Version tested: PlayStation 5
Back to 2009
We do not envy at all Bluepoint games. Over the past decade or so, he has had the thankless task of remastering and bringing the "older" games to newer consoles. But, a few years ago, something changed. The studio went from simple video game porting to a complete makeover. After Shadow of the Colossus, the company has decided to try its hand at a cult classic: the dark fantasy role-playing game of FromSoftware, released in 2009 on PlayStation 3, Demon's Souls.
Demon's Souls is a game that holds a special place for many lovers of the genre. It dared to be different from most other games that populate the triple-a production landscape, and it was a triumph for a Japanese studio to create something so deliberately esoteric and distinctly Japanese in its design, in an era when other Japanese developers have had to contend with the drastic drop in sales and rising development costs.
After playing Demon's Souls for the first time, the former president of SIE Shuhei Yoshida had declared: "This is crap an incredibly bad game."
Sony has always released Demon's Souls in Asia. It took Atlus for the "incredibly bad game" to land in America and Bandai Namco for the PAL territories.
However, Demon's Souls persevered and became famous for its difficulty, design and atmosphere. But that's not to say the original game was flawless: bugs, easy ways to get around tricky areas, and some pretty disappointing boss fights. But despite this, Demon's Souls has begun to gain ground. The community has gone from being a small group of people, stunned by something strange and fascinating, to being completely mainstream within just a decade. We still remember the sleepless nights spent playing with it and the obsession that consumed us as we wandered through the lonely landscape of the Boletaria.
Bluepoint, therefore, had a herculean task in re-proposing the historic chapter of the series while maintaining all the elements that distinguish the production.
It feels at home
In Bluepoint's Demon's Souls, you can start by choosing one of nine classes, each with their own play style and perks. Choosing from a broad spectrum of weapons, spells, magic and armor. Slow and methodical combat feels raw and satisfying and an approach to difficulty that can easily be described as merciless, but fair. Those familiar with other games in FromSoftware's catalog such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne will feel right at home. Demon's Souls is based on the 2009 code. The most notable difference is that the weapons are a bit more flashy and come with new animations.
What remains unchanged are the quirks and balance present in the original. By the end of the first session with Bluepoint's Demon's Souls, we had created an extremely powerful character who was easily able to guide us through the rest of the game. The difficulty of Demon's Souls is not strictly related to the level that could be reached, but from the experience of understanding how to best equip yourself against what the game has in store.
The first level of Demon's Souls is a masterful game design lesson that provides accurate foundations on how to play correctly. Between enemies that lurk in the darkness and an endless string of deadly traps.
The Nexus
After completing the first level, you are immediately thrown into the Nexus, your gaming hub. Acts as a safe haven and level selector. In the Nexus, you will have the opportunity to converse with a relatively small group of NPCs who represent the last bastion for humanity in a world that is increasingly dark and subjugated by evil forces. It's not a cheerful place, and the restyling work on the PlayStation 5 gives it a greater sense of grandeur than was perceived in the original.
This sense of grandeur is something that seeps into the design of the Boletarian Palace levels of the Demon's Souls remake, which have had a significant change in art direction and design. For newcomers, this won't make much difference, but fans of the title may feel slightly confused about the creative freedom in Bluepoint's reinterpretation of the game.
High palpitations
One of the most fascinating and impressive areas in Demon's Souls is the Upper Latria, which has been beautifully (and faithfully) recreated. It is imbued with incredible tones and atmosphere, colored by the curious NPCs you will meet and who may or may not be on your side. You will face tough enemies that could pop out from any angle, while a giant beating heart beats through controller vibrations Dualense of Playstation 5. If you die, you can be back in action in a matter of seconds, thanks to the lightning fast SSD customized of PS5. It goes without saying that it creates a deeply addicting experience that is on par, if not better, than the original game. The same can be said for some other areas where Bluepoint has stayed true to the roots and vibe of the original game, and even added its own little flourishes that enhance the experience.
Some areas seem less impactful than others
Other areas seem less impactful, partly due to the visual "updates" the game has received. The miserable swamp in the Desecration Valley is now easily navigable. Where we used to only see distant torches, you can now see virtually the entire map, making the experience significantly different. In some ways it is reminiscent of the launch of Silent Hill 2 HD, which completely removed the nearby fog and close draw distances. To say the least, the remake of Demon's Souls has a tone - at times - quite inconsistent with respect to the original version, and it's important to note that increasing visual fidelity in each area doesn't necessarily improve Demon's Souls, nor does it preserve the original game's design intentions. Despite these visual changes, which include NPCs and other enemies, the core of Demon's Souls remains intact, including its unique online functionality.
