Demon's Souls, unlike its fellows Soulslikes, hasn't surprised me because I was already expecting a grotesquely brillant game. A thing about these games I will never get tired of is the majestic balance between mystery and progression. They present themselves with a rich, profound narrative without ever sacrificing the eerie, ever-blossoming awe that comes with its sense of mystery is genuinely beyond me to understand. It feels magical how no matter how much time and thought I put into piecing together worlds such as Boletaria, I never lose the wonderlust to learn more.
It's honestly remarkably hard to come up with the words, as everything (and I do mean -- everything) in this game comes together so seamlessly it's hard to pick something apart. The lore, the world building, environments, gameplay mechanics and characters feel like a unit working towards the same themes and concepts. It's honestly jarring as, because of the tight link and reasoning behind all elements of the game, no matter what you primarily focus on, you'll always have at least an idea of what the current area or boss is about.
This makes progression in this game feel great. There's value in not immediately comprehending what is happening in a story, but it can also be pretty frustrating. I really don't like when a game tries to be all mysterious by shoving up your face something that'll only make the slightest sense later on. It personally just encourages me to grow passive on anything I learn or go through until the game decides to provide me with actual information. Of course, Demon's Souls makes a lot more sense once you have the full picture, but not because later on you had this huge twist, it is instead due to you simply having played more and eventually realizing things that were already there. I'm definitely not against plot twists or "blindness", but I'm glad Demon's Souls chose a subtler approach. It doesn't take away from the mystery, it just makes the smaller things worth more; every step, every inch forward teaches you more about Demon's Souls' world as you gradually grow more connected to it. That happens naturally as you do as much as swing a sword. It's not that the actual "answer" for Demon's Souls mysteries is necessarily better than other games', it just showed a lasting competence as to how to treat "not knowing". It's a constant, a process, that lasts beyond the game.
On that light, "feeling good" would mean very little if the actual content weren't as rich, as complex and emotional as it is. Without going into much detail, Demon's Souls philosophical commentary is shockingly fascinating, given the simple basis. And again, as the game's interconnectivity is enormous, you don't run short of references and angles to think about. This game made me think about my life, and all the years I'm yet to live. It has taught me about hylomorphism and other philosophies. Honestly, my levels of interest in this game are as high as they were before I played it; there's just too much more content I'm eager to uncover. It's just that Demon's Souls has a mesmerizing reading on philosophical inquiries I have always been interested about.
Other faculties absolutely worth mentioning are the graphics and movement; the game is THE most fun and THE best looking I have ever played. With high-end textures, the inspired artistic directions prevail remarkably. The worlds feel distinct from one another but equally vivid and engaging. My favorite is Stonefang, I love how it reminds me of archiology in the sense that, the more you descent into the mountain, the more historied is the ground, like I'm uncovering ancient myths and truths all in real time. All the worlds have something of that nature going for them, which makes them equally important to me. Demon's Souls in particular works in a way that, despite of its lack of in-game physical interconnectivity, all the levels come together beautifully.
And though this is minor, I also really appreciate how most armors and weapons are looted from the world, instead of being a grindfest with low droprates like Dark Souls. I obviously hate the remake's Deluxe Edition adding cool new gear just to lock them to new characters, but Demon's Souls is still a lot less messy to get everything than it's From Software counterparts. By the end of my journey, I had almost all of them, which really pleases me.
Demon's Souls is a realized game, but not fully so. Most bosses and areas are good, but somewhat undercooked. Some are straight-up pointless (WHAT are the Maneaters??). There are too many areas and bosses that could've been a lot better. When I say that "all things come together" in this game, I'm actually excluding a few bad apples (Maneaters!!). I feel ok with doing that because those are the minority, and even though I wouldn't go as far as to say having to fight two random chimeras for no reason doesn't taint the game dimmer, but it ultimately still doesn't deflect its positive effects. There are a handful of things I don't like about this game, which stop me from rating it higher, but those weaker ends are too easy to dismiss given how good and trully well connected the rest is.
