Dark Souls II

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 3117 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,992 out of 3117
  2. Mixed: 521 out of 3117
  3. Negative: 604 out of 3117
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  1. deathschemist
    Sep 4, 2014
    9
    this game is truely exquisite, one of my favourites of this generation. However its predecessor was superior in almost every way. this has a lot of fake difficulty and the enemy designs, while servicable, are uninspired compared to dark souls 1

    don't get me wrong, i'd rather be playing dark souls 2 than most other games from the last 5 years, but dark souls 1 is just far superior
  2. destructive41
    Sep 17, 2014
    10
    I think DARK SOULS II is indeed the best RPG game I´ve ever played, there are so many games like that, but nothing compares. Thanks for bringing back this incredible simulation of death!
  3. Centrey
    Jul 3, 2015
    8
    I, personally, had no issue with the game on PC nor did I have issue with the game on ps3 - This review on is based solely off of the quality of the game, not the PC port. Dark Souls 2 is often slated for not being 'what the promised' and not being as good as Dark Souls 1, I agree with this. They dumbed down certain features and reduced the quality of the game of PC, and the PvE in theI, personally, had no issue with the game on PC nor did I have issue with the game on ps3 - This review on is based solely off of the quality of the game, not the PC port. Dark Souls 2 is often slated for not being 'what the promised' and not being as good as Dark Souls 1, I agree with this. They dumbed down certain features and reduced the quality of the game of PC, and the PvE in the game (the story line included) was not anywhere near the same level as Dark Souls 1. However, what kept me playing this game for 700 hours+ was instead the PvP. A drastic improvement over Dark Souls 1, with better connectivity, quicker weapons and what I felt was a higher skill cap, due to the new parrying/backstab system. I am aware that there are some that think Dark Souls 1 PvP was superior, but for me, Dark Souls 2 really fixed the issues of Dark Souls 1 PvP.… Expand
  4. DRITZZ_ZARCON
    Oct 5, 2014
    9
    Seeing so many bad reviews I had to re-address the situation for what is an incredible game. I played the first Dark Souls on the Xbox and thus moving onto DS2 on the PC the graphics were much more polished and fluid, a BIG difference. Game play is hard but definitely rewarding, and love the way you can multiplayer the bosses etc.

    One of the best games I've played ever, that says a lot    Seeing so many bad reviews I had to re-address the situation for what is an incredible game. I played the first Dark Souls on the Xbox and thus moving onto DS2 on the PC the graphics were much more polished and fluid, a BIG difference. Game play is hard but definitely rewarding, and love the way you can multiplayer the bosses etc.

    One of the best games I've played ever, that says a lot considering I've been playing games across multiple formats for many a year.Loved it!

    I play with the xbox 360 controller which is fine, and anyone playing with a keyboard and mouse should go out and but a xbox adapter and a 360 controller as so many games now support this    … Expand
  5. xcolxmustardx
    Oct 27, 2014
    6
    Very disappointing. Gameplay is the same as the original Dark Souls, with small changes that don't really work to well. Infinite Life-gems make it so you don't have to conserve your healing potions at all. The PVP systems are poorly thought out and much more of a grind than they were in the original, which makes it way less enjoyable. (especially the Brotherhood of Blood.) They decidedVery disappointing. Gameplay is the same as the original Dark Souls, with small changes that don't really work to well. Infinite Life-gems make it so you don't have to conserve your healing potions at all. The PVP systems are poorly thought out and much more of a grind than they were in the original, which makes it way less enjoyable. (especially the Brotherhood of Blood.) They decided to sacrifice the story in this game for lore which makes it extremely boring and uninvolved. The world design (While beautiful) is poorly thought out, and doesn't intersect and build on itself the way the original Dark Souls did... (I'm looking at you "Shrine of Winter") I wasn't blown away by the difficulty, or by the puzzles, or challenging level designs the way I was with DKS1, (Sen's Fortress, Lost Izalith, Tomb of Giants, The Abyss, New Londo Ruins) and i found it annoying that the game decided to offer several different paths of travel, instead of guiding me to the areas that it wanted (In the early game) based on difficulty.
    Deciding to have someone else direct this game seriously hurt it's quality.
    I'm going back to the Undead Parish.    … Expand
  6. Robpants
    Mar 26, 2015
    6
    Comparing to the previous Dark Souls and Demon's Souls games, there are improvements and downgrades. Dark Souls II fixes some often annoying aspects of the other games, while removing large chunks of enjoyability and cohesion.

