Summary
Though the original PlayStation console came out long before theDark Soulsfranchise came into existence, many fans of the franchise love going back to that console for the general difficulty that other games had during that period of gaming history.
Related:Genuinely Scary PS1 Games
The average game is a lot lower in difficulty than aSoulsbornegame, but the average PS1 game was much closer to that level. For this reason, there is a lot of fun to be had among the challenge-lovingDark Soulscommunity and the catalog ofold PS1 games which loved producing the kinds of challengesgamers of that time could rage at and struggle through.
7King’s Field
It may be an obvious place to start, but it has to be said. It is no surprise thatKing’s Fieldis thought of as one of the PS1 games with the most affinity to fans of theSoulsbornefranchise, it is made by the same people. FromSoftware had only developed business software up to that point buttried their luck with a video gamefor the first time and released it as a launch title for the original PlayStation.
Players take control of Jean Alfred Forrester, a man searching for his father who has disappeared while exploring with his men in an underground graveyard. Players have to deal with a huge number of enemies and extreme difficulty even for a game of its time, FromSoftware never really makes things easy for players of their games. TheKing’s Fieldfranchise would later help inspire the company in makingDark Soulsand their other games, and all the first three entries in theKing’s Fieldfranchise were PS1 exclusivesthat still haven’t been remade.
6Parasite Eve
There weren’t many RPGs that attempted in the PS1 era to go for the dark worlds and lore-heavy style that theSoulsbornefranchise would later make itself known for. However,Parasite Eveattempted something even stranger, a survival horror RPG. Set in the real world, in New York City, players take on the role of a cop who must unravel a mystery,playing unusually as a ghost.
Parasite Evewas one of the most ambitious games of its time and was filled with ghoulish creatures to fight, mysterious elements to uncover, plenty of fascinating lore, and a cinematic style that lay the early foundations for some of the best horror games of today. WhetherSoulsbornefans are big on horror or not, this is well worth a look.
5Shadow Tower
Thought to be a little too similar toKing’s Fieldfor some,Shadow Towerwas also developed by FromSoftware and released in 1998 as one of their later game entries for the PlayStation. Players were once again situated in a dungeon-crawling game with a heavy focus on the action aspects. This time, they were taking control of a mercenary who finds his city sucked underground.
Set on the fictional continent of Eclipse, the player is a mercenary who returns home and finds his city having been completely shifted. He is gifted a dark, magical sword that can vanquish the demons responsible for the city’s displacement and goes on a quest to save the old woman who raised him along with the rest of the city.Another great early FromSoftware adventure,Shadow Towerdeserves a replay from any fan of theSoulsbornefranchise.
4Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
The first game in theTenchuseries feels like an unusual one to compare to theSoulsbornegames. However, this 1998 game pit players against eleven sandbox levels filled with enemies and challenged players to make their way through with various pieces of chosen equipment and scored players based on their stealthy and non-stealthy kills.
Related:Flawed But Ambitious PS1 Games
Tenchuwas a great early example of the level style ofSoulsbornegames, even if the combat and gameplay differed somewhat. All theTenchugames are extremely fun to play through, and the lore as well as the artistic style are points that will help intrigueSoulsbornelovers, unfortunately,Tenchu hasn’t yet been remasteredto make it more available.
3Dragon Quest 7
This is another incredibly fascinating game to revisit todaywhich just got a remake, if only because of the sheer size as an RPG that rivals and even surpasses the largest, most lore-filled worlds of theSoulsbornefranchise. For gamers looking for something older that they can really sink their teeth into in a major way,Dragon Quest 7is a great option.
Not only does this contain by far the longest intro in RPG history, but players after only a few hours will begin to feel the weight of just how much there is to do as they adventure across Estard and attempt to refill the world with the lost continents.
2Echo Night
Another game that isn’t exactly in the same genre as theSoulsbornefranchise,Echo Nightis another game made by FromSoftware prior to their creatingDark Souls.Echo Nightwas a whole franchise of adventure games that were a little spooky in nature and possibly gifted some of the world ideas that led to theDark Soulsfranchise.
The plot focused on a man searching for a ship that disappeared at sea, attempting to uncover the mysteries surrounding it and whatever supernatural powers are at work. This wasn’t a franchise that was considered one of FromSoftware’s best early efforts, but fans of Soulslikes will enjoy seeing the early inspirations that could have led towardDark Souls.
1Nightmare Creatures
A straight-up survival horror game,Nightmare Creaturesdefinitely featured monster designs that might look similar to someSoulsborneenemies. More than that,Nightmare Creaturesuseda lot of 19th-century gothic horroras inspiration for its design, and even gave players control of both guns and magic abilities, making this game feel like the best PS1 equivalent ofBloodborne.
The design and creeping terror in addition to similarities in gameplay make this a great game to retroactively try out for the first time if players are big fans ofBloodbornein particular. The story is set in London in 1834, following a pair of people who want to stop the random transformations occurring to people on the streets, all to do with the former work of a cult.
