In combat, when you finally pull off that well executed dodge and counter attack against a heavily armored knight, you definitely feel a sense of accomplishment. Your character in combat is only as good as you are. You aren’t a super soldier and you have to treat each individual battle with the countless adversaries you’ll come across as a life or death affair. This adds a bit of dramatic weight to your hacking and slashing that really sets this game apart from other loot whoring games like Diablo or Titan Quest.

In third person loot fests like Diablo, you fight masses of enemies that you dispatch fairly easily. In Demon’s Souls, when you come across a bad guy, you really have to assess your surroundings, take note of your current weapon versus how effective that weapon is against your opponent and decide on a proper strategy, which can often mean simply running away to fight later.

Boletaria Castle

I played and replayed the first area of the Boletarian Castle at least 25 times before I finally was able to get to the Demon and defeat it. Once I did though, the game opens up quite a bit. After that first success you’ll be able to level up your character, learn spells, and progress the story forward.  The game becomes much less difficult after that.

As you fight and win, you will be rewarded. These rewards come in very small allotments. When you do finally save up enough souls to trade for upgrades, you become more powerful, which allows you to go even further and deeper into the areas you had been exploring.

This game is not recommended to gamers that view Mass Effect as a hardcore RPG. If you thought Paper Mario was a bit too in-depth for you, then stay away from Demon’s Souls.  Video games these days are just too easy. Let’s just admit that, so when a game like Demon’s Souls comes along, it takes everybody by surprise. The game does not allow you to make mistakes. The game does not hold your hand at all. The game does not let you lolly gag around in a pause menu while you equip stuff. Heck, the game doesn’t even have a pause feature. You’ll be in real time all the time.  The game will however give you a very real sense of danger, which I think gives you a greater sense of accomplishment and entertainment when you do get that spell you were looking for, or finally upgrade that item that you had your eye on.

The game is a grind.

It is not easy.

The combat is well executed.

The game will smack you around if you do something stupid.

It is unforgiving yet totally accommodating toward any style of play.

It’s unique.

Most importantly, the game is a ton of fun. That’s why I keep playing Demon’s Souls.

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