Review: Demon's Souls

Release Date: JP: February 5, 2009, NA: October 6, 2009, EU: June 25, 2010
Developed By: From Software
Genre: Action RPG
Platforms: Playstation 3

Note: The online mode referred to in this review will eventually be shut down. However, you still have plenty of time, as it has been recently announced that the game will remain online until at least some way into 2012.

Whenever a game gains a reputation for being difficult, the hardcore gamers who yearn for the tougher days of gaming past seem to crawl out from their shrines, where greats such as Viewtiful Joe and Ninja Gaiden are worshipped, to quickly initiate the newcomer into their dark cult. Demon's Souls is one of the most recent games to grab the attention of hardcore gamers, boasting unforgiving gameplay that does not suffer fools well.

I'm a Soul Man

Set in the kingdom of Boletaria, the story is based around the use of 'soul arts', dark magic fuelled by souls. Overuse of such power has awakened the ominous Old One, bringing with it a deep fog that has trapped many a hero, taking their own souls from them. What makes you so different is anyone's guess, but you enter the fog in the hopes of freeing the troubled kingdom. Your courage is your downfall, of course, as you are slaughtered only moments into your quest.

This introduces the first major component of the gameplay; body and soul forms. You begin the game alive, in body form. Dying while in body form returns you to the deep fog as a soul. In soul form, your health is cut in half, while your attack power is increased. The only way to restore your body is to defeat a boss. Yes, this is the first deliciously cruel punishment the game has in store for you: dying makes it easier for everything to continue killing you. Unfortunately, the punishment isn't quite as devilish as it first seems, as it's possible to obtain a ring, very early on in the game, that increases your soul form health to only marginally less than your full, body form health. Amongst others, this is one of the reasons that playing in soul form is actually a more preferable choice, at least the first time playing through, and it's a decision I went with, even going so far as to commit suicide after each boss kill to instantly become a soul again. It's a shame, because what could have been a very inventive way of punishing failure actually turns out to be quite cosy and safe.

Another reason that most prefer soul form is due to the game's next major mechanic: world tendency. Certain actions push the 'tendency' of a world towards black or white. Achieving pure white or black tendency in a world can unlock new events, areas or items. Dying in body form pushes the world tendency towards black, whether you want it to or not, whereas dying in soul form has no effect. It's yet another reason why body form seems redundant, and it's not really clear what From Software were trying to achieve with this system.

World tendency itself is an interesting mechanic, though, as it has you returning to levels you've already completed for further exploration. For instance, you might find that a particularly nasty dragon that was blocking access to a plethora of tasty loot decides to take a holiday when world tendency is pure white. You may also discover that the locked gate that was previously just a curiosity is now open, beyond it a whole new area full of items and potentially, an optional mini-boss. When you get the hang of manipulating the world tendency, you find yourself with a lot more interesting objectives.

And then we have the backbone of Demon's Souls, the traditional gameplay elements of an RPG. Everything from statistical customisation and weapon and armour upgrading is here, with a striking amount of freedom. The class that you choose at the beginning of the game is by no means a blueprint that you're forced to stick to; it merely defines the abilities you start with, and it's from then on that you can shape your character in any way you like. Doing your research can help immensely here, as characters that have been carefully planned out will end up much more powerful than those that are based on 'on-the-fly' decisions when it comes to leveling. I absolutely don't mean that in a bad way either, as it just goes to show how deeply you can be drawn in to the obsession of shaping a perfect hero.

Nerf Hunters

The combat is in real time, and involves a great deal of timing on the player's part. The enemies are ruthless, and only by learning their attack patterns and identifying the safest time to lower your guard and attack will you make it through alive. Choices between melee, ranged and spellcasting are all available to the player, depending on the type of character they have in mind.

I began playing with the intention of fighting toe-to-toe in traditional melee style. Some of the bosses I fought this way were suitably tricky, and required multiple attempts before finally being put down. Somewhere along the way I acquired a rather beastly bow, allowing for some sneaky ranged combat. Because I'd focused on the dexterity stat, good for both melee and ranged combat, I was already set up to deal significant damage from afar. This is where I discovered a major imbalance, as boss battles quickly turned from nerve-wracking events to simple target practice. Whether intentional or not, many of the arenas of combat included a 'sniper perch', allowing for complete safety while firing off arrows at the now completely helpless boss.

