Demon's Souls

Blog Post: Monstrously difficult, but incredibly rewarding

Louis Marcos — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 04:49:00 GMT

Easily one of the best games I have ever played, and definitely in my top 3 RPG's of all time. This game is not for the soft or faint of heart, so if you can't stand the heat stay out! But if you think you can, you should have a blast.

Blog Post: Ehhh....

11ssims — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:19:00 GMT

Why did I even bother to purchase this game? I read tons of reviews about it but I still wanted to give it a try. Big mistake. This game is truly the hardest game I have ever played and that is enough for me to just hate it. Worst. Game. Ever.

Blog Post: A journey for the lost- a Demon's Souls review

AbramS — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:36:00 GMT

Demon's souls is a personal favorite of mine for many reasons. It's one of a few games that make you feel lonely and helpless, like you have no chance, and in reality, you shouldn't.

     The story is about ancient magic that uses people's own souls in order to cast spells and such. The king of Boletaria used a great spell that used so many souls that it awakened the old one, a huge beast, that, when awakened, kills everyone with demons. The demons hunt people for their souls, and they can't get enough. It's like catnip for demons. when demons feed on souls they get stronger and they get addicted to the power and become slaves to the old one. Anyways, your hero goes to Boletaria to find the old one. Then the insanity insues.

Enough of the story, lets get to the details of the game. The gameplay is down right brutal, so expect to die multiple times. Although I died alot from enemies and bosses, I never died of anything control wise, except for falling off of a ledge, but that was my own dumb fault. The bosses in the game are so big and aggressive looking you just think that theres no way you can beat them, although you can summon some help, which brings me to...multiplayer.

The multiplayer in Demon's Souls is somewhat hard to explain. I'll try my best. Around the world in Demon's Souls, if your online, you'll see these red and blue rectangles on the ground. The red ones are messages. These can be helpful messages, like "ahead of you lies a trap" or they can be bad messages that lead you into traps and ambushes, so its best to be cautious when ever you see one. The blue rectangles are soul signs. You use these to summon spirits (other players that have died) into your game. Here's where it gets cool. You can summon two other people to help you fight a boss or a black phantom (dead enemy player). If you defeat the boss of that area, those friendly players get revived and can continue on their own journey. There are also bloodstains of fallen players that show how he/she died, showing you if there is danger afoot, and apparitions of ghosts that may show you something you missed. It's a very intriguing concept that I hope they improve on for Dark Souls.

The music in Demon's Souls is a bit depressing. I think that was what they were going for and they nailed it, It really does make you feel like "How am I going to get past this level!" The sounds in this game are very creepy too. Theres a level I think called Latveria in the game and your in these jail cells and its very dim and the dark music with the moans of the prisoners make the area very creepy. Not a place to relax.

Heres a preview of the opening video with some great music.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnEzkbdTa0I]

Not creeped out? I don't want to meet you.

Demon's souls is a very good game featuring a new game+ mode for exellent replayability, a great story, with very brutal yet rewarding gameplay , and an eerie atmosphere that really makes this game a classic. If your looking for a game thats not expensive ( its $19.99 at Gamestop) this is an excellent game that every Ps3 owner needs to experience.

Blog Post: A Death Worth Living

ForgottenEmotion — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:13:00 GMT

I shall start off this review with thefact that you will die alot. But with those deaths come the knowledge that enables you to overcome these obstacles. Each time I died I admit I was a bit jaded, but the next time I gt to that part in a level I knew what was coming and was able to adapt my play style to come out on top. I haven't had this type of gaming "high" since I played Ocarina of Time growing up. Throught this game I came up against what seemed as insurmountable odds, but with strategy and skill with a dash of luck you can and will beat this game. Demon's Souls gives you all the tools you need to beat this game, but like most games it all depends on how you use them. You'll slowly learn the attack speed of certain weapopns and casting times and by the end you'll be an amazing gerbil wheel of death. Throughout my review i'll also be sprinkling in tips that I wish I had when starting off, but they are only suggestions so play the way that you want to. On to the review

Starting a new game in Demon's Souls is normal RPG fare. You customize your own character and select a preset "class." You should be wary of which one you pick though. Even though the temple knight looks best at the start he may not be the type of character you want to play. His armor is quite good for starting off, but will slow you down considerably and not enable you to dodge roll effectivley. You should also take into consideration that the higher your Soul Level the more souls it takes to increase. As well as the class you choose doesn't really have any effect on what your character is like or how they play. I would suggest using the Wanderer because he has a moderte soul level and th leather armor he has gives alright protection.

