Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
Choose DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 83.2% positive across 33,921 reviews.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin vs Ashen
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and Ashen both land in Action, RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, RPG on Steam. DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 4 years older than Ashen (2019). DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin scores higher on Steam reviews (83.2% positive) than Ashen (66.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Ashen
Choose Ashen if you want an Adventure game with Online Co-op. On Steam, it's the newer release (2019) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 1,635 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and Ashen sit in Action and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin |  Ashen | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, Adventure, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Playable |
| Price | 39.99 USD | 39.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 83.2% positive (33,921 reviews) | 66.8% positive (1,635 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | FromSoftware, Inc. | A44 |
Side by side
- Both share Action, RPG on Steam.
- DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) is 4 years older than Ashen (2019).
- DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin scores higher on Steam reviews (83.2% positive) than Ashen (66.8% positive).
- Ashen is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (39.99 USD vs. 39.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin is Deck Verified, Ashen is Deck Playable.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin vs Ashen — FAQ
- Which is better, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin or Ashen?
- On Steam reviews DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin scores higher (83.2% positive) than Ashen (66.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin or Ashen first?
- If you want chronology, DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin (2015) came out before Ashen (2019). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and Ashen similar?
- They overlap on Action, RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin and Ashen have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin ships Co-op; Ashen ships Online Co-op, Co-op.