15 Best Parry & Soulslike Games — Difficulty and Action Compared by GPA Scores
Game design analysis · High-difficulty and action scores from GPA (Gamer's Profile Analyzer) compared side by side
“I beat SEKIRO. What do I play next?” — Every gamer has asked this at least once. The parry-centred soulslike genre exploded in the late 2010s and has become a permanent pillar of gaming culture. Precision parrying is no longer a niche skill; it's a shared language.
In this article, GPA (Gamer's Profile Analyzer) applies its proprietary tag-score data to analyse 15 parry-focused and high-difficulty action games. Using three axes — parry difficulty, action quality, and mechanical originality — we build the definitive guide for SEKIRO fans looking for their next game.
What Is a “Parry”? — Definition and 4 Types in Games
A parry is the collective term for any action that deflects, blocks, or counters an enemy attack. While it has existed in fighting games for decades, SEKIRO (2019) was the first title to make the parry the absolute core of its combat experience. Even within the single label “parry,” the mechanics vary enormously between games.
① Full-Parry Type
Deflecting enemy attacks at the precise moment is the centre of combat. Missing takes damage; succeeding breaks a Posture gauge or creates an opening. SEKIRO and Lies of P are the archetypes. High difficulty, but the payoff on success is unmatched.
② Hybrid Type
Parry and dodge used situationally. Expedition 33, Elden Ring, and Stellar Blade are the benchmarks. Clearable without parrying, but mastering it transforms the combat experience.
③ Stylish Type
Prioritises spectacle and satisfaction on a successful counter over strict timing. Stellar Blade's visual counters and Batman: Arkham Knight's FreeFlow combat are the key examples.
④ Rhythm / System Type
Parry fused with music, rhythm, or a unique mechanical system. Hi-Fi Rush (beat-synced guarding) and Wo Long (Martial Arts deflect) reinterpret the parry from outside the genre entirely.
What GPA Scores Reveal About Parry Games
Looking at GPA's tag data across all 15 titles in this article, both “High Difficulty” and “Action” scores sit well above the site average. Where a typical game averages around 40–50% on High Difficulty, parry-focused games cluster between 70–95%.
※ This is an editorial parry-difficulty estimate for this article — not GPA's official scores. It differs from GPA's High Difficulty tag weight.
① Top 10 Parry & Soulslike Picks — Listed on GPA
Each game below is in GPA's dataset. Visit the individual game pages for full tag-score breakdowns and ranked similar-game lists.
1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Genre: Turn-Based RPG
Set in a world where the Paintress condemns entire age groups to death each year, Expedition 33 sends a doomed party into a dying world to break the curse. The turn-based combat integrates real-time parry mechanics that shift the rhythm of every encounter. GPA scores it highest in Emotional Story and Story Depth — the French aesthetic and existential weight make it one of the most distinctive RPGs of 2025.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Turn-Based / Story Depth / Existential Themes / Dystopian Setting / Emotional Story
“Attack on your turn, parry on theirs” — a revolutionary tempo design
Released in 2025 by French studio Sandfall Interactive, Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG that fuses commands and real-time action in a genuinely groundbreaking way. Attack phases use command input for strategic decisions, while enemy attack phases demand real-time parries and dodges. This push-and-pull between thoughtful turn-based planning and twitchy defensive action keeps even long sessions fresh.
Parry, dodge, and jump — reading the attack type is the heart of the game
Expedition 33's parry is not just “press the button at the right time.” Enemy attacks fall into two categories: attacks that can be parried and attacks that must be jumped over. Tougher enemies demand composite inputs like parry → jump → parry, testing both pattern recognition and reflexes simultaneously.
Bosses grow more unpredictable as they grow stronger
Weaker enemies attack in regular patterns, teaching parry timing organically. Powerful bosses accelerate and randomise their attacks, lowering your success rate naturally. This design creates an elegant learning curve: practise on regular enemies, then prove yourself against bosses.
Visual payoff on a successful parry
Successful parries trigger dedicated effects and camera work, delivering genuine visual satisfaction. Chaining parries against a boss triggers some of the most cinematic moments in the game. The infamous boss “Gros Tête” is famous for requiring over 100 parry inputs — a fight won almost entirely through parrying.
2. SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Genre: Action
Sekiro removes the build customization of the Souls series and replaces it with a deflection-based combat system where reading enemy attacks is the only viable approach. GPA scores it at maximum Difficulty — the highest in the database alongside Cuphead — with Action close behind.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Action / High Difficulty / Graphics / Dystopian Setting / Emotional Story
FromSoftware's 2019 deflect-focused action game set in Sengoku Japan. What separates SEKIRO from other FromSoftware titles is that rolling and dodging are not the main tools — the Deflect is the only correct answer. The shinobi Wolf's sword duel stands at the pinnacle of the modern soulslike.
The Posture system — a battle of stamina
SEKIRO's Deflect is linked to the Posture gauge. Continuously deflecting enemy attacks fills their Posture; when it maxes out, a Deathblow becomes available for an instant kill. This is a revolutionary design: intentionally “absorbing” enemy offence to gain the advantage flips the logic of traditional action games completely upside down.
Every enemy has a distinct attack rhythm — the “dialogue of swords” creates a pleasantly tense atmosphere unique to SEKIRO. The moment you break a boss's Posture through pure Deflects is something only this game delivers. Its reputation as an “entry point for parry games” can be misleading — the actual difficulty is high, and it takes real time to internalise the timing.
The game that defined a genre
SEKIRO won Game of the Year 2019 and multiple other awards, cementing precision parry as a genre-defining mechanic. Lies of P, Wo Long, Stellar Blade, and dozens of other titles followed its lead. As the game that “rewrote the grammar of the soulslike,” SEKIRO's influence on modern action gaming is immeasurable.
3. Lies of P
Lies of P
Genre: Action RPG
Lies of P retells Pinocchio as a Soulslike set in a Victorian-era city overrun by automatons. The weapon assembly system lets players combine handles and blades from different weapons. GPA scores it close to Elden Ring on Difficulty and Dark World, with the Soulslike tag shared across both.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Dystopian Setting / Action / High Difficulty / Graphics / Dark
Released in 2023 by South Korea's Round8 Studio, Lies of P reimagines Pinocchio as a dark fantasy Soulslike. Its parry system stands alongside SEKIRO as a “Full-Parry Type” archetype.
The game's signature Perfect Guardtightens the timing window on shield blocks to the extreme — pull it off and you reflect damage back at the enemy. Regular guarding is forgiving enough for most attacks, but Perfect Guard mastery adds a satisfying gradient of skill expression. The left-arm prosthetic “Grimo” adds further counter variety, and the game's choice-based narrative — centred on whether to tell the truth — influences the ending for a surprisingly rich experience.
4. Stellar Blade
Stellar Blade
Genre: Action RPG
Stellar Blade follows EVE on a mission to reclaim Earth from alien creatures. The parry-focused combat rewards learning attack patterns. GPA scores it high on Action and Graphics — the character design and environmental art are among the strongest visual presentations in the Action category.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Action / Existential Themes / Anime Characters / Graphics / High Difficulty
Released in 2024 by South Korea's SHIFT UP as a PS5 exclusive. The “β-Parry” effect on a successful parry — a slow-motion burst of visual flair — is one of the most cathartic moments in the game.
Speed, parry, and dodge — a trinity of combat
Stellar Blade's combat is built on stylish speed, demanding that players instantly judge whether to parry or dodge each incoming attack. That split-second read packs every exchange with tension.
Multiple attack commands and tactical decision-making
The offensive toolkit is equally varied — choosing the right attack for each situation requires tactical thinking alongside defensive reflexes. Despite its flashy exterior, Stellar Blade rewards deep strategic engagement. Successful parries charge the Beta Gauge, unlocking powerful skills and making skilled play visually beautiful in a way that's easy to feel and easy to see.