    To begin, the environment and atmosphere of the game is virtually gone. In Dark Souls, the game truly makes you feel as if you are alone in this undead journey,    Comparing to the previous Dark Souls and Demon's Souls games, there are improvements and downgrades. Dark Souls II fixes some often annoying aspects of the other games, while removing large chunks of enjoyability and cohesion.

    To begin, the environment and atmosphere of the game is virtually gone. In Dark Souls, the game truly makes you feel as if you are alone in this undead journey, which is a good feeling. It matches the game's atmosphere. Dark Souls II somehow has removed that dark and lonely atmosphere and in it's place is a bland, unenthusiastic attempt to appeal to more audiences. It feels more like any other game off the shelf, which is not what you expect from a Dark Souls game.

    Some would say the graphics in DS2 were updated from DS, and in some cases that is true. But for the most part the difference is negligible for a game that came out 3 years later. And going back to the atmosphere, the graphics style of DS2 is just boring, almost cartoon-ish in a game that is supposed to make you feel alone and undead.

    The game play mechanics have been revised in many ways from previous games. The jump command is now more easily attainable, combat has been refined, somewhat. But as many other reviewers have noted, the combat feels unfair. In previous games, the combat was difficult, but fair and so rewarding when you overcome an obstacle. In DS2, the enemies seem designed to do nothing but infuriate the player. Enemies will rotate incredibly to strike you with a slow attack that you should have easily dodged. Often you will be faced with waves of annoying enemies in place of a few well designed, challenging enemies.

    Level design is nicely varied, moving from poisonous ravines to molten strongholds and everywhere in between. However as others have pointed out, some of the level connections don't quite make sense.

    The story can be tough to follow at times, and is no where near as engaging as DS and Demon's Souls.

