Source: Youtube Channel NamcoBandaiGamesEU
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms: Playstation 3
Release Date: October 6, 2009
Genre: Action RPG
I took interest in Demon’s Souls when I heard it was one of the hardest games to come out for the Playstation 3. I love a challenge and I enjoy a good Action RPG. So in the summer of 2010, I saw a brand new copy of Demon’s Souls for only $20 and had to get it. Right off the bat, I was disappointed that it wasn’t hack ‘n slash orientated since the stamina bar limited my actions, there wasn’t music playing throughout the game, and the levels never changed. Luckily, I played on and came to realize everything that was so great about the game after beating my first real boss. All those things I was disappointed in at the start became key elements of what made the game so great. The game itself isn’t an impossible mission to get through, but rather a legitimate challenge that tests the player’s resolve. Demon’s Souls unforgiving nature only becomes that much more satisfying when the player is able to push through and overcome the challenges that they face. It is possibly one of the best Action RPGs I have played in a long time.
Graphics
Demon’s Souls has a European Medieval style art to it that sets it apart from a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Japanese RPGs that have released in the past. The environment is simply magnificent and really sets the atmosphere of the game. Details to a level, such as distant mountains and an entire city below the towering castle, are notable in the game. They bring the breath taking castles and harrowing caves the designers imagined to life. There are a lot of dark areas in the game which is used to create the paranoia of not knowing what is coming. There are times when objects and pillars get in the way of the player’s view and it’s becomes a real problem when fighting enemies or near high cliffs. I also noticed that there were many times in the game where the frame rate drops and the graphics starts to skip or lag. This might be due to poor optimization and the processor not being able to keep up with the heavy information. This isn’t the first game From Software had this problem, and it can affect the gameplay at crucial moments within the game (especially during multiplayer). Some of the effects are rather poor too such as the lighting and shadows reflecting off textures in the environment and characters. Although the voice acting is top notch, it would have been nice for the animators to go the extra length to animate the NPCs and player’s character’s face so that everyone isn’t a wide-eyed puppet. For the most part, Demon’s Souls has what it needs to create an immersive world with good level designs, excellent art directions in character concepts and monster creation, deliberate choices to darken levels, but could have gone a bit farther to make the game even more polished in its graphics (bringing life to the faces, fixing the graphics lag, etc.). Graphics: 8/10
Audio
As I mentioned before, I was disappointed with the lack of music playing in the levels. What I realized later was that there were many enemies that jumped out of unexpected places. Using the audio as one of the key factors to creating the atmosphere and gameplay is something I wasn’t expecting out of the game. The sound effects and voices of the enemies are very distinct and require the player to really focus on their surrounding to survive the environment. When music does play, such as in boss battles and in the Nexus (the central stage for the game), the music is very subtle and ambient as sound is still important when fighting a boss or those in the Nexus. The soundtracks are alright, but they’re not ones I would listen to often outside of the game other than the Title theme and the Maiden in Black theme. Both the music and the sound effects do a great job of creating the atmosphere in the environment and creating the paranoia and directional cues of enemies for the gameplay. The voice acting is a bit awkward sometimes as there are eccentric characters that the player encounters; however, the intonations and connotations of the voice acting is a rare treat with incredible personality to them. If only more games could have such professional voice acting in them (though I do enjoy the terrible voice acting in Dynasty Warriors games, it makes it more light hearted and humorous). Aside from that, I would’ve liked more compositions such as the title theme and the Maiden in Black theme as those were the most memorable and enjoyable to listen to. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
If you’re looking for a deep story and intimate character relationships, then you might be disappointed as the game focuses all its energy on the gameplay. I would still suggest trying the game out as it might surprise anyone since it’s full of surprises. The first notable aspect to the gameplay was the stamina bar. The stamina bar allowed me to do about 3-5 regular attacks at a time when I first started the game. This meant that I had to choose my attacks and approaches carefully as any actions such as a block, a parry, a dodge and such will eat a portion of my stamina which may leave me open to attacks if I run out. This wasn’t too new as I’ve played games with similar game mechanics before (Monster Hunter, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia). With the limitation on how many attacks I could chain, how I approached enemies and what equipment I wore and how I attacked changed consistently throughout the game as new monsters and obscure situations adjusted the way I played. For one thing, you learn how to play the game mostly by failing. You will die, a LOT. It is part of the gameplay and you actually get used to it after a while. You become more cautious, you learn from past mistakes, and you receive a satisfaction that other games rarely give after completing a difficult task. Something that I was a bit upset with in the beginning was that the levels near changed. Enemies will be in the same locations and their actions are generally the same, but situations change and so the gameplay does. When critics and players were exclaiming that “Demon’s Souls is the hardest game in our modern age of gaming”, they mean to say that it’s challenging and not impossible. In many parts of the game, it’s not so much difficult as it is challenging in that you have to play smart throughout the game. Multiplayer is unique in that it happens without notice. Players can offer to help other players in co-op while they’re playing their own game as well as being able to invade other players in their games and kill them. I can continue forever with the description of the gameplay, but there are key elements that make this game so entertaining. The game’s difficulty provides a challenge, multiplayer adds unexpected events, and various events make for a unique and enjoyable experience each time the player decides to log on and play. Gameplay: 10/10
Replay Value
This can be debatable, but Demon’s Souls has a high replay value in many ways. A player can choose to go through the game many times over and unlock every secret, ability, event, weapon, and everything else with one character. A player could create the strongest build and constantly fight other players (PvP) by invading them. A player can try out different classes and experiment with different builds to play through the game (PvE). There truly are numerous things to do in Demon’s Souls and the player can reach a Soul Level of 712. Demon’s Souls reminds me a lot of Phantasy Star Online Ep. 1 & 2 on how it has a similar structure of having only 4-5 main areas to go, but an extended amount of ways to play them. My desire to continually play the game is similar to that of PSO as if there always seems to be something new to explore, find, and play in the game. On the other hand, some players may find it pointless to play the game again a second time as the levels do not change, the enemy AI does not change, and the main goal does not change. What I find special about replaying the game is that a different class or build made me play in an entirely different way (first play through: hunter, second play through: magician), I found things that I didn’t notice before, and the challenges differ on the types of weapons and spells I use. This isn’t even mentioning multiplayer which can drastically change the way the game is played. I’m almost done with the game on my play through as a magician and I already plan to try out a priest and a thief. I’m already up to 100 hours of game play which hasn’t happened in a while for any game I’ve played recently (last two games I achieved such long hours are Team Fortress 2 and League of Legends). If you want a game that will last you a while, I would go get a copy of Demon’s Souls right now. Replay Value: 10/10
Overall
I am very happy with my purchase of Demon’s Souls. You could get the game for about $20 now. I have not had this strong of a desire to consistently play a game night after night for a while, and I do not regret putting in the hours to play it. It’s truly an amazing experience and a breath of fresh entertainment to have a game so difficult but not broken (it will feel like it sometimes when you get killed in one hit). Demon’s Souls is a solid Action RPG that has the player teetering on the side of their seats throughout the game with brutal consequences but unforgettable victories (especially against other players). Demon’s Souls is quickly becoming one of the greatest games I have played and should not be missed by any hardcore gamers.
Overall: 9.25/10
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