Publisher: From Software and Namco Bandai Games

Developer: From Software

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release Date: October 4, 2011

This game has been in my back log for a while now, mainly because I needed to pace myself and honestly never really was able to dive into it.   With that said this review is going to analyze the game in a whole new direction.  I am aiming to look at what the game offers to the actual community and what has been done with it to remain unique.

Like its predecessor, Demon’s Souls, Dark Soul’s has a very minimal plot.  So the main thing to know about the game is that you spawn as a ghoul to venture forth slaying, or blocking and then slaying, constant monsters until you make your way through the world to slay the master demon.

So as the marketing team stated repeatedly “Get ready to die!”

 Functionality:

The controls for this game, should be no surprise, are based off the original game.  With that said there should be something stated about the entire mechanic of combat.  Dark Souls has the most unfortunate ability of keeping you within an animation.

This is the biggest problem with the game.  When you character gets knocked down you are stuck into a 3-5 second animation sequence of him trying to get back on his feet.  During this process you may suffer several more blows by an enemy, this may be a main cause of your continuous deaths throughout the game.  It is also ridiculous because another blow can restart the entire animation sequence, making it so you will never get off the ground.

With that said let’s talk about the overall concept of combat.  When Demon’s Souls had released the combat system was rather pathetically horrible.  You were never able to swing a weapon fast enough or you were constantly stuck holding your shield up waiting for a split second chance to maybe get a hit off.  Now don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Demon’s Souls.  I thought it was an awesome change of pace from a lot of what was released around that time period.

The unfortunate thing is that the combat system has not upgraded at all.  If anything its remained so close to the same that it is even more pathetic now than it was several years ago with the launch of Demon’s Souls.

All combat moves are extremely sluggish and you are always stuck with the fact your shield will have to remain up at all times if you have any hope of surviving walking into a room.  The only other method is to tip toe into a room than immediately run the other way to have the enemies chase after you as you constantly turn around launching fireballs at them.

So if this sounds awesome to you than yea sure the game offers it in the finest way possible.

Another issue with the game is the fact there is no map set up for the game at all.  This means there is really no way to know where to go at any point in the game.  The only way to figure this out is through trial and error, and even that is not 100% effective since the combat system prevents you from actually being able to do anything besides die.

So the entire game is to walk around and find the place that kills you the least.  This is guaranteed for the first couple hours of gameplay.  Until you reach a point where you are finally able to sort of stand on your own.

Granted all this can be corrected by buying a strategy guide and following it to the letter, but that is just it!  Dark Souls is a game that needs to be played the way they want it to be played, not a game that allows you to use new concepts or combat iterations.  You have to play it the way they want it.  And with that said I should mention that it prevents itself from being a true RPG or a true good game.

Presentation:

The graphics are mediocre.  All the look and feel of the game seem to be way too reminiscent of the first title.  The only real change was that instead of a ghost you are a ghoul.  Or you have a couple crazy bosses but there are no real aspects to the game that truly make it necessary to exist.

Levels are alright in design but characters overall don’t look very impressive.  All facial features resemble everything that was last gen in gaming.

Atmosphere:

The soundtrack is great.  It captures the feel of the game perfectly.

Along with the soundtrack they did pretty well with the sound effects. The best thing I can say is that the sound effects fit the game.  Which in most respects doesn’t quite guarantee that they are great or in any way cutting edge but they are pretty well done for the title.  The issue is that the sounds seem a bit too arcady, granted you will never be thinking this after you have died the 1000 time.

Plot:

Now the important thing, plot.  I am going to be as brief as possible because I don’t want to give away anything that will ruin you experience with the game.  Especially since the plot is so simple and one sided that giving really anything away gives you the plot.

The entire direction of the plot has a sense of never truly developing, mainly since the main point of the game is to continuous kill you.  This is done to the point of being way too irritating.  The fact is that this game is focusing so much on the concept of being difficult that it forgets to offer anything truly iconic with its story or atmosphere.

Final Notes:

Now since the release of Dark Souls it has received a lot of critical acclaim for its difficulty.  And that is really all it has received.  I mean to really say this game is cutting would be to not recognize any game that has been release in 2011.  Towards graphics, storytelling, combat, and animations this game is something that would be cutting edge if it was released for the PS2.

That is being realistic.

Along with that if we analyze the entire concept of it being and RPG game, which is unfortunate to mention because it is often compared to Skyrim.  Which if I can be completely is something should never ever happen. Ever.

Skyrim and Dark Souls are not in the same league at all.

But let’s move on with the RPG characteristics.  There really are none.  The main thing with this game is the fact it needs to be done its way, and ideal concept of RPG’s is that is needs to be something you can actual explore with your own character.  To this vein there is no chance of customization, since going off the beaten path can typically land you in a state of turmoil.

Legacy Rating:

Will this game last through time? This is an interesting concept, I think that it will unfortunately will be remembered as a “great” game of 2011.  Should it? No… but it will.  And to me this is really something that is due to the marketing campaign that was launched with the release of Dark Souls.  “Get ready to die” will forever ring in as the dismay of gamers for Dark Souls.

How does it compare with other games? The only real game to compare it to is its predecessor Demon’s Souls.  This is where it gets tricky.  Since both games are basically the same, the only difference is that Dark Souls increased the average rating of enemy difficulty to a point of being a little too high.  So in reality Demon’s Souls is a great alternative because it allows you to know where to go and you are able to mess around a bit more with your character.

Buy or rent?  I would say rent.  It is not a great game by any means and in all reality you can find a much better game somewhere else.