Best Soulslike Games That Mix History and Fantasy

History can be fun sometimes, which is why countless video games take heavy inspiration from real-life events. For instance, series like Civilization and Total War take liberties here and there to retain some kind of entertainment factor, but they are firmly based in reality.

However, action games, and in particular, Soulslike games, seem to have found a niche in the historical gaming space. They often use real-life historical eras as backdrops for their zany premises, involving all sorts of demon, robot, or monster foes. In short, here are some of the best Soulslike games that have a mix of both history and fantasy in them.

Dark Devotion

Another Grimy Look At The Middle Ages

Death in Dark Devotion may not be as punishing as it seems in many other Soulslike games, but it's certainly not without its consequences. Specifically, players are spawned back into the game significantly less powerful, having to scrounge for the gear they worked so hard to obtain before they died.

This brutality is par for the course in a world like this, in the era of the templars in the Middle Ages. Enemies faced throughout the game are often grotesque and are clearly based in fiction. But its dark inspirations are clearly taken from a very real, often messed-up time in world history.

Thymesia

A Sickly Romp Through The Black Death

Thymesiasees players take control of the deadly plague doctor, Corvus, as he works to save a dying world from, you guessed it, a plague that's turning people into mutants. While the game's story isn't anything to write home about, its combat has all the hallmarks of a solid Soulslike.

But what's really the draw here is Thymesia'sdying world. While not super original, its basis in history, that is the 16th century (The Black Death), is an original one, and it does a great job at filling in any Dark Souls-shaped gaps that rear their heads.

Steelrising

Viva La Revolucin

Frankly, the French Revolution has been done to death in fiction like A Tale Of Two Citiesand Les Misérables. However, neither of those had robots taking over the country in the name of Louis the XVI, like Steelrisingdoes.

In this game, players step into the metallic shoes of a robo-marionette of sorts to help crush the king's reign. Take quests from real figures who lived during the time, with the goal of helping to shape France into something that...doesn't resemble what it is here. Luckily, things can't get much worse than this.

Lies of P

A Classic Fable Mixed With A Fantastical Soulslike In A World Inspired By Industrial Revolution London

No, Pinocchio was never a real boy, and Lies of P doesn't take place in a real city. But if someone said that Krat was just a fictionalized version of London during theIndustrial Revolution, it'd make an incredible amount of sense. Of course, London never had murderous puppets running around it.

Really, the game's aesthetics are where the parallels to history stop. Instead, the game focuses on the personal journey of Pinocchio, complete with a few different endings that affect him and those around him. If anything, they're some truly dark but fitting endings that reside well within the game's established tone.

Nioh

Step Into the Shoes Of A Real Samurai

In Nioh, gamers play as William Adams, a real guy who really was a samurai, serving under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Of course, some liberties are taken in shaping his character in the game. For instance, his motivations for going to Japan in real life were to establish trade between England and Japan, whereas in the game, they lie in saving his guardian spirit, Saoirse, from the main baddie.

Throughout the game's story, players are accompanied by a load of historical samurai and ninjas. However, they serve as mere set dressing for the real goal of killing demons - something that's done in spectacular fashion utilizing one of the many weapons of the time, like the kusarigama, a particularly scary weapon consisting of a swingable scythe attached to a weight by a chain. If players are looking to lay waste to some demons in style, this is the game for them.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

A Demonic Take On Chinese History

Amidst the Yellow Turban Rebellion of the year 184 CE, our customized player character works to save a young boy from the clutches of the Taoist priest Yu Ji. Of course, this is just an excuse to fight through various instances of the conflict, meeting historical figures like the warlords Cao Cao and Sun Ce.

Plus, wouldn't you know it, demons are being used in the conflict. In fact, the enemy generals are putting themselves through some horrific transformations to try and get the upper hand on the player. Just like Niohbefore it, the history aspect is just a cool backdrop for these absolutely bonkers fights.