3.5/5 ★ – Kalle_Deimos's review of Demon's Souls.

TLDR: Demon's Souls walked so Dark Souls could run. In comparison to the rest of the series, it's quite simple and contained in it's own little bubble. Not to say simplicity is bad but it does feel like something is missing. It's a remake though so, not sure what to expect there. Gameplay: Later Souls games have lots of unique and strange armor, weapons and items. Lots of variety which also means a lot of pretty worthless gear. Here there isn't much to choose from. Lots of generic weapons that would never carry you to end-game in future generations, but here theyre good despite a limited moveset. Every weapon feels valuable in some capacity, and while I thought this would encourage build diversity I feel like it inhibits it. Thankfully, magic is great and doesn't require an entire build to feel viable. Plenty of spells and miracles with utility to add some depth to your character. The lack of an estus is hard to get used to, especially if youre doing poorly and have to grind moon grass. It can certainly hurt the pacing. Areas and level design are super small, not many secrets or optional areas. Or really much of anything sometimes. This means level design is polished but there isn't much of anything to explore. This also means that resources are limited, and if you want to upgrade a weapon that needs something other than sharpstones, you have to grind certain areas for a long time until you have enough. I tried doing that before giving up because it simply wasnt worth it to me. The time spent versus the payoff was not enough. Enemies and bosses also follow this contained nature and have significantly less bullshit. Plenty of bosses don't even have anything besides a couple of attacks and never have another phase. It's the closest thing to a casual experience you'll find in a Souls game. There is no twists or turns. No huge challenges to overcome. Just a short journey through a dying world. Story: The story is not as esoteric than every other souls games. I actually felt like everything was explained to me, but I do miss having every single little thing connecting to deeper lore I'd never understand. Graphics: This is one of, if not the best looking game out right now. Lighting, atmosphere and particle effects particularly look absolutely fantastic. The attention to detail with how you interact with the environment and enemies is stunning. There is brand new ripost / backstab animations for every weapon that are so satisfying you'll want to do it all the time. Some of the human enemies can look a bit goofy when you look at them too closely, but they still fit within the world's design. Sound: Crisp and clear. The amount of care put into each step, impact and drop of a body is impressive. Extra: There's sidequests here and there but theyre very vague and hard to follow, let alone complete. Favorite Thing: The visuals. Not My Favorite Thing: The realization that I think this remake is hard carried by it's visuals.