In Depth Demon's Soul Review! It will impress you...

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Just saw another review from Triple Chat.com
http://triplechat.com/2009/04/demons-souls-review/

Well, here we are; I FINALLY received the Asian English version of Demon’s Souls from Hong Kong and this is my review of the game. Many people claim that the PS3 is nearly devoid of truly great RPGs and for the most part, I can’t disagree. We have some true ‘new’ roleplaying classics on the system, but not in the true sense of the word.

We have Folklore, developed by Sony’s JapanStudio which was a decidedly different experience. More an action/adventure game than RPG, it was a different venture for originals on the PS3. While it wasn’t bad

Folklore suffered from some setbacks that kept it from becoming a true classic. There’s also been others; Disgaea 3, while being good for Disgaea fans, RPGamers who don’t follow the series are kind of left out in the cold. The SDTV graphics coupled to gameplay that is so complex you almost need a PhD in strategy to get along in it.

And then there’s the critically lauded Valkyria Chronicles, a J/SRPG for just about everyone. The game couples wonderfully detailed, watercolour-style graphics to great sound. The game even includes a Japanese dialogue track so you can get past the awkwardness of English voices in a clearly Japanese-style game. The game is clearly one of the best tactical roleplaying experiences on the PS3, and will go down in history as this generation’s Final Fantasy Tactics, which, in it’s time was also under-appreciated.

By and by, this article speaks about unique Japanese RPGs, and more specifically, Demon’s Souls, and what it brings to the table as a game. Pardon, the rather lengthy nature of my first paragraph; I wanted to compose it somewhat long to illustrate some of the RPG action available on the PlayStation 3. My review will ultimately be kept shorter and more to the point.

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Now all in all, there are Japanese roleplaying experiences available on the PS3, I’ve tried to list a few of the more positive experiences. But, yet there has to be a truly classic JRPG on the PS3 that is not available anywhere else. This is where Demon’s Souls comes in. A game from the makers of the fantastically classic King’s Field games on the original PlayStation and PS2. From here is where I begin my breakdown of this game and it’s positives and negatives. I know this is a verbose and long article, but please bear with me and try to follow along on this RPGamer’s journey through this new JRPG only available on the PlayStation 3. So if you’d please indulge me, let’s begin!

Graphics

Let me begin by saying you won’t be blown away by the visuals. Demon’s Souls is a game that has less than HD textures to start. But the game runs smoothly, with little slowdown present. The graphics are detailed enough that you can see the creepy atmosphere of the game. My early impressions of the larger enemies are overwhelming. In Boletaria Castle, you must cross a bridge that has a big dragon belching fire at you that you must cross. The size and detail of the dragon is quite impressive, and the audio representation in surround sound imbues you with a true sense of dread and survival; it can kill you very fast. After finishing off the first boss and moving into the second main area, the dark aura is maintained. You move through an industrial/mining area that is even darker than the first castle. Fire and heat become additional foes that can easily finish you off if you’re not careful. The graphics are detailed and dark as is appropriate to a game in the spirit of the King’s Field games on the original PS. The camera works for the most part and never seems to hinder the player. Also to note, is that the art style present in the King’s Field games is also present, which rocks. The King’s Field games were a revolutionary experience for me 12 years ago on the original PlayStation and I’m glad FROM Software kept the aesthetic quality of their older games.

Graphics: 8/10

Sound

Well here we are in the age of HD, not only in visual but audio as well. Demon’s Souls is the first dark RPG from these guys that employs true Dolby Digital surround. You’ll hear surreal audio everywhere around you, and it’ll make you quake as to where the sounds are coming from, even if no threat is present. Some of the enemies have vocalisations that will make you question your sanity. Some are easily overcome, and some are dread-inspiring. There is very little music in the game, which is kind of disappointing to me as a King’s Field fan. The music in the old games was great, but with the lack of audio stimulation, it’s almost wrong. The sound effects are present and very relevant, and you’ll find the voice acting well done. A combination of UK accents, and speech patterns pervade the game. Various accents are heard, old English, Scottish, and Irish are present as is the norm. Overall, the sound is great, despite the lack of music.

