Demon’s Souls returns from the grave with a fresh new look, courtesy of Bluepoint Games. Is the game as good as the original, does it fall short or is it even better?
Hero or Demon? You decide!
I originally wrote a Rewind Review for the 2009 Demon’s Souls back in 2015, and called it an amazing spiritual prequel to the iconic Dark Souls series. Demon’s Souls (PS5) comes close to, if not exceeds the original, something which Dark Souls Remastered (2018) didn’t come close to achieving as that was essentially a port (albeit of a very good game) of a PS3 game on PS4, whereas Demon’s Souls (PS5) is a complete remake for the new system.
Although the extreme nostalgia of the original game takes some beating (especially the music), the visual improvements, insanely quick load times, quality of life changes (holding down resets usable item to start & excess items can now be sent directly to Stockpile Thomas), and console improvements (player chat – no more sending PS messages saying “sign down on the bridge”) can’t be ignored. My only gripe with this however, is that the facial animations look strange, but this could just be because I’m not used to seeing them.
The game is split into levels through the use of Archstones found in the central hub known as the Nexus. The Nexus is where NPCs can be found, gear can be purchased and upgraded and the player can level up. One of my favourite levels is 1-3, as both visually and in terms of content it’s fantastic in the remake. Picking up where you left off is a breeze on PS5 too, as the SSD makes loading times lightning fast, super useful when trading with Sparkly the Crow and you need to quit out (see Fextralife for list).
You have a heart of gold, don’t let them take it from you
Enemy design is, as you might expect from FromSoftware, brilliantly frightful, with demons matching their respective Archstone areas; ‘The Dirty Colossus’ resides in the Valley of Defilement for instance. Combat, which remains largely unchanged from the original, is also reflected in how you tackle these enemies, as some can be resistant to certain types of damage. The more knightly type enemies of the Boletarian Palace can utilise blocking for example so a different play style may be required, rather than running in and just mashing R1 (though this isn’t necessarily a bad tactic). Rolling is always a good idea though (and the addition of omnidirectional rolling is just a bonus)…
The way you ‘build’ your character in Demon’s Souls is also important, especially if you want to stay in the PvP bracket of around Soul Level 120. The way this works in-game is that a player who has focused on strength will be able to wield larger weapons, such as great swords, whereas mages will be able to take advantage of magic (very effective in both PvE and PvP).
The bow is also very helpful in a number of situations (a bow build would definitely work) and is similar to the later games in terms of how to use it. Taking out pesky crystal lizards or massive flying dragons is a breeze with the bow. Mages are incredibly powerful for the same reason as they can keep enemies as a safe distance while still dealing decent damage. Miracles are similar, but are more defensive than spells, and both can be buffed by specific items such as rings. Experimenting with builds is what makes PvP great in Demon’s Souls, as you can make use of boss soul weapons and spells, as well as poison, magic, bleed and crushing damage types.
When building your character there are many things to consider. You can become over-encumbered very easily in Demon’s Souls, so watch those stats, and try and choose what you take out of the Nexus. Items can now be sent to Stockpile Thomas however if they would weigh too much for your character to carry, which is a nice touch in the remake. The Ring of Great Strength found in 1-1 next to the Blue Dragon is critical for being able to roll with equipment, and the Cling ring is also a great choice for retaining more HP in soul form (found next to Ostrava in 1-1).
Boss arenas feel fresh, especially after playing the other Souls games, as some are extremely large, allowing the player to explore different methods of attack, making many play styles and builds viable. Some bosses are weak to certain elements e.g. Leechmonger is weak to fire, so the dragon upgrade path works wonders and fire bombs don’t hurt either, so large amounts of damage can be done. The Archdemons of each of the worlds are then mainly gimmick fights, like the Dragon God, each requiring a different way to take them down (Maiden Astraea’s theme still slaps though).
The world has a Tendency to be confusing
Demon’s Souls is fantastic to play co-op, and is much easier to navigate than the original (thanks to party chat & the password system). Players that want to experience all of the games’ content; secret weapons, areas and quest lines, may want to do a solo playthrough however, as dying in human form affects World Tendency, which in turn affects these in-game events.
World Tendency is the game’s most confusing behind-the-scenes element, one which I’m glad didn’t return in the other titles, but returns unchanged in Demon’s Souls (PS5). Simply by diving off of the top of the Nexus to remain in soul form will allow you to achieve pure white world tendency in every area after killing a few bosses. This system is both unique and frustrating, as it isn’t explained to the player well, and also limits those that want the items to single player (and cuts half of your HP when in soul form).
After this PvP opens up to the player but is itself a much more limited offering than the other Souls titles. There are clearly overpowered builds and this isn’t helped by the current lack of PS5 consoles, as the game doesn’t have the player base that it could have. My recommendation for those that want a Player vs. Player fix is to play either Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3 (or possibly wait an age for Elden Ring) but definitely give them a try.
Final thoughts
The game is simply the best remake that Demon’s Souls could have gotten, one which Bluepoint have lovingly put together, respecting the original but also adding their own twist (with new items, armour sets etc.) into the mix. A definitive PS5 and PS3 exclusive, Demon’s Souls propelled original developers FromSoftware into the limelight, as they raised the bar whilst also creating a new sub-genre, and Bluepoint do their game justice here with a great all-round remake. Umbasa.
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Demon's Souls
The Good
- Graphical improvements bring areas to life
- Combat is fluid and satisfying
- PS5 load times
- It's Demon's Souls
The Bad
- Loses a bit of its magic the second time around
- The game can fail to load up (occurred a few times for me)
- Experienced a few crashes/audio bugs