Once you start you really see how beautiful this game is. The animations are top notch with much detail put into all of it. From armor sets to large in game set pieces that involve large dragons breathing fire or one of the largest bosses I have ever seen in a game that flies over the stage and rains large spears of death down on you. It could also be said that it's one of the easiest boss battles as well. Hint: hide inside the house. Even the armor sets and some of the weapons are incredibly detailed and bring the world even more to life. The last "area" you venture to after defeating all of the worlds bosses is one of eerie tranquility that I really thought was quite an awe inspiring sight. It just melted cool out of every pixel.

The gameplay is extremley solid as well. You control every aspect of your characters movements so you shouldn't blame terrible hit detection or the difficulty being to tough. This game can be beat at level 1. Don't believe me look it up on youtube. Some asian guy did it. I digress. This game will kick your ass multiple times, but every time you die you learn a valuable lesson. Whether that being where an enemy is located or what type of spell you should bring with you next time through that level. As you progress through the game you'll slowly learn the nuances like swing speed and casting times that enable you to progress through the game. I do have one complaint about a very cheap enemy that supremely cheap and killed me multiple times with a very cheap combo. The only complaints I truly have about this game is that there is not enough story which I feel could have helped distrated from the multiple deaths.

The multiplayer implemented in this game is really creative in my opinion. I like the idea of seeing other players exploring the levels as you do and the ability to leave messages behind to help other players. What I didn't like was the inconsistent manner of which to have other players help out with levels. My friend and I kept trying to join a party and defeat an extremly difficult boss, but each time i'd lay a Soul Sign down he wasn't able to see it. Other than that the multiplayer is a blast when it actually works and invading phantoms of other players really brings a sense of tension that I haven't found in other games. All in all this game was an amazing experience that I suggest other people who like feeling accomplished from beating a game and are into rpg's give a try.

If you have any comments or concerns feel free to comment and tell me how I could improve. Thank you and happy gaming.

Blog Post: A Sharp and Pointy Diamond in the Rough

IncubusChild27 — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:19:00 GMT

Demon's Souls flew under many peoples radars. It's sad how many people have not experienced the tortuously hard yet endlessly rewarding experience. In an age where many games hold your hand Demon's Soul's is a game with substantial challenge. Their are three "major" weapon types you can use. Magic, ranged and melee. However, it is extremely difficult to advance in the game using only one variation of combat. You will find yourself using a medley of different weapon and spells. One of the more difficult aspects of the game is the fluid combat that plays out like a puzzle for each enemy. As you progress through the game you will learn to use certain techniques on one enemy type and a whole other on another. In a sense the combat is extremely realistic and requires players to hone their skills. It is extremely satisfying to start off as such as weak character and then evolve into a fullly capable adventurer. The overworld of Demon's Souls, called Boletaria, is broken into 5 different regions that utilize many different settings and enemies. The atmosphere for the game is actually one of my favorite parts. I love the dark fantasy theme and the level design for each region (Particularly Boletarian Castle). The game is brutally hard but trains the player into thinking about their actions and taking their time through the many dungeons. Small gripes I have with the game were some framrate issues and an overall genaric story. However these problems did not take me out of the role of starting as a complete novice who died at the hands of a low level enemy to an invincible feeling warrior at the end. Demon's Souls is such a great game that shines brightly in the sea of easy games. Even if you are scared that the difficulty level is too daunting heed my advice and at least try it. It is relatively cheap at Gamestop and I think you'll find that Demon's Souls is a game that should not be missed.

Blog Post: Absolutely Glorious.

Sly Cooper — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:48:00 GMT

Having been playing this game since the week of its release I can honestly say it is in my top 5 games of the current generation of consoles. For starters, the game is gorgeous. Not one time did I ever think an area or character looked shabby compared to the rest of the environment. The voiceovers for each character are spot on. The plot, or lackthereof, is very thin, but nobody seems to care. This is one of those rare RPG's where nobody cares what the game is actually about. DS doesn't need a compelling story, memorable characters, or award-winning graphics to be a stellar game in their chosen genre. The fact of the matter is, they still have all of those, but they didn't need to. Each world tends to have its own "mini" story that you'll become immersed in. The characters of each world flesh out over the 3-4 levels you play. The environments are fantastic and look extremely life-like.

The gameplay is where the game ultimately thrives. Yes, it is challenging, but it is also the most rewarding game you'll ever play. Each time you finish a level you will feel a sense of progression and accomplishment. The game takes on a "bigger than a game" feel after you complete a few levels. The weapon/armor selection is top notch as they can all be upgraded which puts the different combinations into the hundreds. The game is a bit short if you choose to do one playthrough, but why would you? Beating the game once only scratches the surface of what you can do, and the game increases in difficulty with each subsequent playthrough. It is almost guaranteed that you missed something in the previous runthrough of it, so give it another whirl two, three, or maybe even four times.

