Dark Souls - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Version reviewed: Dark Souls: prepare to die edition (PC)

Genre: action, RPG

Time to finish: 38 hrs.

Trailer link: Click Here

  I recently had the pleasure of playing through From Software's punishing action/RPG, Dark Souls. Having heard a lot about the game and its allegedly insane difficulty, I couldn't resist picking up then game when it went on sale over the holidays. So does the game live up to all the hype? And is it truly as diabolical as its reputation suggests? Let's find out...

  I feel like is should get this out of the way. Dark is easily as hard as you can imagine. If this sounds like a problem, then this game is not for you. However if you are one of many gamers that has bemoaned the lack of difficulty in recent games, then you will find this game to be a breath of fresh, almost nostalgic air.

  Dark Souls takes place in the ancient and dilapidated world of Lordran. As a newly-turned undead, you find yourself at the center of a prophesy trying to end the undead plague. The dark fantasy theme and setting of the game is hardly unique, however the way that it is presented is wonderfully subtle. The game tells you very little as to why you are undead, or what the prophesy entails. However those that invest themselves in the world will find a great many hints pertaining to the game's lore. This approach to story telling really needs to be attempted more often. Too many games attempt to force feed the plot to the players. The way that Dark Souls lets you discover these things on your own only enhance the deep sense of mystique that game already possesses in abundance.

  The game was designed in such a way, that it feels like the developers goal was to make the player quit. To rephrase that slightly, it feels like the real game is about whether you can beat the game, or it will beat you! A good comparison would be comparing it to a gladiator match. You're thrown into a ring with only what you need to survive. either you emerge triumphant, or you die. The interesting thing however, is, there is no game over, so when you die, you're just bounced back to the last checkpoint. The lack of game over is what makes the game so evil. It's like a constant reminder that the only way out of the is winning or quitting (pure masochism). The game also does very little to help you out. Their is no tutorial, no map, no fast travel, no way to pause the game  and even the weakest enemy can kill you if you're not careful. It's pure masochistic bliss.

Bring a spare pair of underwear for this fight.

  Aside from being sadistically evil, the game is huge. Every area is interconnected, there are tons of traps, treasure, secret passages, and bottomless pits. There are no loading screens to break up the experience either and art direction is simply astounding! Often times in game development you'll see beautiful pieces of concept art put out during the design phase, but the game will rarely resemble the concept art. In that sense, Dark Souls' art style is pure concept. Every area, every enemy looks like it was pulled straight out of a concept drawing. That the designers managing to merge functional design and otherworldly art is simply astounding. Every area oozes attention to detail. Every armor set looks well worn. Don't even get me started on the enemy design! It would be best not to spoil any of the games many bosses, but let's just say they're astounding, huge, and bound to kill you many times until you learn their pattern of attack.

  Speaking of patterns, I should talk a bit about Dark Souls' combat. Dark Souls combat should be very familiar to anyone that's played the monster hunter series. Combat uses a stamina meter, and every block, roll, dodge or sword swing consumes this meter. Many of the more intense fight become a battle against the stamina meter, since no stamina in Dark Souls usually means death. Do to this system, every sword move you make in a fight must be planned. If you were planning on playing like a hack-n-slash action game, you will die. Combat in Dark Souls relies heavily on this mechanic, and it's this that brings dark Dark Souls into its own. Every boss you beat or area you conquer feels like an achievement made through your own skills, not by having the best weapons or highest character level.

Prepare to see this screen... A LOT!

  As amazing as Dark Souls is, it would be unfair to not at least mention its flaws. Dark Souls is not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination. There are a lot of tiny issues in the game, most of which can be overlooked. However there are a number of issues that must be mentioned (especially pertaining to the PC version). While the PC version is without a doubt the superior version, it suffers from a number of different issues on account of it being ported from consoles. First and foremost, DO NOT buy this game unless you have a decent gamepad, the mouse and keyboard setup is atrocious. I played through the game using a wired Xbox 360 controller, so I didn't have any issues, but it definitely needs to be mentioned. The worst and possibly most annoying issue though, is the fact the this game renders itself internally at 1024x720. Not only does this make the game look horrible, but it also ignores whatever resolution you have the game set at. The last minor detail is something shared by all versions of the game. In several spots in the game (5 - 6), I found myself getting caught on the geometry. The game would show a smooth slope, but climbing it would be like scaling a cliff. This was a relatively minor issues as it only happens in a few spots throughout the game. As for the first two issues issues, these can be fixed by a fan made mod called DSfix. Once again this is a minor issue. The point though, is that customers should not have to rely on fan made tools to make the game work correctly.

  On a side note, when the PC version of the game was first released, it included a whole batch of added areas and bosses. This content was later released for consoles as the "Artorias of the Abyss" dlc. It was a very nice touch on the part of the developers to include some free dlc. If you decide to go with the console version of Dark Souls, definitely pick up the dlc, it's absolutely worth the money.

Ok let's break this all down.

Gameplay - 9

  Gameplay is this game's main triumph. With the exception of the issue I mentioned

above, Dark Souls' gameplay is near flawless. Not once does it fail to make you feel the weight of combat, or the joy of a perfect parry/riposte. I've read complaints on various forums calling the controls unresponsive, however I feel blaming the game for this is just silly. If you're swinging a two meter long hammer, it should feel like you are. If you were expecting a fast paced action RPG, this game is not for you, but if you wanted a well balanced RPG where skillful playing is more important than button mashing, then few games will satisfy like Dark Souls.

Sound - 6

  Sound is kind of a weak point for Dark Souls. As far as atmosphere goes, this is one of the only areas that Dark Souls does not absolutely nail. There seems to be a lack of variety in the sound effects, and while the sound effects do fit well enough, most of it sounds rather generic. In addition, enemy sounds are a bit of a mixed bag. Once again, nothing about it is particularly bad, but it's not amazing either.

Music - 7

  Music in Dark Souls is kind of hard to rate. A good portion of the game lacks music entirely, and while this fits the mood to a degree, I would have much preferred some good atmospheric music to complete silence. (for an example of this done right, check out the Metroid Prime games) While there may be a lack of music while exploring, the boss themes are fantastic and really serve to ramp up the tension. This category can really be a matter of preference, as some gamers might find that the silence lends itself better to the tension.

Graphics/art - 10

  Despite the graphics issue in the PC version, I couldn't resist giving this category a ten. With the DSfix mod installed, Dark Souls is one of the best looking games on any current system. It just oozes atmosphere at every turn. I'm not just talking about graphic fidelity either, that can only get you so far, no, it's Dark Souls' fantastic combination of art direction and detail that earns it a ten.

Replay value/length - 9

  Dark Souls is a long game. While I managed to clear it in 38 hours in my first play through, a single play through only begins to scratch the surface of the game. Dark Souls offers many different play styles to choose from, from melee to magic, and anything in between. The game also offers a new game+ mode, letting you carry all of your items and weapons over from you last playthrough (while significantly upping the difficulty to compensate). Honestly my only complaint in this category is the lack of side quests. There are a few, but not nearly as many as I would have liked.

Final score - 9.5

  Dark souls is a masterpiece of hardcore game design. While it can be a bit obtuse at times, anyone seeking a challenge should give this game a try. At times it can be frustrating, but the feeling you get when conquering a difficult boss with a sliver of health remaining is one that few game come even close to replicating. For those brave enough to venture into Lordran, you will find Dark Souls to be not only a fantastic action/RPG, but an amazing and memorable adventure.