90%PlayStation 3

Really happy this was my introduction to the fromsoftware formula. Cool puzzle bosses, creative levels, impeccable atmosphere, and a few standout "hard moments" that get the heart pumping.

70%PC

seems good in the beginning. I need to continue playing.

80%PlayStation 3

As the ancestor of all following souls games it has some edges and design flaws that were fixed in later entries. Nevertheless, it still holds up today.

80%PC

DS1, DS2, Bloodborne oyunlarından sonra emülatörle #DemonsSouls oynayayım dedim. Sabit estus flask - hp pot - yok. Bloodborne gibi can bastığımız bir şeyler var. Bloodborne'da hiç sıkıntısını çekmemiştim. Bunda başlardayım bitti. Check point noktaları sadece boss sonlarında. Ölünce baya yol gidiyorsunuz tekrar denemek için. Bu mekanikleri biraz oyunu zorlaştırmış. Çıktığı zamana göre keşif hissi, vuruş hissi çok iyi. O zamanlar ne kaçırmışız diyorum şimdi kendi kendime. Türe yabancı olan ilk defa souls oyunu oynamak isteyenlere başlangıç olarak bunu kesinlikle tavsiye etmiyorum 😀 Bazı bosslar baya uğraştırdı. 2009 yapımı bir oyuna göre çok mükemmel yapmışlar. puanım 8/10

90%PlayStation 3

It happened that I completed the first Soulsborne game the last, after finishing Dark Souls 1(original and remaster)/2(SoTFS)/3, Bloodborne, Sekiro and Elden Ring.
The game still holds up very well. Have to admit that the level design is a bit flat and inferior to the later installments, so does the gameplay mechanics are a bit less refined than in following "genremates", not that many cool bosses (The Old Hero, The King and Flamelurker were the only ones I can mention in terms of a challenge - even them are quite predictable), however: the atmosphere and the exploration here are still amusing and tempting.
So I wouldn't say that Demon's Souls aged terribly: in 2024 it's still decent and definitely better than most of the souls series wannabees.

90%PlayStation 3

O jogo que inventou um gênero! Simplesmente fantástico. Por ter sido o primeiro, apresenta alguns conceitos que já foram descartados ou mudados nos próximos jogos. Mas ainda assim é um excelente jogo.

