Demon's Souls Megathread

Apr 17, 2009
7,729
San Diego, CA
Demon's Souls is a fantasy action role-playing video game developed primarily by From Software exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan on February 5, 2009 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment; in North America on October 7, 2009 and published by Atlus and in Europe on June 25, 2010 and published by Namco Bandai.

Set in a dark fantasy medieval Europe-inspired world, players take control of a custom hero who has journeyed to the fictional kingdom of Boletaria, which is being ravaged by an accursed fog that brings forth demons that feast on the souls of mortals. The game has been described as a spiritual successor to the King's Field series, a previous series of games from the same developer.

The gameplay involves a character creation system with emphasis on gathering loot through combat with enemies in a non-linear series of varied locations. It also has a unique online multiplayer system integrated into the single-player where players can leave useful messages and warnings for other players' game worlds.

Gameplay:

Players take control of the main character in a third-person view who, at the start of the game, can be customized in their gender, appearance, name and starting class. There are up to 10 starting classes ranging from knights and barbarians to thieves and magicians, each with their own set of statistics, starting gear, weapons and type of magic used that emphasize certain approaches to combat depending on the player?s preference.

As players kill demons, they gain souls which are currency that can be used to buy, repair, and upgrade weapons as well as increase player statistics such as strength, luck, endurance, etc. Along with souls, players can also retrieve items such as weaponry and ore for upgrading. When a player is first killed in combat during a level, they are sent to the beginning of the level with all non-boss enemies re-spawned, and the player returns in soul form with lower maximum health and the loss of all unused souls.

If the player manages to retrieve their bloodstain at the point where they were last killed, they regain their lost souls, but if they are killed before then, the souls are lost permanently. Upon defeating a boss, the player can choose to re-spawn back at that location, marked in the form of an Archstone. When not engaged in levels, players reside in the Nexus, a realm of souls that acts as a hub where players can exchange souls, store items and travel between regions. After completing the initial portion of the first region, player can choose to progress through any other of the newly available regions.

Gameplay can change depending on both the World and Character tendency, which can be either white or black. Tendency depends on the actions of the player such as helping or killing NPCs. When white, enemies are easier, yet the soul and items rewards are less; when black, enemies are stronger and give greater rewards. Players can manipulate their tendency to suit their current needs. Character tendency affects the player throughout, while World Tendency only affects the region where an action was taken.

Story:

The story is set in the medieval Europe-inspired, fictional kingdom of Boletaria, ruled by the aging King Allant XII. Because of his greed, the king searched for power and prosperity through a dark ritual of channeling the power of souls that brought unprecedented prosperity to Boletaria, until the "Deep Fog" covered the land's outskirts, cutting off the kingdom from the outside world. Neighboring kingdoms sent scouts to investigate but none returned after entering the fog. It was only after Vallarfax of the royal Twin Fangs broke free from the fog that the rest of the world could be told of Boletaria's plight. By channeling souls, King Allant had awakened the Old One, a great demon residing below the Nexus. With the Old One's awakening, a dark fog had swept in that within it unleashed demons who feasted on the souls of mankind, where those left alive without a soul became insane and violent. Without resistance, the fog slowly begins to spread beyond Boletaria.

Many brave warriors attempted to breach the fog and save Boletaria while others were swayed at the prospect of harnessing the demon's souls, either way however many were lost to the fog. The player takes control of one such warrior who breaches the fog and enters the lost kingdom, but shortly after entering however, the lone hero adventurer is killed by a great demon. After dying, the hero, now in soul form, appears in the Nexus. In the Nexus, they are greeted by the Maiden in Black, a mysterious and blinded patron of the Nexus and gives them the quest to travel to each region of Boletaria and retrieve the demon's souls to gain power and eventually free the corrupted kingdom of Boletaria from the Old One.

One by one the hero slays the mighty demons that reside in many of Boletaria's notable locations; the Boletarian Palace, Stonefang Tunnel, Tower of Latria, Shrine of Storms and Valley of Defilement. It is also in these places where they encounter the few remaining great men and women of Boletaria. Once the hero claims all the demon's souls, the Maiden in Black leads them down below the Nexus to the Old One itself. The Maiden in Black beckons the Old One who invites the hero inside where the now deformed King Allant XII remains. During the final battle Allant claims that because of humanity's own violence and suffering, the Old One is acting mercifully by putting "an end to our tragic realm of existence." Upon Allant's defeat, his last words are a warning to the hero: "You fool. Don't you understand? No one wishes to go on."

