Atlus-published From Software’s Demon’s Souls arrives at retail in North America a la mañana, and the raves continue to pour in. I’ve seen nothing below an eight and plenty of 9.5s (and higher), all incongruously paired with statements like “the hardest game I’ve ever played,” “I’ve never felt frustration on this level,” and “brings new meaning to the word ‘grind.'” It would seem that Demon’s Souls finds a balance, somehow managing to bring uncompromising challenge (no pause button. Seriously.) with the sort of accomplishment only felt when you defeat something and truly feel you’ve earned it. For all that people say it’s one of the hardest games ever made (our Meho speaks eloquently about it here), no one seems to say the game is unfair or unfun. I don’t have time right now, with my Valkyria Chronicles obsession taking most of my waking hours and my need to keep this site alive by pouring words out of my word-hole, but it’s definitely one I must own.
Those who grab a copy before tomorrow’s street date, be warned: this is an online game (sort of; read up on it) and the servers will not be up until tomorrow. Naturally, if you play before the servers come up, you won’t be able to keep any of your loot… because that would be easy.
I’m really curious about this one and want to give it a go. I’m not sure I have any friends who are tough enough for it though. *sob*
Stay tuned, Gregg, for Demon’s Holes is now mine. Souls. Demon’s Souls.
I’m with Scout that this seems like the kind of game I would hate, but I’ve been fascinated by it since the first announcement. Endless griding? Brutal difficulty? Not usually my cup of tea, but hey.
I love some brutality in a game, Ikaruga and Super Monkey Ball notwithstanding. However, I hate grinding so it’s going to be an internal struggle. Looking forward to a review!
Matt or anybody else that knows…
Can you take a minute and describe the ways in which Demon’s Souls is an online game? From the preview I read, it sounded like a standard single player RPG that had an optional online component. I take it I’m way off base on this? Is this one of those games that would become unplayable if the online server supporting it went offline? I’m a bit surprised that Demon’s Souls is getting such strong review grades given it’s extreme difficulty. I enjoy a challenging RPG from time to time, but not if it is just pure frustration.
Lakerz:
Demon’s Souls is a very unique online experience. It is a massively single player game. You are alone in your world, doing your own thing – BUT, when you are connected to the server, you can leave messages (from a menu of words & phrases) for other players to read in their worlds. If they recommend your message, you’re restored to full health. You can also touch a bloodstain left behind by another player to see how they died. Every now and then you’ll see ghostly images of other players around you; these are individuals in their own private versions of the game who happen to be near your location. They can see you as a ghost, too.
Under certain circumstances you can enter another player’s world as a spirit to either help or hinder them. If you make yourself available for summoning, other players can summon you for help against enemies. If killed in their world you return to yours with no penalty. You can also enter another player’s world as a “Black Phantom” and stalk them. If you kill that player, you’re returned to your world with the souls they were carrying, and alive. The “alive” part is relevant because you will play at least 90% of this game dead; being dead reduces your hit points but otherwise is your standard state of being. It’s a huge hassle to bring yourself back to life.
If the server went down, you’d still be able to play the exact same game, albeit without the messages and summoning of spirits. Essentially this is a single player game, with the odd reminder here and there that others are also playing.
It was craziness on the server the day the game came out – messages everywhere – and now it’s died down a bit.
Wow, I tend not to read much about upcoming games but it sounds really interesting. And really tough.
It’s brutal, and awesome. Kind of like Gauntlet, brought into the modern era.
Thanks Matt! That sounds very unique….and weird! Do you have any control over whether other playes can enter your unique game world and try to kill you? Does this only happen if you classify yourself as a summoner for hire?
I really love the whole spirits idea. It’s quite forward thinking and an element that adds another layer to the experience beyond the ‘confined’ gameplay of single player without breaking the spirit of the game. I can imagine the Black Phantoms being exhilarating and infuriating in equal measures. I don’t what sort of person would so heartless to cane another player though, especially later on in a level when the stakes are high for the ‘victim’. It really does sound c(r)ool though.
I’m not sure about Black Phantoms, Lakerz, I’ve not yet encountered one. You need a special artifact to become a Black Phantom, so it may be pretty challenging to attack random people. I have experimented a little bit with being summoned, which is fun (you can’t communicate with those who summon you, it’s still like a single player game).
My real frustration is that it keeps dropping the connection – either to the Demon’s Souls server or PSN entirely. I have the same problem with my 360, so I think my wireless router is situated in a bad place. Oddly, there’s no way to reconnect from within the game. If you get dropped, you have to quit out to the dashboard, restart the game, sit through five minutes of company logos, and load your profile. It’s irritating. Still, there’s no real reason to play online unless you want to.
I introduced a buddy to it last night and he was all “I’ll just check it out then we’ll play Batman.” Six hours later he was grinding away with his Barbarian warrior.
My wireless internet connection sucks donkey balls so Left4Dead and anything PS3 related has had to stop due to excessive stress induced vitriol. I’m going wired as soon as possible. I’m hoping that Demon’s Souls gets a UK publisher because I’m not sure whether an imported version would work online over here.
I’m almost sure it will, Gregg, but I don’t want to steer you wrong, so I recommend some digging before you import it.
By the way, that friend of mine I introduced to DS on Thursday? Stayed over, played all night, brought beer in on Friday and we swapped off on the controller from 5pm to 2am. It’s just that kind of game. So, it’s worth the ducats if you find that it does work online and choose to import it!