10%Emulated

Блять в дерьмо солсе ужасно нахуй все. Я такого говна нигда не видел… это просто пиздоферсон ебать.
Понятно, что тут такая проба пера, мне поебать, типа я не буду пиздеть почему в елде например че-то есть, а в демонах нет, зафиксировали. Локации это еб твою мать просто ПИЗДЕЦ ИХ НАХУЙ ТАКОЕ ЧМО ТУПОРЫЛОЕ СДЕЛАЛО ЕБАТЬ ТАМ ЛИБО ТЫ В ПОМОЙКЕ С ЯДОМ, ЛИБО В ТЕМНОЙ ХУЙНЕ В КОТОРОЙ НИЧЕГО НЕ ВИДНО, ТО ЕСТЬ СОВСЕМ НИХУЯ БЛЯТЬ ВООБЩЕ 0 ВИДИМОСТИ АЛЛО ДОЛБОЕБИНА КОТОРАЯ ЭТО ДЕЛАЛА, ТЕБЕ НОРМ? МАМА ЖИВА??? НАХУЙ БЛЯТЬ ДЕЛАТЬ ТАК ЧТОБЫ ДАЖЕ КОНТУРОВ НЕ БЫЛО ВИДНО Я НАХУЙ КАК ДОЛЖЕН ИГРАТЬ ТУПИЦА ЕБАНАЯ СОЕВЫЙ РИСОЕД БЛЯТЬ ШЛЮХА ТЫ И ТВОЯ МАТЬ БАБАДЗАКИ СРАНЫЙ УРОДЕЦ ЕБЛИВЫЙ. ЕБАТЬ ОН УМНЫЙ СУКА НАХУЕВЕРТИЛ ГОВНА ООО БЛЯТЬ ДААА ДОДОДО ДАВАЙ Я СДЕЛАЮ ВСЕ ЛОКАЦИИ ТЕМНОЙ ХУЙНЕ И НАСРУ ПО 20 БОМЖЕЙ НА УЗКИЙ КАК АНУС РАЗРАБОТЧИКА КОРИДОРЧИК ИЛИ ПРОХОДИК ХПХПХАХА ГЕНИЙ ЕБАНЫЙ. И БЛЯТЬ ЕЩЕ ЕБНУ 1 КОСТЕР НА ВСЮ ЛОКУ И ПУТЬ ДО БОССА 5 МИНУТ 5 НАХУЙ ПЯЯЯЯЯТЬ ЧЕРЕЗ ВРАГОВ ЧЕРЕЗ ГРАВИТАЦИЮ ЭТО ВООБЩЕ ГДЕ ТАКОЕ БЫЛО СУЧАРА ТУПАЯ И БЛЯТЬ ВРАГИ ТАМ ЭТО НАХУЙ ПРОСТО ПИЗДЕЦ Я ЕБАЛ БЛЯЯЯЯ ПОМНИШЬ В ТЮРЬМЕ ДС3 БЫЛИ БАБЫ КОТОРЫЕ ТВОЕ ХП ПИЗДИЛИ? ТАК ВОТ ЭТО ОНО ТОЛЬКО ХУЖЕ И ЖИРНЫЕ ПИЗДЕЦ ВОТ ЗАЧЕМ СТАВИТЬ ЭТУ ЕБАЛУ НА ЛЕСТНИЦУ И БЕЗ ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ЕГО ОБОЙТИ НАХУУУУЯЯЯ????? А БОСС ТАМ ЕЩЕ ХУЖЕ 0/10 ПРОСТО НОЛЬ В ДС0 ВСЕ БОССЫ ЭТО ГОВНО НАТУРАЛЬНОЕ, ОНИ ДАЖЕ ВЫГЛЯДЯТ КАК КАЛ С УНИТАЗА ТАКОЙ ЖЕ ФОРМЫ И ЦВЕТА, УБИВАТЬ ИХ ВООБЩЕ НЕИНТЕРЕСНО. ГОРГУЛЬЕЙ ОНИ ПОСТАВИЛИ ДВЕ ШТУКИ НАХУЙ НА УЗЕНЬКУЮ АРЕНКУ И ДАЛИ ОТКИД БЛЯТБ ЗАЧЕМ ЗА ЧТО НАХУЙ ХУЛИ ИХ ДВОЕ ПОЧЕМУ ТУДА БЕЖАТЬ 5 МИНУТ ЧЕРЕЗ МОБОВ И ТЕМНОТУ ВОТ КАКОГО ХУЯ СКАЖИ??? ЯВАХУИ ЛЕЕЕЕ ЭТО СУКА ОНИ ЕЩЕ И БЛЯТЬ ТУПЯТ ПИЗДЕЦ ТО ЕСТЬ ИХ НЕ ВИДНО А ОНИ ЕЩЕ И УЛЕТАЮТ КУДА-ТО ЕБАЛ Я ЭТО ГОВНО ТУПОЕ. БЛЯТЬ КАК Я ЭТУ ХУЙНЮ НЕНАВИЖУ ЕЩЕ БЛЯТЬ МЕХАНИКИ ГОВНА ОНИ НАХУЙ ПЕРЕГРУЗ СДЕЛАТЬ ВОТ НАХУЙ ОН БЛЯЯЯЯЯ У МЕНЯ ИЗ-ЗА ЭТОГО СТОК ШМОТОК КРУТЫХ ПРОПАЛО, А ВСЕ ПОТОМУ ЧТО ИГРА ТУПОЕ ГОВНО СОЗДАННОЕ ДЕБИЛОМ КОТОРЫЙ И САМ В НЕЕ НЕ ИГРАЛ Я УВЕРЕН. ПОТОМУ ЧТО НУ ТАКОЙ ГЕЙМДИЗАЙН ВЫСРАТЬ, С ТАКИМИ ЛОКАЦИЯМИ ПАРАШНЫМИ И ТАКИМИ БОССАМИ НУ ЭТО ПИЗДЕЦ НАТУРАЛЬНЫЙ. 0/10 ПЛЮСОВ ВООБЩЕ НЕТ ЕБАТЬ НЕПОНЯТНО КУДА ИДТИ СУКА ВООБЩЕ НИХУЯ НЕПОНЯТНО НЕУДОБНО НИХУЯ ВСЕ КРИВО, КОСО БЛЯТЬ ФАРМ ЭТОТ МЕНЯ ЗАЕБАЛ. УЕБИЩЕ БЛЯТЬ НАХУЙ КАК МЕНЯ ЭТО БЕСИТ ВЫСЕР ДАУНСКИЙ. ОРУЖИЕ ЛОМАЕТСЯ БЛЯТЬ ОХУЕТЬ СПАСИБО МНЕ ЭТО ОЧЕНЬ НАДО ПОТОМ НАХУЙ ДОБАВИЛИ ФИНАЛЬНОГО БОССА КОТОРЫЙ ВЫСАСЫВАЕТ УРОВНИ И У МЕНЯ ИЗ-ЗА ЭТОГО ПЕРЕКАТ ПРОПАЛ И Я ЕГО НАХУЙ НЕ УБИЛ У НЕГО ОСТ ХМ 300 И СУКА ЕБАНЫЙ РОТ ЭТОТ БОСС НАХУЙ В МИНУТАХ 15 БЕГОТНИ ЧЕРЕЗ ДРАКОНА НАХУЙ БЛЯЯЯЯЯЯЯЯТЬ ЧТООООООО ЭТООООООО ЧТООООООО ЭТОООООО ПОЧЕМУУУУУУ БЛЯТЬ И НАХУЙ?????! И МНЕ НАХУЙ ПРИШЛОСЬ ЕГО ЕБНУТЬ И НА ЭТО УШЕЛ ЧАС ИЛИ ДВА, ПОКА Я ПРОКАЧАЛСЯ, НАФАРМИЛ, КУПИЛ ЛУК И ТД, ПОТОМ ЕЛЕ-ЕЛЕ ПРОБЕЖАЛ К НЕМУ И СТРЕЛЯЛ В ГОЛОВУ ЕЩЕ МИНУТ 30. ПРОСТО ГОВНО УЖЕ НИКАКИХ СЛОВ НЕТ. ПЕРСОВ НЕТ СЮЖЕТА НЕТ ЛОРА НЕТ НИХУЯ НЕТ ВСЕ ВСРАТО БЛЯТЬ ТУПО СДЕЛАНО ВСЕ УРОДЦЫ КАКИЕ-ТО СУКА НАХУЙ. ЛАДНО В ПИЗДУ ЭТО ГОВНО ЕБУЧИЕ ПОСКОРЕЕ БЫ ЗАБЫТЬ. АХ ДА ХАХАХА ЭТОЙ ЗАЛУПЕ СДЕЛАЛИ РЕМЕЙК КОТОРЫЙ НИХУЯ НЕ ИЗМЕНИЛ ХАХАХАХАХАХАХА ВЫ ТАМ ЧЕ СОВСЕМ ЕБНУЛИСЬ??? НЕТ ЧТОБ ШЕДЕВРАЛЬНЫЙ ПЕРВЫЙ ДАРК РЕМЕЙКНУТЬ НЕЕЕЕТ СУКА ОНИ ЭТУ ХУЙНЮ ПЕРЕДЕЛАЛИ ТУПЫЕ ЧУРКИ ХАЧИКИ ВЫЕБКИ КОНЧЕНЫЕ ПАРАШНИКИ ОЙ СУКА У МЕНЯ ТАК ПОСЛЕДНИЙ РАЗ БОМБИЛО КОГДА Я ПРОХОДИЛ ВАЙС СИТИ И ТО Я УЖЕ ТУПО УМЕР И КАК-ТО ПРОШЕЛ, НО ТУТ ЕПТА ОСОБЫЙ СЛУЧАЙ. ЕБАНАШКИ БЛЯ КАК Я ИХ НЕНАВИЖУ. КСТАТИ ФИНАЛЬНЫЙ БОСС УЖЕ ПОСЛИ ТИПА ФИНАЛЬНОГО ЭТО ТОЖЕ ГОВНО КОТОРЫЕ ПЛАВАЕТ В ВОДЕ И ТЫ ЕГО ТУПО ПИЗДЕЦ ОХУЕННАЯ ИГРА ЦЕЛУЮ РУКУ ХИДЕТАКИ ПРОСТО ХЛОПАЮ.