During the end game the hero makes one last choice to either slay or walk away from the Maiden in Black and lose all knowledge of souls arts. If the hero walks away, they have not succumbed to the temptation of the souls when the fog is lifted and the Maiden departs with the Old One back into the fog into its slumber once again, saving Boletaria and the rest of the world. If however they kill the Maiden in Black, they have become lustful for the power of souls, condemning the world with the hero as its ruler at the side of the Old One.

Screens:

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Demon's Souls launch details; no online play until official release

With the launch of the massive RPG Demon’s Souls, Atlus wants to make sure anyone who has an early copy of the game knows the North American servers will not go live until the game officially launches on Tuesday, Oct. 6. If you do receive the game before next Tuesday, you should understand that you can still play the game, but only off-line.

Before the game officially launches, the North American server will be down. Anyone trying to log into the server will receive an immediate PSN error. Again, you can still play the game off-line until its official launch.

Atlus wants to “ensure that there’s as little worry, panic, confusion, mass hysteria, riots in the streets, Armageddons, etc.”

Demon’s Souls is definitely worth checking out, not only for fans of the RPG genre, but for gamers looking for an intriguing online experience. We were quite impressed with this game, as per our recent review, and we certainly encourage you to check out the North American launch of this PlayStation 3 exclusive.
 
Yeah, I still dig it. I've momentarily put it down though because Brutal Legend is awesome. I'll be getting back to it this weekend.

It is hard, but it's still a possible platinum. You will have to play through 3 or 4 times though so it really depends on your threshold for frustration. Some of these bosses can take multiple attempts to beat.
 
I need to pick this game up, but too much backlog.. I need a month of just ripping through some games... Put it on the christmas list..
 
I need to pick this game up, but too much backlog.. I need a month of just ripping through some games... Put it on the christmas list..

Never gonna happen Cali, welcome to growing up ... no more mass amounts of free time to just game. :(
 
Never gonna happen Cali, welcome to growing up ... no more mass amounts of free time to just game. :(

I dont even want to trophy ***** them. I just want to play through them once and move on.. once I'm done with U2, I'll have about 1-2 weeks to rip through bioshock, etc, before MW2..
 
Demon's Souls Director Talks Difficulty, Sequel Possibility

I know a lot of you are big fans of Demon's Souls so when I find something that would interest my fellow RPG fans - regardless of my own personal preferences - I'm quick to post it.

In a recent Game Informer interview with Demon's Souls director Hidetaka Miyazaki, we get some inside information on how the developers approached the inherent challenge, the game's unique design and yes, the possibility of a sequel in the future. When asked if they "set out to create something that focused on difficulty," Miyazaki had this to say:

"Having the game be 'difficult' was never the goal. What we set out to do was strictly to provide a sense of accomplishment. We understood that 'difficulty' is just one way to offer an intense sense of accomplishment through forming strategies, overcoming obstacles, and discovering new things. Our goal of a sense of accomplishment was the basis of the game since the early stages of development, and we never strayed from that."

There's no doubt that the level of satisfaction gained from emerging victorious in Demon's Souls is arguably second-to-none, and fans of the game greatly appreciate this challenge. You should read the rest of the interview, too, as they discuss their favorite sections and how they constructed the "souls" system. Not surprisingly, the last question involved a potential sequel and Miyazaki's response is definitely encouraging:

"I’m just an employee of the development company, so I can’t directly answer whether there’ll be a sequel to Demon’s Souls. With that said, my personal opinion is that we learned a lot during the development of Demon’s Souls, and there were a lot of things that we couldn’t do the first time, so I’d welcome the chance to create an even better game in the same style if the opportunity arises."

With the level of critical acclaim Demon's Souls has achieved, plus the immensely loyal following that will quickly pounce on a sequel, one would have to assume a sequel would be a damn good idea. What say you, RPG aficionados?
 
I bought Demon's Souls really early on and liked it, but the learning curve was a little to steep for me to play for hours on end.

I don't like the fact that hours of work are for nothing if I make a single mistake.
 
Demon's Souls strategy guide replacement program

If you own the Deluxe Edition of the hit RPG Demon’s Souls and have experienced problems with your Official Strategy Guide, Atlus announced today there is a replacement program to get you a brand new strategy guide. If you’d like to replace your defective strategy guide, follow these step-by-step instructions: http://www.demons-souls.com/stratguide/

"While it seems that not every copy of the guide is affected, and the cause of the cover ink fading remains unclear, we suspect a few Atlus staff of taking in too much of that new-game smell and over-inhaling the guides," said Crystal Murray, Public Relations Specialist at Atlus. "We appreciate the tremendous support Demon's Souls has received and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused," she added.

