8 souls-like games with the best shortcuts

Key insights

• Soulslikes offer class variety and challenging bosses like Thymesia with unique plague combat and good shortcuts.
• Salt and Sanctuary features a full skill tree and multi-boss battles in a ship environment that fit well with its 2D art style.
• Blasphemous offers action-packed gameplay inspired by the Spanish Inquisition, huge maps with shortcuts, and appeals to players who love beautiful pixel art.

Soulslikes are among the most popular games in the gaming world because they offer players a lot of options, huge worlds with different themes and of course a concrete challenge that can often be both frustrating and rewarding. Not all Soulslikes are as difficult as Dark soulsMany of them share other elements that have made FromSoftware's idea a timeless classic.

In Soulslikes, players often encounter merciless bosses who are likely to make them die more than once and restart their journey from the last saved location. While some of these tough bosses are optional, others are mandatory, forcing players to travel great distances to face them again and again – assuming they don't find an available shortcut. Here are some of them best soulslikes with the best shortcuts.

8 Thymesia

The Plague weapon system really shines

• Interesting concept for a battle where disease is the weapon
• Players must lead Corvus to uncover the secrets of the world in question

Following the story of Corvus, Thymesia Players embark on a journey where they must fight their way through a kingdom overrun by monsters in order to save it. Similar to other Soulslikes, Thymesia has a dark setting that fits perfectly with the overall aesthetic and the developer's intentions of conveying a dark world without hope.

Although it's not the scariest Soulslike out there, Thymesia uses a very interesting combat concept as it allows Corvus to take control of the disease plaguing the land. While this title doesn't have as many abbreviations as other Soulslikes, it still has a decent number of them.

7 Salt and sanctuary

A great title with a unique and complete skill tree

• Huge and complete skill tree
• At the start of the game, players are in a ship

Salt and sanctuary is not only a Soulslike with a very complete class system, but also has a wonderful 2D art style that suits its concept very well. The game begins with the player character on a ship that also has a princess on board. However, the ship never reaches its destination because it is attacked by looters.

If the players are skilled enough, they may be able to fend off the Marauders, but unfortunately even then, they will still face a larger threat that will ultimately lead to the ship crashing. Salt and sanctuary features one of the most comprehensive skill trees in Soulslike, and its multi-boss battles, along with the various shortcuts across the map, add a most welcome level of complexity to the game.

6 Blasphemous

An action-packed title with strong Spanish Inquisition influences

• Beautiful 16-bit art style
• The Penitent has many tricks up his sleeve in battle

Blasphemous is one of those titles that only comes out every few years. This title features amazing and challenging boss fights, a beautiful pixel art style, and an overall theme revolving around religious fervor and blind devotion to a greater will.

As the game progresses, players traverse complex areas filled with enemies trying to push them into obstacles and other dangers. BlasphemousThe map of is huge and complex, which is why the various shortcuts available in the game are very welcome, although there are also options for teleporting. The sequel, Blashpemous 2, builds significantly on that title as it also features new, more varied weapons and innovative area exploration mechanics.

5 Bloodborne

The ultimate nightmare title from FromSoftware

• Probably the scariest FromSoftware title of all time
• Fast-paced action and challenging bosses

While the titles in the Dark souls Even though the franchises are full of horrific creatures and dark environments, they pale in comparison to what they have Bloodborne is ready for players who dare to pick it up. The game is set in the nightmarish world of Yharnam, which has slowly been ravaged by a blood-borne disease that has turned many of its inhabitants into monsters.

Like other titles developed by FromSoftware Bloodborne features various shortcuts that players can use to avoid the arduous journey back to powerful bosses that kill them. But even if they manage to discover every single one of them, they will still have to face some scary monsters along the way.

4 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A fast-paced title that is probably the hardest FromSoftware release to date

• Set in a fictional version of feudal Japan
• The game's fluid movement system allows players to move from one point on the map to another with ease

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is great not only because of its concept and great gameplay, but also because it is set in Japan, the home of its developer FromSoftware. By playing this title on home soil, the developers have not only managed to deliver an amazing experience that feels and plays like that Dark souls title, but also created a world that shows the beauty of feudal Japan.

This game arguably features one of the smoothest travel systems in a FromSoftware game, allowing players to fly from various points and reach high-altitude destinations with ease. But even if that's the case, there are certain shortcuts to get back to the various challenging bosses that exist Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis always welcome.

3 Hollow knight

A captivating journey into a dreamlike world

• The Hallonest is full of enemies to defeat
• Beautiful art style that fits the game's concept perfectly

At a glance, Hollow knight may not seem like a decent Soulslike, as it's hard to believe that a game with a 2D art style is capable of giving players as much of a challenge as this Dark souls Titles can. However, once players enter the magical world called Hallownest, they will quickly realize that the challenge is there and that they will be tested more than once.

Hollow knight features a massive map full of enemies, difficult bosses, and spooky areas like the Deepnest that are likely to give players chills and test their sense of direction. In this game, shortcuts are discovered not only through exploration, but also by unlocking various abilities that make them usable.

2 The wave 2

An adrenaline-pumping experience with exciting combat mechanics

• Set in a dystopian future where humanity has exhausted the Earth's resources
• Fast-paced action and fighting

The wave 2 presents players with a very worrying, but very real and potential future for the human species. In a dystopian future where the world's resources are completely depleted, humanity is on the brink of extinction, bringing with it a whole range of social and political problems.

Like other Soulslikes on this list, The wave 2 features various shortcuts that players can unlock as they explore the world and progress through the game. These make navigating the world easier and allow players to save time at some critical moments.

1 Elden Ring

FromSoftware's ultimate masterpiece

• Excellent fast travel system
• Large selection of weapons, bosses and armor sets

While other FromSoftware titles have been critically acclaimed for more than a decade, none of them have managed to achieve the success and popularity that they did Elden Ring has been a lot of fun since its release. Implementing similar game mechanics to other titles from this developer, Elden Ring also introduces an open-world setting that allows players to explore any area in almost any order.

This, along with the wide range of weapons, incredibly powerful bosses and armor set, make the game a masterpiece. While not every shortcut in the game needs to be unlocked in order to travel The Lands Between in a streamlined manner, it is always beneficial to have all or at least most of them – even if an excellent fast travel system is already in place.