Demon's Souls - PlayStation 5

PARENTAL ADVISORY: You were warned.Bottom Line first: BUY IT, but only, Buttercup, if you can handle it. If you get frustrated easily, quit when your team is down by a few points, sell stocks when they drop a little, or get upset when a mouse tries to flex on an Elephant, this game is not for you or for your poor family and/or friends who have to suffer through you whining about how many times you have died and lost “yo’ s**t”. This a thinking Warrior’s game, a thinking person’s crusade to not break their brand f**king new PS5 because this game just castrated them spiritually, culturally, religiously, and mentally for the fifth f***ing time in a row.A special note to parents, as a parent, I am not sure I can recommend this for your kids if they are not schooled in the wretchedly unfair nature of the “classics”. Here I mean those games from our childhood, say, Atari and Coleco Vision, NES/SNES and Genesis eras of video gaming where on occasion a game came around that kicked your ass so much that you had a real choice, either wilt, or commit yourself to defeating it to the point that you risked mortal peril to yourself and your mental well-being. That said, if you have schooled them, here’s looking at you, kid. You are my kind of scum. Go on ahead and let little Tina and Tommy run head long into that buzzsaw, I say. Good mothers and fathers of the world, let thy children get the taste of digital blood in their mouths. It’ll get them ready for the world or a trip to shrink’s couch.Some of you may be taken aback and maybe even aghast by this sort of review that is openly punching you in the face. If so, do not play this game. I am going to keep writing in this sarcastic, slap yo momma in the face style on this one and do so with all the aggression and anger in the world because this game gives no f**ks about you, your trophy count, your friends list, whether you drive an Audi TT or a 1985 Chevette. It. Does. Not. Care. About. Your. Feelings. It. Is. Here. To. Break. You. Kind of like Ivan Drago, but, made by world class Japanese developers, coders, artists, and more who give no f**ks about your character getting repeatedly pummeled—yet, they really, really want you to like their game and hope, you, yourself, are living a full and happy life, while their game tries to do unspeakable things to your in game character.If I were to attempt to define it simply, I would say that it is simply a haunting and beautifully dark gaming marathon, where heart and determination, are replaced by sheer will power and stupid ambition, maybe stupidity itself, as it is required of you to be a little stupid to play this beast, along with a little wit, and maybe, yes, a little digital blood in your mouth.In a word, it is awesome. And I love it. God help me, I love it so.History of the game:For the uninformed this game is a remake of the cult classic that released way, way back in 2009 on the PS3. On the original, I logged over 70+ hours and found myself entranced by this game’s ability to smash my nuts repeatedly. It was not a world beater in sales, maybe a smasher of people’s hearts and reproductive organs, but not a sales leader like say COD: MW II. Yet, this game started—yeah, yeah, don’t bring up Dark Souls to me; this came first---the “soul’s style” of games. Having played several of the later games, I must admit that Demon’s Souls remains my favorite. Everything else, while offering different things, just never really did it for me. And so, when I heard it was a launch title and that serious care was taken to retain as much as possible of the glory of the original, I said, simply, “sign me up”Gameplay:So, I like reviews that are not chock-full of spoilers, but man, there is a point in the initial cutscene that will awaken you to the potential of the PS5, DualSense, and adds a layer of excitement to the game. If you figure out what I am talking about, put it in the comments below.The basics of the game is that it is a thinking person’s hack and slash game that demands that you use the heavy object above your neck. Yes, you can try to run, like a fool, head long into danger and yes, you can swing wildly with your sword (I tend to play as a knight because it gets me chest deep into the action), but if you are not successful in defeating your enemy, you will pay an awfully high price. That said, do not underestimate your enemies, they get better and better. My advice, if you are struggling, back up, heal up, and try again. What to do if a section is too tough? Grind aspects of it to get your strength and power up. And, of course, take your time. Do not try to speed run this.As I alluded to as you progress through the game, you will become stronger, but so too, will your enemies and the bosses you encounter. That said, you are never alone as you may be playing in your own instance, but you are a part of a larger shared world that allows you to help your fellow warrior or harm them by leaving helpful or harmful messages and, of course, by joining, temporarily, in their instance to help or harm them directly. Yep, the beasts are not the only thing you have to worry about, much like life, some of the most treacherous creatures you encounter, are, in fact, your fellow man. But, they can also be your best friends.Graphics, sounds and overall immersion:Haunting, beautiful, gothic, and lonely. The shadows, the mist, and attention to detail standout. You feel like a warrior on a mission. No better than that. You feel like a warrior with a one way ticket to hell. Nope that ain't right, either. You feel like a warrior on a one way ticket to hell, who will die an awful lot. That's better.Solitude is your companion, for the most part, though as I alluded, there are those who you will see running around as their ghostly aberrations mark their movements. Is it perfect graphically? No, (for example, in the tutorial section, the water at the beginning is average in its implementation, not horrible, but not the best I have seen); still, for an eleven-year-old game rebuilt for the launch of the PS5, Demon’s Souls does not disappoint.Mood is big deal to me, and I suspect to you, just enjoy the world and its disturbing beauty as a maelstrom of discontent, death, and plague engulf you. And, when you are not hacking your way through or, more likely, trying not to fail on setting up a critical parry or dodge or roll, listen. Listen to the world. You can hear, thanks to the 3d Audio of the PS5, well, everything. The sounds of breathing, the crumbling rocks, the chains swinging, the sound of your sword crashing into the wall after you miss the knight that stands right in front of you and plans to rearrange your face. The wind, man, the sound of the wind as it cuts through the walls! You can hear it, as it should, largely sound. The sound of fire and embers. Thank god you can’t taste soot! But, for a moment, you swear to yourself you can. And, oh, by the way, you can hear your enemy’s footsteps. Pacing, searching, for…you. The lonely singing in the Nexus of what sounds like a damn gregorian choir. Unreal.Faults:The enemy AI, can at times, be dumb as bricks. There were moments that I put myself in a horribly unbalanced position, where a more skilled AI would send me packing. Either the AI has been toned down a bit or I got better (always possible) in the eleven years since I last played the original. Do note, this did not happen all the time, but it certainly happened.In closing, this is the Hotel California of video games, you can checkout any time you like, but, my friends, you can never leave. Such is the bond of the Nexus and the Black Maiden. Thus, there is nothing more to say to you, other then this: "Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended. So, the world might be mended."Godspeed.

