The legacy of FromSoftware’s Souls series isn’t just defined by the amazing games that it’s made up of, but also the subgenre that’s been given life thanks to its very existence: The Soulslike. It’s a complicated thing, though; every fan of these games knows that defining the term “Soulslike” is about as easy as beating Melania without summons or cheese strats. Developer FromSoftware’s influence on the industry has been so profound that slithers of its DNA can be found everywhere from Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Death Stranding to Dead Cells and 2018’s God of War. At this point, what game featuring towering bosses or encouraged exploration doesn’t seem at least a little Soulslike? To keep our ranking somewhat coherent, we’re boiling the essence of Soulslikes down to a number of key building blocks. To be eligible for this list, a game must have: - Punishing consequences for death. - A currency gained by defeating enemies that is integral to character progression and can be lost upo...