It's true that by sticking to melee combat, I might have faced more of a challenge with some of these bosses, but with the option there, and the game's unforgiving threat of returning me to the beginning of the level if I died, the easy way out was always too tempting. The point is, in a game so revered for its brutality, 'cheese tactics' shouldn't exist at all.

Other than that, Demon's Souls does live up to its arduous image, providing a journey of just the right levels of frustration and satisfaction. Its difficulty shouldn't act as a deterrent to anyone, though, as with a little practice, patience and persistence, you end up getting a feel for it, and attack patterns start to become clear.

It was at around the last quarter of the game that the difficulty seemed to wane, but this is mostly a consequence of its design. Each world can be completed in any order, meaning you're going to naturally out-level a couple of them before you get round to playing through them. It's also around this point that the game has no more surprises for you. You'll have developed a sixth sense for when an enemy is about to ambush you, and you'll likely have become proficient enough in combat to take care of yourself. While it would have been great for the difficulty to persist until the very end, it's not a huge problem as by this point, you're having way too much fun with the game to care.

Silence is Golden

Presentation wise, Demon's Souls captures the spirit of dark fantasy well, creating a grim, harsh atmosphere. Its various settings carry a different category of horror theme, from a rotting prison to a diseased bog, which serve to unsettle the fearful souls who enter. The character models are well done, and in particular, the armour is nicely detailed with some impressive lighting effects making it shine. Music is mostly absent, which actually works in the game's favour as it heightens the tension, the unnerving silence concealing the hidden fiends lying in wait just around the next corner. The only time immersion is really broken is when the overactive rag doll physics kick in. Corpses of your defeated foes will fall naturally over walls and down stairs, but a simple step over the motionless dead causes them to leap about as if puppets, controlled by a puppeteer who has just tripped over the strings.

Ghost Town

The game includes an online mode that offers some highly innovative features. While connected, players can leave messages on the ground, offering hints to others, such as a warning about an ambush up ahead. Pools of blood will also litter the ground, which, when touched, will replay the death of another player, showing you how you might avoid a similar fate. Occasionally, you'll even see ghosts of other players that are in the same areas as you. All of these ingenious features add up to make you feel part of something big; a world in which you're not the only lost soul.

More directly, you can call upon the souls of other players to help you defeat bosses, an action which will grant any soul their body back. If you're into a little player versus player action, you can invade someone else's game and murder them, purely for the thrill. Of course, you can be invaded too while in body form, another reason that pushes many players into sticking with soul form.

All of this integrates well, and it seems that From Software's intention was to create a single player game that could be played online, passively or actively. Unfortunately, there came a point where I was forced to choose between remaining online or playing offline. World tendency shifts to the average of every connected player when you log in, making it much more difficult to manipulate, as it 'resets' every time you begin a session. Online players have the option of helping others in boss battles or invading another's world to shift their world tendency, but these appear to be more mandatory if you find that the average tendency is a few levels away from the pure white or black that you require. By playing offline, world tendency stays just as you left it, meaning it's the better choice if you're aiming to see all the game's extra tendency-related events, but don't want to stray from single player. In the end, it splits single player and multiplayer in a way that contradicts the game's intention of having an always-online experience that blends the two.

Overall

Despite some minor faults, this a very rewarding game. While the difficulty eventually lowers, and there are definite 'cheese' tactics that have snuck through, the pure fun of playing what is otherwise one of the most brilliantly designed RPGs in years remains throughout. The online features feel new and inventive, and will make for many impressive moments should you decide not to get too wrapped up in world tendency manipulation. With satisfying combat, deep systems and various ways to build your character, this is one you may even find yourself starting up for a second time after completion. It's at that point that the game may restore your faith in its tribulation, as its new game+ mode increases difficulty to the point where it won't matter how much health you have. It's going to destroy you, one way or another. And you'll love it.

Rating: 9/10