Demon's Souls

No longer soul of the lost, and withdrawn from its (PS3) vessel, Bluepoint has transformed a cult classic into a modern next-gen marvel.

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Demon's Souls is a brutal action RPG, exclusively for PS5, that takes players to a dark and horrifying medieval realm. With intense combat, intricate level design, and deep character customization, players must conquer their fears and defeat the souls of the dead. Explore the depths of Boletaria, vanquish Demons, and go back in time to challenge previous bosses in this remastered classic.

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Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 143 reviews

graphics29 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

Demon's Souls is a stunning remake that beautifully captures the essence of the original game while enhancing graphics and performance, showcasing the capabilities of the PS5.
The gameplay is challenging yet rewarding, encouraging players to learn from their mistakes and master the mechanics, making each victory feel significant.
The game features a haunting atmosphere with excellent sound design, immersing players in the dark and gothic world of Boletaria.

The game's difficulty can be overwhelming for newcomers, with punishing mechanics that may lead to frustration and repeated deaths without significant progress.
Some players have reported technical issues, including freezing and inconsistent checkpoints, which can disrupt the gaming experience.
While the remake stays true to the original, some feel it lacks substantial new content or changes, making it feel more like a remaster than a complete overhaul.

graphics
40 mentions
73 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning detail and next-gen quality, showcasing the capabilities of the PS5. Many reviewers noted the beautiful, immersive visuals that enhance the overall experience, while some mentioned minor performance issues in certain modes. Overall, the graphical improvements and smooth performance contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout title in the PS5 lineup.
- “These visuals and graphics define next gen gaming, and it makes me so excited for what's to come in the future.”
- “The beautiful graphics capture a world the designers saw in their heads but couldn't dream of creating on PS3 when this first appeared back in 2009.”
- “The graphics, textures, added riposte animations, fractured worlds, updated and remade bosses, camera mode, as well as an active online community makes this a fantastic title to finally own on next gen.”
- “It provided the nostalgia of being my first 'soulsborne' game (literally) but the visuals still felt washed out and a bit clunky, simply being a product of the hardware it was run on.”
- “[It's the exact same game with no substantial differences besides its graphics; the overall experience feels more sterile and less visceral and menacing.]”
- “They've made obvious graphical improvements, but a few other small changes as well.”
gameplay
27 mentions
59 % positive mentions
30 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is praised for its tight mechanics, satisfying combat, and stunning graphics, effectively capturing the essence of the original while incorporating quality-of-life improvements. Players appreciate the challenging yet rewarding experience, with some noting that it remains true to its roots, making it both familiar and engaging for newcomers and veterans alike. However, some mechanics may feel dated, and the game's difficulty can be punishing, particularly for those unfamiliar with the genre.
- “I just love the gameplay and atmosphere so much I would just play without trying to reach any goals.”
- “Demon’s Souls is the standout title among the PS5’s launch lineup, combining tight gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and an unforgettable setting.”
- “The game offers the same core gameplay loop you know and love, set in a fantastic world and atmosphere.”
- “The mechanics are identical to the original save for a few quality-of-life improvements.”
- “[some gameplay mechanics feel stuck in the past, it's one of the hardest souls games out there, so tough for newcomers]”
- “[occasionally too punishing, some abstruse gameplay mechanics]”
optimization
8 mentions
50 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally praised, with a smooth 60fps performance mode that enhances gameplay and visuals, particularly on 4K monitors. While the fidelity mode occasionally experiences frame rate stutters, the overall performance is solid, featuring minimal loading times and responsive controls. However, some users noted issues with controller responsiveness in performance mode and felt that certain audio elements did not match the quality of the original game.
- “Gorgeous visuals that show off the power of the PS5, a respectful and faithful adaptation of an iconic game, silky smooth performance that makes it a great-feeling Souls game, meaningful, immersive implementation of audio.”
- “Jaw-dropping visuals, tough, rewarding gameplay, excellent character creator, build optimization, faithful remake that improves but doesn't detract, lightning load times.”