Game was delivered promptly and in New condition. Happy with this seller and would order from again.Fun game with a lot of challenges for newcomers.

This is the first in the souls series, but the only one I haven't played till now. I have enjoyed it, I didn't like the healing mechanic at first. But as I progressed, it wasn't really an issue.

Item came new, sealed. Perfect. No complaints.

This game is absolutely amazing! It’s tough without being ridiculous. Some of the run backs a bit long and difficult, but I love the challenge. The graphics and the music are beautiful, although is it been a remake of the original, I am now fearful that the dark souls will look dated 🙂. I have just completed it today and only scratched the surface, as I have not done everything that is there to be done, have not tried online mode, etc.

Excelente, ya lo termine súper bueno, gracias estaba nuevo

Where to Start???!Here’s a little background. I’ve played every souls game including Dark Souls 1-3, Seriko, the original Demon Souls in the PS3 and Elden Ring. The only FromSoft game I haven’t played YET is Bloodborne. Hopefully this gives you a bit of a reason to trust me in saying I’m a HUGE fan of the genre.Demon Souls the PS5 exclusive remake is a triumph in terms of remastering the original game. Sometimes a bit too much so. While the performance is incredible and the graphics are jaw dropping there are a few things any newcomers should know before heading in.First this should be tackled only by souls veterans in my humble opinion. Because of the mind bending difficulty ( I’ll explain why later) this is a very unforgiving game. The difficulty is made more tangible here compared to Dark Souls 1-3 due to the world tendency system. What is this? Basically the TLDR is that dying makes the game HARDER and HARDER. This basically makes you need a guide to know where to go first or you will likely be totally destroyed and make the game nearly unplayable for any newcomer. Combined with the lack of bonfires and you basically will be running all the way back to any boss you end up dying to. Now the good news is that healing is extremely strong in this game and because of the grass system you can basically farm infinite healing items.This leads me to discuss the pacing. It’s incredibly bumpy compared to later entries. Some areas are incredibly easy while others are long with almost no shortcuts. This means deaths are very punishing and this game definitely does not hold your hand. One last note is due to limited online activity in 2024 ( due to everyone being in soul form to keep the world tendency system towards pure white) you must expect to beat this game either alone or with a buddy.Now up until now it may seem I have a negative experience. That couldn’t be further from the truth. This is an Incredible game. From the slight breath sounds as you explore to the stunning vistas Bluepoint Studios have hit this out of the park. Many people ( including myself) choose to get a PS5 just to experience this masterpiece and it’s well worth it. I truly think this Remake makes the PS3 version obsolete and anyone who wants to see where souls games began owes it to themselves to make the journey into this one of a kind game experience.I sincerely hope this review has been helpful and if you’re on the fence definitely pick this game up!Just remember look up a guide first and don’t use this as your first souls experience.

In my opinion a better release than “Elden Ring”.