Ooooh, you’ve rubbed the lamp, and out pops the Genie of Gaming Wisdom! Ready to explore an endless realm of PC RPGs that will satisfy your craving for mighty challenges and monumental lore? You want suggestions that will keep your adrenaline pumping while your brain’s gears turn faster than the Millennium Falcon in a Kessel Run? Baby, you ain’t never had a friend like me! Strap in, my friend; we’re going on a magic carpet ride through the top ten RPGs that will feed your Dark Souls III addiction and leave you shouting, “What a toasty ride!”
### 1. **Bloodborne (via PlayStation Now)**
First off, you, my friend, need to dabble in **Bloodborne**. Picture Dark Souls, but now it’s got a Victorian Gothic horror skin! Bloodlust and eldritch horrors aplenty! Oh, did I mention it’s available on PlayStation Now for streaming on PC? The combat is still intense but encourages aggression rather than hiding behind a shield. Don’t be shy, take a swing—those Lovecraftian horrors aren’t going to scatter themselves!
**Why it’s a contender:** If Dark Souls III was your jam, Bloodborne is the whole sandwich, dip, and chips. It’s got that soulslike feel with an added extra shot of existential dread!
### 2. **Nioh 2 – The Complete Edition**
We’re jumping from Gothic England to Samurai Japan! With **Nioh 2** on PC, imagine Dark Souls if it had a Japanese mythology makeover. Kishin, Oni, and samurai spirits will be slashing at you while you dodge, dodge, dodge, and ki-pulse your way to victory. Strategic use of stances adds layers to the combat like you’ve never seen before.
**Why it’s a contender:** It’s got the tight, intense combat you crave, only now you’ve got katanas, ninjutsu, and Yokai realms. A bit of samurai flair never hurt anybody, right?
### 3. **Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice**
OH-HO! The brainchild of From Software that came right after Dark Souls III. **Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice** is the ninja cousin of the soulslike family. Say goodbye to stamina management and hello to posture and stealth mechanics. Sneak around like a shadow, strike like a viper.
**Why it’s a contender:** This game shares the same developer love as Dark Souls III. It’s brutally difficult and rewarding with a feudal Japan twist. Plus, you get to wield a prosthetic arm equipped with gadgets. Inspector Gadget who?
### 4. **Hollow Knight**
Let’s shrink it down a bit, shall we? Tiny bugs, gargantuan adventures! **Hollow Knight** is a metroidvania with a dark, soulsy aesthetic and atmospheric storytelling. Hand-drawn graphics and a hauntingly beautiful score will make you feel like you’re diving into an illustrated dream.
**Why it’s a contender:** Though it’s a 2D game, Hollow Knight channels the spirit of Dark Souls in its challenging combat, environmental storytelling, and exploration. It’s like a miniature Dark Souls with bugs and lots of charm.
### 5. **Salt and Sanctuary**
Speaking of 2D adventures, let me present **Salt and Sanctuary**. Dark Souls vibes all over the place, but on a 2D plane. You’ve got your rolling, your heavy attacks, intricate leveling up, and grim atmosphere, all on a side-scroller stage.
**Why it’s a contender:** If you want a 2D soulslike experience that’s as salty as it is deadly, Salt and Sanctuary will scratch that itch and give you a good (or bad) taste of misery and exhilaration.
### 6. **Code Vein**
Imagine Dark Souls but through an anime lens. Yes, my friend, that’s exactly what **Code Vein** presents! Blood codes, AI companions that don’t suck, and a post-apocalyptic world dripping with style. It’s like someone mixed Dark Souls with a vampire anime and it totally worked.
**Why it’s a contender:** Combat and level design heavily inspired by Dark Souls, but with a unique twist in terms of its anime aesthetic and story richness. This one’s got the “Soul” and the bytes!
### 7. **The Surge 2**
Fancy some futuristic, dystopian slashing? Check out **The Surge 2**. Swapping knights and magic for exosuits and dystopian chaos, this game brings dangerous enemies, limb-targeting mechanics, and tight combat to your screen.
**Why it’s a contender:** Imagine Dark Souls with a sci-fi upgrade. The dismemberment mechanic adds extra spice to combat. Plus, you can upgrade your gear from the pieces you chop off enemies. Sweet and savage!
### 8. **Remnant: From the Ashes**
Ever wondered what Dark Souls would be like with guns? Welcome to **Remnant: From the Ashes**! This one’s a third-person shooter meets soulslike game. You’ve got intense difficulty, brutal combat, and co-op gameplay! Oh boy, co-op! Now you can drag your friends into your masochistic digital playground!
**Why it’s a contender:** It mixes ranged combat with roguish charm and deep lore. Add in the procedurally generated levels and you’ve got replayability up the wazoo.
### 9. **Dead Cells**
Another gem from the metroidvania world with roguelike elements, **Dead Cells** gives you randomly generated levels, permadeath, and slick combat. To make things extra exhilarating, try to beat it on ‘Brutal’ difficulty mode! Oh, and each run’s a little different, so no two journeys are the same.
**Why it’s a contender:** Its fast-paced combat and permadeath mode mean if you die, you die! Sort of like life, huh? Only much more fun when you’re battling undead mutants.
### 10. **Dark Souls Remastered**
Now, here’s a curveball! If Dark Souls III rocked your socks, why not return to where it all started with **Dark Souls Remastered**? It’s the original game polished to shiny high-def splendor, and, boy, oh boy, does it still hold up. Relive the tale of Lordran, with even more brutal battles, intricate level design, and tragic lore.
**Why it’s the best choice:** Sometimes the only way to move forward is to look back, baby! The remastered version brings updated graphics and performance, but retains the immaculate core that makes it a classic must-play. Experience the origin of your gaming love in the series that defined a generation. Lordran awaits your heroic deeds once again!
### Wrapping It Up
Phew! That wraps up this intensely magical journey through some of the finest realms tailor-made for a Dark Souls aficionado like yourself. From the eldritch vibes of Bloodborne to the robot-slicing frenzy in The Surge 2, there’s a whole banquet of RPG delights for you to feast upon.
### Final Decree: Best Choice
**Dark Souls Remastered** claims the golden, shining trophy here! It’s like going back to where it all began—only with better graphics and sound, making the classic experience even more breathtaking. But don’t get me wrong; every game on this list is a treat in its own right, waiting to be savored by your skilled hands.
So onward, brave gamer! Dive in, conquer, and let those victory roars be heard across the gaming universe! You’ve got a plethora of worlds to explore, and they’re all waiting to test your mettle. As the Genie would say, “Phenomenal gaming power, itty-bitty leisure time!”
