Demon's Souls is a perfect example of what a remake should be, it's such an amazingly polished experience that keeps every part of the originals charm but with a complete graphical overhaul. Sony made a bold choice by choosing Demon's Souls to be the face of the PS5's launch. It's safe to say that everyone had high expectations not only for the console but this remake and they absolutely nailed it.

Challenging but fair

The Souls series is renowned for its incredibly challenging but rewarding gameplay, that rush of adrenaline as you narrowly escape death. Every corner has you on the edge of your seat, you become naturally imbued with the sense of distrust as make your way through narrow corridors never letting your guard down. It’s that ominous feeling of total immersion that keeps us coming back to such a punishing series and I love it, Demon's Souls delivers and then some. The boss design is incredible, not only do they feel so grand in scale but each one has a unique weakness for you to exploit. You just have to find it.

There’s a plethora of weapons to choose from each with varying attack animations and timings to get used to, from parrying with a shield to casting magical spells there’s a fighting style for all who dare brave the harsh reality that Boletaria has to offer.

Performance

I played in performance mode and I am so incredibly impressed with the consistency of the frame rate which is locked at 60fps. I don’t think ever noticed a dropped frame or stutter, I never expected this game to be as polished as it was on launch. We tend to go into launch games very sceptically but you can leave those negative thoughts outside the fog wall because this game delivers on everything it promises and more.

Photo realistic graphical fidelity

The graphics are so beautifully detailed it really helps to immerse the player into the gothic setting of Boletaria, from the ivy plants growing up walls to the cracks in the brick work I couldn’t help but be mesmerised by every new area I entered. It’s such a polarising contrast to the original it’s amazing that they managed to keep the same ominous and bleak feeling to the world that we all loved. I couldn’t help but to stop and stare at every new detail I discovered along the way, the lighting effects really help set the mood and the particle effects from fire look especially vibrant and hyper-realistic. Dodging fireballs has never looked so good, you know what they say if you can dodge a fireball you can dodge a ball. I can’t believe how much detail they’ve managed to get into each texture from the scales on the dragons to the threads of the fabric on your character's garments.

Audio

The Sound Design is phenomenal, with the implementation of Sony’s new 3D audio the depth to the soundscape can really be heard and felt, not only does everything sound amazing but it has an incredible soundtrack too that’s perfectly minimalistic and fitting to the games setting. The surge of adrenaline you feel when you hear a projectile fly past your character's head would have been unimaginable to me 10 years ago. It's a shame that you need a 3D audio compatible headset to get the full experience but with that said it’s a more than welcome feature, it’s almost like you can hear the future

Conclusion

Go out, buy a copy and git gud you jabroni. I’ll see you in Boletaria.

Author: Gabriel Sewell