All in all DS is a masterpiece of gaming and should be enjoyed by anyone that owns a PS3. If you own a PS3 and DS is not in your collection that you are doing yourself a real travesty. It is a brilliant game with an excellent combat system that is unparalleled in all of gaming. With the recent price drop at almost all stores there really isn't a reason to not pick it up.

Forum Post: Re: Demon's Souls solutions

Nymphilis — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:02:00 GMT

ADD!

Throughout the game you will pick up soldiers souls and other souls crystals that will be stored in your inventory. DO NOT USE THESE! wait to use these when u get them, especially if you die and lose souls a lot! you can hold onto these when you need to repair equipment, or realize you need that extra boost to get your level when ur short just a few souls. I have realized that holding onto these things make repairing so much easier, especially if you have just died twice after going into a heavily attacking area(ie 2-2 with all those lizardmen with pickaxes those things hurt) going back to nexus use maybe 2 unnamed soldiers souls and u have 400 souls easy, so be frugal with your soul crystals, and keep them for rainy day repairs and soul boost for leveling!

HAPPY GAMING!

Forum Post: Re: The demon that pisses you off the most.

Nymphilis — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 19:35:00 GMT

tbh so far ive found everyboss to be easy as hell(which is an understatement not saying hell is an easy place to venture ie world 5) but the one demon that pisses me off so much right now is those freaking gold skellies and the red eye skellies(ive learned to use soul remains against them and just backstab them easily) but as of right now my hated boss is the freaking Adjudicator, freakin' tongue gets me everytime...

Blog Post: Fun Game

cannibaldemon — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 08:42:00 GMT

You are a brave warrior who ends up stuck in a purgatory-like area called The Nexus. This Nexus is home to 6 archstones (leading to worlds), which serve the purpose of keeping an evil known as The Old One sealed away, thus keeping the land of Boletaria safe and happy. Recently though a corrupt king has awakened the evil and now it threatens to engulf the land in darkness. Solution, The Maiden you meet here tells you about lulling The Old One back to sleep In order to keep the land safe from these evils and whatnot. In order to do so you need to collect the souls of demons (specifically the bosses) throughout the game. Besides winning their souls, beating them also brings you out of phantom form, removing the restriction on your life bar, thus increasing your chance to survive enemy encounters. There really is zero difference between this form and being in a live body, except the hp bar part and dying in a world several times alive, among doing bad things such as killing live npcs, negatively affects its tendency. I really don't know much about it other than that so I won't comment on it.. Anyway, within the Nexus you can interact with a limited amount of npcs, ones that can be rescued from various sections in the game's levels (one of which will be rogue and kill others if freed) are valuable as they'll grant access to spells, assuming you have required materials (boss souls). There's nothing complicated really about battling enemies, it greatly comes down to timing attacks and dodging to best any foe in the game, but easier said than done for some players. Of course, if you have a low soul level, it is much easier to be whacked down by the stronger foes, and bosses, in the game. Luckily the souls of fallen enemies can be used to build up your stats (which vary depending on which character class you choose to play as), forge stronger weapons, and learn spells to help you on your journey. The downside of this system is if you die, these souls are all lost, but that adds to the challenge and definitely makes you think twice before running straight into an area full of enemies. If you do die, you're given a chance to recollect them wherever you met your fate, but should you die again, the currency is gone for good. Also beware of other players invading your game as Black Phantoms. With that in mind it is encouraged you upgrade often and put those souls to good use damnit. Finding souls is never a problem, but leveling up as you near the game's end can become pretty tedious if you are strong enough, even in the "harder" worlds. On to the worlds, I enjoyed running all over the place, the atmosphere was plenty gloomy, stern or dark for every area, more than fitting for the game. It was pretty cool running across the Boletaria 1-2 bridge as a dragon flew by looking to turn you into a hot dog. I liked ooing at the perilous fall below as I went across cliffs in the Shrine of Storms 4-1, coupled with those flying mantas was just an awesome sight to behold. I thought the background in the Tower of Latria 3-3 rocked, just looking at the silhouettes of other prisons, and the sky, really added to the atmosphere, and made me wish for just an entire world in that level alone. and I'd have to say the swamp was my least favorite, ugh c'mon running across and getting poisoned so much? It would have been pretty neat to see more magma and lava in Stonefang Tunnel 2-3 too. Boss fights at the end of these levels weren't really epic, nor that challenging, at times I could just take them out with a bow and arrow at a safe distance, a pretty cheap method yes but hey I'll exploit it if it means winning har har! I really didn't find myself enjoying any of the battles, rather just waiting to take them out to get on with exploring. Dragon God seemed surprisingly easy for it's size, I would have enjoyed hacking at it's hand at least, and maybe climbing here and there. and I have to say my fave Boss was the Storm King. That fight was pretty sweet. The last boss was a total letdown and unexpected given the game's overall difficulty. The ending was also pretty short and undramatic. Now that I'm on to complaining, another *minor*gripe was with character and story development, as there isn't much to be found, at least to me. You are a nameless protagonist, those npcs around you offer a few lines of speech but it didn't feel like enough root them deep into the game's story. I would have liked to hear Ostrava of Boletaria rant away for a good ten lines for example, as well as most other characters. There could have been more CGI scenes as well, more npcs, and I was kind of hoping the levels would be longer and more expanded, probably just for the sake of replay value. Based off personal estimates this game clocks in at least 30 hours worth of gameplay. Short? Yes. I don't feel that puts a noticeable dent in the playthrough though. I think Demon's Souls is *barely* good enough to warrant a sequel and address this issue as well as the others mentioned, but I won't hold my breath. The game was worth every penny regardless of any problems I came across. Perhaps Project Dark will be the Bioshock Infinite of Demon's Souls, that would be awesome. And thanks if you actually cared enough to go through my review.