- “Beautifully recrafted environments, strong, responsive combat, awesome character customization and progression choice, excellent new secrets, some great mechanical improvements, near zero loading or performance stutter, still a challenge for fans of the genre.”
- “I like the graphics and gameplay of Demon Souls, but the game stutters at times in fidelity mode.”
- “Runs like a champ, except when I switched to performance mode, my controller started to act wonky.”
- “I gave it one more try and switched from cinematic mode to performance mode.”
story
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as rewarding and engaging for those willing to persevere through its challenging gameplay, though some find it weak compared to other aspects. While it retains elements from the original PS3 version, it offers a more nuanced narrative with varied progression options and a richly designed world. Overall, the story may not be the main draw, but it complements the deep gameplay and stunning visuals.
- “Like any Souls game, it's not for the timid. The difficulty is designed to make you 'get good' or give up in frustration, but the story is highly rewarding if you stick with it, assuming it doesn't drive you to the brink of madness in the process.”
- “[Deep, nuanced gameplay, intriguing setting, story and characters, unforgettable bosses, gorgeous visuals.]”
- “[Story is less vague than other From games, with lots of options in how to progress, wonderfully varied world design, precise yet accessible combat, stunning visual makeover, quality-of-life tweaks, and tons of content.]”
- “The storyline is the same as it was on PS3, with a few extras here and there; I won’t spoil it for you all though.”
- “The story is kind of weak, but frankly that’s not the selling point of the game.”
- “Like any Souls game, it's not for the timid; the difficulty is designed to make you 'get good' or give up in frustration, and while the story can be highly rewarding if you stick with it, it may drive you to the brink of madness in the process.”
atmosphere
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as haunting and beautiful, effectively capturing the essence of the original while offering a visually customizable experience. However, some players feel that certain remastered soundtracks and areas lack the atmospheric depth of the original, which may detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game's challenging gameplay and immersive world continue to resonate with fans.
- “I just love the gameplay and atmosphere so much I would just play without trying to reach any goals.”
- “This game is beautiful with a haunting atmosphere.”
- “The game offers the same core gameplay loop you know and love, set in a fantastic world and atmosphere.”
- “Some areas had better 'atmosphere' in the original.”
- “This is a nitpick I know, but for me it damages the atmosphere that Demon Souls is so famous for.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback; some players experience frequent freezes during startup and loading zones, while others report no significant crashing or bugs, aside from a few intentional issues retained from the original version.
- “Installed the game from disc, applied the day one update, and when I started the game, it froze at the logo screen.”
- “Just 10 minutes in, I reached a loading zone and the game froze.”
- “I didn't experience any crashes or major bugs, except for some of the original bugs they kept to stay true to the game.”
replayability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed; while some users find certain games to have little replay value due to their short length and lack of engagement, others praise them for their infinite replayability and diverse class options that enhance the experience. The combination of modern updates and quality of life improvements also contributes positively to replayability for some titles.
- “An almost perfect reimagining of the tough-as-nails PS3 classic (the best parts), phenomenal production values, infinitely replayable despite its age, smart additions and slight alterations.”
- “Visually gorgeous, brings a classic game into the modern era and includes quality of life fixes, loading times, and DualSense features. Classes provide plenty of replayability options.”
- “It’s short, it’s boring, it has little replay value.”
music
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some remastered soundtracks not matching the quality of the originals, leading to a less immersive atmosphere in certain areas. However, the overall audio experience remains engaging, complementing the game's challenging gameplay.
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, citing time wasted on acquiring curatives and the lack of a system to sell items. This contributes to an overall unforgiving experience, particularly for those not already fans of the genre.
- “The grinding for curatives is really annoying and wastes a lot of time.”
- “The systems in place are still unforgiving for non-fans of the genre.”
- “There is still no way to sell items, which makes the grinding feel even more pointless.”