Demon’s Souls (PS5) Reviewed.

There’s only one irrefutable reason why most gamers are choosing the PlayStation 5 over the Xbox Series X, and it’s because of Demon’s Souls. Even those who have not played any of the Souls games before are keen on it for its beautiful visuals and smooth gameplay.

While many are still struggling to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 console to play this game, I’ve had the privilege to review it. Now, let me share with you my journey into Boletaria and the hell that awaited me.

What is Demon’s Souls?

The original Demon’s Souls, developed by FromSoftware, came out in 2009 and introduced gamers to a whole new genre of gaming that’s commonly known as Souls games now.

The company followed a simple formula of making the game more difficult than the rest, which required a player to devote his/ her time and sanity to overcome it. While the method was a gamble, it worked magnificently in their favour and has since drawn in fans from all around the world.

Even though, FromSoftware has advanced onward to develop similar games down the line; its first creation held the title of being the most challenging of them all. Knowing this, Sony decided that it was time to bring back the hardship to its next-generation console with a remake by Bluepoint Games.

The game is hard, from a certain perspective.

Having completed the franchises like Dark Souls, Bloodbourne and Nioh; I believed I was ready to overcome Demon’s Souls, the one game that got away. I’ve been waiting eagerly for the day to play it, ever since it was announced.

In the beginning, I was sceptical of people calling it the hardest game in the genre, but as soon as I started going through a couple of levels, I understood what they truly meant.

Fundamentally, the game is simple, heck I would go as far as to say that it might be the easiest Souls game ever! Unlike the newer Souls games, the bosses in Demon’s Souls are pretty straightforward, and their attack moves are not complex at all. Even if you’re new to the series, it should take you only a few tries to grasp on what needs to be done with the controllers and boss fights.

So, why does Demon’s Souls gets classified as the hardest Souls game, you might wonder? And the simple answer to that question lies within the hellish journey of the game itself.

The Souls games follow a distinct similarity in which they all use a bonfire of sorts as a checkpoint. By utilizing these checkpoints, it allows players to fast travel to different locations. It can also be used to level up your character, and most importantly, be used as a respawn position after falling in battle.

These bonfires are often strategically placed, so it makes the journey of player more convenient. For example, if you were to die from a boss battle and have to respawn, you could easily do it with the closest bonfire to the boss fight. Thus making the journey back to the encounter and retrying again doesn’t feel like a chore.

Now imagine a game without these convenient bonfires to save you time and instead you have to travel across an entire map to get back to the boss that you had just died from earlier. It’s exceedingly tedious and horrifying, right? Well, that’s Demon’s Souls for you in a nutshell.

And the worst part? If you want to unlock the next bonfire, you’ll have to defeat the bosses one way or another; since each bonfire is locked behind a boss fight! Thus, failing becomes more impactful and exhausting over time if you don’t begin to improve.

So all in all, the game reflects the player’s capability. If you’re a horrible player who can’t learn and adapt to the game, it becomes a horrendous adventure. Whereas if you’re capable of improving your skills, then even if you’re new to the series, you’ll be able to breeze through it with ease.

Demon’s Souls is a visual marvel.

Using the powerful hardware of PlayStation 5, Bluepoint Games has remade the original Demon’s Souls into something great that truly outperforms and looks beyond incredible.

Right from the start, the amazing details within the game can be seen in the full range of character creation functionality; making the avatar feel more than human. But it’s not until you start moving around the game, that you realise everything feels somewhat more realistic.

The difference between a cutscene and gameplay is often noticeable in games, but with Demon’s Souls, we have reached the point where everything feels and plays like a cutscene. The smoothness of the enemies and your avatar makes the world feel like a living breathing environment.

This smooth transition beautifully works in favour of the improved textures, intricate detailing, and refined particles of the game’s original designs. Thus, making everything feel similar to those who have played it before yet in a more polished way.

And if you’re a newcomer to the series or someone who has never played Demon’s Souls, then it’s a great way to start your journey off on the PlayStation 5; painfully and beautifully.

The Bottom Line.

We have reached the end of the review, and it’s time to decide if the game is worth your time and money. And frankly speaking, the game has everything going for it, so there’s no reason why you should not get it. 

While the game may prove difficult for newcomers and veterans at earlier levels of the game, it easily picks up the pace as you start building out your character. Hence, patience is the key component to overcoming Demon’s Souls.

Apart from that, there is one significant issue to playing the game; you’ll need to own a PlayStation 5 console first. And with the severe shortage of next-generation consoles on the market, it is most likely impossible for anyone to play Demon’s Souls anytime soon. Therefore, being an exclusive console release is something that works against the game itself.

TLDR:

Demon’s Souls remake is both nostalgic yet fresh, which caters to both new and old players. The only problem is that you need a PlayStation 5 to play it.