Blog Post: Demon's Souls

JimmyJimJim123 — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:53:00 GMT

This game is outstanding... no game out there is like it. In modern gaming, most games are 9 year old friendly, which is why Modern Warfare 2 is filled with young players... not this game. this game will break your controller while breaking your spirit, but no one trophy in this game is easy, and they are all worth it. There is a smalll drawback in the story, but the game is still my favorite of all time.

Blog Post: The most Innovative and Punishing RPG

Corkwon — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:34:00 GMT

This game is freaking hard and there is no way to beat without dying a bazillion times. With that being said it is the most intense and addictive game I have played in a long, LONG time. I jumped out the window buying this one, basing it only off of a few articles in GI and the ads on Gamespot. The sheer design and innovativness of this game speak volumes about how great it is. When you are going thru a board the first time you will die till you get the hang of it, then you die again. The boss battles are amazing and the entire experience is rewarding but the wildest thing is the crazy innovative online play which you'll literately have to see to believe. You can actually see people playing the game with you as ghost. They dont affect you but you have the ability to channel them or they can channel you to help them in there universe. Once again this game is a absolute MUST play!!

Blog Post: Very Difficult And Time Consuming

graniticgneiss — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:59:00 GMT

The game has an original story and concept. Very nice visual effects. The combat is frustrating at times because you can easily become staggered and be killed by an enemy who you are vastly more powerful than if 2 or 3 of them attack you at once. The fact that souls function as both money and experience is a bit frustrating as well. The single most frustrating thing, however, is the fact that it is painfully easy to lose a large amount of experience/money and not be able to ever retrieve it or use it for anything. If you didn't lose souls upon dying, the game would be 10 times better. All that being said, it is a fine game, but is quite difficult and very frustrating.

Forum Post: Anyone home? Haha

Nickoliath — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:47:00 GMT

I love both Demon's Souls and Borderlands. They are currently the games I play the most by far. I have already finished both games and are playing a new game + on both of them now and have yet to grow tired or either one. I highly recommend both games.

Demon's Souls is certainly not for the faint of heart gamers due to it's difficult nature. For me though that's what made it so much fun and rewarding.

The online multiplayer is the most unique way of using online gaming I've seen in a really long time. I put this game up there with the greats. I would certainly suggest getting this game right NOW!!!!

If you get either of these games look me up and we can get some multiplayer action on, that's where these games truly shine.

PSN ID: Eyes_Alive

Blog Post: Challenging yet Rewarding

machoman2014 — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:36:00 GMT

Well let me start by saying don't waste your money on Demon's Souls unless you have an incredibly large amount of patience and a lot of free time on your hands. Demon's Souls is a very good game, but is probably the hardest I've ever played in all my years of gaming.

The hardest thing about this game is probably the lack of checkpoints. Everytime you die you're sent back to the beginning of the area and have lost all the souls (currency) you earned. You have one chance to make it back to where you were killed to regain these souls, but otherwise they are lost forever. This can lead to a lot of time wasted and a lot of souls lost. Also, you have a stamina bar, meaning you can't just mash buttons or block for the entire time. When your stamina is gone you have to wait for it to regenerate before you can attack, run, or even use your shield. This can lead to a lot of chances for enemies to hit you while you're down. And as you die more and more the enemies become even MORE powerful. With all these odds stacked against you this game can easily keep you stuck long enough on one area to lose interest.