    Overall Dark Souls II brings some innovation to the party, but falls short on nearly everything else. It's the kind of game that you play if you enjoy the classic RPG experiences of leveling up, finding and equipping interesting gear, and fighting with powerful weapons and spells. But all of that alone does not make a good game.    … Expand
  7. Darth_Arrow
    Jun 20, 2015
    9
    Like many people, i loved the original Dark Souls. The second is at least is good as the first. Sure, it doesn't attain the level of world design the first one boasted, but the combat made up for it. From did a much better job porting this to PC. I don't care that much about the graphics being downgraded. The only real gripe i can have is that the boss battles are not as satisfying as theLike many people, i loved the original Dark Souls. The second is at least is good as the first. Sure, it doesn't attain the level of world design the first one boasted, but the combat made up for it. From did a much better job porting this to PC. I don't care that much about the graphics being downgraded. The only real gripe i can have is that the boss battles are not as satisfying as the original. Fingers crossed for DS3 bring the best of the previous souls game; marrying the new combat with the old world design and boss fights. A solid 9 in my book.… Expand
  8. tsmasher1000
    Dec 16, 2015
    7
    Imagine my excitement when I heard that there was a sequel coming to the absolutely fantastic game, Dark Souls! However, I was disappointed by the game overall. To me, the graphics didn't matter so much as the gameplay. The reason why Dark Souls was such a unique and fun experience was because Dark Souls, while inflicted with terrible graphics (which is not a big deal to me), had insanelyImagine my excitement when I heard that there was a sequel coming to the absolutely fantastic game, Dark Souls! However, I was disappointed by the game overall. To me, the graphics didn't matter so much as the gameplay. The reason why Dark Souls was such a unique and fun experience was because Dark Souls, while inflicted with terrible graphics (which is not a big deal to me), had insanely good gameplay. All of the enemies felt unique, special, and had interesting designs. Going back to Dark Souls 2, this is where it ultimately fails. The enemies are usually of linear design, and do not feel unique or interesting. Most of the enemies (which are knights) play relatively similar with no interesting variances. This is also not to mention the fact that the game seems to punish you for trying and experimenting different builds and seeing how to play the game. When you are killed, you lose maximum HP, something I felt was very annoying. It felt like I was limited to what I could experiment and it was annoying because in such a difficult game where simply bad footing will kill you, you will end up losing a lot of health and would be forced to use human effigies (which was annoying after a while). Another thing that felt punishing was that when one died too many times, the enemies would just vanish as though the developers were giving you a free pass. Again, it felt punishing because it was as though the developers didn't want you to have the challenge because you couldn't do it after a certain number of times. Those features added very little to the game and were not enjoyable. Overall, Dark Souls 2 was a disappointment that could have been a better game. Though it has better graphics, it feels like a cheaper imitation of its predecessors and had the potential to be much more than that.… Expand
  9. Jucarock
    Apr 28, 2018
    9
    If you played the first Dark Souls, you could find this game easiest. You know the logic behind the game and will face less difficulty. If you not played none of Dark Souls game, well, prepare to die a lot. DS2 improve the "lock target" system from the first game (if you play with mouse and keyboard), because on DS1 it was very difficulty at the beginning of the game. The map is bigger,If you played the first Dark Souls, you could find this game easiest. You know the logic behind the game and will face less difficulty. If you not played none of Dark Souls game, well, prepare to die a lot. DS2 improve the "lock target" system from the first game (if you play with mouse and keyboard), because on DS1 it was very difficulty at the beginning of the game. The map is bigger, more monsters, itens, etc. But the game itself is basically the same. It's very enjoyable at all if you have the patience to learn from your mistakes.… Expand
  10. Hexen-Slayer
    Sep 16, 2020
    4
    This is more DULL SOULS than DARK SOULS, as the creative heads of From Soft all went to make the outstanding BLOODBORNE, it seems they left the graveyard shift to throw together this abysmal sequel.
    I don't get the "professional" reviewers, this one has a higher metascore than the original and it is so much worse in EVERY aspect!
    - level design: gone is the level design with the clever    This is more DULL SOULS than DARK SOULS, as the creative heads of From Soft all went to make the outstanding BLOODBORNE, it seems they left the graveyard shift to throw together this abysmal sequel.
    I don't get the "professional" reviewers, this one has a higher metascore than the original and it is so much worse in EVERY aspect!
    - level design: gone is the level design with the clever connections and shortcuts, this is as linear as it gets
    - enemy design: copy & paste Ornstein. You fight like 4 variations of him within the first hour of the game. Many other enemies and bosses are copy & paste jobs as well. No boss really is memorable
    - atmosphere: lacking! The dark and sinister yields to a lighter and brighter world that does not hold the candle to DARK SOULS I, it doesn't even come close!
    - clunky combat: what the hell did they do to combat? It feels awfully clunky compared to DARK SOULS 1 & 3! Something is just off with the jerky movement.
    - terrible port: mouse & keyboard controls are terrible - unplayable. Graphics have not been improved either. As lazy as ports get
    - DS 1's addictive gameplay: gone! DARK SOULS was addictive. You died and died and died and died some more, yet you kept coming back. DARK SOULS II? Never finished it. Never will. There's no motivation here. Everything you see in DARK SOULS II you've seen in DARK SOULS I, just much much better
    - bad gameplay mechanic: if you die, you lose a portion of your max. health. This stacks, unless you use a limited resource. For people who are already struggling this is an unnecessarily frustrating mechanic

