Dark Souls Review A Second Opinion

Developer: From Software

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Format: PS3 (reviewed), 360

Release Date: Out Now

(Editors Note : Demon Souls is a game that can split opinions for that reason we have gotten two different reviewers to have a look at it. Since both came back with 10/10 scores it speaks volumes about the game. GOTY contender you bet it is)

 

In early 2009, Demon’s Souls was released to the Japanese public. The game was heralded for its extremely difficult and unforgiving gameplay, as well the various aspects of its intricate character building system and its well designed world. Initially, Demon’s Souls was only to be released in Japan, but after its success and the “cult-like” status it received in the West, it was released in the US in October 2009 and in Europe the following June.

Just over two-and-a-half years after Demon’s Souls Japanese release, From Software has released Demon’s Souls successor, Dark Souls. In truth, calling Dark Souls a direct successor wouldn’t be accurate; its more of a spiritual successor. The game carries a similar style of gameplay and a similar name, but with Dark Souls we have a completely separate story and some major changes to the games core mechanics. One thing is certain, the difficulty of From Software’s prior game still rings true. Anyone who enters the world of Dark Souls is going to die, a lot.

Upon beginning a new game the player has to create their new character choosing one of ten different starting classes, along with the their characters physical appearance. After a stunning looking cutscene, introducing players to the game’s story, the player is dropped into the world of Lordan. This early portion of the game acts as a tutorial. Players have to escape the Northern Undead Asylum, where they will collect their initial weaponry and are taught some combat basics via messages left scrawled on the ground. Once out of the Asylum, you travel to the Firelink Shrine which acts as the base point for all your ventures. Your only direction from here is given by a character resting at the shrine, who informs you of your first task of the game. There are no signs telling you where to go or which areas you absolutely need to avoid at this early point in the game, the player has to figure it all out through trial and error.

The game’s learning curve is quite steep and as mentioned, players will learn the most through trial and error. For example, once you are placed into the open world of the game at the Firelink Shrine you can follow multiple paths to different areas of the world. My first choice was to follow a small staircase down to what looks like a remote graveyard, devoid of any enemies which could be hazardous to my characters health. I ran straight towards an item easily spotted from the stairs but before my character could reach it, two skeleton guards assembled in front of me and easily thwarted my feeble attempt to dispose of them. Again I returned, this time prepared for their attack, ready to block and parry in order to try and lower their defences and gain a foothold against them. It wasn’t to be. I returned a third time to collect my lost souls and run from the graveyard.

The combat system in Dark Souls is easy to adapt to but quite tricky to master. Dark Souls is not your typical hack n’ slash RPG. When in combat, you have to monitor your stamina levels constantly; if your character’s stamina depletes while they are unleashing a flurry of sword swipes, your enemy will easily break your guard and carve you open. If you learn to master the fine art of parrying an attack, you will be able to avail of one-hit kill moves. Even the weakest of enemies will have no problem dispatching your character should you get caught up in a group of them. As with equipping weapons you can decide what your character will hold in either hand, be it a magic casting hand and a dagger, a bow and quiver or use both hands to wield a long spear. There is a lot of choice with regards to equipping weaponry and armour. Choosing lighter armour will give a player more manoeuvrability, while heavier armour sets make a character’s movements more sluggish but allow them to take more damage. On top of that, weapons can be upgraded with rare materials adding elemental damage to them, or just increasing their attack power.

While the game is quite unforgiving in respect of the amount of times you’ll die, it is quite fair considering you don’t lose everything if you do perish. Once you die, you drop all your accumulated souls which you can reclaim if you can make it back to the same spot. The problem though, is if you die along the way to recover your dropped souls; the first set of souls you dropped will now be lost forever. Every Dark Souls player will have experienced the frustration of wasting what could be hours of gameplay, after dropping farmed souls and then falling off a cliff edge when rushing back to recover them.

Souls are essentially the games currency and are obtained by killing an enemy or through consuming certain items. You have to use souls to level up your character’s stats, repair weapons or make purchases from a vendor. Leveling up is performed via a bonfire, which are the games closest thing to a checkpoint. Bonfires are located throughout the world and represent your respawn point if you die. Only a single bonfire is kept lit at any one time, and relighting or resting at a bonfire will replenish the player’s health, refill their Estus flask and recharge their spell count. Of course, it wouldn’t be Dark Souls if this didn’t come at a price. Using a bonfire for any reason results in all the enemies you’ve slain being respawned. Using bonfires are always tough decisions.

These messages form one of the online aspects of the game, carried over from Demon’s Souls. Players who obtain an Orange Guidance Soapstone in-game are able to leave messages which appear in another player’s game. These messages can serve as warnings, hints or even to deceive. Dark Souls’ online play is quite an interesting feature for an RPG. As well as leaving messages, players can leave signs which allow them to be summoned to another players game, but only to assist with a boss fight. Another item lets you invade someone else’s world without an invitation with the aim of killing them to cause some unwanted havoc.

The world of Lordan is quite simply stunning. Whether the player is crawling slowly through the pitch black catacombs, or making their way to the first bell tower above the Undead Burg, there will always be beautiful locations to make you stop and admire. All of the character models contain a high level of detail and even the unreachable mountainous backdrops look beautiful when drenched in sunlight. It is hard not to be visually impressed by Dark Souls.

In an era of gaming where checkpoints are commonplace and a constant security blanket, this game provides the ultimate challenge. Dark Souls completely redefines the RPG genre with its multiplayer features and it’s in-depth character building system. There is no other game that will feel so rewarding when you discover a new pick-up or dispose of a tough enemy. Dark Souls is definitely one of 2011’s top games and a definite contender for game of the year.

 

Score: 10/10

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