But even though this game is infuriatingly difficult, every time you defeat a giant boss or get past the level that seemed impossible your spirits are lifted and make you want to play on. The thrill of reaching the goal you've tried for hours to achieve is priceless. This game's lows are very low, but its highs are very high.

The online aspect of this game is interesting as well. There are chances to work with people to help you regain strength and earn souls, but there is also a way for you to invade another players world and attempt to defeat them to gain strength and souls as well. This can lead to great team work, allowing everyone to benefit, or it can lead to great pains when you have to worry about even more in a level that already seemed impossible.

I think Demon's Souls is a great game, but the nearly impossible levels can make it slightly tiring. Any hardcore gamers will love this game, but I personally think the incredible challenge decreases the fun that this game has to offer. However, this game is still incredibly fun and I would reccomend to anyone who wanted a challenge.

Blog Post: The real Demon's Souls starts here

Craigaleg — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:37:00 GMT

Score: 8.5/10

Demon's Souls

PS3

Developer: From Software

Publisher: Sony/Atlus

Release Date: October 7, 2009

Pros: Innovative multiplayer aspect of the game, stunning visuals, slew of classes and weapons to customize your ideal hero, refreshing challenge, incredible bosses in scale and look, world tendencies mix up a typical run, New Game + furthers the challenge and content offered

Cons: Tough....like really tough...like old NES games where everything wants to end you tough, very trial and error, shotty camera in narrow spaces, targeting issues with multiple enemies, there is no pause button, added difficulty due to lack of item/equipment explanation

These days games are very forgiving. Regenerating health, numerous checkpoints, and laughably simple bosses prove to be the norm in a lot of recent titles. Demon's Souls proves to be as hard to say as it is to play. Giving flashbacks to the old NES days where an easy mode rarely existed, Demon's Souls offers a refreshing challenge that can be a title worth bragging rights upon completion.

What's this about?

King Allant used the power of souls to bring about a time of prosperity and hope to his kingdom of Boletaria. Unknowingly, the king awakened an ancient being known as "The Old One" that unleashed a dense fog to cut the kingdom off from the rest of the world. Anyone who entered the fog never returned, but one person made it out and warned the world of their kingdom's plight. So like a good little hero, you go charging head first into the fog with little regard for your own well being...cause that's obviously what a hero is suppose to do.

The plot is expanded upon in the beginning of the game, but not really addressed through the main portion. You have some interaction with various other heroes and talk with the vendors discussing their own personal stories, but you never really invest any emotion with any of the characters. The character I got closest to was the blacksmith and that was only because he had to repair my armor for my x-thousandth death. The game basically sets up a plot then literally says, hey, go kill demons. Needless to say the story of this game, though mildly entertaining, left a lot to be desired.

The Sound

Through the stages of Demon's Souls...there is no music. This is actually a smart move as I imagine the tunes would get incredibly old the 20th time I would be attempting a stage. The only music that cues up is a haunting melody in the Nexus as you shop around and a simple tune as you enter a boss fight. The Nexus tune feels in place but the boss music is nothing to get you pumped up to...well...die. The title track isn't too shabby, and I'm sure a happy upbeat tune would ease the frustration along the stage, but in general the music is nothing to praise or despise.

Some voice acting is also placed in for the different characters you bump into along the way. The most annoying of these being Maiden in Black, who recites the same chant every time you "level up". She speaks in a 'thee' and 'thy' manner in a bizzare dialect that actually made me shake my head the first time she spoke. All of the other voice acting , including our dear Maiden, is not too terrible considering this is technically a Japanese RPG, but the few patrons you speak to are believable and not too over-the-top.

The Look

One look at a dungeon or boss battle and it is pretty evident that the game is a real spectacle to behold. The environments catch your eye as you explore and..well...die in each one. Dark dungeons are haunting and the frightening details emerge as your light exposes them, the remains of an old castle are littered with skeletons and charred banners, and murky swamps litter the bottom of a grand tower. Each of the five worlds holds something unique and are a joy to explore.

The most impressive visuals lie in the bosses. Incredibly detailed as they are menacing, these towering figures instantly strike fear into the player the second they pass through the fog gate. Some, like the Tower Knight and Dragon God, have such massive scale while maintaining a detailed look. The smaller enemies prove just as frightening, some made even more terrifying when they emerge from a dark corridor only being seen in time to view their arm raised to attack. The shimmer of your armor in the light and glow of spells in a dark mine further the incredible visuals.