    Bottom line: of the DARK SOULS series this is by far the worst. The "Enhanced"? Edition known as SCHOLAR OF THE FIRST SIN doesn't make it much better. DARK SOULS III is just slightly better. Of the two I recommend NEITHER. Stick to DARK SOULS I, the Remastered version is the one to go, that's the version that should have been released in the first place. IF you should get DARK SOULS II then the SCHOLAR OF THE FIRST SIN is of course the one you want to pick up.
    4 out of 9 (Below Average)    … Expand
  11. Glaceon_Hit
    Aug 21, 2020
    9
    I must to say DS2 > DS3 U DS1.
    The 3 games are awesome, but I hate the people that just want to punish From Software for starting a Souls game without Miyazaki. That people say this games sucks, that people is casual.
    It is 3 times more bigger than DS1 and has more uniques zones than DS3. Big problems are the bosses, too many and they are so weak. But some of them have very good storys.    I must to say DS2 > DS3 U DS1.
    The 3 games are awesome, but I hate the people that just want to punish From Software for starting a Souls game without Miyazaki. That people say this games sucks, that people is casual.
    It is 3 times more bigger than DS1 and has more uniques zones than DS3.
    Big problems are the bosses, too many and they are so weak. But some of them have very good storys. I love the storys from the third DLC. Even with this there are good bosses, that reminded me the good bosses from DS1.
    And the zones are so uniques. That when I see the zones from DS3 I cant accept someone saying DS3 is better.
    The mechanics are horrible, yes, but a little better than DS1. And they balanced the classes. Like magic, priest and piromancer, and now they are **** except mage they were always ****.
    How about the story. It is explained by a waifu (half dragon) ... why. Anyways now the npcs are very good guys not like the ones on DS1. And half of the bosses has story, more than 25% from DS1.
    Okay the best part of the game is in the start. Majula. In DS1 you had the Fire Shine, there were 3-4 people but then you could bring a lot of people THAT go away while you continue with the story. But in Majula, everyone is happy there. They are relaxing. You can come here whenever you want to just talk with friends, watch the views, jump to the hole, fight some pigs. Majula is beatiful.    … Expand
  12. zoodle
    Oct 25, 2020
    5
    Under the impression of Dark Souls 1, I bought the second and third parts of the trilogy. But when I started playing it, I immediately did not like the controls and character animations, after playing more, I realized that I did not like this game at all, in comparison with the first part it was some horror, I did not like the gameplay too much and I immediately returned it after playingUnder the impression of Dark Souls 1, I bought the second and third parts of the trilogy. But when I started playing it, I immediately did not like the controls and character animations, after playing more, I realized that I did not like this game at all, in comparison with the first part it was some horror, I did not like the gameplay too much and I immediately returned it after playing something about 1.8 hours.… Expand
  13. Dom007
    Mar 26, 2021
    9
    Dark souls 2 is very flawed, but extremely enjoyable. The customisation and item variety is incredible allowing for multiple replays and playthroughs. Some of the bosses in the Dlc's are great and some of the areas are nicely designed.
    However there are so many weak and poorly designed areas which are just a slog to get through. Some bosses are just downright poor and some enemies are    Dark souls 2 is very flawed, but extremely enjoyable. The customisation and item variety is incredible allowing for multiple replays and playthroughs. Some of the bosses in the Dlc's are great and some of the areas are nicely designed.
    However there are so many weak and poorly designed areas which are just a slog to get through. Some bosses are just downright poor and some enemies are just awful.
    But overall my enjoyment of DS2 makes up for these flaws. A lot of it has to do with the Dlc's which are the best parts of the game for me.    … Expand
  14. Menetys
    Mar 1, 2021
    10
    This game is a little unfair to the player but it's good because IMO dark souls is all about overcoming mighty challenges!

