Demon’s Souls Review

By
Jack Armes
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Demon's Souls
Image Source: PlayStation

Elden Ring releases at the end of the month. For Soulsborne fans who are terrible at the games like me, that means one thing. Namely, getting as much practice in this month to prepare themselves to not get destroyed when it releases. To accomplish this, I decided to play the only Souls game I had yet to complete: Demon’s Souls. Well, the remake, to be specific.

Demon’s Souls

Description Of Demon’s Souls

This was a console seller alongside the launch of the PlayStation 5. I was massively excited to dive into the world of Boletaria. And I managed to magic my way into acquiring the console the month of its release. Woefully ill-prepared, I threw myself into the game and got annihilated. I rage quit and proceeded to complete Spider-Man Remastered instead. And I never returned until now, nearly 2 years later. Safe to say, I am enjoying myself immensely.

First, a disclaimer. Demon’s Souls (2020) is a faithful remake of the 2009 original, and it plays like it. The enemy design is noticeably worse than every subsequent From Software game. There are fewer standout bosses and memorable enemy encounters than one would expect. Certainly in comparison to the brilliance of Dark Souls and Bloodborne. I was admittedly shocked for my first few hours by how easy some of the bosses were. So yes, bear that in mind should you go out and play it.

That is not to say there isn’t a challenge here, however.

Challenge

For 3 ½ agonisingly infuriating hours, I was trapped in world 3-1. This would be The Prison of Hope – or lack thereof, in my case. Let’s say you take the same route through the game as me. This will be a very noticeable difficulty spike for an out of practice player such as myself. The majority of the normal enemies here have an instant kill combo that killed me way too often. Furthermore, the level design resembles a maze, very easy to lose your way in. This is textbook Soulsborne design. And, after clawing my way through this hellish purgatory, I was filled with joy. I loved it. The level of accomplishment you feel after overcoming these obstacles is exactly why so many people love these games.

Analysis Of Demon’s Souls

Oh, and the game is gorgeous as well. A true example of the graphical fidelity able that these new consoles can accomplish. It runs at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second. The leap in quality from the previous console generation to this one is akin to the jump from PlayStation 1 to 2. And it is truly awe-inspiring. I am so excited to see what becomes possible as this generation progresses.

Anyway, back on track. The combat feels great, the game is stunning, but the enemy design can sometimes feel like you’re back in 2009. Which you are, in a way. There are out-of-date level designs too. Many of the early worlds especially boil down to little more than corridors a lot of the time. Again, it’s a sad limitation due to limited power at the beginning of the PlayStation 3 era. These do open up later, though, and they become simply breathtaking.

Summary Of Demon’s Souls

Should you get the lottery win that is purchasing a PlayStation 5 right now, give Demon’s Souls a shot. It is at times brutal. But it’s undoubtedly the softest introduction to the world of Soulsborne games, and an attractive one at that. Oh, and screw the Valley of Defilement. It’s Blighttown but infinitely worse. Terrifying.

Overall Rating: 7/10 – Respectable

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