The Gameplay

The basic setup of the game is a hack and slash RPG. You start by choosing one of your favorite classes and customizing your hero similar to the way you would create a character in Mass Effect. Though my guy turned out looking like a bad reject from an adventure film, I pressed on with the satisfaction that his gigantic head would be covered by a cool looking helmet. A quick tutorial starts things off, which unfortunately for you consists of just the controls. It tells you R1 will attack and L2 can parry and counterattack, Circle dodges, etc. There are three bars present: Health and Mana do not regenerate, and an Endurance bar that regenerates after each attack and block. I became hopeful as I slashed through the masses of undead until I ran into a giant troll beast that squashed me in one hit. The game just previewed the entire experience: Gain confidence and quickly lose it when you turn the corner. It was a "suppose to die" battle and I was informed by writing on the floor that the true Demon's Souls starts here.

The game works like this: You start in the Nexus also thought of as home base where you purchase equipment and spells, increase your stats using souls you collect from dead enemies, and take a breather. There are 5 worlds to choose from, and a set number of bosses (or stages) to go through. If I die at any time during that stage my health bar is cut in half and can only be returned to my body upon defeating the boss...oh and you are returned to the beginning of the stage....oh and all the enemies respawn..oh and those souls you earned must be retrieved from where you died. This is a game that punishes you for sucking. Though your health is lower, your overall damage does increase and the stages do have some switches and levers that give you a straight shot to the boss which you'll spend most deaths working to kill. You learn very quickly that dying in this game is actually part of the game mechanic.

The most interesting aspect in all this is how the game's multiplayer comes into play. Frequently you will see glowing messages illuminating the ground. These contain pre-set messages left by other players trying to convey something to you. One example is a note near some wooden shack that told me to attack, I hit the shack and a series of steel boulders crushed my opponents ahead of me without having to so much as lift my shield. You also see other players' ghosts run by who are in another game experiencing the same hell. Bloodstains can even be viewed on the ground to see how other players died. It's this aspect of the game that truly makes it unique. It possesses that fear of a single player game being the only person for miles and humanity's last hope, while giving a sense of never truly being alone. You can "summon" another player's ghost to help out in boss battles or stage progression in which you will kill the demon and they will get their body back. Multiplayer does work in another way however...PvP. Anytime in body form, a player can invade your game to kill you. This adds yet another thing to be fearful of, as you never know when a samurai chick with a bald head will push you off a cliff.

The main thing this game has been acclaimed for though, is the incredible difficulty. I do admit, this game has been a frustrating one at most times. Though with every boss you end up taking down after the 50th attempt...you get this amazing feeling of satisfaction. Something else occurs as you continue to play through the game, you learn. This seems like an obvious notion, but eventually, the main trouble stops coming from the stages and mostly from the boss fights. Enemies vary greatly in tactics from stage to stage, switching between using ranged or melee to attack. You learn to approach each corner carefully, read the messages for clues as to what's ahead or what strategy to use on a new enemy, and you also learn how to tackle the game in general. The layout and variation of enemies keeps stage progression interesting. Not to mention the world can shift "tendencies" in which it can be a white world where everything is easier but yield less rewards, and the reverse black tendency.

While the core element of the game is impressive, there are so many drawbacks to this game. The camera is a pain often giving headaches as you attempt to rotate it in narrow passageways because failure to do so lets you run right into an enemy. The lock-on targeting works well for one or two enemies, but the occasional fight with multiple foes leaves you cycling through in a panic to attempt a lock on the one attacking you. The lock on and camera even decided to team up and completely screw me up when a particular boss cornered me in a pile of bones leaving me flipping in desperation to find where I was. The boss fights end up being the biggest test of trial and error. It literally has you going back again and again just to figure out which of the three weapons you have worked the best and which got you killed.

My main problem with this game is the horrible job they do in explaining the inventory and equipment system. The tutorial, as stated before provides a very basic control scheme, and a few messages left on the floor in the Nexus possess general tips. But there is little mention of how item management and equipment should be handled. They provide no explanation of item burden and equipment burden, upon you must figure out that heavy armor actually affects your character's speed. No explanation of the what you should do with the boss souls. No mention that magic ignores armor. They don't even tell you how to hotkey certain items, a simple task that I spent a few minutes navigating to figure out. Even the equipment is littered with strange symbols and icons that must be translated from the instructions like I was on a treasure hunt. They don't even make sense: Two horizontal squiggles is strength and two vertical is faith? Why not put a muscle arm and hands praying or something? It's as if someone hands you a table to build with German instructions, eventually I can make this thing work but I would have appreciated a translation to speed my learning curve along. This made the game far more difficult than it should have been in my lack of preparation for battles, and difficulty due to ignorance is quite irritating. Tactics like learning when to use ranged or melee I don't mind not being explained outright, but these obvious notions should have been addressed and not learned after reading a forum.

