The Dark Souls franchise didn’t begin until after the PS2 era, but there are some games for that console that fans of the Soulslike style will love.
The Soulsborne franchise has been so prominent for such a long time now in the video game industry that it becomes easy to forget there was a time long before it. Back in the era of the PlayStation 2, there was still a company called FromSoftware that made games, but their titles were quite different.
However, there are a variety of different games from that era that managed to capture at least some of the elements that would later inspire FromSoftware in creating the Dark Souls franchise. Whether players want something similar in difficulty or lore-heavy world-building, there was something similar on the PS2. 7 Devil May Cry
One of the best-known and remembered PS2 games of all time, the original Devil May Cry followed Dante, a demon hunter and an incredible swordsman, as he went to Mallet Island to track down the demon who killed his family. With an atmosphere and story comparable to the style of the Soulsborne franchise, and a gameplay style that involved some hefty level of combat, Devil May Cry is perfect for fans of Soulslikes.
Players could even, while in control of Dante, achieve what was known as “stylish” combat by performing an unbroken sequence of chained moves while avoiding all damage. Players were well rewarded for exhibiting the same kind of combat prowess they would need just to survive any game in the Soulsborne franchise. 6 King’s Field 4
FromSoftware went hard on their first franchise, long before turning their attention to the Soulsborne ideas. King’s Field was evidently already fitting into their style. The idea of a completely hopeless world and plenty of enemies to stand in the path of a hero were all present by the time King’s Field 4 rolled around.
After three successful games, King’s Field 4 was released on the PS2 and proved to be the final entry in the franchise.
