Resident Evil Meets Dark Souls In Brutal New Survival-Horror Game

Published Sep 6, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

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Survival-horror games and Soulslike games, such as Resident Evil and Dark Souls, respectively, are more alike than they are different. For instance, both have players maneuver terrifying and claustrophobic locations, wherein exploring new environments becomes a puzzle in and of itself, while either fighting or completely avoiding enemies who patrol there aimlessly. Plus, resources are scarce and vital in survival-horror and Soulslike games, meaning that fans of one subgenre probably have the same muscle memory and intuition as fans of the other.

However, the closest that these subgenres have ever arguably been to actually meeting in the middle is Bloodborne, FromSoftware’s fantastic cosmic-horror game. Until now, that is, as there’s an upcoming survival-horror game on Steam that finally looks literally like Resident Evil and Dark Souls had a baby.

As per its Steam store page, False Oath is a medieval survival-horror game that is evocative of classic PS1 games. At first glance, it does look strikingly like if Dark Souls was reimagined in a retro style and given low-poly visuals, static camera angles, and tank controls.

Players are brilliantly armed with a crossbow, which will theoretically be less overpowered than the arsenal of firearms players have at their disposal in a Resident Evil game, assuming that there aren’t a billion bolts lying around. Moreover, players are able to parry enemies with a shield and obliterate them with a powerful retaliatory swing of their sword.

Horror has always been ripe with potential in a medieval landscape, and False Oath’s atmosphere is rich with all the dark fantasy trappings that fans adore from popular Soulslike games like Dark Souls or Elden Ring (with haunting ambience, too). You can even forge weapons at a blacksmith, and the inventory menu looks decidedly similar to that of Silent Hill’s.

The game’s lore might be something to look forward to, as well. The Steam store page describes False Oath’s story as such:

“You are Elis, a knight of the Kingdom of Torvenia. The royal healer has summoned you and the other knights for a crucial mission. A deadly plague is spreading across the kingdom, and the royals are in grave danger. You must find the ingredients for a special potion capable of curing any ailment.”

Something comparable to Dark Souls’ Estus, perhaps? Regardless, narrative cohesion is far from the most paramount or remarkable aspect of survival-horror and Soulslike games. Resident Evil is proof of that after nine mainline installments and all the lore it’s struggled to reconcile in the last 30 years of the franchise.

Developed by Valve and released in 2003, Steam is a popular video game distribution service originally used by the company to provide updates for Valve games. In 2005, Steam expanded to distribute third-party titles. Steam users can not only browse games for purchase, but they can also post reviews and upload self-made content.