90%PlayStation 3

the original dark souls, respect

90%Emulated

Original Completion
Sek
DSIII
DeS
DSII
ER
DSR
BB*

85%PlayStation 3

Playing this one as my second fromsoft, after BB.

Pros:
- Quite good for a first entry;
- Aged quite well graphically and mechanically (looks good and I don't miss the omni roll);
- There seem to be many viable ways to build your character and the starting classes put you in the right path and show you the basics of the builds;
- Many bosses and enemies can be cheesed.

Cons:
- It is unfair how long you need to go through each time you respawn;
- Not enough shortcuts and too many enemies;
- Reaching full inventory makes you lose item pickups forever;
- The world tendency is also more a nuisance than a thing you're looking forward to play with - especially if you play offline: if you died or killed certain special enemies you're screwed, bye bye certain items;
- It's hard to time parries;
- Aggression is not rewarded like in BB;
- There are many weapons but other than for a couple situation where the game tells you to, it's not encouraged to experiment and switch weapons, because weapon upgrade is key and you need to look for materials to make the weapons viable;
- Lack of linearity makes you hit skill walls very often. You have switch worlds very often and then they're either too hard or too easy;
- The NPCs don't change their conversations often, unlike in BB where the doll is adjusting to world events. It would have been great if they commented on each felled demons.