5. Elden Ring
Elden Ring
Genre: Action RPG
Elden Ring takes FromSoftware's Soulslike combat into an open world designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. The Legacy Dungeons preserve the dense, interconnected level design of earlier entries while the Lands Between rewards patient exploration. GPA scores it at 95% for both Difficulty and Action — the highest Action score in the database.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Action / Dystopian Setting / Graphics / High Difficulty / Open World
FromSoftware's 2022 open-world soulslike. The parry here is “not required to clear, but devastatingly powerful when mastered.” A well-timed small-shield parry triggers a guaranteed Riposte, dealing huge damage even to bosses.
The biggest difference from SEKIRO and Lies of P: parry is one of many viable strategies. Dodge rolls, magic, bows, and mounted combat all work — parry is a high-risk, high-reward advanced option. Combined with the enormous open world and remarkable build freedom, Elden Ring is the most accessible entry point in FromSoftware's catalogue.
6. Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Genre: Action-Adventure
Ghost of Tsushima hands Jin Sakai a katana and an open version of feudal Japan and largely steps aside. The wind navigation system replaces minimap markers. GPA scores it high on Emotional Story and Dark World, with Open World sitting close behind — a combination that describes an action game built around atmosphere as much as combat.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Graphics / Action / Roguelike / Story Depth / Emotional Story
Sucker Punch Productions' 2020 open-world samurai epic set on Tsushima Island. The Standoff— stepping into an enemy sword draw at the perfect moment — is a “strike-first” style counter that captures classic samurai cinema at its finest.
The timing window is more generous than SEKIRO's, yet the aesthetic of committing to an attack as the enemy draws creates its own satisfying tension. Ghost of Tsushima is among the most approachable entries on this list for players new to parry-focused games, making it an ideal soulslike gateway.
7. Nioh 2
Nioh 2
Genre: Action RPG
Nioh 2 builds its samurai action around the Soul Core system and a Yokai Shift transformation that temporarily unlocks a second move set. The Burst Counter mechanic rewards reading specific enemy attacks. GPA scores it high on Action and Difficulty — the combination that places it in the Soulslike cluster while the transformation system provides a mechanical layer Dark Souls entries lack.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Action / High Difficulty / Graphics / Dark / Dystopian Setting
Team Ninja's 2020 Sengoku soulslike. The unique Ki Pulse (stamina recovery) and Ki Fluxcounter systems deliver a parry experience unlike anything else — closer to martial-arts philosophy than SEKIRO's mechanical deflect.
Ki Pulse recovers stamina by flicking the stick at the end of an attack string. Ki Flux — a near-zero-frame counter within the enemy's combo — drains their stamina massively on success. If SEKIRO is “the joy of deflecting,” Nioh 2 is “the art of reading and flowing.”
8. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
Genre: メトロイドヴァニア
Hollow Knight puts a silent knight in a vast underground insect kingdom built with hand-drawn art and a score that shifts by region. The map system withholds information until it's earned. GPA scores it at the top for Difficulty and Action among platformers, with Dark World running high — a combination that points at players who want atmosphere alongside the mechanical challenge.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Action / High Difficulty / Dystopian Setting / Graphics / Dark
Team Cherry's 2017 Metroidvania — one of the rare 2D games with a meaningful parry (the “bounce-back” mechanic). Dashes, downward bounces, and spell counters provide a rich defensive toolkit, and in the endgame boss-rush “Pantheon of Hallownest,” precise deflects become essential.
GPA scores rank the Metroidvania exploration and progression elements above the parry difficulty, but the overall challenge is formidable. If you want to try a 2D soulslike, this is the finest entry point available.
9. Batman: Arkham Knight
Batman: Arkham Knight
Genre: Action-Adventure
Batman: Arkham Knight closes the Arkham trilogy with the Batmobile fused into the combat and traversal systems. Gotham at night is the strongest visual presentation in the series. GPA scores it high on Action and Dark World — the combination that defines the Arkham series across all entries.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Graphics / Action / Story Depth / Emotional Story / Open World
Rocksteady Studios' 2015 series finale. The “FreeFlow Combat” counter system — press a button when the “!” prompt appears — chains effortless, cinematic counters that make anyone feel like an action-movie star.
Compared to the demanding timing of SEKIRO, the input window is extremely generous — accessible to beginners by design. It's the top recommendation in the “not too hard, very satisfying” bracket: equally enjoyable as an introduction to counter-attack games or as a palette cleanser between harder soulslikes.
