Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2514 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,867 out of 2514
  2. Mixed: 224 out of 2514
  3. Negative: 423 out of 2514

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  1. CursedKnight
    Sep 7, 2023
    0
    Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition is a milestone in the history of video games. Its excellence shines through various aspects.

    Pros: Rewarding Challenge: Extreme difficulty is offset by the sense of accomplishment when overcoming obstacles. Intriguing World: Lordran is an interconnected world, full of secrets and submerged lore. Deep Combat: The combat system is precise and    Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition is a milestone in the history of video games. Its excellence shines through various aspects.

    Pros:

    Rewarding Challenge: Extreme difficulty is offset by the sense of accomplishment when overcoming obstacles.

    Intriguing World: Lordran is an interconnected world, full of secrets and submerged lore.

    Deep Combat: The combat system is precise and strategic, allowing for various approaches.

    Immersive Atmosphere: The dark ambiance and melancholic soundtrack create an immersive experience.

    Story in the Margins: The narrative is fragmented and requires exploration, enriching the experience.

    Cons:

    Technical Issues: Some bugs and optimization problems hinder gameplay at times.

    Steep Learning Curve: It can be intimidating for novice players, deterring some.

    Final Verdict:

    Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, despite some technical issues, is unquestionably the greatest game of all time. Its complexity, challenge, and narrative depth create an experience that transcends any other title. This game is a masterpiece that will be remembered and cherished by generations of gamers.    … Expand
  2. draemato
    Aug 14, 2022
    3
    5/10 game but absolutely terrible PC port. You can't play online with DSfix and controls customizer, which is why i rate it 3/10. Play Remastered version instead but even Remastered is not perfect.
  3. TheW4tchT0wer
    Apr 20, 2022
    1
    Gotta give it a point for the art style and atmosphere - they're the only things going for it. I think this game is for people suffering to the extreme from 'sunk cost' fallacy ('I wasted so much time on this garbage, it has to be good! I will troll other people to feel better about my poor choices!'). Most of the enemies, I had no problems defeating with my tactics. But basically toGotta give it a point for the art style and atmosphere - they're the only things going for it. I think this game is for people suffering to the extreme from 'sunk cost' fallacy ('I wasted so much time on this garbage, it has to be good! I will troll other people to feel better about my poor choices!'). Most of the enemies, I had no problems defeating with my tactics. But basically to progress, you are forced to grind - and it's the most boring slog of a grind I can think of. I'd honestly rather grind old NES JRPGs than a Souls game. The only thing that has routinely defeated my playing this or Demon's Souls has been overwhelming boredom by the third or fourth hour in. If it was a traditional action game, it'd likely be 100x better. As it is, it's just a bunch of poor game design decisions hidden beneath a nice coat of paint.… Expand
  4. thenthomwaslike
    Feb 26, 2022
    0
    It's 2022, From Software still haven't fixed a single thing wrong with this game. Running it on today's hardware with dsfix is still an optimization mess. Instead of putting out any patches they tried to sell us a remastered version. Ha.
  5. KoKop0
    Aug 16, 2020
    0
    very very very terrible port to PC and very disappointing... you must download DSfix if u wish to play the game... FPS is capped and no input mapping you must download mod for it... overall awful unplayable port and poorly optimized if it was even optimized at all

    after playing dark souls 3 I wanted to play the 2nd one it didn't work at all so I tried the first one and its even worse    very very very terrible port to PC and very disappointing... you must download DSfix if u wish to play the game... FPS is capped and no input mapping you must download mod for it... overall awful unplayable port and poorly optimized if it was even optimized at all

    after playing dark souls 3 I wanted to play the 2nd one it didn't work at all so I tried the first one and its even worse port...its just sad    … Expand
  6. ivanncrazy
    Aug 19, 2019
    0
    dark souls 1 very outdated game mechanics and copy paste level designe, stupid key mapping for keyboard and mouse menu is unfriendly unplayable
  7. Serio
    Mar 23, 2019
    3
    Dark Souls punishes you for not knowing things you have no way of knowing yet. Punishment is performed by excessively wasting your time.

    Things that you have no way of knowing yet but will punish you come in many variants: - walking in the wrong direction (wrong-level areas, missing a checkpoint (which are sometimes hidden)) - traps and ambushes along the way - spending exp/souls on    Dark Souls punishes you for not knowing things you have no way of knowing yet. Punishment is performed by excessively wasting your time.

