Ax Kicking- Demon’s Souls Review

Throughout gaming history, there have been a plethora of games that those who cherish the title of “gamer” cling onto with great fervor, despite a handful of flaws that make gameplay inaccessible to vast majority of those with access to a controller.  These interactive equivalents of the “cult classic film” can be found lurking time and time again on countless “top XX underappreciated games” lists, and maintain small groups of dedicated followers even decades after release.  Demon’s Souls is destined to become one such game.

As a reviewer, one is subject to wearing many hats.  One such cap is the enthusiast hat, which compels me to tell my readers about games that I love, and to convince everyone I meet to fork over their hard earned dollars to support the games I hold dear.  Another hat that I wear is that of the consumer advocate. While I am wearing this hat, it becomes my duty to protect my readers from making a purchase that they might not be happy with.  Usually, I can choose which hat I would like to wear while I am writing and apply the proper amount of gushing praise or punishing criticism as each case requires, but Demon’s Souls requires me to wear both hats, one on top of the other, and this not only makes me look silly, but also makes it difficult to write.  Make no mistake, readers: I adore this game, but it is not for everyone.

Demon’s Souls takes place in the dark, low fantasy setting of Boletaria.  The kingdom has been overrun by an evil fog, and you have ventured inside to rescue the kingdom and to become a great and powerful hero.  Upon arrival, you are promptly slain and sent to the Nexus, a sort of warrior limbo, and offered the opportunity to be brought back to life in exchange for collecting- you guessed it, Demon’s Souls.

You spend the majority of your time in “spirit form” and will earn the ability to become a living human-being only after you have defeated a boss.  Once you have been brought back to life you have twice as much health and can summon other spirits to help you in battle.  The spirits, however, are actually other players, who happen to be playing in the same dungeon at the same time.  This is where Demon’s Souls is most unique: it approaches the online multiplayer experience as a fluid, hierarchical toolset within the single player game rather than simply creating traditional cooperative game mode.  While playing a single person game, the player comes across notes and warnings from other players who have already passed through.  Bloodstains from fallen comrades can be activated, giving a ghostly account of how other warriors have died, so that you don’t make the same mistakes and, as stated earlier, players in Spirit Form may be called by those who have earned their bodies back to aid them in combat.

The combat system is surprisingly deep.  Boss fights are challenging and rewarding, and there are a lot of great items and weapons, so you can really customize your character.  Each weapon has its own unique feel and timing to it, which makes choosing the correct weapon for the current situation very rewarding – there is a great difference between using a broadsword and a rapier in a tight corridor, and that could be a life or death decision!  The environments are very well realized: each of the 6 worlds are unique, and an occasional punch of color or over-the-top set piece break up the grey-brown environments to create some very dramatic moments.

Demon’s Souls suffers from one major flaw : it does a terrible job of explaining anything to the player.  The game opens up with a brief tutorial, where you will learn which buttons do what, and then you are dropped into a castle and told to collect souls.  The game requires its players to either patiently discover all every subtle nuance of its gameplay by trial and error, or to get frustrated and destroy their television within the first few hours of play.  Without any real guidance, the player will stumble around in the dark for several hours, die, sit through a loading screen and restart every few minutes, because no one ever explains that you can’t just mash “attack” to survive: there is a timing element to every attack in this game.  Also, with no clear direction on what your end goal is, many players who make it deep into the level will perish, simply because they tried to tackle an enemy that can’t actually be killed at that point of the game!

Those patient enough to trudge their way through to initial dungeon will be rewarded with an overwhelming amount of content unlocked at once.  After defeating only one demon, the adventurer is given Carte Blanche to explore all but one of the areas lost to the fog.  Once the entire world opens up, the game changes a great deal, and becomes more about exploration and loot grabbing than item management and constant combat.

Many of my contemporaries have written the game off as too difficult, but much like old games like Bionic Commando or Phantasy Star Online, Demon’s Souls is really only difficult until you come to terms with the game’s mechanics.  It has a great deal of depth for anyone who is disciplined and diligent enough to suffer the first few hours of the game.  I can’t recommend this game enough to those looking for a robust game to really sink their jagged teeth into, but I can’t recommend this game at all to anyone who lacks the patience to learn and explore on their own or are prone to fits of gamer rage.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

59 comments

  1. Wow, sound great. I hope I’m up to the task. I love these type of games.

  2. I have this preordered, and can’t wait to play it. Thanks for the review SeanNOLA.

  3. Sorry, I can’t get behind any game that they make harder when they localize it. Dumb move Atlus.

  4. Alright, NOLA Im getting it, but If I get stuck and frustrating I’m coming for you 😉

  5. SeanNOLA, gotta say I loved that review. The past two reviews have been great! Is DE taking you under his wing (or barrel)?