Overall

Though Demon's Souls may have a few flaws to it, the refreshing challenge and incredible stages are worth the experience. While I do enjoy the core idea of the game and innovative multiplayer aspect, there are just too many little things this game could have corrected to make it a better overall game. Those looking for a challenging title and solid RPG, this is a great game to experience...as long as you accept death as a part of that experience.

Blog Post: poiu

green day fan — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:46:00 GMT

I always love knight games only because you can chop someones head clean off.

This one I loved because not only because the graphics made me *** my pants but it was very ***'n awsome

Blog Post: UBER ADDICTING GEM

Cryptik ShadoW 28 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:24:00 GMT

NOT SINCE THE DAYS OF NES OR SNES WHERE I WANTED TO REPLAY A GAME SO MUCH, I WOULD FIND THIS GEM OF AN RPG/ADVENTURE LIKE D-SOULS. I'AM ACTUALLY PLAYING TWO DIFFERENT FILES, THATS HOW F'N GOOD THIS GAME IS. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO AND THE DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THE ONLINE FEATURES, WERE OTHER PLAYERS EFFECT THE WORLD AROUND YOU IS BRILLIANT. THE CHALLENGE AND THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU DEFEAT A BOSS IS PRICELESS. BEST GAME IVE PLAYED SO FAR AND NOW ON MY TOP 5 FAVORITE GAMES OF ALL TIME.

Blog Post: Demon’s Souls Director Discusses Difficulty, Sequels, And More

Phil Kollar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:15:00 GMT

Though I went into Demon’s Souls slightly terrified by the stories I’d heard of its intense difficulty, I ended up loving it (just read my review to see how much). Impressed by how the game came together but a bit confused as to why I enjoyed it so much in spite (or perhaps because of) the challenge, I decided to get a behind-the-scenes perspective from the game’s creators.

Demon’s Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki turned out to be just the man to answer my questions about why they made the game so hard, how it's connected to King’s Field series, and even some tips on how to pass the most difficult levels. Check out the full interview below. [Excerpt]

Game Informer: Demon's Souls has received a lot of hype for being one of the hardest games released this generation. I don't necessarily think that's the most notable aspect of the game, but it's what a lot of people seem to be talking about. When you started developing the game, did you set out to create something that focused on difficulty?

Hidetaka Miyazaki: Having the game be "difficult" was never the goal. What we set out to do was strictly to provide a sense of accomplishment. We understood that “difficulty” is just one way to offer an intense sense of accomplishment through forming strategies, overcoming obstacles, and discovering new things. Our goal of a sense of accomplishment was the basis of the game since the early stages of development, and we never strayed from that.

GI: What was the reasoning behind allowing players to lose souls if they die twice before reaching their blood stain? Personally, I never got hung up on this part of the game, but it seems to be the thing that pops up over and over again on forums. Everybody shares that same experience of frustration the first time they lose a large chunk of souls. If there's anything that would really scare people about the game, I think that might be it.

HM: The nature of the blood stain as you’ve described it was discussed a number of times during development. We do understand the frustration that players have experienced, but the main reason we settled on this system is that if the Souls could be recovered anytime, there would be no suspense or sense of accomplishment. [We want players to feel] like, “I can’t die until I get all those souls back,” or “I did it! I made it to my bloodstain!”

This ties back into my previous answer, but the element of failure, the fact that you can lose lots of souls when you die, was necessary to give players that sense of accomplishment.

GI: The rumor that I keep hearing is that Demon's Souls began as a next-gen King's Field project. Is this true? If so, how far along into development did you decide that Demon's Souls was its own thing and deserved a new title? Will you ever revisit the King's Field series?

HM: Demon’s Souls was not developed as a sequel to King’s Field. King’s Field definitely influenced the ideas behind Demon’s Souls, but we envisioned this as a completely original title, separate from King’s Field. As for a sequel to King’s Field, I’m sorry, but I can’t really give a clear answer whether there will be one in the future.

GI: What really impressed me about Demon's Souls was the brilliant level design. Every location felt very real and very alive...or very dead, rather. What was the process for coming up with each "world," and how long did it take to develop each one into separate zones and finally into something playable?

HM: Counting from the earliest stage of development, materializing the visions I had in my mind for each world, it took a little over two years to create. After I had firm visions of the settings inside my head, I’d say it took about a year to go from the detailed artwork and level design work to the final product.

GI: Not including the Nexus, there are a total of five worlds in the game. How many "leftover" or abandoned world ideas did you have at the end?

