Film

This 2026 Steam Free Game Is Perfect For Bloodborne, Elden Ring Fans

30 January 2026

2026’s newest Soulslike is Phyllosoma, which hails from Team Respect Guild, a “small indie team of four developers who love games.” Evidently inspired by Soulslikes such as Dark Souls, Lies of P, and Bloodborne, Phyllosoma’s incredibly short playtime is balanced by the fact that it is free to play on Steam.

Phyllosoma’s Steam store page details the kind of experience players are in for, but Soulslike veterans will already be well-versed with the general design layout. It may not be enough to fill everyone’s bellies, but depending on how much players adore Soulslikes and how eager they are for a new game to scratch that itch, it could certainly be enough to whet their appetite.

Phyllosoma Is A New Free Soulslike

phyllosoma soulslike bloodborne lies of p

Phyllosoma is bare-bones, but endearingly so, as those bones are full of all the traits that make Soulslikes special. It’s essentially a bit longer than the tutorial level in a fully fleshed-out Soulslike game, and its experience is padded out via exploration.

Even as a short game, exploration is necessary in Phyllosoma. Healing items behave like Bloodborne’s blood vials, not Dark Souls’ Estus flasks, and are not replenished in the player’s inventory once they respawn after a death. Moreover, in what is surely a divisive choice, Phyllosoma does not inherit Bloodborne’s rallying feature. Therefore, collecting and hoarding healing items in Phyllosoma is compulsory if players wish to make it to the peak of the fortress.

Phyllosoma has a hauntingly beautiful score—a prerequisite to any budding Soulslike IP.

It’s Short, But Brutal

phyllosoma soulslike bloodborne lies of p combat

As a truly short game, Phyllosoma’s Soulslike difficulty is a mixed bag. On the one hand, ordinary enemies and mobs can be quite easy, with the game’s real threats awaiting at the end. On the other hand, the healing item system not being paired with a rally feature makes combat particularly punishing if players aren’t performing Perfect Guards with skilled precision—not unlike how Lies of P’s Perfect Guards must be executed.

A lot of the technical issues that Phyllosoma has, including janky enemy AI, animations, and so forth, are bugs that players could find in any FromSoftware Soulslike game, and Team Respect Guild is only a team of four, after all. Thankfully, many of these gripes can be forgiven when compared to Phyllosoma’s small scale, especially considering that it is free on Steam.

It will be fascinating to see if Phyllosoma eventually evolves into a much bigger game, or if it receives a sequel in the future that eclipses the original as a true Bloodborne rival.