  6. I saw a video of it around E3 and didn’t think much of it. I’m not usually into the Atlus RPG’s, but this could be different.

  7. Not really my type of game, but a decent review.

  8. What did they change? Do you have a link?

  9. Good lucking game.

  10. How’s the framerate? Were there any drops?

  11. I probably need to put money down on this. Is the deluxe edition worth the $?

  12. That beehive anus thing is really freaking me out!

  13. Scared about this: “Expect to die more than you have in any other game, and expect to be screaming expletives at the television half of the time. It’s not necessarily cheap, it’s more cruel, and anyone besides sadomasochists will likely grow tired of the game’s punishing ways.”

  14. No tin case=FAIL.

  15. Maybe I’ll put my PSP Go preorder money toward this.

  16. I heard it’s like Ground Hog day, every time you restart, you learn and do something a bit different.

  17. Is this for 360 also, or just PS3?

  18. I’ll rent Demon’s Souls at minimum.

  19. Hopefully sone demons will be screaming this week.

  20. I like the way they make the game super hard, and sell you a strategy guide for an additional ten dollars. Pretty sneaky, Atlus!

  21. PS3 exclusive!

  22. “Dyings easy, it’s living that’s tough”

    Thought that was an appropriate quote for the game. I might have to give it a try.

  23. If I’m not online, is the game still playable/enjoable?

  24. I like to play games to relax. In the words of 300 This is Madness!!!

    I don’t see why the game couldn’t have multiple difficulty levels for RPG fans that don’t plat too many action games.

  25. I guess From software doesn’t like money.

  26. I don’t think I’ll be grabbing this at full price.

  27. This and Uncharted 2 are must haves for me.

  28. How is the music in the game? Good enough to require a soundtrack CD?

  29. Since this is a Japanese game, or there also Japanese voices or is it all English?

  30. I think $10 for a soundtrack and a strategy guide is a pretty good deal. More useful than a pair of night vision goggles.

  31. I wouldn’t say more than any other game; at least not if you played a lot of NES games. You will die a lot at first, when you are still learning, but once you get a handle on the combat, you’ll be chopping down demons left and right!

  32. You can play it offline, and for the most part, the game is in tact. You won’t be able to summon other players, and you won’t see the notes and bloodstains that other people leave for you, so you might end up walking into traps that you would otherwise be prepared for, but other than that, it is still very enjoyable.

  33. The music is pretty good, but mostly atmospheric. I loved the title track, but I wouldn’t write home about the soundtrack. Still worth $10 for the art book and strategy guide though.

  34. The Japanese version of the game was entirely in English. There were never any Japanese voices. The US release was left in tact, with some minor changes.

  35. Cool. I didn’t know that, but I guess with the setting being vaguely European, that makes sense.

  36. How big is the strategy guide?

  37. NOLA- bad pun, great review.

  38. So I’m hearing talk about GOTY potential? Do you think this has a chance?

  39. tried to get someone from the Demon Souls team to be a guest on my show but the schedule didnt work out – looks fun tho!

  40. That’s too bad, I would have loved to hear what they had to say about the game!

  41. I cant wait to play this. DO you get clues from your PSN friends or from all players?

  42. Good review. I almost though Deagle wrote it.

  43. Good review. This wasnt on my radar until now.

  44. Thanks, I guess I’ll get it then.

  45. Picking this up tomorrow. I cant wait.

  46. I’m gonna have to wait for a sale on this one. I can’t pay $60 to lose my temper.

  47. I thought combat might get boring I’m glad to hear it’s fun.

  48. Did DE or Tide play it? What’s there thoughts on it?

  49. Sounds good to me. I grew up on NES games, so I know the difficulty on some.

  50. Good Lord, my Gamestop didn’t get enough preorders in of the Special Edition. The two people who ordered before me get first crack, while I get nothing, not even a regular edition. (cause they just had enough to cover preorders on that)

    This is bullshit.

  51. Funny, you mention that, I just called my GS and they told me they didn’t get enough in, and to try back tomorrow. Maybe I’m getting screwed too.

  52. I don’t think Atlus expected it to be as popular as it is. I’m sure they’ll get enough copies out eventually.

  53. Tried to nap this today, my local Gamestop was all cleared out 🙁

  54. Got mine suckers 😉

  55. So who got their ass handed to them, and is ready to sell me their used copy for $40 shipped?

    Any takers?

  56. Two Demon’s Souls picks in a week. You guys are really pimping this game out!

  57. I ordered from Amazon. Hopefully Prime will deliver the goods today.

  58. So are you a hero or villian in the game?

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