    pvp:10/10
    pve:9/10
  15. cat15
    Jul 6, 2021
    0
    This game has the worst hitbix in the franchise, just play dark souls 1 or 3 instead
  16. F3T1W
    Aug 27, 2021
    5
    The worst Souls Like from Soft'ov, the atmosphere of DS is very imaginary, but the action is of high quality
  17. DarisW
    May 11, 2022
    7
    The only souls game I'm not eager to replay. I have some favourite moments in it, don't get me wrong, but there is a lot poor designed bosses and locations, and mobs are all over place sometimes. Also adaptability is complete bs. But I was invested in lore. It'll be great to read DS2 comic or something like that one day. +1 point for the cute cat in Majula
  18. coso132
    Oct 16, 2022
    8
    While this is the worst souls game, because of its many technical, narrative, gameplay, and marketing problems, the simple fact that it follows the souls formula and the quantity of content is enough for me to put hundreds of hours in it and have a lot of fun.
  19. Joe2539
    Jan 2, 2023
    10
    Very Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good
  20. skrik
    Apr 27, 2014
    5
    Don't listen to the people who tell you to skip the bad reviews on this game. The game really does have issues unfortunately. I am a big fan of Deamon souls and DS 1 but the change of director for DS 2 really makes the game feel different. It's not about the game being hard... Its way easier than the two previous ones except for some oddly unbalanced parts of the game.
    No the real issue    Don't listen to the people who tell you to skip the bad reviews on this game. The game really does have issues unfortunately. I am a big fan of Deamon souls and DS 1 but the change of director for DS 2 really makes the game feel different. It's not about the game being hard... Its way easier than the two previous ones except for some oddly unbalanced parts of the game.
    No the real issue is that the game feels super lazy. Most of the ennemies are just ports from the previous games. Same for the items. It feels like playing Dark souls 1 again but with less interesting levels and monsters! Deamon Soul and Dark souls 1 had amazing ambiance and strange creatures, impressive bosses... Dark souls 2 throws at you nothing but zombie kind of humans and knights for hours. Even the bosses are just knights, with stronger attacks. Where the heck are my giant swamp things, blobs wearing shields and spears, giant fire breathing spiders ???
    The game feels horribly uninspired and I found myself bored playing it while it just threw at me hordes of the same, basic ennemies again and again ( counting on numbers to make it difficult instead of making the ennemies themselves interesting to fight).

    A big disappointment for anyone looking for a true sequel to the master pieces the other souls games were.    … Expand
  21. lanman61
    May 9, 2014
    0
    This is crappy console port from a lazy developer. I'm a PC gamer with keyboard/mouse and the controls are clunky. They can't even bother to change the controller pad prompts onscreen. with the game working against you prepare to get frustrated as you will die often. The graphics, even at ultra high settings, are nothing special. Terribly disappointed. Erased it off my hard driveThis is crappy console port from a lazy developer. I'm a PC gamer with keyboard/mouse and the controls are clunky. They can't even bother to change the controller pad prompts onscreen. with the game working against you prepare to get frustrated as you will die often. The graphics, even at ultra high settings, are nothing special. Terribly disappointed. Erased it off my hard drive after a few hours.… Expand
  22. torongo
    May 10, 2014
    4
    To begin with, the first Dark Souls was a great game, and I liked it very much. I was hyped for the sequel, but after playing it a hour or so I've changed my mind about it. I've spent about 30 minutes to figure out where to go in the first place. In the first game, there was only 2 ways where you can go - up and down.
    Combat system from Dark Souls? Excellent. Combat system from Dark Souls    To begin with, the first Dark Souls was a great game, and I liked it very much. I was hyped for the sequel, but after playing it a hour or so I've changed my mind about it. I've spent about 30 minutes to figure out where to go in the first place. In the first game, there was only 2 ways where you can go - up and down.
    Combat system from Dark Souls? Excellent. Combat system from Dark Souls 2? Freaking garbage. Now you **** if you ran out of stamina in mid-fight, and if there is more than one enemy -- then you are **** twice. Only one life flask, level up only from that girl, decreasing health when you die too much and so on. If you call that "more difficult" - you're wrong.    … Expand
  23. Calriel
    Mar 27, 2015
    0
    Absolutely steer clear of this game if you're a true PC Gamer like myself. Do NOT fall for reviews on Gamespot or even my beloved PCGamer.

    This game is really a console game. You get constant messages with "press this console button" and it is up to you to delve into huge lists of incomprehensible key bindings to try and figure out which button they meant, what it is on your PC and then    Absolutely steer clear of this game if you're a true PC Gamer like myself. Do NOT fall for reviews on Gamespot or even my beloved PCGamer.

