Developed by From Software, Demon’s Souls is a third-person action RPG with such a mixed range of reviews it’s almost mind-boggling. On the one hand, we have gamers praising the title like it’s the best thing since Final Fantasy VII; but simultaneously, horror stories about players giving up from its crazy difficulty continue to hog the forums even today.

So is this really the defining game on a current-gen console? Or is this merely one for the hardcore? A couple of months ago, this PS3Hyper reviewer decided to find out for himself, unknowing to the fact that it was going to be a journey that would eat up a huge chunk of 2009…

As They Always Say, It’s Not the Length That Matters

Story-wise, Demon’s Souls tells of a flourishing medieval kingdom which transcended into chaos because its king had accidentally awakened an ancient power, causing the kingdom to be enshrouded by a strange fog. As no one ever made it out of the fog, the outside world remained oblivious as to what really happened… or whether the population trapped within were still alive, for that matter.

One day, a survivor emerged from the fog and told the outside world of demons rampaging the kingdom, and that people trapped inside were either dying or going mad. And with the fog slowly spreading its way across the land, other heroes began making their ways into the fog in a desperate attempt to find the cause of the phenomenon and stop it before it was too late.

For lack of a better word, the plot of Demon’s Souls has a very “old school” feel; like something you would expect to play on a PC maybe a decade ago… but in a good way. The story is pretty direct, and there isn’t a lot of explanation on plot development during gameplay. In fact, whatever little story you could get are usually pieced together from dialogues with the NPCs.

As an avid RPG gamer who used to think RPG is all about intricate story and length cut-scenes, this reviewer is flabbergasted at how Demon’s Souls’ somewhat simplistic approach works so effectively at capturing gamers’ attention. With so many RPG makers taking the “bigger is better” approach, where gamers are constantly spoon-fed with 30-minute-long story cut-scenes and entire dictionary of technical jargons, Demon’s Souls is frankly, a refreshing change from the contemporary norm.

Yes to Freedom!

In gameplay, think Monster Hunter or Dead Space with sword and magic and you’ll have a fairly good idea of how Demon’s Souls works. Basically, you control the protagonist from a third person perspective, working your way through 5 expansive and uniquely themed worlds, solving puzzles and hacking and slashing enemies in your way until you reach the boss. There are several memorable bosses in each world and eliminating them opens up the next explorable areas. Best of all, you can choose to start from any world, or stop halfway in one and attempt another. It’s Free Roam at its finest.

For a customization geek, Demon’s Souls is the ultimate wet dream right from the start. Because there’s no fixed protagonist, your first task is to customize your very own hero or heroine (take note gender does affect gameplay later). You’ll also be prompted to choose a class which will hugely dictates gameplay in the beginning. For example: a solder starts off with balanced stats; a knight has good defensive equipment, a magic-caster possesses useful magic skills but non-existential defense. There are many classes to choose from and you’ll definitely be spoilt for choice. Still, the difference in style becomes not so apparent in the latter part of the game as your character slowly develops into a jack-of-all-trade (as did mine).

Customization is also a big part in the leveling-up portion of the game, which must be said is nicely-conceived and executed. Basically, you get a certain amount of souls for every enemy you kill, which are used as experience point to upgrade your level. For every level you raise, you get to allocate one point to one of your stats (encompassing Strength, Stamina, Vitality, Faith and all the usual suspects). Ultimately, you may choose to develop a spell-casting assassin or a super beefed-up mage… it really is up to you.

In addition, souls and materials collected from your journey can also be used to upgrade your weapons. And my there’s such a bunch of upgrade paths and weapon choices you’ll be constantly torn between aesthetic beauty and effectiveness. Use that cool-looking Japanese katana you just found or that dull but efficient broadsword you’ve been faithfully upgrading? The choice is yours.

The addictive part of Demon’s Souls really stems from the freedom you have in developing your unique character and the satisfaction of finally clearing a level your own way. There are no pre-determined or “fixed” methods to beat this game. Whether you choose to go melee or magic; whether you’re wielding a sword, a hammer, or a wand; you can eventually find a way through this game be it from excessive leveling-up or simply playing until you become skilled enough.

But May Make You Cry Blood and Curse Acid

You’ve probably heard of it by now if you’re reading this review… Yes, Demon’s Souls is hard. In fact, this title probably has one of the most uncompromising engines you’ll find in a modern RPG.

To begin with, Demon’s Souls does not have a save feature. If you spent 30 minutes making you way through a hazardous mountain path, and accidentally slip and fall to your death right before the boss… it’s back to square one and you start off from the beginning of the area. All those ultra bad-ass enemies you killed? They get revived. And you lose all the souls you’ve accumulated too (i.e. if you can make it back to your point of death without dying again, you can claim back the souls)!

Furthermore, Demon’s Souls features some of the most powerful common enemies you’ll find in an RPG. For instance, one of the stages has a mage-like enemy that could kill off a level 90 character with one well-connected hit. And let’s not even mention the part where the game pits you against 3 to 4 one-hit-ko giants in a swamp that drastically reduce your speed and capability to escape. However highly skilled you are at ARPGs, you’re assured of dying a couple of hundred times in this game. I wish I was kidding, but I’m not… so beware!

A Kingdom Re-enacted in Your PS3

Graphically, Demon’s Soul is by no means the best amongst PS3 titles, but it’s still a feast for the eyes. The background and worldview are done excellently to portray a decaying kingdom, and “wow” moments are a plenty (i.e. the first time I encountered the dragon comes to mind). The five worlds you get to explore are all unique, and all equally good. From grand fortresses to dark mines to poison swamp, the diversity is good enough to make you feel like you’re really exploring an entire kingdom.

With so much customization allowed, it’s understandable the characters are a little more “chunky” compared to other games with fixed protagonists. Yet, it’s still high production value and never has this reviewer come to a point where I wondered whether the game was on a PS2 or PS3.

Hundreds of Hours of Gaming Fun

With so many classes, weapons and equipments to choose from, Demon’s Souls really does epitomize replay value. In the first play alone, an average player can easily spend up to 70 hours to complete the game. After that, you can choose to start a new game plus that allows you to use your old character (with all the souls, weapons and equipments) to replay the game at higher difficulty. Alternatively, you may choose to create a character of different gender or class and start a totally new game from scratch. Let’s not forget you can also go online and battle the fiends with fellow online gamers. Either way, you’ll want to keep this game for the long run.

Verdict: The Best RPG So Far

Undoubtedly, Demon’s Souls is a classic and in our book, the best RPG title on the PS3 so far. Even with the crazy difficulty and the lack of any real story cut-scene, the game has a distinctive charm that make gamer want to plough on even when they’ve been killed for the umpteenth times. In fact, the game’s level of difficulty has successfully made leveling-up a genuinely challenging and enjoyable experience; instead of the mundane button-smashing ordeals in many other RPGs.

In addition, Demon’s Souls is coupled with an interesting worldview, carefully thought-up exploration areas, unique enemies, and a customization-based leveling-up engine that literally gives you the freedom to use unlimited fighting style. Most importantly, Demon’s Souls is genuinely enjoyable from start to finish – and that speaks plenty amidst the assault of game titles we get nowadays.

Move aside Konami, Capcom, and Square Enix. From Software has just become the first game developer to score a Perfect 5 out of 5 with Demon’s Souls on the PS3Hyper Review. Now, we demand a sequel, and quick!

Posted in Reviews on Saturday, July 11th, 2009 at 6:47 pm | Tags arpg demons souls from software
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