10. Bloodborne
Bloodborne
Genre: Action RPG
Bloodborne moves through Gothic Victorian streets and cosmic horror architecture with an aggressive combat system that punishes defensive play. The Rally mechanic returns health through attacking immediately after taking damage. GPA scores it at the top for Dark World and near the top for Difficulty — the Action score is higher than Dark Souls entries, reflecting the faster combat tempo.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: High Difficulty / Dystopian Setting / Action / Dark / Graphics
FromSoftware's 2015 gothic-horror masterpiece. The Gun Parry— firing your pistol into an enemy's attack at the precise moment — triggers a Visceral Attack for massive damage. Harder to internalise than SEKIRO's Deflect, but uniquely satisfying when it lands.
“Parrying with a gun rather than a shield” is the conceptual inversion that defines Bloodborne's aggressive playstyle. Strongly recommended as the “classic FromSoftware parry experience” to revisit after finishing SEKIRO.
② 5 More Essential Parry Games
Five more titles that come up in every serious parry-game conversation. Each reimagines the concept of the parry through a completely original system.
11. Sifu
2022 · Sloclap. Chinese martial-arts action where dodging, deflecting, and weaving through enemy strikes form the defensive vocabulary. The signature “aging system” is the twist — each death makes the protagonist older, but more powerful. Mastering parries reduces unnecessary deaths, letting you reach bosses while still young. The design perfectly embodies the idea of “forging the master through repetition.”
12. Hi-Fi Rush
2023 · Tango Gameworks. Everything in the game — attacks, parries, dodges — is synchronised to the music's beat, and landing actions on the beat increases their power. Designed for joy over difficulty: even players who avoid soulslikes can thrive by simply feeling the rhythm. Hi-Fi Rush redefines parrying from “a painful reflex drill” into “a musical experience.”
13. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
2023 · Team Ninja (the Nioh series). The Martial Arts deflectis the engine of combat: pressing the button just before an enemy attack nullifies it and restores Spirit (stamina). The timing window rivals SEKIRO's Deflect in tightness, but mastering it transforms every confrontation with a Three Kingdoms warlord. “To play Wo Long well is to master the deflect” is not an exaggeration.
14. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
2013 · PlatinumGames. Free-cutting with Blade Mode combined with the “Revengeance” auto-parry (tilt the stick to deflect) produces a stylish soulslike experience unlike any other. The marriage of godlike battle music — “Rules of Nature,” “It Has to Be This Way” — and hyperspeed combat is genuinely one of a kind. A landmark for parry-as-entertainment.
15. Returnal
2021 · Housemarque, PS5 exclusive roguelike TPS. Weaving through bullet-hell volleys at range while using a close-range melee parry up close — a true hybrid design. The sci-fi horror world and protagonist Selene's death-and-rebirth loop elevate the soulslike “learn by dying” experience to the level of narrative. One of the most demanding games on this list — and one of the most rewarding to complete.
③ Other Notable Parry Games
Beyond the core 15, here's one more title that keeps coming up in current parry-game conversations. The article title stays “15,” but this is worth keeping on your shortlist.
16. Beast of Reincarnation
Beast of Reincarnation
Genre: Action RPG
Beast of Reincarnation sends Emma the Sealer and her dog Koo across a post-apocalyptic Japan in the year 4026, where a corruption called the Blight has transformed the landscape into a beautiful but hostile wilderness. Emma absorbs abilities from defeated Nushi creatures, building toward a confrontation with the titular Beast. Combat blends real-time parrying in the Sekiro register with turn-based command elements. Game Freak's first non-Pokémon AAA title. GPA scores it high on Emotional Story and Dark World — a companion-bond action RPG that reviewers placed between NieR: Automata and Princess Mononoke.
Gameplay Profile
Key tags: Dystopian Setting / Graphics / Action / Emotional Story / Existential Themes
2026 · Game Freak's rare fully original AAA action RPG. Combat is built around parrying, but the timing window is much more forgiving than SEKIRO or Stellar Blade. Enemy patterns are relatively readable too, so it works well if full-parry precision feels a bit punishing.
