False Hero was already on the wishlist of more than 60,000 Soulslike fans on Steam, and it has now launched to incredibly positive user reviews. The game joins the highly competitive Soulslike subgenre on Steam with a major advantage that has also contributed to its success: a brand-new combat gimmick rarely seen in other games in the genre.
Solo developer Florian (Torchlight Games) has spent more than six years working on False Hero. “I started working on the game back in 2019 when I came fresh out of school,” they said in a recent Steam community post. Florian also addressed False Hero‘s clear Dark Souls-inspired gameplay, saying, “Something about the Souls-formula clicked with me and I knew that’s where I wanted to take my game.”
False Hero Lets You Steal the Enemy’s Best Skill
Released on September 22, False Hero has managed to receive nearly 90% positive user review scores on Steam at the time of writing. One of the biggest compliments it has received is regarding the creative gameplay gimmick that allows players to steal enemy skills. Every boss fight grants the player one of that creature’s primary attacks, referred to as a Combat Art. But the skill-stealing mechanic is not exclusive to boss encounters. Players can also target a specific mob type, kill them several times to collect “Insight,” and then steal their powers too.
The Combat Art gimmick has had a significant impact on False Hero‘s gameplay, making its combat feel distinct from many other indie Soulslike games. Interestingly, False Hero allows players to combine up to five acquired skills with their basic attack to create deadly chain attacks. It is up to the player to mix and match different skills and decide which new Combat Arts to unlock to enhance their builds. They can explore the map, study enemy attacks, and focus on stealing the ones that they truly want to use.
False Hero’s world also has dungeons inspired by classic The Legend of Zelda games.
The map is not open-world, yet it features alternative paths and secret optional areas to encourage exploration. False Hero‘s world also has dungeons inspired by classic The Legend of Zelda games. Developer Florian says, “Zelda was always a big inspiration for me. I grew up playing Ocarina of Time, and I wanted to make something similar.” As for the visuals, False Hero leans into the low-poly and retro-style look, with pixelated textures that might remind players of some classic PS2-era games.
Despite False Hero being a solo-dev project, its early reviews show that it has massive potential to become one of the more popular new Soulslike games on Steam. Those who are on the fence about purchasing this $19.99 USD game should note that False Hero has a free playable demo. The demo includes most of the fundamental gameplay mechanics and some of the early-game areas, giving Steam users a good idea of whether False Hero is something they would like to invest time and money in.
- Released
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October 1, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Torchlight Games
- Publisher(s)
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Torchlight Games
- PC Release Date
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October 1, 2026
