2009 has been a great year for Sony Playstation 3, with a steady increase in sales and a long string of exclusive 1st & 3rd party games coming to the platform. Now joining the ranks of Sony exclusives comes the dark, moody and nefarious Demons Souls. Developed by Armored Core creators, From Software. This mixes very challenging gameplay mechanics with a robust role-playing universe and seems set to change the standards of difficulty gamers have become accustomed to.

Graphics and Presentation

Demon's Souls looks good and occasionally it verges on being beautiful. The opening level of the game being a perfect example.  Its dark, dreary and mist swept corridors unfold before you effortlessly imposing an intense feeling of claustrophobia. Although this is very much an out and out role-playing game, the survival horror genre could learn a thing or to from Demon's Souls. The game maintains a consistently tense atmosphere throughout, keeping players constantly on edge and always feeling vulnerable no matter how many times you upgrade your long reaching sword.

The games presentation, both visually and audibly, really adds to the demons souls experience. After my first hour of playing I became, and still am, captivated by the games morbid world.  Early in the game, once I had started to make a little headway into the first area, I stumbled upon an absolutely beautiful vista. Two huge dragons resting atop a mountain peak. By chance I had previously acquired a handheld telescope, so swiftly equipping my optical device; I zoomed in on these beautiful yet deadly creatures. This provided a scant moment of calm in the depraved and desolate world that is Demon's Souls. It is these player created moments that play a big part in showing off the true beauty within this game.

One of the major and most visually pleasing elements of play in this game are the absolutely huge end of stage bosses, capable of destroying you with one or two well place blows. Players will face everything from huge towering iron clad knights to air filling, fire breathing Dragons. These are probably the games most difficult moments to over come, but upon defeat, the most satisfying.

Sound

The games' opening introduces players to the world of Demon's Souls extremely well and much of this is down to the dramatic and well-voiced narrative. In-game, voiceovers also work well and do the job intended, although the Ye-Old-English dialogue can be extremely cheesy at times. Sound effects throughout Demon's Souls add to the experience. The Clattering of your heroes clad armaments, the moans of decaying demons and the clashing of swords as bright orange sparks fly, will instantly transport you from your living room to the demon-filled battlefield that is Boletaria.

Gameplay

For anybody who is into their hardcore role-playing games then pay close attention, Demon's Souls has arrived! It is unrelenting, painstaking, wonderfully frightening and dualshock breakingly hard. For those who brave the nefarious path ahead, there are many bountiful rewards.  Demons Souls is the game where even the most courageous of heroes can succumb to the swipe of a claw or the thrust of ice cold steel. The first experience in Demons Souls is a character creation option. In this you're able to edit every aspect of your character from name & gender, to class and appearance. If you're a perfectionist, you'll be at this point a fair few minutes before your demon slayer is complete. Soon after there is a tutorial, throughout which messages inscribed on the ground teach the basics of demonic slaughter.

One thing likeable about Demon's Souls is the feeling of weight your character has behind their every action. Instead of feeling light and floating like a lot of games, the player feels like they actually have weight and mass in the games world. Actions like the step-back, roll and swinging your sword all feel accurately sluggish and being propelled by actual force. This is partly to do with well implemented game design and partly the sweet rumble of the Dual Shock 3. The games controls are handled remarkably well and feel reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda games, with a neat lock on system, strafing and parries being the order of the day. 

Anybody planning to buy this game should be prepared for demons to be lunging at them from the depths of the darkness that surround you, without much warning. When you die, which you most certainly will, be prepared to lose all your accumulated souls (currency) and be sent back to the beginning of a given world or to the last archstone touched. Although all is not lost in death, if you can make it back to the point of your death, without dying a second time, you can retrieve your lost souls. Just remember everything takes time so plan thoroughly and execute with perfection. A cautious adventurer will survive longer than a reckless one.

After a few deaths and the loss of countless souls, with patience and perseverance I managed to endure and overcome the many hardships of the games opening level. Then a massive bridge that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance was encountered, being guarded by huge fire breathing dragons. At this point if frustration was evident. This is definitely one of the most important lessons to learn about Demons Souls, the going will only get tougher, but at the same time more rewarding.

Once players complete the first act in Boleteria Palace, the game completely opens up with five worlds becoming available. These can be explored in any order and at your leisure. Each of the games five worlds has a strikingly distinct look and feel. Once past the opening level, with weapons upgraded and soul power slightly increased I decided to enter one of these new worlds with hopes of at least a modest progression. After arriving I read a player message inscribed on the stonework beneath my feet it read the real Demon's Souls starts here. This peeved me, implying I had been fooling about up until this point.  This game is not for the impatient, light-hearted or weak willed. The game demands you pay attention, repaying a lack thereof with an abrupt and timely death.

As well as the huge single player mode, Demon's Souls also houses a different and unique multiplayer mode. While playing online, players can press select at any time to leave messages and warnings for others who dare to travel the ill-omened path ahead. This feature of the game can be very helpful and I would urge new gamers to heed the words of others.  Bloodstains left in locations where players were felled by demons can also be very useful. Clicking on them, enables viewing of their final moments, seeing where they went wrong and how to avoid making the same mistakes. This element of the game really serves to suck you into the experience, as knowing how others died not only gives you a helping hand but reminds you that we are all feeling the pain of death in Demon Souls. Enemies in Demon's Souls Range from small to huge and slow to lightning fast, so players will have to be very adaptable with play styles.

During the game, I learned the best way to survive is to know your limits and never be too greedy. If you reach halfway through a stage and feel like you need to return to the nexus to restock then do so. Do not try to push through, or it may be the death of you. The key to staying alive in the game is to build a steady amount of souls and return to the nexus or the closet trader to upgrade your wares. The game cannot be paused at any point, not even when equipping weapons or items so players will have to plan a few steps ahead if they plan to stay alive.

The games heads up display shows all the quick to hand information you may need, health, magic and stamina levels as well as equipped weapons and your current amount of collected souls. Baldwin the blacksmith will take your collected souls in exchange for weapon upgrades and repairs. Players can also buy and collect items to imbue their weapons with elements such as fire. The games equipment management is a deep, interesting affair in which a little experimenting can go a long way. When killed players do not exactly die, they just lose the use of their physical body and are sent back to the games world hub known as the nexus.

Once into the game players will meet a young lady known as the maiden in black and she'll grant you access to upgrading your soul power, which enables the increase of player stats such as vitality, intelligent, endurance, strength, luck and many more

Closing Comments

I don't think many people anticipated the level of detail and depth that would be on offer throughout Demons Souls. Equally, I doubt From Software anticipated the level of acceptance their Demon Slaying role playing game would receive from gamers around the globe. Demons Souls is one of those rare gaming experiences that is not made great by its exterior qualities but instead made great by the experiences had by the players of the game themselves. If you are a hardcore fan of role-playing games or just after a challenge with a little something different I would highly recommend you buy Demon Souls. It's a game that will have you wanting to break the disc into very tiny pieces and then scatter the remnants out at sea, but the rewards that await provide a staggering feeling of satisfaction rarely seen in gaming today.

4.5 / 5

Simon Currie