It's a very good and revolutionary game, it would need some polish, sure, but it's concepts and twists are well done and it even helps understanding BB better. However, in 2023, you may find better games out there.

70%PlayStation 3

Very good game, pretty straightforward regarding other Souls (or Soulslike) games. This is basically a 3D take on the first two Zeldas, with an obvious Monster Hunter vibe, set in a dark fantasy world. Ironically, most of the best ideas in Demon's Souls seems to come from its relatively low budget. This is probably why it seems a little rough when compared to the rest of its "series", but also why, although Demon's Souls had an obvious influence about a whole subgenre, there's no other Soulslike that really feels like it.

90%Emulated

SL 62, magic build using Geri's Stiletto

75%PlayStation 3

This game is pretty hard and i think it's a good way for enter into the soulsborne's saga.

60%Emulated

The game that set the foundation for future souls-like games, and while not bad, certain aspects about it make me appreciate Dark Souls more.

First off, the bosses on this game are simple and feel fair enough to fight. No 2nd phase attacks to worry about, as it's just simply dodging attacks and following the rhythm. Now, as someone who has played DS, BB, and ER, I did feel some that were underwhelming and boring to play against. True King Allant, Phalnax, Leechmonger, Adjudicator, and Old Hero are probably examples for this. Old Hero was simply just, attacking its back and moving away from AOE. The rest mentioned felt slow and very basic attack patterns that you may as well power through. There are some decent ones though, like False King Allant and Penetrator, which have attack patterns that can feel fairly aggressive and fast but are easy to read. It's just a matter of dodging and attacking from the back, which can be said for every other boss. The only ones trouble-worthy I would say were the Maneater for its unexpected 2nd boss and lunge attack that does a lot of damage, along with the Flamelurker for its strong AOE, which took me 6 or 7 tries really. The Dragon God and Storm King were gimmicks, nothing more. They're not horrible to say, but some of the bosses here felt forgettable, compared to something like Ornstein & Smough, or even the Taurus Demon from Dark Souls. At the very least, most of them didn't have troublesome arenas like Capara Demon or Bed of Chaos.

World design and exploration feel solid enough even if it doesn't have an interconnected world like its successor. Each world design has its own distinct identity, and every new area you come across adds to the feeling of level progression. Boletaria is perhaps my favorite, particularly 1-1 for its vast size of the castle and areas to discover. Stonefang Tower of Latria 3-1 is my favorite in terms of exploration and rewarding as it has you going from jail-cell to jail-cell and opening up Iron Maidens for items, but screw those squid enemies for their stun attack. Shrine of Storms has some pretty annoying enemies like the rolling skeletons and the storm beasts but can be managed by shooting them down or equipping the Thief's Ring. Now as hauntingly beautiful Valley of Defilement is, 1-1 in particular is frustrating. No shortcuts to the boss, annoying enemies that hit-stun you to oblivion, and very poor platform areas that can be easy to fall off. 5-2 especially has you doing a long walk through a poisonous lake so you better stock up on noble lotuses or you're screwed. Playing this area made me appreciate Blighttown from Dark Souls more. At least that area was smaller and the run to the boss was short and you didn't have annoying enemies other than the blow-dart ones.

One big problem of this game is having item burden, in which once you carry the maximum amount, any item you try to find, the game will tell you "no". And here's the bigger problem with it, as any item you find but cannot pick up, the game treats it as "discovered". So the moment you die or leave, that item despawns and is permanently gone. Ridiculous that no feature allows you to send items picked up to the item box. Therefore, you'll have to constantly go to the Nexus to dump any items you pick up to Stockpile Thomas. A stupid mechanic that I'm glad never returned in future Souls games because all it did was hinder rewarding.

Another big problem here is the World Tendency mechanic. It's a neat premise on paper, whereas your actions like killing bosses or NPC's affect the world. However, the execution is very lacking because, without knowledge of this, you're bound to miss certain items or NPCs, which likely isn't achievable on first playthroughs, so the only way to know what to do is by looking up a guide for it. And if you want to go for pure white tendency on a world, you're pretty much going have to be forced to suicide and be stuck on soul-form with limited health. And if you want pure black tendency? Well, good luck, as depending on the area, the game will throw in harder enemies at you. The only way to fix this is to kill online players, but sadly the servers are offline. People say that NG+ is the way, but honestly, I don't know if I want to play through the whole game again just to pick up a few items.

