FromSoftware became a household name with Dark Souls, but its legacy stretches far beyond one franchise. Before the world obsessed over bonfires and invincibility frames, the studio was experimenting with other genres – everything fromsurvival horrorto futuristic mech warfare.
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These are the best titles by FromSoftware that aren’t Dark Souls, Some of which laid the very foundation that Dark Souls would later refine, while others charted their own unforgettable paths.
6King’s Field 4
Before Soulsborne, There Was King’s Field – And It Was Brutal
King’s Field: The Ancient City
Long before Dark Souls popularized punishing difficulty, King’s Field 4 was quietly making players question their life choices. Released on the PlayStation 2 in 2001, it took the series' signature first-person exploration and layered it with even more deliberate pacing, oppressive atmosphere and cryptic storytelling. The game doesn’t hold players' hands – in fact, it barely explains anything at all.
The world of Heladin is shrouded in mist and decay, where every enemy encounter feels like a boss fight thanks to slow, stamina-draining combat and the constant fear of death around every blind corner.
While its movement and combat may feel clunky by modern standards, King’s Field IV’s overwhelming sense of loneliness and dread directly foreshadows what FromSoftware would later perfect. It remains a cult classic among fans who crave slow-burn horror in their fantasy adventures.
5Echo Night
FromSoftware’s Ghost Story that Predates Modern Horror Games
Echo Night
Instead of swords or shields, Echo Night arms players with only a flashlight and a deep sense of unease.Released on the original PlayStationin 1998, the game trades combat for atmosphere, weaving a story about a haunted ship, lost souls and fractured memories.
Players step into the shoes of Richard Osmond as he tries to piece together the fate of the Orpheus and its ill-fated passengers. Ghost encounters aren’t just for scares – they serve as puzzles to solve, slowly revealing a tragic narrative. Echo Night’s subdued storytelling and clever environmental hints feel way ahead of their time, especially considering the horror genre in the late ’90s was still dominated by more action-heavy titles.
Even today, Echo Night’s minimalist approach to horror feels fresh and unnerving, with its low-poly graphics adding to the surreal nightmare quality rather than detracting from it.
4Armored Core: For Answer
When FromSoftware Let Players Wage War with Giant Robots
Armored Core: For Answer
Before the studio was synonymous with swords and shields, it was known for building hulking machines of destruction. Armored Core: For Answer, released in 2008 for PS3 andXbox 360, is often considered a high point in the franchise thanks to its fast-paced, vertically-dynamic mech battles and surprisingly heavy lore.
Players pilot customizable NEXT units in a world on the brink of environmental collapse, working for various factions whose true motives blur the lines between heroism and survival.
Unlike earlier entries, For Answer introduced enormous Arms Forts – gigantic mobile fortresses the size of cities that players had to dismantle piece by piece. The sense of scale was staggering, and the sheer depth of customization made every player’s mech feel like an extension of their personal style. It’s still regarded by fans as one of the most ambitious mech games ever made.
3Bloodborne
A Fever Dream of Madness, Beasts and Cosmic Horror
Bloodborne
Bloodborne takes the deliberate challenge of Dark Souls and injects it with the frenzied terror of cosmic horror. Set in the decaying, Gothic city of Yharnam, the game shifts the focus from careful defense to aggressive offense, encouraging players to meet their nightmares head-on instead of backing away.
The transformation mechanic – where seemingly-normal citizens turn into beasts right before players' eyes – creates an unsettling sense that nothing is ever quite what it seems. And beneath the surface, Bloodborne hides something even more terrifying than werewolves and malformed villagers: ancient, unknowable entities that twist the fabric of reality itself.
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Its fast-paced combat, haunting score and interconnected world design are often praised as FromSoftware’s most cohesive work. Even years after its release, Bloodborne’s feverish descent into madness remains unmatched in its intensity and artistry.
2Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice
Honor Demands Perfection – And So Does Sekiro
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Abandoning the RPG elements that defined its previous games, FromSoftware crafted Sekiro around pure, razor-sharp action. Players take control of the Wolf, a shinobi caught between loyalty and vengeance during a reimagined Sengoku-era Japan teeming with mythological creatures and deadly warriors.
The game demands precision, with its signature posture system turning every fight into a battle of timing and nerve rather than simply draining health bars. Unlikethe Souls games, Sekiro offers no online co-op, no customizable builds and no easy way out – just a single sword and the player’s mastery of it.
Boss fightslike Genichiro Ashina and Isshin the Sword Saint have become infamous for testing players' reflexes and resilience. Sekiro’s commitment to its combat philosophy paid off, earning it Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019 and cementing it as a modern classic.
1Elden Ring
The Moment When FromSoftware’s Vision Took Over the World
Elden Ring
Elden Ring isn’t just FromSoftware’s biggest game – it’s the culmination of everything the studio has learned over decades of experimentation. Released in 2022 to near-universal acclaim, Elden Ring takes the intricate level design of Dark Souls, the narrative ambition of Bloodborne and the combat fluidity of Sekiro, and fuses them into an open world that feels alive and threatening in equal measure.
The Lands Between, with its misty swamps, haunted castles and shattered divine trees, is littered with hundreds of secrets that reward curiosity and stubbornness alike. Working alongside George R.R. Martin for the foundational lore, FromSoftware built a world that feels ancient, layered and heartbreakingly broken.
Freedom defines Elden Ring – players can stumble into optional bosses harder than the main questline or uncover hidden stories that rival the main plot in depth. Its overwhelming success has not just raised the bar for open-world design but reshaped the conversation about what modern video games can achieve.
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