About eleven years ago, an exclusive game appeared for the PlayStation 3, which was understood by few at the time. Review scores were okay and the sales figures not really to write home about. The masochists who did appreciate the game are the core of a community that slowly grew and grew more fanatic in the eleven years that followed. A community where I have since Bloodborne be an enthusiastic part of it yourself. Demon’s Souls has been the start of a series of world games from From Software, perhaps the last bastion of good old-fashioned games.
In 2020, Bluepoint Games has taken on the task of completely transforming an iconic title like Demon’s Souls and making it worthy of the next-gen console. The choice for Bluepoint makes perfect sense after the worldly remake of Shadow of the Colossus, a game that is several years older than Demon’s Souls. And ladies and gentlemen, coupled with the fine hardware of the PlayStation 5 and the DualSense controller, this remake of Demon’s Souls is of great and dark class.
The fog
The formerly beautiful land of Boletaria has been consumed by a dark mist after the king awakens a demonic force. This Old One and his demon army have gone over the whole country and it is your task to rid the five realms of Boletaria of evil. That is actually all you get to hear and see. For the rest, it is up to you how much more you get from the story, because From Software gives a lot of lore, but you have to be careful.
There are also plenty of side stories to be found, although this is entirely up to the player to discover them. In the strangest places you will encounter NPCs, who have experienced their own things during the foggy years in Boletaria and they cannot all be trusted with their beautiful blue eyes. The people who eventually go with you to the Nexus are ultimately the people where you learn the more special spells and attacks. You will also find a blacksmith to upgrade your weapons and a man who manages your storage.
Bite your teeth with a little help
Somehow the idiot is that Sony has chosen Demon’s Souls as the exclusive release game for the PlayStation 5, because it is and remains quite a niche genre. It is also not at all accessible game for the general public, because this game is terribly difficult for the general public. Sometimes maddeningly difficult because the game barely has savepoints, or Archstones as they are called here and if you find one you have to beat a (unfortunately not too difficult) boss first. It’s that that DualSense controller is so expensive ……
But at the same time, the game has also become more forgiving, partly due to the technical wonders of the PS5. First of all, the insanely short loading times make it much easier for the player to bite a bit longer to get through that one tricky part. After all, dying no longer feels like an enormous punishment and going back to the Nexus for a while – the main hub from Demon’s Souls – is a piece of cake. We are really talking about loading times of 2 to 3 seconds maximum respawnen in fast travel. Idiocy!
The DualSense also helps you to make the experience easier, if you have not thrown it in the ceiling in the meantime. The haptic feedback at first glance, the controller provides a lot of extra information during a fight, almost unnoticed. For example, as soon as an enemy threatens to take a firebomb from his pocket to throw at your head, you will feel a very specific rumble in the controller that allows you to anticipate much faster. The same goes for incoming magical spells from that gutsy ….. I mean Mind Flayers in the Prison of Hope, but that rumble feels a bit different. Oh, and that stable 60 FPS in Performance Mode will help too.
All in all, Demon’s Souls for PlayStation 5 is perhaps the most accessible game in the Soulsborne genre, even when it comes to bosses. Most of them are pretty easy to beat, if you can find the right stuff or use tactics. Also, just like the original, the game is very slow, so you won’t be overwhelmed by a hyperactive boss with three hundred different combos. You have the time to study them and learn exactly what to do.
Next-gen all of max
Sony has released very good remakes in recent years, such as the aforementioned Shadow of the Colossus but also Ratchet & Clank from 2016. Games that travel time to come out completely modern and up-to-date for the general public. Demon’s Souls takes that a step or three further. It immediately sets the bar graphically and technically at a pretty high level for the PlayStation 5 and has some quality of lifechanges without losing the charm of the original.
You can teleport anywhere from any Archstone, in the menus you can now use multiple items at the same time and thank God you can transport all items from your menu directly to the storage. Nothing is worse than carrying too much stuff and being miles from an Archstone to empty your pockets. They seem like small meaningless adjustments, but this keeps you some pace in a pretty slow game. It is also very cool that each weapon feels much more unique and now also has its own animations for backstabs and parries. Edit someone with the battle axe is truly an extreme pleasure.
But the elephant in the room, of course, is the great graphics and Bluepoint’s masterful work to rebuild this classic. The truly beautiful environments tell most of the story in Demon’s Souls and the PlayStation 5 also takes the visuals to a high level down to the smallest details. Reflections in the water, ripples when you hit a fat monster and particle effects that give every spell and attack that little bit extra. Boletaria is a feast for the eyes and also invites you to explore every corner of the world.
Enemies have all been given a lick of 4K paint without disgusting the animations and environments look so impressive partly due to the graphics power of the PS5. The Tower of Latria looks evil because of the dark green flames that reflect all over the level (no Ray tracing!), The Shrine of Storms is a menacing place with a constant thunderstorm and my heavens some bossfights have really become twenty times more epic with my absolute favorite The Storm King.
And even the soundtrack can be called next-gen. The entire OST has been re-recorded for this remake, by a huge orchestra, making the whole thing echoing from your speakers, especially in boss fights, as if you were standing in the middle of a cathedral.
Conclusion
The lineup of release titles for the PlayStation 5 has been questioned by many, with Sony parading it to be the best lineup ever. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but the PlayStation 5’s launch is a stretch more convincing than its predecessor (Knack….). And Demon’s Souls may be ‘just’ a remake, but it is really a damn good one. Despite that and despite the fact that this genre is still quite niche, Demon’s Souls can simply be referred to as systemseller.
It shows what the console is capable of from the very beginning, and is the perfect entry-level point for people who have not yet been enchanted by From Software’s games. Bluepoint Games shows that it has a talent for renovating games and I can’t wait for them to get back to a PlayStation classic. Killzone? ICO? Time will tell, but for now I’m going to get started with New Game +. Umbasa!
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