Overall, it's alright I suppose. If someone wants to get into Soulsborne games, I'd recommend this or Dark Souls 1. The world design isn't much but it's fine enough especially if you're a newcomer to the series. Like most of their games, it's got its a fair share of annoying enemy encounters but sometimes can be manageable, though depending on your build of course Honestly, the infamous camera issues in Souls games weren't so prevalent here, but it does share the same clunky slow combat issues it has like most Souls games. That being said, I can see why Dark Souls is much appreciated more.

95%Emulated

A good action lite-RPG. Plenty of freedom in builds, decisions, and even which levels you decide to tackle first. Some are more difficult at low levels of course but it rarely restricts you from going to any world and beating levels there in the order you please. If you liked the more popular Dark Souls, you can probably enjoy this one too. Very interesting system with the World Tendency too! Mechanically, the most interesting SoulsBorne game yet.

80%Emulated

Muy buen juego, como es el primer juego se entiende que no tenga todos QOL de los otros juegos, pero esto lo hacen que sea un juego el que muy poca gente va a poder disfrutar, más allá de eso es un muy buen juego. Es el principio de los juegos souls.

75%PlayStation 3

The original

90%PlayStation 3

I remember buzz around the forums prior to this game's US release (or announcement). There's an interesting new RPG out, no plans for US release yet, but the Asian release has English...

Some people loved it, and many others hated it. I was in college and didn't have the money to risk on a pricey import, so it wasn't until the US release that I tried it.

DeS vs. DS? I'll let others debate the merits of the game design. Let's talk about FEELING. This game's atmosphere is beyond bleak. In DS1, a very bad man whom you rescued prior will kill someone at your base. In DeS, a very bad man whom you rescued prior will kill just about everyone in your base.

DS1 can at times have a coziness to its mysterious, sorrowful tone. DeS is oppressive at nearly every turn. It's the kind of game you want to escape from, but never stop playing. What's most impressive is just how much it embarrasses other games of its time. It's no wonder you'll hear many a FromSoft fan say something like "I can't go back regular action-RPGs now..."

What more can be said? Half fantasy, half horror, all GAME. A revolution surpassed only by its own successors.

80%PlayStation 3

Demon's Souls is an incredible game, and an absolute fire first entry for the whole Soulslike genre. Plenty of games were made in a grimdark/fantasy style, but up until this point, I don't think any of them properly captured the weight and grit that was waiting to be brought to justice. This was the first game that really let the player engage with a weighty and methodical approach to its enemies and encounters, and I loved it for that.

If you look at Demon's Souls side-by-side with Fromsoft's newest entry in the series, Elden Ring, you'd find that, at their core, these games play very similarly, and have just been cultured and carefully mastered over time. Saying that isn't a slam against Elden Ring or implying stagnant development from Fromsoft; in fact, I think it's insane that they captured lightning in a bottle on the first game in the series. Of course, it wasn't From's first game overall, but it was definitely the beginning of their golden age.

Each area pits you against a new environment, with new baddies and surprises around every corner. Each enemy represents a very real threat to the player, from the 20-foot-tall knight to the lowly peasant equipped with just a dagger and the rags on their back. I think this is one of the biggest strenghts in the series as a whole- the weapons in these games are fatal, and it doesn't matter who's wielding them. You have to respect each and every foe you're faced with, or you're gonna see "YOU DIED" more than you're probably going to admit to your friends.

Fromsoft loves dropping the absolute minimum amount of lore in their actual games, but there IS plenty of story, if you're willing to look. I think it lends well to the game's atmosphere however, as not explicitly knowing everything about the things you're seeing fighting adds an air of unease to Boletaria, and it's awesome.

I think the most impressive part of Demon's Souls is the fact that I played it after beating Dark Souls 1, 2, and 3 already, and it was STILL enrapturing to me. Having experienced everything they've released since, I can definitively say that Demon's Souls is still able to stand on its own, and is a worthwhile experience for any soulslike fans.

90%PlayStation 3

I need to play other souls games NOW.

After being killed by a demon, a soldier is chosen to be a Slayer of demons and restore peace to the 5 worlds.

An excellent game, it easily exceeded my expectations. I was afraid that I would get frustrated and give up on the game and think it was bad, but no, it was finally a new experience in the world of games. It was my first soulslike and the first to be released too and I believe I started with a good choice, I need to see the evolution of these games.
The gameplay is good but a little slow and this is on purpose, because it makes the game about patience and care. Any mistake and you die. Simple, just like that. There are several classes for you to choose the one that best defines you. Boss fights are creative when you play at short range because as a Mage... It's very easy. You just keep shooting magic and dodging. The difficulty for me wasn't as difficult as they said, obviously because I played as Royalty and that made it a lot easier. For me, the GREATEST difficulty of the game is its exploration, you can simply die several times if you don't know the path or don't know what's ahead.
The soundtrack is too good, it transports you to this fucked up dimension and embraces you with its cold, dark arms.
The graphics are nice for a PS3 game, nothing special. But the art direction, yes, the direction was really good. Each world has its particularities and differences.
The story didn't really grab me, it's pretty weak because it explains almost nothing to you and that's also on purpose because it's up to you to explore the game and discover certain things.

