhere in between.

Nioh 2

Too much of everything

Team Ninja, masters of the action genre, take on soul-like principles Nioh series is drastically different from FromSoftware titles such as Elden Ringbut still respected by fans. Combining fast, fluid, aggressive moves with dozens of weapon types, magic spells, power-up attacks, and literally everything you can think of, Nioh 2Combat can feel overwhelming to new players and definitely takes time to understand and get used to.

Many layers and mechanics were combined during production Nioh 2Exciting and spectacular combat where timing, parrying, resource management, character stats and equipment quality contribute equally to success. In addition, between Team Ninja games Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty deserves a mention for its no less complex but distinctly different Nioh 2Combat system combined with active companions to make you feel even more distinct.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

May patience be with you

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor presents a seductive fusion of classic action-adventure with soul-inspired combat. While its combat mechanics are overall more approachable than many other titles in the genre, largely revolving around a single lightsaber without too much extra fluff, there's still an obvious need to learn enemy and boss attacks, timing, parrying, and when to attack or retreat.

However, as might be expected, Jedi: SurvivorCombat is faster and more aggressive than Elden Ringbuilt on the spectacular Jedi moves from the movies, counterattacks, acrobatic dodges and cinematic finishers, complete with the power of the force to make you feel different. “Easy to learn, hard to master” is the perfect description Star Wars Jedi: Survivorand while the game is probably less challenging than games from FromSoftware or Team Ninja, some enemies and bosses will definitely give players a hard time.

Black Myth: Wukong

This monkey has hands

To this day, fans debate whether Black Myth: Wukong belongs among the souls at all, with clear inspiration taken from the best action-adventure titles available. Without going too deep into categorization, let's just say that there are clear influences from action games and similar games, with the entire game built around epic boss encounters that offer almost no room to breathe.

Black Myth: WukongFast-paced combat feels incredibly dynamic thanks to the Destined One's innate abilities, which allow players to dodge almost anything in the blink of an eye while delivering an unstoppable barrage of weapon attacks. Multiple pole stances with unique techniques, unlockable combo moves, a variety of OP magic abilities, and even countless transformation spells all add up to a varied and ever-evolving combat that stays engaging throughout, while dozens of unique enemy types and creatively designed bosses keep players on their toes. Even after mastering it WukongIn combat, several bosses are so notoriously tough that not everyone has been able to defeat them.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

A breeze of change

I stand among the recent souls of similar games, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers turned out to be a surprisingly good addition, especially for a debut project. The game features fast, dynamic, challenging and satisfying combat with just the right amount of customization, resulting in memorable and intense confrontations where players must stay aggressive and alert to survive. Even better, the developers quickly implemented fan feedback from the first days of launch, taking the overall experience to a new level.

Different types of weapons, each with deadly techniques, flexible character building without corresponding costs, and a variety of useful spells with unique effects all contribute to a pleasant feeling of experimentation. Wuchangwhere players can always try new approaches when the next boss causes too much trouble. The constant insistence of enemies and bosses unleashing the second phase when players least expect it makes the journey tense and risky, while the placement of checkpoints can be so excruciatingly far that players have to use everything at their disposal to keep going.