8 Soulslike games with the best shortcuts

Important takeaways

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

Soullikes are some of the most popular games in the gaming world, as they provide players with tons of possibilities, large worlds with different themes and, of course, a tangible challenge that can often be both frustrating and rewarding. Although 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 will often face merciless bosses that will likely cause them to die more than once, restarting their journey from the last save location. While some of these tough bosses are optional, others are mandatory and will force players to go to great lengths to face them time and time again – that is, unless they find a shortcut available. Here are some of best Soulslikes with the best shortcuts.

8 Thymesia

Plague's weapon system really shines

• Interesting concept of battle where disease is the weapon
• Players must guide Corvus to uncover the mysteries of the world in question

Following the story of Corvus, Thymesia will have players embark on a journey where they must fight their way through a kingdom overrun by monsters to save it. Similar to other Soulslikes, Thymesia has a gloomy environment that perfectly complements its overall aesthetic and the developer's intentions to convey a dark world without hope.

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

7 Salt And Sanctuary

An amazing title with a unique and complete skill tree

• Massive and complete skill tree
• Players will be in a ship at the start of the game

Salt and sanctuary is not only a Soulslike with a very complete class system, but it also has a wonderful 2D art style that works very well with its concept. The game opens with the player character in a ship that also carries a princess. However, the ship is never meant to reach its destination, as it is attacked by marauders.

If players are skilled enough, they may be able to fight off the Marauders, but unfortunately, even then, they will still face a greater threat that will ultimately cause the ship to crash. Salt and sanctuary has one of the most complete skill trees in any Soulslike, and its multi-boss battles, along with the various shortcuts on the map, add a layer of complexity to the game that is very welcome.

6 Blasphemous

An action-packed title with strong Spanish Inquisition influences

• Beautiful 16-bit art style
• The Penitent One has many tricks up his sleeve when it comes to combat

Blasphemous is one of those titles that only comes once every two years. This title features amazing and challenging boss fights, a beautiful pixel art style, and an overarching theme that revolves around religious zeal and blind devotion to a greater will.

Throughout the game, players will find themselves traversing complex areas full of enemies that will try to make them fall into the area's obstacles and other hazards. Blasphemouss map is huge and complex, which is why the various shortcuts available in the game are very welcome, even when there are also options to teleport. the sequel, Blasphemous 2, builds on this title significantly, as it also includes new weapons that are more varied and innovative mechanics for area exploration.

5 Blood borne

From the software's Ultimate Nightmare title

• Probably the scariest FromSoftware title to date
• Fast-paced action and challenging bosses

While the titles in Dark souls franchise is also full of horrific creatures and grim areas, they pale in comparison to what Blood borne is in store for players who dare to pick it up. The game takes place in the nightmarish world of Yharnam, which has been slowly consumed by a blood-borne disease that has turned many of its inhabitants into monsters.

Like other titles developed by FromSoftware, Blood borne has various shortcuts that players can take advantage of to avoid the arduous path back to all the powerful bosses that kill them. But even if they manage to spot every single one of them, they'll still have to face some spine-chilling monsters along the way.

4 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

A fast-paced title that is arguably the hardest from the software release to date

• Set in a fictional version of feudal Japan
• Players can easily move from one point on the map to another with the game's fluid movement system

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

This game has arguably one of the most fluid travel systems in a FromSoftware game, as it allows players to swing from different points and easily reach high destinations. But even when that is the case, having certain shortcuts to run back to the various challenging bosses found in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis always welcome.

3 Hollow Knight

A captivating journey in a dreamlike world

• The Hallownest is full of enemies to defeat
• Beautiful art style that works extremely well with the concept of the game

At a glance, Hollow Knight may not appear to be a decent Soulslike, as it's hard to believe that a game with a 2D art style can give players as much of a challenge as Dark souls titles can. However, as soon as players enter the magical world known as Hallownest, they will quickly find that the challenge is there and that they will be tested more than once.

Hollow Knight has a large map full of enemies, difficult bosses and creepy areas like Deepnest that are likely to give players goosebumps and challenge their sense of direction. In this game, shortcuts are discovered not only through exploration, but also by unlocking various abilities that make them useful.

2 The Surge 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 combat

The Surge 2 presents players with a very disturbing but very real and potential future for the human species. Set in a dystopian future where the world's resources are completely depleted, humanity is on the brink of extinction, causing a lot of societal and political issues.

Like other Soulslikes on this list, The Surge 2 has various shortcuts that players can unlock as they explore the world and progress through the game. These help navigate the world more easily and allow players to save time during certain critical moments.

1 Fire Ring

From Software's Ultimate Masterpiece

• Outstanding Fast Travel system
• Large selection of weapons, bosses and armor sets

While other FromSoftware titles have been critically acclaimed for more than a decade now, none of them have managed to gain the success and popularity that Fire Ring have been enjoying since its release. Implement similar game mechanics as other titles by this developer, Fire Ring also introduces an open world that allows players to explore any areas they want in almost any order.

This, along with the wide variety of weapons, incredibly powerful bosses and armor sets, 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 fashion, having all of them, or at least most of them – even when there's already an outstanding Fast Travel system on place.