Which "souls" like game should I play - Dark Souls 3 or Nioh?

I just love the settings and style so much for these games. I know I will get my butt kicked over and over but they are so neat.

Assuming I am terrible, and that I don't have any souls skills I would need to unlearn which would be best for me to dip my toes into?

Any opinions?

Bloodborne.

Zelda 2

I'd second Bloodborne, but then move into Nioh. I've found Nioh to be closer to Bloodborne than Dark Souls I/II/III.

I will watch a bit on Youtube but Bloodborne always seems so ....grotesque it puts me off.

Haven't played Bloodborne, but I still say Dark Souls 1 is the best Souls to date. I think it's also a great primer for those interested in the "no mercy / play smart" rpg sub-genre.

Have you considered Salt & Sanctuary? It's a 2D take on the Souls experience. That might be an even friendlier point of entry to start with.

Since Souls 3 is part of the actual Souls series doesn't it get to be just a "Souls game" and not a "Souls-like" game?

I would start at Dark Souls 1.

If you are not interested in Bloodborne I would recommend Dark Souls 3 over Nioh as the latter is extremely complicated and adds many layers and nuances to combat and character progression. Bloodborne is a fantastic experience though, one that should not be missed in my opinion, but if it turns you off then it turns you off.

farley3k wrote:

I will watch a bit on Youtube but Bloodborne always seems so ....grotesque it puts me off.

That's fair. Honestly, I don't know that Dark Souls is all that less grotesque; it's just grotesque in a different way.

I assume you're looking for something you can play on the PS4, is that right? You might consider Lords of the Fallen. It's not as good as the From Software games, in my opinion, but it's considerably more accessible while hitting much of the same gameplay loop.

It's (minor spoiler) heavily Lovecraft influenced. If you find you're unable to get through Lovecraft's works, then steer away from Bloodborne.
That said, in Nioh, you cut people's heads and arms off, and shooting people in the head is somewhat visceral. It's not that bloody, not compared to Bloodborne or For Honor, but I'm uncertain how your tolerance for gore is.
If the youtube watching for Bloodborne puts you off, here's the difference (IMO) between Nioh and Dark Souls (any of them).

  • Nioh has faster and more nuanced combat mechanics than the Souls games.
  • The Souls games impress a greater feeling of massiveness since they have this epic, massive, seamless (nearly) world, but Nioh is a world map with smaller (though still big) maps.
  • Nioh has an actual story and plot. The Souls games keep their plot and lore hidden, so unless you go digging, you'll likely be in the dark (pun intended).

All in all, any of the Dark Souls or Nioh would be a fantastic entry point. If you decide on the Souls games, start with #1. The three games are only loosely connected, but you can't get much better than the first. (Having said that, the 'discussion' about which Souls game is the best is always heated.)

I havent played Nioh yet but Id recommend Bloodborne or the original Dark Souls.

Souls 1 has an amazingly well realized world, the way it all fits together and twists back in on itself is great.
Bloodborne and lovecraftian infulence really spoke to me though I love that stuff and would say give it a chance. I bounced off it pretty hard the first time I played but then went on to platnium it.

Aaron D. wrote:

Haven't played Bloodborne, but I still say Dark Souls 1 is the best Souls to date. I think it's also a great primer for those interested in the "no mercy / play smart" rpg sub-genre.

Agree with all who recommend if you go Souls, go DS 1. It's the best experience of the three IMHO but it's just great for what it is. If you like it DS2 Scholar adds 120 and some great DLC. Then just do 3 for funzies. If you want the more Nioh or Bloodborne experience in DS you can always do a shield less run.

Also consider streaming if you go DS to the crowd, it's a blast to watch someone's first run in DS!

shoptroll wrote:

Zelda 2

Saw this today

The forgotten legacy of Zelda II

Dark Souls 1, you can get it for 5 bucks on sale, 300 hours in and you can still see new stuff, or finish it in 15 and have an amazing experience.

It seem like it is on $20 on Steam so I may be picking it up.

Thanks everyone.

(of course when Zelda comes out in a month I will probably forget about whatever it is I buy now.....)

Do you guys recommend playing Demon Souls. Bloodborne converted me. Played DS 2 and 3. Loved 3 but 2 was fun too.

Demon souls is a pretty good game and probably worth checking out. Just keep in mind it was the first of the series and is a lot rougher around the edges then the other games.

Atmosphere and combat are still top notch though. Also keep in mind it's not really an open world so much as stages you select from a hub. Although they are still massive and span great distances that interconnected feeling zones have is lost.

I didn't like Demon Souls as much as most people did. A lot of the areas seemed like they were dark, dank, tight quarters, indoor dungeons. The other Souls games have that as well but broken up with brighter open areas. Plus the open world just felt better than the hub. I bounced off the game fairly quickly. Then again I played Dark Souls first so I'm sure that didn't help.

I'll be the contrarian here.

I would say DS3 or Bloodborne or Nioh. They're all great. I don't think DS3 is worse than the first one by any means and it's much less clunky. I love DS1, but going back to it after playing 3 just doesn't have the same snap that the later game has. I think DS1 serves as a great history lesson and gameplay experience with the context of improvements made in later games.

Honestly, I bounced off DS back in the day and ended up playing through 2 in it's entirety before finishing 1. It was having that better gameplay experience that gave me what I needed to get through 1. But now 3 exists, so that'd be my choice for an actual souls game.

Bloodborne scratches a similar itch, just with a different aesthetic and without any shields or blocking to speak of.

Nioh sits somewhere between those two, blocking is completely viable even though you don't have a shield. However, the combat can be played faster than any of the souls games .

Demon Souls is the one game in the series that I never really put much time into. Like others have said it's a bit rough around the edges, but what I played I did enjoy. My PS3 ended up dying before I could really get into it. If a remaster ever surfaces I'd be all over it, but I doubt that will happen.

Demon's Souls is an amazing game that's tough to go back to if you didn't start the series with it. Many of its mechanics are needlessly obtuse, even by Souls standards, but I don't think any game in the series has matched its atmosphere, not even Bloodborne. The Tower of Latria from Demon's Souls is probably still my favorite area in the entire series.

Would definitely agree with Aaron D regarding Salt and Sanctuary as a good starting point. I HAve played DS 1/2/3 and Bloodborne. Loved all the series but probably had most "fun" playing Salt and Sanctuary. Combines my love of 2D platforming with a very Souls world.

Have you considered Salt & Sanctuary? It's a 2D take on the Souls experience. That might be an even friendlier point of entry to start with.[/quote]

Would definitely agree with Aaron D regarding Salt and Sanctuary as a good starting point. I HAve played DS 1/2/3 and Bloodborne. Loved all the series but probably had most "fun" playing Salt and Sanctuary. Combines my love of 2D platforming with a very Souls world.

Have you considered Salt & Sanctuary? It's a 2D take on the Souls experience. That might be an even friendlier point of entry to start with.

Would like to toss in my two coppers and agree with the two gentlemen here. Salt and Sanctuary is a great entry point for this genre.
That said, having played all the Dark Souls games and Bloodborne, I am loving Nioh in spite of some difficulty spikes. Wonderful game and well worth the coin.

Bloodborne is my favourite, but I think Dark Souls 3 is a little bit more accessible (you will still die a lot though!)

Did you pick a game? Was it Nioh?

Ds1?

Demon's Souls?

Lords of the Fallen?

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