10 Awesome Video Games That Owe Their Success To Dark Souls

Dark Souls – despites its initial difficulty – manages to strike a perfect balance, rewarding players for their commitments, and encouraging them to persevere in their efforts. Eventually, the game opens up, revealing itself to be endlessly rewarding, gratifying those willing to put in the time and effort. Upon first glance, the series seems tremendously uninviting, but it's inherently rewarding given enough patience, determination and persistence.

Lords of the Fallen is designed around the same principle, rewarding players for their commitments and punishing carelessness. In this respect, the game borrows numerous mechanics from the Souls series – including its slower approach to combat – making the game remarkably challenging, yet equally as rewarding. Combat is satisfying, and bosses are a genuine obstacle rather than a casual hindrance.

It’s essentially the Western take on Dark Souls, which is itself a Japanese take on Western fantasy – and while it isn’t quite as entertaining – it’s got plenty of commendable qualities.