    This game is really a console game. You get constant messages with "press this console button" and it is up to you to delve into huge lists of incomprehensible key bindings to try and figure out which button they meant, what it is on your PC and then it ends up not doing what you think it is supposed to do.

    If you are looking forward to click "control + mousewheel", then "shift + double click right mouse button" and still not getting it, or painfully trying to re-do an entire list of dozens and dozens of key bindings, this is your game.

    The fact that the graphics are not at all what you'd hope for such a recent game.... that the controls, inventory system and menu options so cumbersome... and that the voice acting is poor and the script inane at best, make it that it is a struggle to even get through one hour of this nightmarish endeavour.

    Avoid like plague. And I don't say that often. But seriously. No.    … Expand
  24. WilliamWesker
    Aug 2, 2019
    0
    DS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of aDS 2 is not even a true "DARK" game, in order to have the title of DARK SOULS in it, the 2013 DEMO of the same is, but the final version is definitely not. It has texture with a very poor quality in all its versions, including the one of PC, especially considering that it is a game of 2014, & in 2015 there were already games like The Witcher 3, which makes DS 2 to look like a game of a half a decade before the 2014, because of the difference with regard to the quality of textures between the two, something that it is really pathetic & embarrassing for the DS 2 piece of work. It allows the player to warp between Bonfires from the beginning, which literally murder in cold blood a great deal of immersion & exploration in it. The enemies are very badly misplaced in the levels. The animation of the sequences in the attacks are just terrible with respect to the lack of inmercion that it causes, to a player. Its system focuses on punishing the player when the same dies, at resurrect it with less life, instead of encouraging it to self-overcome, which is one of the main philosophies of the DARK SOULS series, Hidetaka Miyazaki himself confirmed that philosophy for the series. The writing level of the game is very poor. The NPCs are extremely depressing, & constantly encourage the player to surrender during the dialogues, instead of encouraging the player not to become Hollow, as they generally should with indifference responses like on DS 3 & ESPECIALLY in DS 1!… Expand
  25. tallem
    May 6, 2014
    1
    So first off, I played a total of 15 minutes and probably killed 4 enemies, this review has NOTHING to do with gameplay.

    I just could not get myself to play this game, everything about this screams of port. First off, the menus, they almost made me quit the game within a minute of launching it, they are probably the worst I've encountered in a game to date, nothing more to it. The    So first off, I played a total of 15 minutes and probably killed 4 enemies, this review has NOTHING to do with gameplay.

    I just could not get myself to play this game, everything about this screams of port. First off, the menus, they almost made me quit the game within a minute of launching it, they are probably the worst I've encountered in a game to date, nothing more to it. The options are for some reason even worse, to get to half of them you need to load up a save or in the case that you don't have one, start a new game. The UI has the buttons of a 360 controller yet the game does not work with mine for some unknown reason (yes it works in Steam big picture mode and in other games).

    The graphics are overall also quite "meh", lighting effects and some textures look good but a lot of animations are horrid and as I got to the character creation menu I was seriously doubting that I was playing a game released in 2014.

    Overall this just feels like an unfinished product and I am legitimately sad that I spent my money on it.    … Expand
  26. sclark13
    Mar 25, 2015
    0
    I've always been a supporter of From Software. I bought Demon's Souls when it released in Korea because I wasn't sure they would release it in the states. When it did release in the states, I bought it again for my friend who loved playing it at my house. When Dark Souls came out, I bought it for the PS3 and played through most of it, and when they released a really bad port of it on PC II've always been a supporter of From Software. I bought Demon's Souls when it released in Korea because I wasn't sure they would release it in the states. When it did release in the states, I bought it again for my friend who loved playing it at my house. When Dark Souls came out, I bought it for the PS3 and played through most of it, and when they released a really bad port of it on PC I bought it again just to have it on a preferred platform. I bought Dark Souls II for PC on pre-order partly because of the atmosphere that was advertised, but when it actually released I found it was a gimped version with barely any dynamic lighting, no SSAO, and low-res textures. I even paid full price for DLC in-spite of my anti-DLC stance, just to show them there is a market for their games. Finally the developers are putting out a version of Dark Souls II that promises to fix and optimize these issues, but instead of giving me that "fixed" version as a free patch, they are telling me and all the other players who have supported them that they want another $30 or more for that privilege.