That's it, great game, I want to play the remake but I don't have a PS5... I RECOMMEND IT.

Story 7/10
Gameplay 8.8/10
Graphics 8/10
Soundtrack 8/10
Game overall 9/10
"You have a heart of gold. Don't let them take it away from you."
—Stockpile Thomas

90%PlayStation 3

The high score may surprise you for a game that is this janky, but this is built over YEARS of appreciating this game for everything it is and everything that it isn't.

This game alongside Bloodborne are some of my favorite games that FromSoft has ever put out. The sheer atmosphere in this game and its very "ps3 feel" are unrivaled.

The atmosphere is immaculate.
The music is quirky, but creepy, fitting for their bosses and extremely original.
The level design isn't always perfect at times but its always so moody to be in.
The weapon upgrade and inventory systems are far from perfect is a flaw worth mentioning.
The world and character tendency systems are finnicky but are some of the most interesting and creative ideas in the souls series.
The lore is sick as hell and the world at large is frightening when genuine thought is put towards what is happening to it.

Each stage serves its own purpose both in progression and how you should be tackling it, demon's souls at its core is very gimmicky both when it comes to tackling stages (which are usually much harder than the bosses) and how you should handle the gimmicky nature of the bosses, its a very unique approach that is lost as the series progresses into more purely combat oriented exploration and boss fights. But i feel like there's something to be genuinely appreciated to how each stage asks you to handle it with what tools you have available both in enemies weaknesses and strengths, and how to use those same tools to lighten the stress of level progression.

The gimmick the Fool's Idol has in 3-1 (Tower of Latria) has always stuck out to me as something simultaneously frustrating and increasingly cool the more thought i put into the fact that they thought so far as to do such a thing, frustrating but cool as hell is something this game delivers on a near constant basis, at least for me.

as i play through it more and more with several playthroughs under my belt i can very safely say that this is one of the most interesting souls games that exist to this day, and the original still passes the remake by far (although the remake makes many amazing changes).

maiden in black/10, the nexus is such a cool hub, if you can get over some of the stiffness in controls you'll have an amazing time if you love interesting worlds with oppressive moody atmospheres and love esoteric game design concepts like tendency.

80%PlayStation 3

An interesting title, very rough around the edges, yet still filled with a lot of the magic that would make Dark Souls work a couple years later

100%PlayStation 3

Demon's Souls my beloved

50%PlayStation 3

It was the easiest Souls game for me but has the most annoying level design in series. Starter of many great things but not the most perfect game.

65%PlayStation 3

One game really can change everything. Japanese video game developer FromSoftware spent almost all of the Playstation and Playstation 2 era toiling in relative anonymity; they were most known for their King's Field and Armored Core series, both of which attained only a cult following at the time, and their other releases were inconsistent in both quality and tone. Then, in 2009, a then unknown game by the name of Demon's Souls-dubbed as a spiritual successor to the PS1's King's Field-was hesitantly released in North America. Marketing for the game was minimal, so much so that Atlus, the game's publisher, only prepared an initial 15,000 physical units for the games release. And while the game's reception was moderate in Japan, it was received far better in the west, becoming critically acclaimed and going on to sell more than a million copies.. But Demon's Souls influence goes far beyond what it achieved as a game. It represented a huge turning point for FromSoftware in terms of success and global recognition, of course, but it also gave birth to one of the most popular action subgenres of the past few decades; the soulsborne.

As the first in the Souls series, Demon's Souls was a pretty unique take on the action adventure genre, weaving in RPG elements and a core focus on difficulty and personal choice. The game works because it's quite flexible in how it can be approached, right from the beginning. Because while some playstyles undoubtedly have their advantage over others, none of them feel restrictive-there's an impressive amount of freedom in this game that makes it more enjoyable to come back to. It's also highly satisfying-due to its focus on difficulty, clearing a level or a difficult boss your own way is a great feeling, and it creates a really great gameplay loop. Each difficult encounter you survive is further motivation to keep playing, keep exploring, keep defeating enemies. Some combat and controls can feel a bit clunky, and it's clear FromSoft hadn't fully mastered the mechanics yet, but it's more often fun than frustrating.

