Demon's Souls - Review @ Revolution Magazine

Dhruin

SasqWatch
Joined
August 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
For many readers this will be ancient news but with Demon's Souls released just last week in Europe, I thought it time to add it to our database. If you're not aware of it, Demon's Souls is a PS3-only action/RPG made by From Software in Japan - but it most certainly is not a jRPG.
UK reviews are coming out with the recent Euro release and here's a snip from Resolution Magazine, who scored a 10/10:
IT’S EXCRUCIATING, it really is. The fog is suffocating and claustrophobic, filling every corner of my field of view. Eerie silence defines this landscape, the nearby stone gateway long since ruined – not so much crumbling as crumbled. I inch forward, straining to see anything less innocuous in the middle distance. Right on cue, I freeze in my tracks. A sinister looking silver skeleton wielding a preposterously large scimitar stands twenty feet past the remains of the arch, yellow glowing eyes piercing the mist. Should I try my bow? What about a fire spell? There’s no guarantee any tactic will work. And it’s too late anyway. My foe rolls towards me at a terrifying rate, displaying an athleticism I hadn’t expected. Instinctively blocking, I realise that in my left hand I hold not a shield, but a magical twig. Dead.

There are two important lessons here, upon which progress depends. The first: never judge a book by its cover, or, in this case, a giant living skeleton by its ostensibly encumbering size and shape. Traps, armed enemies and other nasties will spring from nowhere, necessitating an approach to unknown areas that’s cautious in the extreme and just as astute; face value means little in Boletaria, and overeager adventurers will find out all too quickly on the end of a spear. The second vital realisation is that to call the world of Demon’s Souls “harsh” or “uncompromising” is to make such an understatement as to sound disingenuous.
More information.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
We need these RPG's (esp. JRPG's) on PC.

Instead we get crap like Devil May Cry and Street Fighter (seriously? on PC?) thrown at us from random angles while consoles get all the good stuff.
 
We need these RPG's (esp. JRPG's) on PC.

Instead we get crap like Devil May Cry and Street Fighter (seriously? on PC?) thrown at us from random angles while consoles get all the good stuff.

Maybe OnLive could change that if they're smart
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
5,645
Location
Tardis
Wish this one was also out on PC or Xbox. Don't own a PS3, unfortunatly :(
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
257
Location
Belgium
Interesting review, while I agree with most of the observations, I don't agree with the final score. I liked Demon's Souls a lot, but a 10/10?

The game had some aspects that I found to be quite annoying, like the fact that everything respawns when you're killed, forcing you to hack through the same enemies over and over again. Of course it also has the typical console auto-save system, which I hate with a passion.

Still, it's a great game, especially by console standards. It's not a 10/10 though..
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Wish this one was also out on PC or Xbox. Don't own a PS3, unfortunatly :(

As far as I know, From Software historically has published its RPG games soley for the playstation consoles. Their lineage of games that I've enjoyed on PS1, PS2, and PS3 are the King's Field series, Eternal Ring, and Demon's Souls.

If you look at the Wikipedia page for From Software, they clearly favor the playstation consoles.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,897
Location
Oregon
As far as I know, From Software historically has published its RPG games soley for the playstation consoles. Their lineage of games that I've enjoyed on PS1, PS2, and PS3 are the King's Field series, Eternal Ring, and Demon's Souls.

I loved the King's Field titles, great games for their time. KF1 was the 1st or 2nd RPG I purchased for the PS1. Never played Eternal Ring, although I own a copy.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
I loved the King's Field titles, great games for their time. KF1 was the 1st or 2nd RPG I purchased for the PS1. Never played Eternal Ring, although I own a copy.

Yea I remember being blown away by KF1 on PS1 - there were a lot of little things about it that just made it an interesting world to explore.

I played Eternal Ring about 10% before I stopped - I intend to play it through someday, it's just that at the time I attempted to play it I had a newborn in the home and just didn't stick with the game because of other pressing matters. But from what I remember, Eternal Ring is a spinoff of KF1/KF2 much like the Ultima Worlds (Savage Empire/Martian Dreams) were spinoffs of Ulitma VI. So if you liked KF1/KF2, it's a safe bet you'd like Eternal Ring.

I recently found a Strategy Guide for Eternal Ring on Ebay and picked that up just in case I need a hint when I do play it.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,897
Location
Oregon
The game had some aspects that I found to be quite annoying, like the fact that everything respawns when you're killed, forcing you to hack through the same enemies over and over again. Of course it also has the typical console auto-save system, which I hate with a passion.

I'm not suggesting the game is perfect but changing these two issues would be a completely different game, no?

Isn't the whole point that you need to perfect each world? They do give you shortcuts so you don't have to do the entire level every time. It doesn't really have a "typical" console save system - it saves everything to the second, rather than the more typical checkpoints. Again, though, if you had save-anywhere (or any other system), wouldn't that completely change the concept?
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Isn't the whole point that you need to perfect each world? They do give you shortcuts so you don't have to do the entire level every time. It doesn't really have a "typical" console save system - it saves everything to the second, rather than the more typical checkpoints. Again, though, if you had save-anywhere (or any other system), wouldn't that completely change the concept?