    Things that you have no way of knowing yet but will punish you come in many variants:
    - walking in the wrong direction (wrong-level areas, missing a checkpoint (which are sometimes hidden))
    - traps and ambushes along the way
    - spending exp/souls on bad stats or weapons
    - basic rules of combat (invincibility frames, parrying, invasions, armour usefulness, enemy turn speed, some hitboxes)
    - behaviour of never before encountered enemies
    - enemy weaknesses
    - strategies that feel like they shouldn't be this effective in the first place
    - which enemies to better run past

    You'll get punished for not knowing this by either:
    - having to redo the last couple of minutes (this you will spend most of your time on)
    - wasting hours being in an area you have no business being in
    - having a weak character for the rest of the game
    - getting angry for having no way of having knowledge in advance how to circumvent the punishment
    - wondering if the designers of the game are actually trying to make your life worse
    - doubting if trying again is worth your time in the first place

    To fill the knowledge gaps needed to succeed you either use trial and error or one of the numerous guides which make most parts of the game easy and which most players seem to use. A big portion of the fun of exploration is destroyed by using guides but there is no fun in unfairly getting punished either so you have to pick your poison. In retrospect I regret not using a guide more willingly because it seems like a requirement to have insider knowledge about some aspects of the game (i.e. finding a certain door). If you look stuff up though then you miss out on probably the best part of the game which is the atmosphere of maneuvering through an unknown, grand and hostile world.

    Indeed the game world doesn't want the player to succeed which is surprisingly an interesting concept. It enforces a narrative of the player progressing against all odds by beating monstrous bosses and enduring senseless hardships by strength of will. This is funnily enough the beauty of Dark Souls.
    You will encounter a lot of reviews praising its difficulty from players who were captivated by this narrative and somehow didn't mind all those hours wasted by getting unfairly punished. But if you don't need a self-esteem boost or get one by enduring hardships and value your time then I can not recommend this game to you.
    Don't let your judgement be clouded by people telling you, you are bad for quitting. They might just be justifying having endured the punishments themselves. Most will quit this game and most will do so for good reasons.    … Expand
  8. Vandark
    Jun 18, 2017
    1
    It's one of the best action rpgs I've ever played, but i do not recommend playing this game on PC.

    PC port of this game is some kind of joke - almost unplayable.
  9. ViperITB
    Dec 23, 2016
    1
    Fight with controls (why the LOCK function is on my Start button???). Fight with overpowered enemies. Die. Fight with controls. Fight with overpowered enemies. Die. Think what you did wrong. Fight with enemies. Fight with another group of enemies. Die. Fight with enemies. Fight with another group of enemies. Go to the third group of enemies. Die. (...) Time after time after time, the sameFight with controls (why the LOCK function is on my Start button???). Fight with overpowered enemies. Die. Fight with controls. Fight with overpowered enemies. Die. Think what you did wrong. Fight with enemies. Fight with another group of enemies. Die. Fight with enemies. Fight with another group of enemies. Go to the third group of enemies. Die. (...) Time after time after time, the same fights. Going 500 meters in the game world requires 5-6 deaths and beating the same groups of constantly respawning enemies. I thought games are supposed to be enjoyable. This one is infuriating. What a waste of money.… Expand
  10. Neddy
    Dec 17, 2016
    2
    Why does everyone only criticise this game for being a bad port. The difficulty aspect of needs much more attention: Just don't buy it.

    One point for setting and concept. One point for atmosphere.
  11. Odogreviews
    Sep 18, 2016
    4
    Intro:

    Dark Souls is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. The game sold very well and has created the current Souls series which includes Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls III. Dark Souls was created by Fromsoftware it was to be the spiritual successor Demon's Souls which was worked on by the same team. People praised the game for its difficulty    Intro:

    Dark Souls is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. The game sold very well and has created the current Souls series which includes Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls III. Dark Souls was created by Fromsoftware it was to be the spiritual successor Demon's Souls which was worked on by the same team. People praised the game for its difficulty and thick atmosphere. I have been told by many people to play this game. I finally played it and beat it in a few weeks. I frankly did not enjoy that much. If you are expecting a positive review you can look at another review now. I felt that Dark Souls was a flawed janky game that was hamstrung by its difficulty but had well designed levels and ambiance.

    Presentation:

    Dark Souls has a passable presentation. The graphics are decent for a game that came out in 2011. The game's visuals as an overall package can look quite excellent in times and give you the feeling of hopelessness and oppression. The menus are design can be a bit clunky with your inventory filling up too much. The levels are designed with a high level of detail that greatly increases the immersion. Overall Dark Souls has a presents quite well.

    Story:

    Here is the part where I begin to not like Dark Souls. Dark Souls has a highly convoluted story that follows the theme of light and dark. Dark Souls has a minimalistic plot. Historical events in this world and their significance are often implicit and left to player interpretation rather than fully shown or explained. Most of the story is given to the player through dialogue from characters within the game, flavor text from items, and world design.The opening cutscene begins in primeval times, with a world shrouded by grey fog and ruled by Everlasting Dragons. In this world, Gwyn happens upon the First Flame and finds a Lord Soul, and with his allies, use their power to defeat the dragons beginning the Age of Fire. But all flames must fade, so after thousands of years, the Age of Fire was dwindling. With the dwindling flame, the undead curse appears, where certain humans become branded with the Dark Sign and continually resurrect upon death, losing a small piece of their humanity and sense of self with each death. The player begins as one of these cursed undead, locked away in an undead asylum "To the North". After escaping the asylum with the aid of the knight Oscar, the player ventures to Lordran attempting to follow a mysterious prophecy, given to them by Oscar. From there the story takes off. I feel that the game's story is too convoluted and minimalistic to tell a great story I understand that many will disagree with me on this.

