Okay Geek Farm
Demon's Souls Review
Okay Geek Team
Do you remember the days when games didn’t have checkpoints? Believe it or not, many gamers now have never known of a time where when you died you had to start at the beginning of the level and do it all over again. You could do about 20 mins worth of work and then have it all melt away when you came to your demise. Demon’s Souls is that exact kind of game; Hours of your life can be lost on trying just to pass a single level. But is it all worth it, or is it a waste of your precious life?
Overview: A hack and slash with an RPG twist - Demon’s Souls is not your average game. Hitting big with the Japanese audience and Atlus fans all over, it was a no brainer for it to be ported overseas to the western market, although interestingly enough there weren’t enough copies of the game to satisfy the demand when it was recently released stateside. It’s look? Drastically doing away with the usual anime look and feel of most JRPG’s, this game draws from all cultures, but primarily mid-eval Europe. Oh and let’s not forget to mention the insane difficulty level, but don’t worry, I’ll be bringing that up over and over again in this review.
Plot: There’s this king, right. He lives in a place called Boletaria, which at the moment is prospering beyond compare and everyone is living in the moment… that is until the fog rolls in. Some how some way the King awakens this big bad dude known as the Old One, and this baddie isn’t your usual villain. Once the Old One woke up demons started scouring the land of Boletaria and feeding him the souls of those they killed. Heroes from all lands come to take him down, but none, however, are fortunate enough to return. Here’s where you come along: a sole warrior who has become the last stand for a severely destroyed kingdom, and a potential savior of the entire world.
Gameplay: Demon’s Souls is an Action/RPG in all facets of the word - you move about the world fighting demons and gain experience points in the form of Souls. The Souls act as your currency in the game, buying you weapons, armor, spells, and stat upgrades. They are pretty much the most important thing in the entire game as they will determine if you actually progress or not; let me explain. You need Souls to level up, and as I’ve mentioned briefly before the game’s difficulty is off the charts, so you’re going to want to level up as much as possible (a.k.a griding). When you defeat a demon you gain a certain amount of Souls, but if you die all your Souls will be lost, and believe me when I say that you will die, and you will die often. It also doesn’t help that when you die you are sent back to beginning of the level, rather than to a checkpoint. So to gain sufficient Souls to buy anything requires a lot of patience and a some skill.
Once you finish the tutorial, and the first real stage, you’ll be given access to the rest of the worlds, 5 in total. This opens up a ton of ways for you to find items, level up, and finish the game since there’s no real linear way or “correct” way to complete it. Also, very important are the choices you make in the class you selected in the start of the game. As with RPG’s that give you the option of jobs, you’re going to want to fine tune every single thing about your character; meaning you’re going to want to get specialized spells and weapons, as well as knowing just the right stats to tweak at the right time.
Oh, and there’s one definitive feature that makes Demon’s Souls unlike any other game I’ve ever played before: the ability to directly, and indirectly, affect the single player game experience of other players. That’s unless of course you’re hooked up online, which if that’s true disregard the rest of this.
There a three kinds of these sort of interactions: 1. Blood splatters - when you select one of these puddles of red you’ll see the ghost of a player and get a glimpse of how they met their demise. 2. Messages - you’ll see these as red aura’s radiating off the ground. They’ll be written messages by other players alerting you of nearby hidden items or strategies on how to beat a certain boss. 3. Later on in the game you’ll be able to play alongside, or even attack, other players.
Difficulty: I’m going to say that based on my experience it’s on par with Battletoads and any of the Ninja Gaiden games. If you’re an angry person or someone who enjoys throwing things across rooms, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT play this game. Heck, just to be safe, when you see it at a store just walk right passed it and pretend it doesn’t exist. Patience, a level head, and a slow temper are essential to playing Demon’s Souls.
Who’s it for: The hardcore rpg gamer. When I think about it it reminds me a lot of Diablo 2, and that’s mostly due to the fact that Diablo was the closest I’ve ever gotten to an MMORPG. But to be fair this isn’t a traditional MMO, but it does focus heavily on customization and perfected builds of character classes. Knowledge and practice of all the nitty gritty stat stuff is pretty much necessary stuff if you want to get far and eventually finish the game.
Estimated time to finish: Anywhere from 30 hours to 50 hours. I haven’t finished it as of this review, but I’m trying. I promise I am trying, but the game just keeps kicking my ass.
Rent/Buy/Pass: Demon’s Souls is not for the feint of heart by any stretch. If you can’t handle repetition and constantly being spit in the face then do not come near this game. If you are new to games then I do not recommend trying this one out either. This is a classic example of the most hardcore of the hardcore; casual players need not apply. But if you’re a veteran gamer and are looking for a title with a challenge then Demon’s Souls is the perfect game for you. Tons of replay of value, an amazing play style and world, and just enough difficulty to make you wanting to keep coming back for more.
No one can truly say the PS3 has no games anymore because it seems as if a new worth while game one is coming out every week. Demon’s Souls is a perfect addition to your PS3 collection.
