The souls-like genre has grown in popularity over the last five years, but the 2D indie version of FromSoft's formula has been especially interesting. Because there isn't much room on the screen, developers have to get the pacing, pattern design, and reward systems just right. This makes for some of the most satisfying combat loops in games. 2D indie souls-likes give fans the challenge and atmosphere they want, whether they crave tough boss fights or complicated level design.

This guide has something for everyone, whether you're a souls-like veteran who wants to check out the 2D indie scene or a newcomer who is scared of FromSoftware's games. Some of these titles put more emphasis on story and world-building, while others are all about the mechanics. Some have hand-drawn art, while others have pixel-perfect design. You'll find everything from gothic horror to eastern mythology and everything in between. What do they all have in common? Each title knows what makes souls-likes interesting and does it with gusto.

Salt and Sanctuary

Salt and Sanctuary came out before 2D souls-likes became popular. This 2015 release showed that the formula really worked. It kept the dark fantasy look that FromSoft made famous, but it turned it into Metroidvania-style exploration and combat. Salt and Sanctuary showed the design didn't need 3D space to work by using interconnected level designs, a variety of builds, and bosses that required players to recognize patterns. It was first released on the PS Vita, but after being ported to other platforms, it slowly became a cult classic and inspired a wave of developers with a new approach.

You can find it on Steam.

Blasphemous

The Game Kitchen has crafted a masterwork of 2D pixel art that blends religious gothic horror with harsh brutality and grotesque imagery. Both games feature dark, atmospheric Metroidvania-style exploration and punishing combat that defines the souls-like experience. The specific religious mythology is fictional but deeply rooted in Spanish Catholic iconography, visual art, and symbolism, offering genuine cultural depth for those intrigued by the tradition. The series proved what you can accomplish with a small budget and inspired a wave of indie developers to pursue similar artistic and stylistic directions.

You can find it on Steam.

Vigil: The Longest Night

Loong Studio's 2022 release shows that there is still room for new ideas. Vigil's hand-drawn art style and gothic town setting make it stand out from other pixel art games by giving it a unique look. The dark setting is full of deep lore that is told through item descriptions, NPC interactions, and environmental storytelling that rewards careful exploration.

Players get rewarded for finding secret areas and learning the town's unknown secrets, and the exploration follows the design rules of Metroidvania games. You can fight unarmed or with swords, axes, daggers, and bows, each with its own attack style and move. This diverse weaponry, combined with arcane abilities and throwable items, offers many combat options. This lets players pick a combat style based on their preferences and each weapon's unique traits.

You can find it on Steam.

The Last Faith

Kumi Souls Games' 2023 release is a love letter to Bloodborne in the form of 2D pixel art. The game borrows elements from both Castlevania's exploration-based design and FromSoftware's gothic horror to make something new and exciting. The scene is set for a terrifying journey through hand-drawn landscapes of creepy forests, snowy mountains, and crumbling cities as you play Eric, a man who awakens in a decaying world with a deteriorating mind.

Combat rewards aggression with a big parry window that heals you when you hit someone, which makes you want to move forward instead of being careful. You can still use dodge-rolling as your main way to protect yourself, but the game gives you plenty of melee weapons, guns, and spells to change your strategy. The Lovecraftian design in every setting makes a sense of emptiness and decay even stronger.

You can find it on Steam.

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Developed by Binary Haze Interactive, this tells the story of Lily, the last priestess in a land devastated by endless rain that drives living things into madness and transforms them into undead creatures. Before Elden Ring added summoning spirits to FromSoftware's formula, Lily was already commanding her bodyguards to fight alongside her. In other souls-like games, players charge ahead aggressively. In Ender Lilies, though, you must be more careful and defensive. You should focus on dodging and finding the right time to strike while your summoned allies do most of the fighting.

You can find it on Steam.

Grime

The 2021 debut of Clover Bite is the most visually different entry on this list. You are a nameless being with a black hole for a head, armed with living weapons that have their own personalities and can change shape during battle. The whole world is based on a creation myth where stone creatures travel to sculptors who shape them into more human-like forms. Combat is based on a parrying system that is different from other souls-like games. When you block at the right time, it stuns or hurts enemies. When their health drops into the red, they can be absorbed. Devouring enough of one type of enemy unlocks permanent traits that you may hone, which encourages players to try new things and specialize. The title's 3D surrealist look, with "eye-popping" caves that cry and deserts with faces on them, makes it stand out right away.

You can find it on Steam.