The replacement program will end on December 31, so you should submit your claim as soon as possible and expect anywhere from eight to 12 weeks for shipping.
 
Demon's Souls annihilates sales expectations

Demon's Souls has sold 280,000 copies as of February 28, 2010, well ahead of its projected North American sales of 75,000 units.

All in all it's been a good quarter for Atlus Ltd. The company's North American division, Atlus USA, has seen a 236.1% increase in operating profit in the first half of its fiscal year when compared to the same period last year.

The company's games have consistently exceeded sales expectations this quarter (with the exception of Shin Megami Tensei: Stange Journey, which sold a still respectable 152,000 units).

Considering how critically acclaimed but minimally marketed so many of Atlus' games have been, these sales numbers are an encouraging sign that quality is more relevant to game sales than flashy advertisements.
 
Demon's Souls Picked Up By Namco Bandai For European Release

Finally, it looks as though European PlayStation 3 owners will be able to get their twitching paws on dungeon-trawling action role-player Demon's Souls, as Namco Bandai has apparently acquired the game for distribution in Europe.

Demon's Souls has been available in Japan since February of last year and a North American release followed in October, meaning that savvy European gamers have been importing the game for months to enjoy its unique brand of rock hard, punishing swords and shields gameplay.

Although some retail sites already list Demon's Souls for a summer release, a new listing at Germany's Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle ratings board pretty much verifies that the game will be coming to PAL territories, ending a long and agonising wait.

Be warned, if you're planning a purchase, brace yourself for a rough ride. Demon's Souls is hard as nails.
 
Demon's Souls to stay online for at least one more year

Demon’s Souls was one of last year’s hidden gems on the PlayStation 3. We loved it, other critics loved it, gamers in America loved it, and now we can all continue to love it for at least another year.

Atlus U.S.A. today announced that it will continue supporting servers for online play for Demon’s Souls through at least March 2011.

"We are proud to maintain our commitment to the Demon's Souls online community by extending our support for the game's servers, allowing current and new players to continue to enjoy the game's vast online feature set," stated Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales for Atlus. "One of the highest-rated, most talked about games of all time, Demon's Souls is defined by its groundbreaking online functionality. No other game better marries suspenseful, claustrophobic solitude with unprecedented cooperative and competitive multiplayer connectivity. Each game world, each individual's adventure, can be bridged with those of others', making for one of the most startlingly grand yet deeply intimate RPG experiences ever created."

To celebrate today’s announcement, the game server’s World Tendency will change to Pure White for a couple of weeks, essentially making the game slightly easier for newcomers while giving us veterans a chance to reach otherwise inaccessible areas and items.
 
PS3 Greatest Hits Memeber!

The PlayStation 3 ‘Greatest Hits’ line-up offered by Sony gives gamers some of the best PlayStation 3 titles the console can offer for a low, affordable price. Atlus’ Demon’s Souls is undoubtedly worthy to be on the list and has been added to the ever-growing list of PS3 greats.

The PlayStation 3 exclusive is now an official Greatest Hits title and available for the low price of $29.99. “Praised for its fearless redefinition of a multiplayer experience, heralded for its visceral combat and haunting world design, and beloved by fans for its ruthless difficulty and endless rewards, one of the finest games of its generation now proudly takes its place among the PlayStation 3 system’s greatest offerings” Atlus explains.

Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Atlus had this to say:

“Very few games reach the esteemed PlayStation 3 system Greatest Hits status. Those that do are among the very finest the platform has to offer, combining critical success, tremendous popularity, and exceptional quality. Demon’s Souls represents some of the biggest risks, loftiest goals, and most daring innovations ever embarked upon by a developer. Its arrival into the exclusive ranks of PlayStation 3 Greatest Hits validates its designers’ achievements and helps bring their unique vision to a larger audience. Priced to own at only $29.99, there has never been a better time to find out what everyone’s been talking about.”

Copies of Demon’s Souls with the new Greatest Hits packaging will be arriving in stores shortly. Those who are interested in Demon’s Souls and its original packaging would be best served by picking up a copy as soon as possible before supplies run out says Atlus. Be sure to check out PlayStation LifeStyle’s Demon’s Souls review for an insight of why this title is one of the best Sony’s black behemoth machine has to offer.

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playstationlifestyle.net/2010/09/15/demons-souls-joins-ps3-greatest-hits-price-reduced-to-29-99/