Go, Rotten Flesh, go! Capture and battle the monsters of Dark Souls 3 with this Pokémon overhaul

It's only appropriate for Dark Souls 3, a game that asks you to be your very best (like no one ever was) to eventually receive a Pokémon mod in which to catch monsters becomes your real test, predicated, of course, on the desire to train them (the cause). 

The Pocket Souls mod is an impressive Dark Souls 3 Pokémon overhaul that adds new weapons, armor, items, boss battles, and, of course, the ability to capture monsters, befriend them, and deploy them against others. Most importantly, you get a little Pokémon trainer backpack.

(Image credit: From Software / Nexusmods: AngusIsLove)

I haven't had time to poke around the mod too much, but it's pretty well thought out, both a cute ode to the Pokémon Gameboy games and a legitimate way to play through Dark Souls 3 for the umpteenth time. 

Every starting class is now accompanied by a starter monster to get things rolling, but then you move through the game as usual. The catch is you can't use weapons and have to rely entirely on your monsters to get you through Dark Souls 3. 

And just like Pokémon, you'll need to fill out a party by beating down monsters into an inch of their life before capturing them in a Pokeball, or an Abyssal Flask, a much more honest name if you ask me. There are Great and Ultra variants for tougher monsters, of course. Tossing a flask gives a cute little readout based on whether you succeed, fail, or miss the monster entirely. 

(Image credit: From Software / Nexusmods: AngusIsLove)

Captured monsters are sent to your PC, just like in the game, which is the spell attunement menu accessible at bonfires. Here you can select your party from captured monsters, and what buds you bring along actually matter. Check out the gameplay video up top to see what I mean. Some tough battles with Lothric and Outrider Knights require a full party, and these melee-focused opponents go down pretty easy to carefully deployed ranged monsters. 

There's no need to toss out your early-game monsters either. Like I used to carry Bulbasaur with me from my first bout with Gary to the Elite four, you can take a hound-rat from Iudex Gundyr to Slave Knight Gael by using Pocket Souls' leveling system. You can "sacrifice" essence gained from battles to Professor Curserot and level up your little dudes, so go ahead, let the love in and make those lasting bonds. Be the very best.

(Image credit: From Software / Nexusmods: AngusIsLove)
James Davenport

James is stuck in an endless loop, playing the Dark Souls games on repeat until Elden Ring and Silksong set him free. He's a truffle pig for indie horror and weird FPS games too, seeking out games that actively hurt to play. Otherwise he's wandering Austin, identifying mushrooms and doodling grackles. 

Latest in Dark Souls
Ten planks of wood from Dark Souls, responsible for my nightmares in Blighttown.
The co-creator of Dark Souls' most ambitious mod resurfaces to inform me that Blighttown, source of my nightmares, was cobbled together with '10 bits of wood'
dinossindgeil celebrates a hard-earned victory over seven consecutive souls games without a single hit, at level 1.
Streamer achieves git gud godhood by beating all mainline Souls games at level 1, back to back, without getting hit—then explodes into tears of relief
The creator of the Elden Ring Seamless co-op mod is now infusing unlimited multiplayer into Dark Souls 3
A warrior in Elden Ring: Nightreign readies an arm crossbow before entering into bloody combat.
It's not the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice 2 I'd hoped for, but Elden Ring: Nightreign might just sate my insatiable hunger for FromSoftware to pick up the pace
A mounted warrior fleeing fire and rocks
FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki says the studio doesn't 'have any particular plans to develop Elden Ring 2', but that doesn't mean the 'Elden Ring IP' is over
Elden Ring
Elden Ring streamer completes a level 1 playthrough beating the game's 165 bosses—on NG+7, a difficulty she had to finish the game 7 times over just to reach
Latest in News
Silent Hill f transmission trailer screenshots
Silent Hill f is not messing around – now it's been banned in Australia
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 22: A view of Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States on August 22, 2024.
'Google must divest the Chrome browser:' DOJ renews call for Google to sell Chrome, and Android could be next
Victory screen of Big Rigs showing infamous "You're Winner" message under a three-handle gold trophy
One of the worst games ever made is coming to Steam, but we won't know how cruel this joke is until we see the price tag
Sci-fi character from Dune
Dune: Awakening promises us a breath of fresh air, skipping early access for a full launch with no monthly subscription in May
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach concept art
'The dream of the tech industry is to sell off your company at an overinflated price and retire,' says actor behind Baldur's Gate 3's Karlach, 'And I feel that's being done with game studios right now'
assassin's creed shadows protector's armor
Assassin's Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series' most successful game yet