Origin Of The Game

Demon’s Souls is an action-packed game that gives the player a unique role-playing feature. The game was developed for the PlayStation 3 by FromSoftware. Sony Computer Entertainment made its first release in February 2009, followed by Atlus USA in October 2009, and Namco Bandai Games in June 2010. If you ever played the King’s Fields series developed by FromSoftware, you would know the striking similarities. At first, a lack of vision for the game disrupted its development. However, one of the members of the developers took the challenge to reform the game to what it later became. One of the game features is the intentional interest in using the game to completely alter classic video games and put players in a position where they feel challenged and stretched.

The developers feared initially that the game would record low players due to its difficulty level. Whether Sony asked FromSoftware to lower the difficulty or not, the release has met with massive interest. According to Miyazaki, the team member that spearheaded the development, the multiplayer elements in the game capture his real-life events and experience. We should point out that the early release of the game recorded negative reactions due to its difficulty, particularly in Japan. However, the vast reception the game received in the West made a huge commercial success. The game went on to win several awards based on its difficult combat level and unique gameplay. Later on, influenced by the success of Demon’s Soul, a series of Souls games then went into production, and the first was Dark Souls, released in 2011. Bluepoint Games re-created Demon’s Souls and was released in November 2020 for PlayStation 5.

The Gameplay

The game is an action-packed game that offers a life of adventure to the player. At the beginning of the game, the player can customize the gender and appearance of the adventurer before he sets out to explore Boletaria, a cursed land. The customization impacts the player’s performance in the game through the Character Class. In the beginning, the player enjoys a starting character class, which influences the player’s nature, abilities, and character. Later on, the player can alter their character class to improve gameplay. According to the story, there are six worlds. The Nexus hub world is a whole world on its own, while the other five worlds have four subdivisions. There are 22 combat-ready bosses in the game with optional combat features with some other bosses.

The player’s combat technique is characterized by perfect timing, choice of weapons, and, more importantly, the ability to block. The player’s movement and speed are also tested in every combat. When the player defeats an enemy, he gains souls, which increases the game’s currency and the experience points. The player can use the game’s currency to purchase new weapons, items, and armor. Every combat action in the game drains the stamina meter, affecting the player’s performance during combat.

If the player is killed at any point during the game, he will return to the beginning of the level while all the non-boss enemies are reproduced. Also, the player starts the level with lower maximum health and loses all unused souls. If the player reaches his bloodstain before he is killed, he will get his lost souls back. If he is killed before reaching that point, he loses the souls forever. After combat, or if the player chooses to rest, he can be in the Nexus. Nexus is a hub where players can exchange and store souls and items.  It is also the center to travel to other regions.

Multiplayer For Secret Messages

Demon’s Souls has a multiplayer feature connected with the PlayStation Network. Although the game is a single-player operation, there is a multiplayer element that makes the game even better. In the game, the multiplayer feature allows the player to see the activities of other players. When a player is killed, the bloodstain can reflect in another player’s game world as a ghost roaming about in their last moments. The player can see how the player dies, which can help him avoid the same fate during his game. Also, another multiplayer element in the game is that players can send messages to one another. A player can send a message to another player by leaving a prewritten message on the floor. This is usually to inform the player of possible danger in that environment. It can also be a clue on how to beat a hostile situation and maneuver to safety. 

Joint Team Play For Better Experience

This feature helps the player team up with three other players to form a team and play in a host world. Here, the visiting players are hosted in soul form but will return to their bodies when they defeat a boss. If you are the kind that likes to help people, you will love this feature.

A Chance To Be A Villain  

Well, the game opens up the chance to be both the attacked and the attacker. While bosses will hunt you, you can also hunt. The game has a competitive play feature that gives you access to invade another player’s game. Here, you are not helping the other player or working with them. You are there to attack the host player. The attack is so real and will reflect in the game if you lose or win. If you win the host, you will return to your own game as a body. If the host kills you, you will lose an experience level, and the host will consume your souls. 

Some Real-Life Deep Stuff

Life is not as easy as some motivational speakers paint it. There is some crazy stuff out there that will eat you up. The game clearly tells us life is hard, and you must work harder to survive the heat. Indeed, you may get a bit frustrated from losing and starting over most times due to the game’s difficulty. However, when you realize what it takes to survive in the game, you will see a reason to do it all over again.