    They are charging current PC users to unlock the improved performance that we were promised when we first bought the game.    … Expand
  27. FirStie
    May 11, 2014
    4
    This is the most overrated phenomena in video game industry to this day. Don't get me wrong: I prefer to play games on high difficulty, I appreciate the challenge, but only when the game is decent, fair and rewarding. This game is neither of that: terrible controls, off-key hit detection, clumsy combat system, lack of any balance, and, of course, the infamous "hardcore difficulty" set byThis is the most overrated phenomena in video game industry to this day. Don't get me wrong: I prefer to play games on high difficulty, I appreciate the challenge, but only when the game is decent, fair and rewarding. This game is neither of that: terrible controls, off-key hit detection, clumsy combat system, lack of any balance, and, of course, the infamous "hardcore difficulty" set by default, rendering any newcomers helpless and confused - even if you'd like to learn to play better, it just doesn't let you.
    It is an unpopular opinion, but I've got to spill it out: this game is awful. It's not worth it. The cult created around it is just hipster kids trying to go hardcore. I'm afraid you are doing it wrong.    … Expand
  28. nikolche
    Oct 6, 2016
    0
    If falling into pits all the time makes the game hard then sure, it is extremely hard. Seems like the main focus of the game is to piss you off. Like playing super Mario on the Nintendo. Could have been much better.
  29. Gzhindra
    Jun 17, 2014
    6
    Dark Souls 2 in not by any mean a bad game. To sum up, it is what happen when you give a great license with well though mechanics to someone lacking visions and understanding of what made Dark Soul 1 such a great game. The basis are good but the game designer should have heeded the moto "If it works don't try and fix it".

    Dark Souls 1 had a well thought and overall coherently made    Dark Souls 2 in not by any mean a bad game. To sum up, it is what happen when you give a great license with well though mechanics to someone lacking visions and understanding of what made Dark Soul 1 such a great game. The basis are good but the game designer should have heeded the moto "If it works don't try and fix it".

    Dark Souls 1 had a well thought and overall coherently made world. In Darks Souls 2 it is more like a patchwork of environments that hardly fit together without any logic. The game lacks terribly in atmosphere. The story was not the forte of Dark Souls 1 but there was a sense of purpose. There is no such thing in Dark Souls 2 as it has become only a beat them all with stats and upgradeable equipment. It is still fun to toy with but we lost something.

    There are at least to main game mechanics mistakes. The game has been casualized with a limited amount of respawn by enemies. If getting through an area is too difficult for you, you shouldn't worry as you can kill one enemy at a time, respawn them and after a while they simply won't be here anymore making you passing dead easy. They did this to prevent farming but they could have simply limited the number of souls and equipement one enemy can provide instead of doing this. The other broken mechanic is the weapon durability. It is base on frame rate. The higher your framerate the fastest your going to break your weapons. This mechanics is not only stupid, it is tedious and brings nothing good to the game, not even challenge.

    It was already the case with Dark Souls 1 but:
    - it lack a pause button which is not acceptable. People can have urgencies in their lives and while it understandable in PVP it isn't in PVE.
    - Online is forced on the player whether you like it or not
    - No return to Windows option in the menu.    … Expand
  30. Tassadaritze
    May 27, 2014
    0
    Who thought it was a good idea to change dodging to this piece of crap? Dodging is no longer rewarded if you can time it well, all that matters is that you get out of the range of the attack. No timing needed.
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2014
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
12
#12 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2014
    95
    This game’s playability puts to shame everything that’s been released for the new generation of consoles. [06/2014, p.54]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 6, 2014
    90
    The definitive Dark Souls II experience, the latest entry to The Souls series shines on the PC. [June 2014, p.50]
  3. Riot Pixels
    Jun 5, 2014
    80
    If you’re a fan of hardcore games, try Dark Souls 2. It is not as memorable as its predecessor, and yet it is still a phenomenal experience.
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