They give you shortcuts, but only at specific points after beating a boss. Yes, it saves to the second, but you always have to start back at the Nexus when you come back to the game.

As far as "changing the concept", I'm not sure. I just didn't find having to kill the same enemies repeatedly to be a fun experience. Especially after suffering one of those instant kills because I hopped when I should have jumped.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Just to comment on this issue, repeating the same experience = unfun in my view.
 
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
840
I'm not suggesting the game is perfect but changing these two issues would be a completely different game, no?

Isn't the whole point that you need to perfect each world? They do give you shortcuts so you don't have to do the entire level every time. It doesn't really have a "typical" console save system - it saves everything to the second, rather than the more typical checkpoints. Again, though, if you had save-anywhere (or any other system), wouldn't that completely change the concept?

I have to agree, it's the core of the game. If you can load everwhere the game is way to short and you lose the "danger" element.

They give you shortcuts, but only at specific points after beating a boss. Yes, it saves to the second, but you always have to start back at the Nexus when you come back to the game.

No and no. Most shortcuts are before bosses, so if he beats you, you don't have to do the whole level again. Then you beat a boss a waystone become active there, and you can always start the level at that location.

Futher, the game save all the time, if you lock off, in the middle of a level, you start there and, all the creaturs you have killed are still dead (some turn off the game real quick, then they die, then they start the game again, they are about 10 sec from where they died, but don't do that, it can corrupt your saves).

Just to comment on this issue, repeating the same experience = unfun in my view.

Tell that to the 20 mill MMORPGs players out there :D
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
218
Location
Denmark.
No and no. Most shortcuts are before bosses, so if he beats you, you don't have to do the whole level again. Then you beat a boss a waystone become active there, and you can always start the level at that location.

Futher, the game save all the time, if you lock off, in the middle of a level, you start there and, all the creaturs you have killed are still dead (some turn off the game real quick, then they die, then they start the game again, they are about 10 sec from where they died, but don't do that, it can corrupt your saves).

Actually it was the waystones that I was referring to, so yes, you have to beat a boss first. Sorry for not being more clear there.

As far as saving, I'm talking about when you leave the game entirely, and turn off your PS3. You have to start back at the Nexus, do you not? That's how I seem to remember it. Of course all stats, items, bosses killed, etc. are saved.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Actually it was the waystones that I was referring to, so yes, you have to beat a boss first. Sorry for not being more clear there.

As far as saving, I'm talking about when you leave the game entirely, and turn off your PS3. You have to start back at the Nexus, do you not? That's how I seem to remember it. Of course all stats, items, bosses killed, etc. are saved.

Ok, I thought that it’s was those shortcut that you open to the bosses lair’s.

About save, no the game save everything if you turn of your computer, but I also went back to nexus before I logt off, an old mmorpg habit of mine. But I one place you actual do it, is then you trade whit the crow, as you leave stuff on the ground and leave the game, next time you log on, the crow have changed it to something else, you might have noticed here that there was no respawns.
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
218
Location
Denmark.
It's not repeating the same experience, though. It's perfecting the run through the dungeon. That won't appeal to everyone, but I'm looking forward to it.

Ninjatown, Trees of Doom on the iDevices involves repeating very similar limbs over and over until you learn and perfect the technique for getting past all the obstacles, and that is fun to me.

The punishment of going back to the start if you stuff up adds to the experience, and quite frankly, if you could load your save from a minute ago every time you died, it wouldn't be the same type of experience at all. It's not quite the same thing as a 'console save system' (something that I've found is just as common on PC games as console games these days).
 
Joined
Jul 26, 2007
Messages
473
Location
Australia
Already answered but just for clarity, if you turn the PS3 off altogether and restart, you will enter the game exactly where you were, with all monsters etc exactly dead (or not).

If you die during a dungeon, you restart in the Nexus and everything is reset.

I can sympathise with the "sounds repetitive and not fun" view but after seeing so much praise for the game, I decided to try it. It's sublime. It's not repetitive. The design just works because - rather than streamline - every design element is commited to this hard (but fair), tense, sweat-dripping, oh-shit-what's-around-corner style. It won't suit everyone, though.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Already answered but just for clarity, if you turn the PS3 off altogether and restart, you will enter the game exactly where you were, with all monsters etc exactly dead (or not).

If you die during a dungeon, you restart in the Nexus and everything is reset.


Ok, I thought I remembered having to start at the Nexus each time, but I'm glad that's not the case.

I found Demon's Souls to be a bit frustrating in the end, and I'm the type of guy who gets annoyed when I hear people complain that Gothic 2+NotR is too hard.

In retrospect, I think it simply might have been that particular style of difficulty that turned me off. Although to be fair, I rented it for a week, and only played it for a couple of days. I'm considering a purchase since it's only $39.99 over here now.

Has anyone here actually finished it?
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Back
Top Bottom