Demon’s Souls is one of the exclusive PlayStation 5 launch games and takes us way back to 2010 where we witnessed the birth of a completely new genre. Saying that Demon’s Souls is an iconic game is an understatement as it gathered a lot of fans over the years and singlehandedly created the extremely difficult Souls-genre. If you never played it before or if you want to witness this brutal game in the best way possible, the PlayStation 5 version is without a doubt a must-buy.
Slay the demons
At its core, this 2020 version is the exact same as the 2010 version as Bluepoint Games wanted to stick as close to the original as possible, of course with new and improved graphics. This also means that the story remained the same. You’re a nameless hero destined to save the city of Boletaria, a city overrun by demons. A former king made a pact with the wrong demon, concealing his one prestigious city in a mysterious fog, filled with ginormous demons. It’s your job to reclaim the city and slay the demons one by one, a task that will test your skills to the extreme. Demon’s Souls is the first game in the genre that later sprouted fan-favorites as Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne. It’s no secret that those games are considered as some of the hardest games ever released and this new version isn’t the exception at all. The story and gameplay elements remained exactly the same, honoring the legendary game in the best way possible. If you want to survive, you better prepare to die a lot.
The raw power of the PlayStation 5
Although the gameplay was kept unchanged, this version still feels like an entirely new game and it’s all because of the raw power of the PlayStation 5. This is by far the best-looking game in the launch line-up and is currently unparalleled. The way the raytracing makes the light break through broken rooftops, how it results in realistic reflections in your armor or in random puddles of water elevates the atmosphere of Demon’s Souls to new heights. The team stayed loyal to those iconic dark graphics of the original but really reinvented them by using modern technology. It happened a lot during my sessions that I just stopped and stared to take in the environments and the giant enemies lingering in the distance. Demon’s Souls really sucks you into its mysterious world right from the start and it won’t let you leave until you’re strong enough to face all your demons.
It doesn’t stop with improved graphics however, the SSD also increases the quality of life tremendously. Since Demon’s Souls is a tough game to master, you’ll die a lot. In the original game, this meant you were stuck on loading screens quite often, those are close to non-existing in this version. If you die now, you’ll be back on your feet rather instantly. This also means you’ll be traveling to the Nexus a lot more. This is your central location where you can upgrade your skill and repair your weapons and magic. Thanks to the speed of the SSD, this is no longer a source of frustration and it even makes the game a bit more accessible. Since you won’t waste a lot of time on loading screens, you’ll dare to take risks more often.
With the help of others, you might survive
Now, since this game is launching together with the new PlayStation 5, I’m pretty sure a lot of gamers will get their hands on Demon’s Souls for the first time and that won’t be a walk in the park. Since the world of Demon’s Souls is free to explore, it’s not always clear where you have to go, resulting in you entering certain areas you are still too weak for and thus a quick death. If you die in Demon’s Souls, you only get once chance to gather back your souls, which are crucial for your skills and weapon upgrades, without those, you’re a lot weaker. If you want to defeat a boss, you’ll need to have a couple of souls boosting your stats if you want to make it out alive. Just like in a lot of other games, you’ll need to study the pattern of the boss and exploit its weaknesses, which won’t be easy. None of the bosses are easy to tackle and even the smaller enemies will be extremely deadly in groups. Playing Demon’s Souls for the first time can be a bit overwhelming but luckily there’s the community that can help you out by providing useful hints.
Just like in the original release, the game is best enjoyed online. While online, you’ll often see ghosts of other players showing you how to tackle certain segments or you’ll find plenty of hints written all over the floor. Depending on the players who wrote them, they could include useful hints and strategies or just troll messages. Overall, the Souls community takes things rather seriously and wants to help you out during your struggle. If you’re stuck at a certain point in the game, I’m pretty sure there are useful tips floating around, giving you the key to solve the issue. Just like in the original game, this a truly innovative way to connect the players, and even after all those years, it’s a true blessing and joy. Without the help of others, I would have been stuck on how to defeat a certain boss. Of course, if you want to discover everything on your own, it’s good to point out that those hints are completely optional.
Conclusion:
Demon’s Souls is a work of art and this PlayStation 5 version is by far the best version available. It stays extremely true to the original but the jaw-dropping graphics and small improvements lift it to unseen heights. It’s still extremely hard to master and it can become a bit frustrating, but in the end, it’s worth the struggle. By far one of the most beautiful and brutal games currently available on PlayStation 5.