And for a self-identified difficult game, Demon's Souls might actually be one of the more beginner friendly titles in the series, at least on the basis of its mechanics. It isn't so much hard as it is stubborn, forcing you to forget conventional approaches and beat it at its own game. The bosses, contrary to what most who haven't played it might believe, often represent the easier parts of the level, and many can even be defeated on their first encounter. In that aspect, Demon's Soul is a good introduction to the series, teaching the player to look for patterns and battle strategically.

Demon's Souls is at its best when its ambition in level design matches its combat, and areas like Tower of Latria and Boletaria Palace do just that. Others, though, feel a bit more generic, and sometimes fall into the trope of difficulty by tedium instead of by mechanics. For example, some levels have a semi-checkpoint system where you can open up shortcuts to the beginning every so often. This is a nice mechanic, as death is super punishing in Demon's Souls, forcing you to lose half your health bar and all your souls, which is the level up/weapon upgrade currency in this game. The shortcuts are a nice way of rewarding progression, but for levels without them, it can get really frustrating, really fast. This is why most bosses being simple is almost a requirement, and is what keeps this game enjoyable, because a force 5-10 minute walk back to a boss each and every time is a perfect example of tedious, artificial difficulty, and will especially be frustrating in the first few levels when new players are just learning mechanics.

And the artificial difficulty doesn't stop there, either. Weapon upgrades, for example, rely on so many different variations of RNG gathered materials that you'll be lucky to upgrade any of your weapons to their final form. This means that you'll likely be doing a lot more grinding than desired; either to strengthen your character to the point your weapon doesn't matter, or to farm materials for your weapon in the hope you get the items you need. So while Demon's Souls is exhilarating when you're defeating bosses and discovering new areas, it becomes exhausting when you inevitably feel gated from progression by your stats or your items.

As groundbreaking as Demon's Souls was for the action adventure genre, it's pretty clear today why it was Dark Souls, not its prequel, which really took off. It was an impressive first step into revitalizing a once out-of-favor style of game, and it can still provide plenty of satisfying moments for players, but there's quite a bit of rust on the edges which dull the sheen. Don't be mistaken, Demon's Souls is thoroughly a good game, and is a good starting point to introduce players to the soulsborne subgenre, but its janky implementations and occasional frustration mechanics keep it from being anything much more than that.

60%Emulated

a start of a long journey for this studio... this game has lots of memorable moments within, being both good and bad. If you like ALL the souls games I'd say to give it a shot as it has a lot of shortcomings of all of them while still having a unique feel to it.

80%PlayStation 3

Earlier this year I played Lord of the Fallen as an introduction to souls-like games. However, Demon Souls was my first From Software game so there was a real tingle sitting down and firing it up. Also, to get the true experience, I read only the official manual and a bit of advice for beginners but retained from watching any videos of strategy and boss fights until I finished the game.

As a result, some bosses considered to be easy were a real challenge for me, while those who are difficult were easy. I dispatched both Flamelurker and the Maneaters with only one death in each, while the Iron Knight and the Old Man buried me quite a few times before I figured out what I'm supposed to do.

But overall (okay, I can hear the pitchforks going), I didn't think this was the exceptional game people made it to be, and I don't think it was much better than Lord of the Fallen.

So let's get the good things out of the way. Weapons and equipment are not just "one is stronger than the other". Items have different qualities and most weapons have their unique upgrade path that can be adapted to a different style of play.

The level design of some areas is fantastic. The ability to create shortcuts by opening one-sided pathways and removing obstacles is impressive, and the lack of saving points did not feel like a big issue with the Archstones allowing a reasonable quick travel. At the same time, this design felt very uneven with some runs being seriously long while others were ridiculously quick. I was very happy to have finished Flamelurker on my second visit. The run through the tunnels was no fun – and although I now know of a shortcut, it was an absolute pain at the time. Compare that with the run from the man-eaters to the old monk which was non-existent.

The same can be said about the boss fights – some of the early ones are very difficult while later ones are a breeze even for a low-level player.

Other issues are the world tendencies, which I didn't understand during the game and still don't, and the story which is not fulfilling. I can see this is a game that defined a genre, and as such I understand, it's an unpolished game.

A personal positive take from this game is that I now feel much more confident taking on the other From Software games. I died plenty of times, but this game did not feel too challenging.

70%PlayStation 3

Emulado en la Deck

80%PlayStation 3

Primeiro grande jogo da from software, e que jogo pika

80%PlayStation 3

the only bad thing that you always lost,

90%PlayStation 3

Played on the RPCS3 emulator.

90%PlayStation 3

It has flaws, but it's a great action game with plenty of challenge and fun to be had.

