I agree with everything.

I'll add one more.

Most distance between save points (expecially in the early parts of the game). While single encounters gradually got more difficult with newer entries, the distance between bonfires got shorter. Newer souls games are more about cursing and repeating the same enconter over and over again, Demon is more about the tension of exploring new areas for the risk of losing progress as you go. The fact that if you die you lose about half of HP and world tendency goes darker only adds to that.

Demon Souls is still my favorite Souls game. Bloodborne is a close second though. Demon Souls had the atmosphere,level design,hub,etc. Everything about Demon Souls felt and played great. Now while the other Dark Souls games(other than 2,that sucked) were good, to me they could never capture the essence of the original entirely

2 was great, it was just overshadowed by Dark Souls 1 and later on Bloodborne. I would argue that Dark Souls 3 is only barely better than 2.

Yeah I cannot agree there. I hate 2 with a passion. Level design,graphics,mechanics,boss fights. All of it felt underwhelming to me compared to Demon Souls,Dark Souls 1,Bloodborne,Dark Souls 3. One of the reasons I think it was so bad(for me) is the original creator wasnt involved in this one like he was with all the other games of the series. Game didnt have its....Soul to me. Had to add in that pun there lol

Underwhelming compared to some of the best ever made doesn't qualify as bad. I felt 2 was an acceptable distraction, not the worst game ever.

I agree that in itself doesnt make it bad. But from level design to combat like i mentioned, it was just horrible executed and horribly done imo

Dark souls 2 and 3 are my least favorites due to not taking the series anywhere new. Bloodborne and Dark souls 1 are on the same level as Demon’s Souls to me, because they all offer relatively fresh ideas. I still think Demon’s Souls has the best boss selection of the series mostly because they are all unique even when their design falls flat they are still memorable.

I still haven't been able to find a copy of Demon's Souls myself, I still need to find it and pick it up one of these days!

Honestly Bloodborne is the best to me. The atmosphere is on a new level and I love the lovecraftian lore.

I just wish they made the three factions a bit more meaningfull is all.

Demon's has always been my favorite, though I didn't like the way you had to die so many times to affect the world (+1, +2, so forth). I like how the worlds were organized, as well, with 1-1, 1-2, etc...

And it was first, at all of it. I played so many hours and different builds on that game. So obsessed with it at the time.