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Demon's Souls
Thankyou
very much Namco Bandai! Why? The life I once had has now been consumed
by Demon’s Souls for the PS3. It’s been awhile since an RPG has
captivated me so much and Demon’s Souls has done just that in
this well made and sickeningly addictive and quite challenging
title. For lovers of
Western RPG’s, Demon’s Souls is just that which boasts a
grounded story, a logical control system and an RPG tree that isn’t menus
and inventory slots which go on forever. Originally released in Asia
first, Demon's Souls really feels like a Western RPG and I'm guessing
that merging great gameplay with a Western inspired theme, it's created
one of the best RPG titles in a long time.
But what holds
Demon’s Souls together is the well written story that requires the
player to vanquish the demons from their lands which is elegantly
portrayed through some interesting cutscenes. The story revolves around
the King of Boletaria, King Allant the 12th who has brought
his kingdom into a golden age of wealth and prosperity. Fate on the
other hand has other ideas and when a strange magical fog surrounds this
kingdom, they are cut off from the world. To make matters worse, this
fog has brought with it demons and with each soul they take, their power
escalates and given their ferocity, the kingdom of Boletaria may not
have much time left... including the rest of the world <Insert corny RPG action music here>
Although the story may sound clichéd and boast a been there, done that
attitude, it is well executed with the gameplay that actually makes you
care about this virtual kingdom. The game contains the classic RPG
archetype and has overtones of the Dungeons & Dragons games from BioWare
which in my book is a step in the right direction. Then you have the
amazing clean graphics of Demon’s Souls that is visually stunning in
certain elements and truly takes the RPG genre to the 21st
century.
Before
embarking on your RPG adventure, you need to create your own character
and Demon’s Souls offers a considerable amount of customisation from the
way they look to what class they will become. From Templar Knights to
wizards and thieves, all the standard archetype characters are there.
Once you start playing, the game throws you into a small tutorial which
teaches you the basics of your character and navigating this world. The
controls are well mapped on the DualShock controller and sometimes I
wish I had a manual... most review games don't come with one but
thankfully the retail version does. It's also cool that the game has
quick slots because you really need to have good access to spells,
health potions and the like.
All of the
weapons in the game handle quite differently as do the spells that some
characters have access to. Weapons have two attacks, light and heavy but
using heavy does open you up to getting hit. When you level up, you can
choose which of the 8-skills you wish to increase and the key currency
in the game is souls. For killing, you are awarded souls which can then
be used to purchase items, upgrade weapons and buy new spells and
miracles (priests).
With access
to a variety of new weapons, skills and magic, Demon's Souls may seem
like any other RPG game but the developers have done something very
clever here. The game can be played as a single-player title but if you
have your PS3 online, it supports a revolutionary new multiplayer
system. When connected, you can cooperatively work with others to defeat
the extremely difficult bosses in the game or if evil is on your agenda,
you can also join in with some PvP fun. Another really cool feature is
that if you die or see the remains of someone else who died, you view
how they died and even leave clues or warnings behind. Quite creepy at
first, but this was a godsend to certain challenging boss battles.
When it
comes to graphics, Demon’s Souls is quite detailed. Unfortunately I
really did not have too much time to stop and smell the roses because
the lands of Boletaria are quite dangerous. However in those moments
where a lull occurs, the attention to detail is quite unparalleled.
Whether your exploring a dungeon that is falling apart or forest, there
is a true sense of wonder and exploration that compels you to explore
and keep playing.
Thankfully the gaming environments are quite diverse
and nothing becomes too repetitive or stale. The enemies are also
environment specific as well and some of the monsters and people that
you encounter are quite well animated, not to mention some of the
lighting effects… gorgeous stuff! The soundtrack of the game is quite
majestic and the voice acting is actually quite levelled without it
being too over the top or too boring, its just right to keep you
interested.
The AI is
the game can be quite challenging at times and although you face your
stock standard monster grunts, the bosses in the game can really kick
your ass to hell and black. If you do die, you will transported back to
the nexus, a world between worlds where you can meet others, trade and
teleport to other areas in the game. Needless to say, I visited this
place way too often but Demon's Souls is like an evil supermodel lover,
you cannot resist her!
The demon bosses
however are a highlight of the game
but they will give you an almost unending amount of grief at the same
but this is what all good RPG’s are about, it’s a well mix of medium to
challenging difficulty. Unlike other games where you want to throw your
controller at your Plasma or LCD TV… I lied… there were a few times,
especially when I kept on dying and dying and dying. If you do become
stuck, it's great to jump online and ask someone for assistance. Just be
careful because there are quite a few mean bastards out there in the
real-world who want to make your life miserable as well.
I
thoroughly enjoyed Demon’s Souls from the get go and as a
single-player it’s definitely awesome… as a multiplayer experience it’s
awesome again. The difficulty level is just right, it’s enough to keep
your entertained that is sprinkled with enough frustration to keep you
going. The environments are well designed and the gameplay is pretty
much flawless… this is how RPG’s should be made!
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