Demon's Souls is a near-perfect experience. The graphics are stunning, the philosophy and in-real life metaphors are captivating, the engaging world building and charmingly simpler basis when compared to later Souls entries are the things to cross my mind and heart when thinking of this game. There's no foreseeable end to my excitement in regards to my future with Demon's Souls.
It's honestly remarkably hard to come up with the words, as everything (and I do mean -- everything) in this game comes together so seamlessly it's hard to pick something apart. The lore, the world building, environments, gameplay mechanics and characters feel like a unit working towards the same themes and concepts. It's honestly jarring as, because of the tight link and reasoning behind all elements of the game, no matter what you primarily focus on, you'll always have at least an idea of what the current area or boss is about.
This makes progression in this game feel great. There's value in not immediately comprehending what is happening in a story, but it can also be pretty frustrating. I really don't like when a game tries to be all mysterious by shoving up your face something that'll only make the slightest sense later on. It personally just encourages me to grow passive on anything I learn or go through until the game decides to provide me with actual information. Of course, Demon's Souls makes a lot more sense once you have the full picture, but not because later on you had this huge twist, it is instead due to you simply having played more and eventually realizing things that were already there. I'm definitely not against plot twists or "blindness", but I'm glad Demon's Souls chose a subtler approach. It doesn't take away from the mystery, it just makes the smaller things worth more; every step, every inch forward teaches you more about Demon's Souls' world as you gradually grow more connected to it. That happens naturally as you do as much as swing a sword. It's not that the actual "answer" for Demon's Souls mysteries is necessarily better than other games', it just showed a lasting competence as to how to treat "not knowing". It's a constant, a process, that lasts beyond the game.
On that light, "feeling good" would mean very little if the actual content weren't as rich, as complex and emotional as it is. Without going into much detail, Demon's Souls philosophical commentary is shockingly fascinating, given the simple basis. And again, as the game's interconnectivity is enormous, you don't run short of references and angles to think about. This game made me think about my life, and all the years I'm yet to live. It has taught me about hylomorphism and other philosophies. Honestly, my levels of interest in this game are as high as they were before I played it; there's just too much more content I'm eager to uncover. It's just that Demon's Souls has a mesmerizing reading on philosophical inquiries I have always been interested about.
Other faculties absolutely worth mentioning are the graphics and movement; the game is THE most fun and THE best looking I have ever played. With high-end textures, the inspired artistic directions prevail remarkably. The worlds feel distinct from one another but equally vivid and engaging. My favorite is Stonefang, I love how it reminds me of archiology in the sense that, the more you descent into the mountain, the more historied is the ground, like I'm uncovering ancient myths and truths all in real time. All the worlds have something of that nature going for them, which makes them equally important to me. Demon's Souls in particular works in a way that, despite of its lack of in-game physical interconnectivity, all the levels come together beautifully.
And though this is minor, I also really appreciate how most armors and weapons are looted from the world, instead of being a grindfest with low droprates like Dark Souls. I obviously hate the remake's Deluxe Edition adding cool new gear just to lock them to new characters, but Demon's Souls is still a lot less messy to get everything than it's From Software counterparts. By the end of my journey, I had almost all of them, which really pleases me.
Demon's Souls is a realized game, but not fully so. Most bosses and areas are good, but somewhat undercooked. Some are straight-up pointless (WHAT are the Maneaters??). There are too many areas and bosses that could've been a lot better. When I say that "all things come together" in this game, I'm actually excluding a few bad apples (Maneaters!!). I feel ok with doing that because those are the minority, and even though I wouldn't go as far as to say having to fight two random chimeras for no reason doesn't taint the game dimmer, but it ultimately still doesn't deflect its positive effects. There are a handful of things I don't like about this game, which stop me from rating it higher, but those weaker ends are too easy to dismiss given how good and trully well connected the rest is.
Demon's Souls is a near-perfect experience. The graphics are stunning, the philosophy and in-real life metaphors are captivating, the engaging world building and charmingly simpler basis when compared to later Souls entries are the things to cross my mind and heart when thinking of this game. There's no foreseeable end to my excitement in regards to my future with Demon's Souls.