We can leave useful (or useless) messages, be summoned to other players' worlds to help them clear an area and defeat a boss, or even invade someone to get a nice reward. There is also a mechanic called Trend, which may make the game slightly easier or more difficult and even allow you to unlock new paths to explore. In simpler terms, it can cause changes in the world around us depending on how many times we die or don't die in human form. To this end, some objects, paths and other places in any given world may be open or closed depending on what the current World Trend status is.
Between secret areas and shortcuts
Each area of Demon's Souls is littered with secrets to find and shortcuts to unlock, which will take root deeply in your mind as you play. This style of level design isn't found too often, even in modern triple-a games, and the level of detail makes it seem like the kingdom of Boletaria was indeed a real place, not just a fictional one. Miners toil for their masters in adverse conditions, heretics or those perceived as dangerous are locked up in prisons populated by the damned, and unwanted children of the world rot in a swamp, guarded by a woman who dared to stray from the path of her god.
Other changes
Changes in the quality of life that include the drop healing items a little more often they are a nice step forward (albeit with due clarification) compared to the 2009 title. This makes Demon's Souls certainly more appealing to the contemporary audience, but by distorting a ten-year-old design that is so distinctive, it could be seen as contrasting with the experience of the original game.
The additional differences present in the Demon's Souls remake come in the form of small changes that overlap each other. From changes to the UI, to changes in artistic design, or to how the character continues to ripple across the magical floor in the center of the Nexus in soul form. It is worth noting that the colonna sonora it has been revised and is now much more pompous. It really seems that Bluepoint has lost - at least partially - the design and certain elements of the PS3 version along the way.
It would have been nice to see a Master Chief Collection-style option, where you could go from the improved PS3 version with all the original assets intact to the PS5 version with all the new bells and whistles.
It is important to note that because the servers of the original version are offline, you will never be able to experience the PS3 version as it was intended with all its online features without the use of a private server. The original game must be preserved. But the community is doing a great job of keeping it alive, at least for now.
Graphics and technique
That said, with Demon's Souls, Bluepoint managed to recreate the original game quite well. Seeing all those iconic locations and bosses redone with a new coat of paint was nothing short of astounding. The developer was also able to add much more detail to each environment and character models than FromSoftware could in the past, and that makes the whole game feel even more unique.
Demon's Souls is one of the best titles to show PlayStation 5 in action. The game allows for both performance mode and resolution mode, with the former running at 60fps. Regardless of which option you choose, however, Demon's Souls is by far one of the best games you can try on a console right now.
We must also say that after having already played all the previous Soulsborne titles, the structure of the game continues to stand out, albeit slightly, compared to the other exponents of the genre. The five worlds in Demon's Souls all have their own unique atmosphere and style, both aesthetically and thematically. We liked the fact that even after completing the first phase of the game, you can proceed to complete the rest in any way you want. While some levels will be more difficult for lower-level characters, the fact that you have the freedom to jump between worlds whenever you want prevents things from looking stale, especially if you find yourself stuck in a specific area.
When it comes to the overall difficulty of Demon's Souls, as we had anticipated it does not depend so much on the level but on the skills acquired in battle and the ability to understand how to deal with each specific situation. Demon's Souls is a game that is as difficult as it is extremely banal at times. The tricky aspect is that each slash or blow will drastically reduce your character's health in human form leading to death and loss of human form. The only way to regain human form is to defeat a boss or use a specific item that will restore your body. However, seeing your health bar consistently halfway every time you die is something that irritates, particularly in the early hours of the game, and makes those early stages a lot harder than they are in other Soulslikes.
Having said that, we must say that the bosses definitely leave something to be desired in Demon's Souls, especially compared to those present in the other Souls. Some standout villains like Flamelurker, Man Eater, and False King are some of the funniest and most challenging, but a number of other battles prove to be child's play. Even the lack of a real final boss is a bit 'turn up the nose.
Final comment
The remake of Bluepoint di Demon's Souls to PS5, although not with full marks, it convinces. Demon's Souls manages to capture - net of some levels and mechanics that distort the production itself - the spirit of the original game.
The experience is certainly not for everyone, but if you can quickly grasp the steep learning curve, the game will give you a rewarding experience. Thanks also to a relentless and oppressive atmosphere that you will almost certainly never forget.
