10 Forgotten FromSoftware Games to Play While Waiting for More Soulsborne

Dark Souls might’ve been the series that made FromSoftware famous, but the studio has existed for decades now. In that time, it's developed a solid number of games, even if most of them have been forgotten, as the Soulsborne games receive all the attention. While some games show their age, most of their older titles resemble Soulsborne games at least a little.

Going back through FromSoftware's catalog of games is fascinating. You're able to pick out design choices that would later be used in the studio’s well-known games after they've been reworked and polished for newer titles. It's like you get to see the development of features that would become common in FromSoftware's content.

10 Chromehounds

A Mech Option That Isn't Armored Core

Chromehounds is set in a world where the timeline splits from our current historical path in 1945, during which time a weapons manufacturer created Advanced Combat Vehicles, or ACVs. These vehicles are essentially mechs, and that made them such a powerful tool of war that the big world powers adapted them as a primary part of their arsenal.

Unfortunately, the online game mode for Chromehounds is no longer in service, so you won't be able to enjoy that experience. You can, however, still play the single-player mode of the game, which would be an interesting choice for fans of the Armored Core games.

9 Otogi: Myth of the Demons

Here You'll Find Similarities to Dark Souls 2

The premise of Otogi: Myth of the Demons feels like a different version of Dark Souls 2, specifically if DS2 was made as a historical fiction game rather than a dark fantasy. In this hack-and-slash title, you play as an undead swordsman who was brought back from the dead to save Japan from the demons causing destruction.

Otogi even includes a magic meter in each stage that drains when you aren't in combat, which is another element that feels similar to DS2. If your meter empties, then you die. The entire game is filled with action and the use of mythology keeps you interested. It's a great game even for players who don't like Souls games, as it's not quite as punishing.

8 Kuon

A Forgotten PlayStation 2 Survival Horror

Kuon is a survival-horror game which isn't FromSoftware's usual style, but it still holds up in general as a solid gaming experience if you like horror. It definitely has the feeling of other horror games from that era of gaming, which makes it feel nostalgic if you've played those simply due to the design.

With static cameras, the controls resemble the early Resident Evil games, and Kuon allows you to run, but doing so can draw the attention of more enemies, adding a slight stealth element. You get to experience the perspectives of three characters, each of which have their own weapon to use against enemies.

7 Evergrace

Dark Souls Before Dark Souls

Evergrace is definitely the foundation that Dark Souls was built on, and that's clear when you play it. There are two characters you can play as, but the way the in-game world functions is much like Dark Souls. Enemies respawn, although they do so slowly and at random instead of every time you use a bonfire. The randomness of respawns adds a unique form of difficulty to the game.

While the soundtrack is incredible to listen to, the overall story of the game is highly Soulslike. You get almost no information about what's happening upfront, and you instead have to search for answers yourself to learn the lore, and that's so true to FromSoftware's current style of storytelling that it's obvious where the habit began.

6 Lost Kingdoms (1 and 2)

An Early Deck-Builder Game

Lost Kingdoms is an interesting game from FromSoftware, because it doesn't quite fit the studio's usual style. This is true for both Lost Kingdoms games, as there were two of them made with similar stories that follow a rather classic RPG style with a princess and a magic-using antagonist.

As an action RPG, Lost Kingdoms has real-time combat instead of turn-based combat. This choice for combat style is particularly unusual, because the combat system relies on card decks like a card-builder does, and you tend to expect that system to be combined with turn-based fighting.

5 Eternal Ring

Not to Be Confused with Elden Ring

Although the name is similar, Eternal Ring is quite different from Elden Ring. However, you can definitely see the ways that it likely contributed to Elden Ring's development decades later. It's not the best game that FromSoftware has produced, but it's interesting for the sake of seeing how it likely led to development choices made in later games.

FromSoftware has certainly never been afraid to experiment with game design. Eternal Ring is a first-person RPG that includes rings you're able to create and use to cast spells, similar to Materia in Final Fantasy. When it comes to story, Elden Ring's easily outclasses Eternal Ring's story, so we know which ring trumps the other.

4 Shadow Assault: Tenchu

The Predecessor of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Shadow Assault: Tenchu is part of the larger Tenchu series, which is largely made of action-focused ninja games. While it has some of the same feeling you get from Sekiro, it's far less polished and shows its age. It's also much more geared toward action elements, whereas Sekiro has a heavier reliance on stealth and strategy.

I enjoy Tenchu. It's considered both an action and a puzzle game, and I love puzzles, so it's a great choice for me. If you don't like those features in games, then you might want to try a different game on the list instead, as some of the puzzles are quite strange to figure out.

3 King's Field

A Classic Series from FromSoftware

King's Field is an entire series of games, but they have a classic design to them that continues to hold up fairly well despite the first game being released in 1994 as a launch title for the original PlayStation. If you love classic RPGs, then you'll likely enjoy the King's Field games.

In King's Field, you spend more time exploring the world than you do fighting— and dying— against bosses. While it's not as difficult as Souls games, you start out weak enough that it's not too easy either. The balance comes from a progression system that lets you grow your strength in a way that feels natural.

2 Enchanted Arms

A Game Sillier Than Usual for FromSoftware

Enchanted Arms is a JRPG from FromSoftware that has the kind of characters who are difficult to take seriously at various points in the story, which then makes the story itself seem campy. I don't mean this in a bad way, but it's definitely a style that not every player is going to enjoy.

Luckily, the combat system is decent enough to be the highlight of the game even when the story falters. Since the combat itself isn't as difficult as you'd expect from FromSoftware if you've only played their modern games, Enchanted Arms is a good game choice if you want a break from frustrating boss fights.

1 Echo Night

FromSoftware's Fatal Frame in Space

Echo Night is a trilogy from FromSoftware that's set in space, and you're stuck on a spaceship filled with ghosts. It's a blend of horror, sci-fi, and adventure, so the games aren't too scary. However, there are plenty of unsettling and weird moments that help build the atmosphere and horror that come from simply being lost in space.

In Echo Night, you don't have a way to defend yourself, making it an early example of horror where survival relied on puzzle-solving and hiding, similar to Fatal Frame. However, Echo Night has an environment that lets you interact with most objects, which makes the locations feel real.

FromSoftware was founded in 1986, which is long before Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring made it a goliath in the gaming industry. As a result, the studio has an entire backlog of games that have been largely forgotten. There are more Soulsborne games to look forward to in the near future, but taking a look at FromSoftware's past can be a fun way to pass the time until their next game is released.