HM: I had a lot of ideas during the early design stage. The world ideas that came the closest to making it into the final product were the Library stage and the Outside area around the Nexus.

GI: There's a lot of variety in the bosses, with some battles like Old Hero or Flamelurker requiring serious, intense combat skills, while others like Dragon God are more like big puzzles that you need to figure out. How did you decide the balance for that?

HM: When designing the bosses, I made sure that they would be varied and exciting. I prepared different gameplay and strategies for each one so that players didn’t get tired of the same fight every time. We wanted to surprise players and encourage them to figure out different tactics, to think on their feet.

Each boss has a concept that can be described very simply. The Maneater, for instance, can be summed up by saying “there’s another enemy.” [PageBreak]

GI: One of my favorite bosses in the game is the Adjudicator (pictured above) simply because I think he's a really bizarre creation. He's this big fat guy that has a huge meat cleaver and a giant tongue he can grab you with. And then to top it all off, his real "weak spot" is a bird resting on top of his head. What exactly is this guy? Where did the idea come from?

HM: The Adjudicator is my favorite character, too, to the point that I even created a special item (the Adjudicator Shield) just for him. This may come as a surprise, but the Adjudicator was one of the bosses that I had the least trouble coming up with an image for. Since the Shrine of Storms area was defined as “a shrine of the dead, praising a hero of a pagan religion,” I imagined a demon that “adjudicates the dead” for the first boss.

Since he’s a pagan god, I wanted him to have an unusual and chaotic feel. By mixing a couple of images of primitive gods together, I thought maybe we could create a very raw concept, and from that came the Adjudicator as he looks in the game.

GI: There are two extremely difficult areas in the game that I just need to ask about, two zones where I really struggled. First off, there's 5-2, the swamp area in the Valley of Defilement. In this level you need to move through a swamp that slows your movement, makes you unable to roll, and frequently poisons you. In addition to that, the powerful enemies in the area move at full speed. This was really tough! Why did you decide to make this area so hard? Are there any tricks to getting past it more smoothly?

HM: Rather than calling them difficult, it’s more appropriate to say there are two areas that were meant as “places of evil intent.” The first one is the Tower of Latria (man-made evil) and the second is the Valley of Defilement (natural evil). The difficulty level of Valley of Defilement 2 was born from this idea. We made it a swamp that no one would even want to set foot in. It’s one of my personal favorite (and most hated) areas, so I might’ve overdone it! (laughs)

By way of apology, here’s a few pointers: use the pockets of land as much as possible, and if you can’t reach those, then don’t try to use your roll move. By abandoning the roll maneuver, you have more equipment options. Since you’ve come this far, you might’ve found some equipment that raises your poison resistance. Use that together with high-defense armor, as heavy as you can carry, and you might be able to get through somehow....

That’s how I cleared it, anyway, but thinking back on it, I remember that I had a lot of trouble clearing this area. So that might not be the best method after all....

GI: The second difficult part I wanted to address are the dragons in world 1, especially the one that attacks in 1-4. I was able to kill the dragon in 1-2 and it felt great, but the second dragon caused me so many problems and made me almost give up the game entirely. You're able to actually run right past these creatures if you can pull off the timing, but it's also possible to find safe spots in the environment and attack them with spells or arrows to very slowly drain their health. Did you intend for most players to defeat the dragons in the course of going through World 1 or did you expect that most players would just run right by?

HM: The most common way to get through is to search for pockets of safety and ultimately just run through. Boletarian Castle 4 is the very last area to conquer, so that dragon was meant to be the final obstacle before reaching the last boss. We wanted the dragons that you encounter at the beginning of the game in Boletarian Castle 1 to be the final obstacles to overcome after your long journey. As a result, the difficulty ended up getting pushed pretty high....

GI: Would you be interested in creating a sequel to Demon's Souls? I've already seen people on the forums really excited about the possibility of a new game in the same style with new worlds to explore. Do you think this is possible or likely?

HM: I’m just an employee of the development company, so I can’t directly answer whether there’ll be a sequel to Demon’s Souls. With that said, my personal opinion is that we learned a lot during the development of Demon’s Souls, and there were a lot of things that we couldn’t do the first time, so I’d welcome the chance to create an even better game in the same style if the opportunity arises.

File: Demon's Souls

Phil Kollar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:54:00 GMT

This Demon's Souls concept art shows off the monsters and locations that make Atlus's RPG so scary and compelling.

File: Demon's Souls

Phil Kollar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:54:00 GMT

This Demon's Souls concept art shows off the monsters and locations that make Atlus's RPG so scary and compelling.