Dark Souls – Review – Xbox 360

As a veteran of Demon’s Souls I knew what to expect diving into the world of Dark Souls. Hundreds of hours of gameplay and a ton of player deaths. Dark Souls not only expands the world of Demon’s Souls, but dwarfs it in size.

Story: Being an Action RPG you would expect a long lavish backstory and an intriguing conflict that need resolving. Dark Souls lacks in this area with most of the story being told through the games few cutscenes and NPC dialogue (though they offer very little in speaking). Once you have completed the first area you are whisked away to the games true starting area where you are given the task to ring 2 bells. Ringing those bells becomes your first task and you don’t really get much more story out of the game. This never really hinders your experience in the game though because you become so involved in the growth and advancement of your character.

Gameplay: The meat and potatoes so to speak is found in the wonderfully easy to learn but never exactly mastered combat. This is not your run of the mill charge in and kill the bad guys and move to the next dungeon action RPG. Running in with out plotting you course so to speak is just one of the many ways you will die. Even the standard enemy is capable of ending you in a moments notice, miss time a block with your shield you die, turn away from your enemy for a split second you die, open a new door to explore a new room and well i guess you see the theme here. Exploring the games open world is quite rewarding treasure are scattered everywhere as long as you can defeat the scurge that stands in your way. Death isn’t the only thing that happens in Dark Souls, there are bonfire which act as checkpoints, but beware resting at one will refill your health sure, but it also respawns all of the enemies in the area. Defeating enemies rewards you with souls which are then used to level up your character. Multiplayer is also a challenge unlike any other, after a certain point in the game you will be able to invade other peoples games, but you can also be invaded by other players. PVP isn’t the only aspect of the multiplayer you can also summon other to fight beside you which will earn you rewards and help you progress through some of the early boss fights.

Graphics/Audio: From sweeping mountain ranges to seedy underground dungeons Dark Souls delivers the visual eye candy in heavy doses. Realism in not only armor and weapons but in the way streets and forests appear weathered and broken only add to the wonderful depth of the graphics detailing. Characters also move around in almost surreal true to life form, becoming slower with the addition of armor or being unable to swing a sword all the way due to lack of strength. Accompany that with an eerie almost dread inspiring soundtrack and you have achieved what to me is the best overall action RPG available.

Overall: Dark Souls may lack story but it delivers everywhere else in an almost perfect elegance. I really love this game and while some people may be turned off by the difficulty curve, I urge you to give it a try. Fans of strategy RPGs should also give this a go, seeing as most combat encounters require you to plan accordingly.

Pros:
-Great combat mechanics
-Huge world to explore
-Eerie soundtrack is amazing
-Realistic player movement

Cons:
-Learning curve for new players
-Story really takes a back seat

9.5 OUT OF 10

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