Demon's Souls Review
- Posted September 28th, 2009 at 12:34 EDT by Adam Dolge
- 41 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 9.0
- Avg. user review score:
- 9.2
Summary
Demon's Souls is everything we've been looking for on the PS3 -- a stellar action RPG boasting a killer online component. The game's uncompromising difficulty may not be everyone's cup of tea, however.
We like
- The intriguing and original online component
- What feels like the PS3's first major RPG
- The eerie atmosphere and physical gameplay mechanics
We dislike
- The at times frustrating difficulty and arduous trial and error
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
There are few games out there that are as dark and menacing as From Software’s hard-hitting action RPG Demon’s Souls. Released earlier this year in Japan, Atlus USA is bringing this excruciatingly difficult game to North American audiences on October 6, exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The difficulty level of this game has been widely publicized; make no mistakes, this is one of the hardest titles you’ll encounter on the PS3. But as you progress through the kingdom of Boletaria, you’ll discover that this dark fantasy role-playing romp has more to offer than the frustration in its difficulty; it contains a rich world where confidence and ability is required to top just about every enemy and challenge.
Demon’s Souls is an exercise in patience, persistence, and technical ability. When you find yourself deep in one of the five massive levels, you’ll need every ounce of patience to slowly press forward through dark tunnels and castles. You will learn quickly to slowly move through each new level as to avoid an enemy’s ambush or deadly traps. As you become another victim to the countless demons that inhabit this cruel world, you’ll need the persistence to pick the controller back up from off the floor, dust yourself off, and start right back at the beginning of the level to fight the same monsters that accounted for your demise. And above all, you will need to learn the techniques and strategies required to defeat those menacing foes.
It’s rare to play a title that is as difficult as Demon’s Souls. The game is not unfair, however, and with each death you learn a little more about the enemies, the layout of each zone, and the skills you’ll need to get a few steps past your most recent bloodstain. As you start to learn the gameplay mechanics, master the parry and repose, and build confidence with your blocking and dodging abilities you’ll receive one of the most coveted feelings in all of gaming – accomplishment. With great difficulty requires great player skills, and improved skills allow you to progress further into the game, revealing more of the modest plot. But ultimately, your greatest reward is the satisfaction of eliminating a foe that took your life a dozen times or more.
This is a game you can certainly master in time, but if you are looking for a quick learning curve and a game with fast hack ‘n slash action, you should look for another game. Demon’s Souls requires you to think with just about every swing of your sword. You’ll spend more time in a defensive mode instead of blindly charging an enemy. Your actions will become methodical as you creep further into the zones of Boletaria.
For the average player, this title will likely offer more frustration than it’s worth, but for more enthusiastic gamers, especially those who relish in defeating what others have deemed ‘difficult,’ this game will without a doubt cement itself as one of, if not the best game of the year – let alone on PS3. We cannot emphasize enough that this game is difficult, but with time, it’s certainly manageable, and above all, it’s extremely rewarding.
In the world of Demon’s Souls, combat is extremely physical. Regardless of which of the 10 classes you choose - from the typical RPG knights or magicians, to the less-played priests and wanderers - you will be able to use all weapons and armor with time. You feel the crash every time an enemy lands an attack. Even if you brush off an advance with your shield, the weight of the impact will set you back and you’ll need a second to regain your composure. With every blow you land you feel the weight of your weapon piercing through the demon’s thick skin or heavy armor. It’s this weight behind attacks that requires a certain degree of strategy and skill when it comes to combat.
If you’re strategy and technique is subpar, you will quickly find the sharp edge of an enemy’s blade. Death is inevitable in Demon’s Souls, but luckily it’s not a game over scenario. When you die you are returned to the world in spirit form, which essentially is the same as living form but ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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wetfbbqchiken
- 8:01am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 4
@3 say what? lol
they need to announce a eu release date for this :(
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PSX_Legend
- 8:12am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 6
From ive seen of this game its really a darker and a more detailed monster hunter game with a lot of chalenges.
this game seems friendly for the hardcore gamer but for more a regular one like me doesnt seem a good decision to buy it at least for now.I prefer having a less difficult videogame this time of the year like uncharted 2 or modern warfare 2.
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jamesobachand |
snake2112- 8:42am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 7
This game appears to be awesome. As many times as they say it's difficult, it worries me that I'd break a controller (expensive). LOL.
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draculaboy
- 8:46am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 8
good review
better than the idiot who gave the game a 6 for the difficulty
personally I'd give a 9.8 (Chinese version)
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Beasley2K
- 9:09am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 9
I've found two spelling mistakes...
Regardless, fantastic reveiw: I was wary about this game for a while, not being particularly into RPGs myself, but I've been following this game for quite some time now, and it's this review that's finally persaded to make the jump. I may still need a little nudge to tear me away from the other geat titles out there, but this will most likely be making a very welcome addition to my colletion very soon. Thanks Adam!
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darksora
- 11:08am EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 12
Well deserved review.
As long as you understand that stamina is the most important stat in the game, it shouldn't take you long at all to figure out how the mechanics.
Also for those that dislike difficulty, do not worry as you can just co-op with other players which makes things extremely easy (which is why I recommend those looking for a challenge to avoid summoning other players to help you during your first playthrough).
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chilledbreeze7
- 12:57pm EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 13
Does anyone know if the US version will work ok over here in the UK?
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philbo0042
- 1:57pm EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 15
@ 13, refer to comment #1. You may want to take the chance that it will continue to work after an EU release. Why can't games come out at the same time in NA and the EU. I am lucky this time as I live in NA, but this sucks for EU PS3 fans.
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Mo-green28
- 3:59pm EDT - September 28th, 2009
- 20
LOL the decieving message, jump into the gray fog. I would've been pissed if I was playin for the first time without this review and happend to walk into that situation and I actually did it and died.
This will permanently ban this user and delete all associated comments. This action is irreversible, are you SURE you want to do this?!
