If you're unaware, Dark Souls is the sequel spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Demon's Souls. An action RPG known for it's brutal but fair difficulty. If you've ever complained, even once, that modern games are too hand holdy, you should buy this game.
There isn't much of a story to be found in these games, only hints of one. They're much more about mood and atmosphere. While Demon's Souls was by no means a horror game, more often than not it did have a very creepy, gloomy vibe about it. The pace of the gameplay as well as a the atmosphere of the game itself sort of remind me of what Resident Evil might be like if it was set in the 1500s. And Dark Souls seems to be cut from the very same cloth.
However above all else, Dark Souls (and it's predecessor) is all about gameplay. While you pick a class in the beginning of the game, that's only a starting point. You can choose to be a warrior and then learn magic spells or use a bow or whatever you want later on if you wish.
For a game known for being very challenging, and despite being an "action" RPG, the pace is probably much more deliberate than you might expect. A little bit of patience, caution, and common sense will get you far in Dark Souls. Thinking of charging into a dark room you've never been in before? Probably a good idea to go in slowly with your shield raised, ready to defend yourself. You see some fire and decide to jump in it to see if it damages you. Yes, fire bad. You notice a glowing message on the ground that says, "Beware the trap ahead."? You might want to find another path. Which brings me to another aspect of the gameplay...
Dark Souls (and Demon's Souls) has some really unique and innovative online functionality. For starters, you can leave a ton of different messages on the ground for other players such as the one I mentioned above. You can scrawl out a tip for the next boss, alert them to a secret passage or hidden loot, or you can be a total dick and give really bad advice.
You can also be summoned by other players as a blue phantom to help them out. On the opposite side of that coin, speaking of being a dick, you can invade another player's game as a red phantom and set traps or lie in wait to ambush them...
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that if you preorder the game, you will receive the collector's edition at no extra charge.
The game, by the way, comes out on October 4th in North America and the 7th in Europe.
Classes
Screenshots
Official website.
There isn't much of a story to be found in these games, only hints of one. They're much more about mood and atmosphere. While Demon's Souls was by no means a horror game, more often than not it did have a very creepy, gloomy vibe about it. The pace of the gameplay as well as a the atmosphere of the game itself sort of remind me of what Resident Evil might be like if it was set in the 1500s. And Dark Souls seems to be cut from the very same cloth.
However above all else, Dark Souls (and it's predecessor) is all about gameplay. While you pick a class in the beginning of the game, that's only a starting point. You can choose to be a warrior and then learn magic spells or use a bow or whatever you want later on if you wish.
For a game known for being very challenging, and despite being an "action" RPG, the pace is probably much more deliberate than you might expect. A little bit of patience, caution, and common sense will get you far in Dark Souls. Thinking of charging into a dark room you've never been in before? Probably a good idea to go in slowly with your shield raised, ready to defend yourself. You see some fire and decide to jump in it to see if it damages you. Yes, fire bad. You notice a glowing message on the ground that says, "Beware the trap ahead."? You might want to find another path. Which brings me to another aspect of the gameplay...
Dark Souls (and Demon's Souls) has some really unique and innovative online functionality. For starters, you can leave a ton of different messages on the ground for other players such as the one I mentioned above. You can scrawl out a tip for the next boss, alert them to a secret passage or hidden loot, or you can be a total dick and give really bad advice.
You can also be summoned by other players as a blue phantom to help them out. On the opposite side of that coin, speaking of being a dick, you can invade another player's game as a red phantom and set traps or lie in wait to ambush them...
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that if you preorder the game, you will receive the collector's edition at no extra charge.
The game, by the way, comes out on October 4th in North America and the 7th in Europe.
Classes
Official website.
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