80%PlayStation 3

Demon's Souls is a masterful game that remains strikingly unique and memorable, especially as the first Souls game. Dark Souls often gets praise for helping popularize the genre, but Demon's Souls really does deserve credit for pioneering this type of game. It is quite well-realized and engrossing in a way few games truly are. It really feels like a strong, modern adaptation of classic NES games like Legend of Zelda or Castlevania. My only issues with the game are the few points at which the difficulty spikes in an unsatisfying way and that the world tendency system is punitive and confusing. These are relatively minor points compared to the overall package, but they are nonetheless frustrating and do not feel as well considered as the rest of the game. Ultimately, Demon's Souls is so meticulously crafted and so much fun to play that it is still an excellent game. Despite its steep immediate learning curve, I find the game quite an approachable challenge and a good starting point for the series. I highly recommend it, though it is a shame the PS3 servers are no longer up.

60%Emulated

Definitely one of the most difficult souls games. It was really bad at some times, being from 2009, full of bugs that made it super hard to play. AIs were unfair and annoying at times, but still a good game for its time.

80%PlayStation 3

88%

80%PlayStation 3

Pretty good game! Half of the bosses were fun and challenging while others were complete push overs or they were the Maneater. Constant frame drops also did leave a bad taste in my mouth.

80%PlayStation 3

I hate you pure bladestone, I just hate you

90%PlayStation 3

I think this game has retroactively and rather unfairly been viewed as a dry run for Dark Souls, but I think it stands very well on its own and, in my opinion, is a better game in meaningful ways. It is, of course, a very stiff challenge, and while DS's mostly continuous, interconnected world is missed with the hub-and-spoke structure in place here, it has some really fantastic, immersive environmental design and drips with atmosphere in a way DS never quite did for me.

On the not-so-good side, I don't really care for how obscure some major elements of this game are, like the world alignment system (any time I have to look up something on the internet is a failure of game design in my book), and it's a bit janky technically.

100%Emulated

A game I still love dearly and always will. Bloodborne is my favorite soulsborne, but Demon's Souls will always have a special place in my heart for feeling the boldest and most original.

90%PlayStation 3

GOTY 2009

Story 7/10
Level Design 9/10
Characters 8/10
Gameplay 10/10
Graphics 10/10
Music/Sound 10/10
Voice Cast 8/10

Difficulty MEDIUM

Overall 96%

90%PlayStation 3

Went back to this to Platinum it and to remember the stage layouts before jumping into the PS5 remake. The progenitor of Dark Souls, and in some ways more arcade like, in terms of level progression, but still a joy from start to finish. Only gripe is the tendency systems that punishes you for being crap, by making the enemies harder and you weaker. It quite literally forces you to 'git gud', which you'll either appreciate or despise! Also requires some research into upgrading certain equipment, as not as straightforward as the Dark games. While I have scored high, it's probably not worth playing on the PS3 now, as the servers have been terminated, but if you're a fan of SoulsBourne games and want a history lesson, jump in.

70%PlayStation 3

Fun aesthetic, challenge but rough around the edges. Definitely the beginning of the SOULS series and a solid start to a cool franchise.

70%PlayStation 3

I finally played the original and it was pretty fun! That being said, it's juuuuust clunky enough to illustrate why Dark Souls is the one that actually took off.

90%PlayStation 3

9.5/10

80%PlayStation 3

Challenging (but you already knew that), immersive, and unique, Demon's Souls is a game that takes me back to old school gaming, where overcoming the hard tasks in the game is what drives you forward more than any story elements. There is plenty to love about Demon's Souls if you are up for a challenge, and plenty to hate if you started gaming after the 90's were over. This game doesn't hold your hand at all, but it doesn't play unfairly. It is your own failures that will drive you to overcome the opposition and when you triumph in Demon's Souls, you'll feel the most satisfied you ever have in any game.

80%PlayStation 3

8.5 / 10

100%PlayStation 3

Very well-designed game, loved more of the level designs compared to the Dark Souls franchise. The only complaint is probably the early difficulty scale which makes it harder for newcomers to get into. Although I am a souls vet, this game was sure a challenge as you don't frequently have access to checkpoints. Also, death is pretty punishing as you basically lose half your health permanently until you can find consumables to restore your health back or just kill a boss. The world and environment are well designed probably the budget level that was even higher than both DS1 and DS2 combined. Otherwise, this game is almost a masterpiece, the game also has great waifu material.

90%PlayStation 3

Crusty but soo good

90%PlayStation 3

8.8/10

90%PlayStation 3

A fantastic game with a steep difficulty curve but once you get into the swing of things it becomes an extremely enjoyable adventure into a bleak and dismal world.

The game completely rewards both exploration and cautiousness and does a great job in balancing the two.

If i have one complaint is that while i played as a mage i felt it was rather too easy to get through the game. There was still challenges (especially 4-2) but ultimately i did not die often in the game.