Moonscars

Black Mermaid's first game is clearly inspired by Blasphemous, with similar visuals and gameplay structure. But that's not a bad thing. You are Grey Irma, a clayborne warrior made by a godlike being called the Sculptor. You wake up hungry and have to travel through a nonlinear world of subtle grays with flashes of red. In combat, you need to be able to parry and respond quickly to mechanics made for 2D platforming. The Dark Mirror system is what makes Moonscars stand out. When you activate a checkpoint, it creates a hostile doppelganger that has all of your items and money. To get back what you've lost, you have to beat it. This approach makes resource management challenging and adds a level of strategy that isn't usually found in souls-like checkpoint design. When you die, you drop bone powder, which is your currency. The world is bleak and expressive and it needs to be exact on purpose. Through few interactions with NPCs and details in the environment, the story unfolds in a way that is hard to understand. If you liked the look of Blasphemous and wanted more, Moonscars gives you just that, but with its twist on the mechanics.

You can find it on Steam.

Tails of Iron

Odd Bug Studio's first game, which came out in 2021, is a clear break from the rules. You are Redgi, the heir to the Rat Throne. After seeing his father's murder, he is thrown into a brutal war against the Frog Clan. Tails of Iron is different from the rest in this genre because it just has a simple story-driven plot.

In combat, your stamina does not regenerate, which is a unique design choice that intensifies the action. Character progression is based entirely on gear, not skills and attributes. There are three types of weapons (swords, spears, and axes), and finding the right armor and loadout for each battle is your main strategic lever. This makes the experience smoother and makes you fight with your gear choices instead of creating a skill-based build.

The hand-drawn look, which was inspired by Eastern European block printing, makes the game look like a storybook, which is surprising given how violent it is. In boss fights, you have to recognize patterns and time your moves right. Traveling through the world allows you to observe the changes you've made as the land heals itself. Tails of Iron doesn't change the wheel, but it fully embraces its identity as a dark fairytale about rats and frogs, told in a surprisingly serious way. You might even recognize a certain voice as the narrator.

You can find it on Steam.

Nine Sols

The 2024 release from Red Candle Games is the latest to be released on the list. You are Yi, an ancient being who wants to get back at the Nine Sols, who are the rulers of a realm that was once home to an alien race. The world is drawn in "taopunk," a style that combines cyberpunk and Eastern mythology to make something that looks like nothing else in the 2D souls-like space. The animations are hand-drawn and fluid, and they feel like they are really alive.

Instead of rolling to dodge, combat is all about deflecting attacks. When you use perfect timing, you build Qi energy that you can use for strong dash attacks and talismans that you can charge up before they explode. Enemies make their attacks obvious but the game isn't afraid to surprise you, which makes for some twisted moments. When you fight a boss, you have to recognize patterns and follow them.

Nine Sols is more than just a good technical game; it has a great story. The story moves forward through motion comics, codec-style conversations, and smooth transitions between memories and scenes from the present. It feels like you earned character moments, and the lore of the world comes through in every interaction. Nine Sols has a level of polish and drive that seems almost unfair for a team of only 12 people.

You can find it on Steam.

Hollow Knight

Come on, don't act surprised. You should probably hear about Hollow Knight and Silksong in any conversation about souls-likes. With Silksong there was so much rage on the internet because there wasn't enough information about when it would come out. When it was finally released, people thought it was a cruel joke at first.

Hollow Knight, which many people think is the best 2D souls-like game, was made by Team Cherry, a studio with three people and a handful of contractors. It started out as a Kickstarter project, but it blew away expectations and sold more than 15 million copies. It became not only one of the best indie games but also one of the best games of all time. You are the Knight, and you explore Hallownest, the fallen insect kingdom that is full of environmental storytelling, interconnected shortcuts, and boss fights that require you to be exact and recognize patterns. The fighting is planned out, the platforming is tight, and Christopher Larkin's music is nothing short of amazing. Seriously, give it a listen. Hollow Knight basically set the standard for what this genre should be.

After six years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong was finally released on September 4, 2025. You play as Hornet, the skilled needle-wielder from the first game, who has been caught and taken to the kingdom of Pharloom. Silksong is even harder than the original. Even normal fights are sharper and more aggressive, and boss fights push you to your limit. But every loss feels justified, a reminder that you could have won if you had just been a little more focused. It also has a beautiful orchestral score by Christopher Larkin, again, just amazing work. As you climb toward a huge Citadel, the world is full of religious images like chapels, pilgrimages, and devotional themes. People were scared it wouldn't be as good as the first, but some would argue it is better.