The real star is the command link with your corrosive companion dog, Koo. Landing parries fills a gauge; then the action slows or freezes so you can pick a Koo skill — damage, healing, crowd control, status effects. Add flower-based grapple movement and the fights become wildly three-dimensional: parry to set the rhythm, Koo to flip the state of the fight.
The story follows Emma, a nearly emotionless protagonist reclaiming her heart while traveling a blighted future Japan with Koo. If you liked the tone and action of NieR:Automata or Stellar Blade, this is an easy add to the shortlist — especially when you want a more approachable parry game that's currently in the conversation.
What GPA Scores Reveal About Parry Games
A unique zone where High Difficulty and Action both peak
Analysing this article's 15 titles through GPA tag data, a cluster emerges where both “High Difficulty” and “Action” exceed 70% — a rare combination. Typically, high-difficulty games lean toward strategy or puzzle mechanics rather than action. Parry-focused soulslikes are the exception. “Demanding reflexes and strategic thinking simultaneously” is precisely what generates this unique score profile.
Surprisingly high Story Depth scores
Parry games are discussed primarily for their gameplay challenge, but GPA's Story Depth scores are consistently high across the category. The lone warrior narratives of Expedition 33 and SEKIRO, the decadent worlds of Bloodborne and Lies of P, the last-soldier-of-humanity arc of Stellar Blade — each layers the urgency of story onto the tension of high-stakes gameplay, multiplying immersion.
“Why must I defeat this enemy?” — that narrative motivation is what lets players push through repeated deaths. The GPA data suggests that the essence of parry games lies not just in difficult action, but in “using the power of story to carry players past that difficulty.”
What Expedition 33 proves about the “turn-based × parry” concept
The most significant finding in this article is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. By embedding real-time parry inside a turn-based RPG, it sits near a completely different set of games in GPA's similarity rankings — reaching players who have never touched a soulslike. For fans of command RPGs who have hesitated to try a parry game, Expedition 33 is the ideal bridge.
The SEKIRO Fan's Guide to the Next Game
Here are recommended routes, organised by what draws you to SEKIRO in the first place.
I want more of SEKIRO's Deflect satisfaction
Lies of P → Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty → Nioh 2
All are Full-Parry type, the closest lineage to SEKIRO. Precise timing and post-counter payoff feel most similar.
I love the soulslike story and world, but want parry to feel less mandatory
Elden Ring → Bloodborne → Expedition 33
Parry is optional but rewarding in each. Expedition 33's turn-based structure makes it more accessible for players who struggle with pure action.
I want stylish, visually spectacular parries
Stellar Blade → Metal Gear Rising → Ghost of Tsushima
Presentation-first parry experiences. Lower difficulty than SEKIRO, higher visual payoff.
I love difficulty but want to develop skills beyond parrying
Returnal → Hollow Knight → Sifu
Bullet-hell evasion, Metroidvania exploration, and an aging system — each adds major mechanics beyond the parry. Recommended for advanced players looking to broaden their skill set.
I'm new to soulslikes — I just want to feel the thrill
Batman: Arkham Knight → Hi-Fi Rush → Ghost of Tsushima
Generous input windows and forgiving retry loops. The perfect place to build your first parry instincts without getting stuck.
Conclusion: Parry Isn't “Difficult” — It's “Deep”
After reading GPA's scores and each game's systems together, one conclusion emerges: the essence of parrying is not “the difficulty of matching timing,” but “the depth of learning to have a dialogue with the enemy.”
SEKIRO expresses the swordsman's conversation through the Deflect. Expedition 33 delivers the parry's tension in the real-time split second that punctuates command-battle strategy. Hi-Fi Rush fuses the oneness of musical rhythm and guard into a single feeling. Each title speaks the shared language of “parry” while delivering an entirely different game experience.
For players who love soulslikes and find parrying exhilarating, GPA's similar-game feature is especially powerful. Open any game's detail page and you'll see titles ranked by closeness of tag weights for High Difficulty, Action, and Story Depth — the fastest way to data-optimise your search for the next game.
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