From Software’s reiterated that upcoming brutal hack ‘n slash Dark Souls isn’t a direct sequel to Demon’s Souls, and instead should be viewed as a spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed 2009 PlayStation 3-exclusive.
Chatting with EDGE (via TSA), creator Hidetaka Miyazaki said that while the developer could have plumped for the Demon’s Souls moniker for its latest effort, it simply decided not to.
And, while both titles share some obvious similarities, Miyazaki made it clear they’re completely disparate in terms of game world and narrative.
“It’s not that we couldn’t use the Demon’s Souls name,” he commented, "it’s that we chose not to use it. Thematically, and in terms of ideology, the two games are very similar, but in terms of world and story they are completely different.”
Elsewhere, Sato Makoto, Dark Souls’ lead artist, offered some insight into what the team is trying to accomplish in terms of environments.
“The main aim was to increase the variety of locations,” he revealed. “Many ideas came from influences that have nothing to do with fantasy.”
Furthermore, Miyazaki reaffirmed that he’s got no intention of trimming down the difficulty setting for the fantasy RPG: “I have no intention to make the game any easier,” he said, “in fact, I want it to be more difficult. We’re trying to make the most difficult game that it is possible to make.”
Dark Souls will be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late 2011.