This review contains spoilers
From one play-through alone, this game has become my second-favorite Fromsoft title. It may be the easiest game in the series, but the beauty of Demon's Souls lies in it's restriant, consistency, and atmospheric immersion. The level design has this sense of verticality and realism that can't be found anywhere else, not to mention the non-linearity the hub world allows. I love Dark Souls, but when comparing Anor Londo's schizophrenic and confusing level layout and Boletaria's tight, realistic approach to storming a castle, the difference is night and day.
Even though the bosses are relatively easy they feel so unique and have a completely different vibe that the other games have used elements of in some of their bossfights but not to the same affect. Don't get me wrong, Soulsborne has amazing bosses across the table-only one boss from Demon's, the Tower Knight, barely even makes it to my top 10-but these bosses still feel much more different from the rest, puzzling tests of wit, or cinematic, or strikingly depressing. Leechmonger and the Adjudicator have these unique vertical arenas where you can approach the fight in different ways. The aforementioned Tower Knight is an intimidating and multi-layered fight, where you have to defeat a wave of archers before facing the Knight alone by exploiting his weak points. Maiden Aestrea doesn't even fight you-rather her followers defend their saint until their last breath. She commits suicide with bitter comtempt, anger, and genuine sadness in her voice, having just seen you kill the very people she was trying to save by becoming a Demon. The Storm King is more cinematic where you use a wind sword to fell a gargantuan monster who barely even acknowledges your existence with it's sheer size, creating powerful gusts of wind that blow you away. Dragon God seems like this climactic rematch built up from the opening animation, but subverts these notions by having you effectively euthanize it after restraining it. (Because really, how else would you take out a towering behemoth? With a fucking pool noodle of a sword?) The final boss of the game is a shambling abomination that can barely muster the strength to flail at you. Each boss is visually unique and each have their own weaknesses to exploit or explore a certain gimmick, and each help set the downtrodden mood and melancholy tone of the game. I would go so far to say that there are no bad bosses in the game. Some underwhelming or easy, yes, but none truly bad.
You can see the groundwork being laid for the rest of the series as well as inspirations for it's sequels, but at the same time Demon's Souls still took bold risks and still has many unique ideas that make it worth playing 12 years later. Where other games would dump tutorial levels and screens on you while holding your hand through the game, Demon’s Souls kicked you into a starting level against a boss that’s supposed to kill you. Where most games were beautiful, bright, and pushed console hardware to their limits, Demon’s Souls was dark, muted, and fantastically reserved in it's artstyle to set it apart. Where other games had flashy combat with hundreds of (admittedly shallow) options, Demon's introduced a methodical and restrained combat system that limited the player's actions greatly through a stamina bar. Where most games had insane boss fights with over-the-top presentation, the bosses in Demon's Souls felt melancholy and dreary. Where other games had a bombastic, catchy, adrenaline-fueled soundtrack, Demon’s Souls was silent except for the growls of enemies and the clanking of swords; Boss themes were subtle, quiet, and ambient. Most games would introduce large exposition dumps and force a story you might not care about onto a player, Demon's Souls leaves it's well-realized lore in the background as an afterthought that doesn't get in the way of gameplay. Most games had a large cast of supporting characters, but Demon’s Souls friendly NPCs were few and far between and could be killed like any other enemy. Where some games were forgiving, Souls was not: mechanics such as World Tendency and the soul/human form punished the unprepared or ignorant player, making a game where to survive one must remain ever-vigilant and assess every situation and room. These "most" games aren’t bad by any means-in fact quite the opposite, they can be incredible-but Demons Souls is simply so different and unique, even when compared to its spiritual sequels.
The best example of Demon's rejection of the modern video game environment is in the Moonlight Greatsword, which has been a staple in every Fromsoft game. In the King's Field series, it was a legendary weapon, a crucial macguffin in the plot of the games. Here, it is a forgotten relic of the past: an afterthought swallowed by slugs, in a cesspit at the bottom of the world.
More than any other Fromsoft game, Demon's souls is a fading medieval fantasy slowly being swallowed by colorless fog. Much like Miyazaki's inspiration for his storytelling, it's a fairytale book written in undecipherable language, making for a game that never pulls back the curtain all the way. Despite how dreary the game can get, at the end of journey there is hope and optimism to be had, a hope which the player can snuff out if they feel inclined to do so. The sense of adventure, progression, and immersion from this game is more enticing than any other game I've ever played. I went from a frail nobody seeking glory to a feared, competent hero that can best any demon with ease.
Demon's Souls is a game rich with atmosphere and sheer passion that took risks because it was believed to be a faliure before it even released. Despite the odds, Miyazaki had a vision, and his Little Action-RPG that Could eventually carved a path for one of the most influential franchises in the somewhat short history of gaming.
Sure Dragon God isn't the best boss (even though I personally enjoyed it,) World Tendency is not very well-integrated into the game despite being a cool concept, it's late game is extremely easy when compared to it's successors, and 5-2 would've been 10 times better if you could actually fucking roll in the swamp. But at the end of the day, Demon's Souls is more than just the "Souls Prototype." It's a clear love letter to gaming, a courageous leap forward for the industry that no other Souls game would have to struggle with. It burdened the weight of being the first game of it's kind, and it is a damn fucking shame that it was so overlooked by it's younger cousin up until last year.
