Avant-garde is a huge winged demon with large curved horns and luminous eyes, capable of destroying anyone with one blow of its ax. But another thing attracts attention - its appearance. Now it’s clear who the Vagrant Demon (Dark Dark Souls) looks like. And what other similarities do the From Software studio games have in common?
Poor Boletaria
Troubled times came in the kingdom of Boletaria, when King Allant XII decided to use the magic of invoking souls. He wanted the state prosperity and prosperity, but did not think what consequences this witchcraft would bring. Thick white fog enveloped the whole of the proletariat, isolating it from the rest of the world. Since then, neighboring kingdoms have tried many times to find out what happened in the lands of Allant XII, but not a single messenger, having passed through the fog, never returned. Except one person.
One still managed to return, but what he told made him shudder. It turned out that the ritual awakened the great and powerful demon - the Eldest. And with it a fog appeared, attracting other demons to the kingdom, which immediately began to absorb the souls of living people. But the worst thing is that the fog began to slowly penetrate beyond the borders of Boletaria, and if it is not stopped, it will soon plunge the whole world into chaos.
The player will have to play for the hero who managed to get through the fog and stay alive. Let it be for a while. After all, after some time he will meet the first two bosses, one of which will certainly kill him.
After his death, he will fall into a mysterious place called Nexus - an old temple that unites five worlds, on which you can travel with the help of special Archaeological stones. The hero gets there in the form of a soul immediately after his death. There he meets the Virgin in Black, another powerful demon. And she has a plan to save the Boletaria. True, in return she asks to bring her the souls of all the demons who are there.
Atmosphere
What the hero sees right behind the fog in the Demon Souls game is complete devastation and decline. Although there is nothing to be surprised at, death has long been walking in the Boletaria, and the gloomy scenery is her doing. The setting is reminiscent of the Middle Ages in its darkest times. There is not even a hint of something alive. Here is, for example, a castle. But no one lives in it, because it is destroyed and has long been covered with vegetation. But just try to look inside, you will understand that it is not empty. After all, the dead have long wandered around its premises.
And the Tower of Latria is a terrible place, which consists of several areas: a prison, a temple, a bloody swamp and several towers. The prison is filled with crazy prisoners guarded by creatures with strange heads. True, monsters roam much worse in the towers - gargoyles, red-eyed guards and human centipedes.
To dare to visit this place, you will have to prepare well, because any of the listed enemies will tear the hero up in seconds. Not to mention the Idol of Fools - the boss who sits in one of the towers. And there are many such places in the Demon Souls game. From them per kilometer danger is blowing, but for some reason one wants to get there.
Habit of dying
Those who are familiar with other "stuffy" From Software games know that the characteristics of the character, especially the initial ones, do not particularly affect the complexity of the game. When confronted with most enemies, he will die, die and die.
In order for the hero to somehow develop, you will have to improve your abilities, visiting the Virgo in Black from time to time. Her services are paid by souls - the only currency in the game that falls out of the bodies of dead enemies.
The gameplay constantly makes the player afraid for the fragile life of his character. For clarity, it’s worth recalling that in “Demon Souls” you can’t forcefully save and take a break. The process of passing is recorded only in certain places. But this is not the worst. In the place where the hero dies, all his earned souls remain. You can pick them up, but this is given only one chance, which is desirable to use. Otherwise, you will have to say goodbye to your good forever. True, often this is exactly what happens. Especially if one of the bosses became the cause of death.
About Trends
Trend is one of the most important indicators of the game. It can be of two types - Character Trend and World Trend.
The first affects the complexity of the game. Here she acts as karma. That is, do good - and it will become easier to pass. If you are doing dark things, get ready for serious difficulties. Enemies will become stronger, and the force of impact, on the contrary, will decrease. Well, scary? But this is the only way to see new enemies.
A world trend is capable of affecting one of the five worlds. The Demon Souls game will become more difficult if the Trend is negative. Player actions committed in a certain world can only appear there. Moreover, all changes take effect only after returning to the Nexus.
A pure white trend is beneficial in that it makes opponents weaker, and more healing herbs fall out of them. True, there will be less souls and valuable objects. The reverse situation develops with the Pure Black Trend - enemies are stronger, but they drop more souls and objects. The trend is moving in a positive direction mainly for killing black phantoms and bosses. Therefore, it is easier to get negative. For example, bodily death or the killing of some characters will come down.
Weapon
Weapons play a big role in the Demon Souls game. The passage will be greatly simplified if you choose a good accessory for melee or ranged combat. Of course, without a certain tactic, the boss cannot be defeated even with the biggest hammer. But with bare hands to rush at the enemy - this is pure suicide.
So, there are a lot of weapons in the game, starting from the usual and ending with the unique one. For long-range combat presented bows and crossbows. Staves and talismans create spells that can also act over long distances. A character can hold a weapon in both hands. But there is a small clarification: the weapon in the right hand is intended to attack, and what lies in the left should block enemy attacks. Even a sword can repel a blow, and the resistance to damage to an object will affect the effectiveness of protection.
New game +
NG + is another feature of Demon Souls. Access to it is possible only after the assassination of King Allant and the choice between the Virgin in Black and the Eldest. It differs little from an ordinary game. The only difference is that enemies become stronger and they leave more things. And the player has all the items that are not related to the history of the passage.
They say that gamers will feel the strongest increase in complexity after the first passage. The following games will complicate slightly. But after the start of version +, all keys will be lost, all doors will close, and relations with characters will be reset by default.
Visual impressions
Visually, the game looks weak - this is its biggest drawback. Low resolution and blurry textures are noted. Demon`s Souls does not use Motion capture technology. Although why do you need character animation if they are almost always silent?
Special effects are also mediocre. Yes, there are not many of them here: something similar to the fog in front of each room with the boss and flashes from magic spells. No destruction, explosions and weather events - the developers took to others.
Despite the technically weak graphics, the design of the locations turned out outstanding. The levels are colossal in size and have an original interior. Each sound and each room keeps the player in constant tension, sending graphic flaws to the background.
Conclusion
Having created the Demon Souls, whose review was above, From Software Studios developed the perfect template for their future games. Yes, of course, many errors have been fixed, the mechanics have been perfected, and in the case of Bloodborne, they have worked on the graphics. But the meaning remains the same. Therefore, for fans, the Souls series will forever remain the very first. Naturally, this is not about those who have never played it. By the way, it’s worth considering this, because there are rumors about restarting the franchise on the PS4. It is a pity that the “Demon Souls” on the PC probably never appears.