9. Souls Series
Ever since Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls the “Souls” series has had a monumental impact on the video game industry as a whole. Dark Souls created a unique brand of difficulty, it was a punishing game that taught you with each and every death and was just as much about you growing as a player as it was growing your character.
The first Dark Souls caught on like wildfire, and fast forward to today and we have two other Dark Souls games, a full-blown remaster coming out, a big PS4 exclusive with Bloodborne, and more. A veritable new genre was created from these experiences, known as Souls-likes, and include the likes of The Surge, Nioh, Lords of the Fallen, the upcoming Code Vein, and many more. Even with all the games following suit, there’s still nothing quite like a Souls experience out there. Bloodborne redefined it into a much faster-paced, offensive experience, and the formula was only tightened up by Dark Souls III. The series’ impact is clear, and although it’s a relative newcomer compared to some of the other long-running series, it’s secured its place in the hallowed halls of the JRPG greats.