(I emulated on RPCS3 at a high resolution with a 60 fps patch and it ran smoothly. One problem was that the audio would often crackle if too many sounds were playing at once, and I couldn't fix it. Vsync is a must for higher resolutions, and one specific GPU setting MUST be on in order for the game to render.)
Even though the bosses are relatively easy they feel so unique and have a completely different vibe that the other games have used elements of in some of their bossfights but not to the same affect. Don't get me wrong, Soulsborne has amazing bosses across the table-only one boss from Demon's, the Tower Knight, barely even makes it to my top 10-but these bosses still feel much more different from the rest, puzzling tests of wit, or cinematic, or strikingly depressing. Leechmonger and the Adjudicator have these unique vertical arenas where you can approach the fight in different ways. The aforementioned Tower Knight is an intimidating and multi-layered fight, where you have to defeat a wave of archers before facing the Knight alone by exploiting his weak points. Maiden Aestrea doesn't even fight you-rather her followers defend their saint until their last breath. She commits suicide with bitter comtempt, anger, and genuine sadness in her voice, having just seen you kill the very people she was trying to save by becoming a Demon. The Storm King is more cinematic where you use a wind sword to fell a gargantuan monster who barely even acknowledges your existence with it's sheer size, creating powerful gusts of wind that blow you away. Dragon God seems like this climactic rematch built up from the opening animation, but subverts these notions by having you effectively euthanize it after restraining it. (Because really, how else would you take out a towering behemoth? With a fucking pool noodle of a sword?) The final boss of the game is a shambling abomination that can barely muster the strength to flail at you. Each boss is visually unique and each have their own weaknesses to exploit or explore a certain gimmick, and each help set the downtrodden mood and melancholy tone of the game. I would go so far to say that there are no bad bosses in the game. Some underwhelming or easy, yes, but none truly bad.
You can see the groundwork being laid for the rest of the series as well as inspirations for it's sequels, but at the same time Demon's Souls still took bold risks and still has many unique ideas that make it worth playing 12 years later. Where other games would dump tutorial levels and screens on you while holding your hand through the game, Demon’s Souls kicked you into a starting level against a boss that’s supposed to kill you. Where most games were beautiful, bright, and pushed console hardware to their limits, Demon’s Souls was dark, muted, and fantastically reserved in it's artstyle to set it apart. Where other games had flashy combat with hundreds of (admittedly shallow) options, Demon's introduced a methodical and restrained combat system that limited the player's actions greatly through a stamina bar. Where most games had insane boss fights with over-the-top presentation, the bosses in Demon's Souls felt melancholy and dreary. Where other games had a bombastic, catchy, adrenaline-fueled soundtrack, Demon’s Souls was silent except for the growls of enemies and the clanking of swords; Boss themes were subtle, quiet, and ambient. Most games would introduce large exposition dumps and force a story you might not care about onto a player, Demon's Souls leaves it's well-realized lore in the background as an afterthought that doesn't get in the way of gameplay. Most games had a large cast of supporting characters, but Demon’s Souls friendly NPCs were few and far between and could be killed like any other enemy. Where some games were forgiving, Souls was not: mechanics such as World Tendency and the soul/human form punished the unprepared or ignorant player, making a game where to survive one must remain ever-vigilant and assess every situation and room. These "most" games aren’t bad by any means-in fact quite the opposite, they can be incredible-but Demons Souls is simply so different and unique, even when compared to its spiritual sequels.
The best example of Demon's rejection of the modern video game environment is in the Moonlight Greatsword, which has been a staple in every Fromsoft game. In the King's Field series, it was a legendary weapon, a crucial macguffin in the plot of the games. Here, it is a forgotten relic of the past: an afterthought swallowed by slugs, in a cesspit at the bottom of the world.
More than any other Fromsoft game, Demon's souls is a fading medieval fantasy slowly being swallowed by colorless fog. Much like Miyazaki's inspiration for his storytelling, it's a fairytale book written in undecipherable language, making for a game that never pulls back the curtain all the way. Despite how dreary the game can get, at the end of journey there is hope and optimism to be had, a hope which the player can snuff out if they feel inclined to do so. The sense of adventure, progression, and immersion from this game is more enticing than any other game I've ever played. I went from a frail nobody seeking glory to a feared, competent hero that can best any demon with ease.
Demon's Souls is a game rich with atmosphere and sheer passion that took risks because it was believed to be a faliure before it even released. Despite the odds, Miyazaki had a vision, and his Little Action-RPG that Could eventually carved a path for one of the most influential franchises in the somewhat short history of gaming.
Sure Dragon God isn't the best boss (even though I personally enjoyed it,) World Tendency is not very well-integrated into the game despite being a cool concept, it's late game is extremely easy when compared to it's successors, and 5-2 would've been 10 times better if you could actually fucking roll in the swamp. But at the end of the day, Demon's Souls is more than just the "Souls Prototype." It's a clear love letter to gaming, a courageous leap forward for the industry that no other Souls game would have to struggle with. It burdened the weight of being the first game of it's kind, and it is a damn fucking shame that it was so overlooked by it's younger cousin up until last year.
(I emulated on RPCS3 at a high resolution with a 60 fps patch and it ran smoothly. One problem was that the audio would often crackle if too many sounds were playing at once, and I couldn't fix it. Vsync is a must for higher resolutions, and one specific GPU setting MUST be on in order for the game to render.)