Sound: 8/10

Control

Heh, not many RPGs have a reliable control scheme, some are over-complicated. Demon’s Souls has a very playable scheme that is unchangable. But failing that, it works. Equipped items and weapons are selected through the D-pad. You can use healing items with the square button, sheath your left handed weapon/shield with triangle, and access equipped weapons with the left and right inputs from the D-pad. The equipment controls are done through the D-pad, but battle controls are flexible. You attack with the R1 button and defend with L1. You can procede to a run/stab motion with R2, and then follow up with the regular attack with R1. Circle makes you dodge attacks from enemies with input from the left control stick, and clicking R3 causes you to lock onto the closest enemy. If an enemy charges you, and you choose to stab that enemy rushing at you, extra damage is done if the enemy gets hit by the attack. The final point is that the control scheme works very well, and if you die in the process, then it’s your own fault.

Control: 10/10

Gameplay

Well, Demon’s Souls is a rather unique experience on the PS3. Fundamentally, the game is a dungeon crawler as were the King’s Field games back on the PS1 and 2. You meander your way through the areas encountering enemies and reacting to their attacks. So far, in my experiences, there are environmental hazards you must overcome. The first area, the castle of Boletaria, there are bridges you must cross, but included in this experience is the peril of a large dragon flying over the bridges as you cross them, breathing fire up your ass. You’ll get severely injured if you’re not ready. And the experience of the dragon is best enjoyed in surround sound as you can hear the beat of the dragon’s wings coming up behind you as you try to rush to the other side. You’ll hear the inevitable roar of the dragon behind you as you’re rushing to reach the other side unscathed. The game takes place in third person view and you guide your self-devised character through the game. A different experience from FROM Software, as most of their RPGs in the past were all first-person viewpoints with zero customization. But they present this game very well. The gameplay overall is grand and you can experience a great variety of enemies through the levels you go through. It’s smooth and never seems to stale. There is a passive online mode in which people can leave messages warning you of upcoming dangers, and it’s a great feature. In the Pantheon, you can see other gamers’ levels and progress. The longest game I’ve seen so far is 171 hours. Also when you’re online, you can touch other peoples’ Bloodstains, and witness how they died. You’ll also see various “ghosts” running around as they’re imprints of other people playing the game, occasionally.

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Gameplay: 10/10

Challenge

So here we come to just how hard is the game? Well suffice to say, it’s HARD. Not challenging, not kind of difficult to get through. It’s just plain HARD. You can get through enemies with a bit of strategy, but you WILL die. And you will die repeatedly. Trying to cross the bridge with the dragon is hard in and of itself. On the third bridge that I spoke of before, you not only have to heal from the dragon breathing fire up your ass, you have to contend with 3 archers firing arrows at you, and just beyond them, is a high level swordsman, waiting to kill you. This is the single most hardest RPG I’ve yet played this generation, but it is richly rewarding. The ability to explore your environs is a great asset.

Challenge: 11/10

Fun Factor/Final Notes

Demon’s Souls is a true action RPG. It is basically Oblivion meets King’s Field. It is singlely the hardest RPG I’ve found this gen. Despite that, it’s addictive. You are always looking for ways to improve your character so you can survive the next area. The game is a blast of exploration as you never know where the next threat is coming from. It’s a great game that has a lot of thought behind it’s development and should be appreciated as such. Is it fun? Unequivocally. The game is addictive as you never know what’s coming next. This is the future from SCE and I embrace it as a true roleplaying experience not available on any other console. The final note asks, “is it fun?”. The final answer is a resounding, YES. This is a game that RPGamers should treasure for a long time come. I know I will. I won’t call the game “epic” as the term is thrown around far too much for my taste. I would prefer to call it a large game of immense proportions. If you’re a hardcore RPGamer like I am, then you’ll enjoy this, no question.

Fun Factor: 10/10