Is Solo Leveling Arise soulslike?

That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the highly acclaimed manhwa-turned-anime series expands into gaming with Solo Leveling Arise.

Developed by Netmarble, the game is action-packed, putting you in the shoes of Sung Jinwoo and other hunters as they combat the sudden invasion of Earth by monsters.

All working Solo Leveling game redeem codes and how to claim them
Credit: Netmarble, ONE Esports
All working Solo Leveling game redeem codes and how to claim them

In Solo Leveling Arise, you must defeat boss monsters to level up Sung Jinwoo, get resources to buy exclusive weapons and recruit additional hunters to join your lineup.

In this ONE Esports article, we answer the question, “Is Solo Leveling Arise Soulslike?”

Is Solo Leveling Arise soulslike? Here’s how difficult each battle is in the game

Gameplay screenshot of Middle Earth Shadow of War game in ONE Esports featured image for article "Top 3 games like Solo Leveling to satisfy your power fantasy cravings"
Credit: ONE Esports, Monolith Productions
Top 3 games like Solo Leveling to satisfy your power fantasy cravings


A soulslike game is a subgenre of action games that challenges players with its innate difficulty. Players often must engage in trial and error with particular bosses, learning their combos and skills multiple times to achieve victory.

The term originated from Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls titles, both renowned for their challenging boss battles.

Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka boss in Solo Leveling: Arise
Credit: Netmarble

This game has plenty of modes, including the story mode, which allows you to relive the events from the manhwa. In this mode, you encounter iconic bosses such as the Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka and the giant arachnid.

These monsters are challenging to defeat — because button-mashing won’t lead you to victory. The game emphasizes the importance of timing when dodging enemy attacks.

ONE Esports article All Solo Leveling game characters in Arise: Ranks and background featuring hunter Yoonho Beak, one of the game's characters, in the background
Credit: ONE Esports, Netmarble
All Solo Leveling game characters in Arise: Ranks and backgrounds

Perfectly timed dodges trigger Extreme Evasion, granting you temporary invincibility and enabling you to chain powerful attacks, such as Sung Jinwoo’s Shadow Step.

Dodging attacks is no easy feat either. Each boss has unique movement and attack patterns that must be studied beforehand if you want to achieve a high score.

So to answer the original question: yes, Solo Leveling Arise can be considered a Soulslike game due to its difficulty and gameplay mechanics that’s reminiscent of the genre.

READ MORE: Is Solo Leveling over? Status of novel, manhwa, and anime