    Gameplay:

    Dark Souls most lacking aspect is in the gameplay department. The game seems to be more focused on difficulty than eljouablbilty. Many deaths in the game can be unfair such as the games poor hit detection and physics which can cause your character to sometimes corrine off a cliff. I feel that Dark Souls has created a nasty tread in this area of creating difficulty as the center of the gameplay which can greatly take away from the experience. I believe that games should be enjoyable experiences and not frustrating ones. I believe that Dark Souls difficulty would be much more fair if it had a difficulty setting so players can choose how hard they want the game. The very well respected game critic Jim Sterling agrees with this and has wrote and said in the past that he wouldn’t mind Dark Souls having an easy mode so it would be acceptable to less experienced players. The game uses a basic action RPG combat. The game also uses a basic leveling system where you choose a class and build it from there. The game also features many frustrating level designs especially Sen’s Fortress which features many cheap and unfair traps that makes you often have to restart the area many times. The game also features some of the worst platforming in video game history even worse than the original Half-Life. Dark Souls combat I mostly found boring frustrating and repetitive and incompetent. Overall Dark Souls gameplay is far more frustrating than enjoyable.

    Technical:

    Dark Souls suffers from many technical problems and crashed on me many times in the middle of playing. The game also experienced many strange glitches as well. The game also had a terrible physics system which would glitch in and out and ruin the entire experience.

    Overall:

    Dark Souls is poorly made game. I don’t understand the praise this game gets. Maybe I am not the demographic for this game. I see Dark Souls has a bad influence the game industry. Bloodborne when it came out was praised for the same reason by critics but I hated it as well and they claimed it was a true survival horror game. As a survival horror fan I see it infest and ruin recent horror games to focus on difficulty to “scare” the player vs. genuinely trying to scare player in creative ways. I am greatly looking forward to Resident Evil 7. And so far from the trailer and demo it looks great but I hope that it takes influence from horror games like P.T. and SIlent Hill that focussed and real storytelling and scares over cheap difficulty to stress the player. I feel that games are made to be fun and Dark Souls is not that game. I give Dark Souls a very disappointing 4/10.    … Expand
  12. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    1
    Well, to get this out of the way first, the port is somewhat decent now, it is playable, but you need a controller. This game is hell with keyboard and mouse. But i won't focus on that, because the main game is trash anyway.

    If you try to be objective for a moment, and look at this as a piece of software, comparing it with the competition, you can't help but wonder how can this pass as    Well, to get this out of the way first, the port is somewhat decent now, it is playable, but you need a controller. This game is hell with keyboard and mouse. But i won't focus on that, because the main game is trash anyway.

    If you try to be objective for a moment, and look at this as a piece of software, comparing it with the competition, you can't help but wonder how can this pass as a PS3 era AAA game. Seriously. The graphics are borderline PS2 level. Animations and hitboxes are archaic, controls are literally trash. Sound is nothing special, music, what is music? Dialogs are few. The character system is bad and not explained, you can't design a good character without a guide. Enemy AI is non-existant, enemies just stand on their place and just hit you with swords/arrows/whatever. They are just hit point sponges. There are bugs. This game could have been created with 4-5 interns at best. This is no AAA.

    Then we have the supposed "difficulty". Make no mistake, this game is not difficult, it is cheap. Let no blinded fanboy and "hardcore gamer" tell you otherwise. There is nothing difficult with Dark Souls. If it had a proper save system and allowed proper difficulty settings (easy/medium/hard), it would have been much, much easier than other games, because there is literally no enemy AI on this game. If you play Skyrim on the hardest setting, enemies can become HP sponges too, and hit you harder. Same thing, on a far better video game.

    You don't have to be a good gamer to complete this game. I am all for a challenge, but i am 33 years old, and my time is limited. I don't have the time to die 500x times, lose all progress and have to travel all the way again, or grind endlessly in order to beat a boss. That sh1t should have died in the 80s/90s. This is not difficulty, this is tedium. Difficulty is trying to beat a hard AI in chess. Having to grind to win a boss or die repeatedly to learn its patterns, is just a way to waste hours of your life for no reason. It is just BAD DESIGN. A proper human being, that means not a basement dweller, has no time for this sh1t.

    Last but not least, there is no reward for suffering to complete this game. The story is trash, the lore is trash. You have nothing to gain by completing this, other than "bragging rights". For me, if anyone, and i mean, anyone, comes to me and tells me that "he is a hardcore gamer because he wasted hours of his life dying cheap deaths in order to finish a non AAA console port", it is a litmus test for being an idiot. "sure bra, you completed this abomination, what a life accomplishment you made!" All the while normal people play real games to relax for fun.

    I can't explain the high scores of this game by reviewers. Typically, the metacritic scores it has achieved are reserved for classincs and masterpieces, and this trash is not. Also, typically, Japanese games have becomes garbage in the PS3 generation and afterwards. Repetitive trash with low production values. From software was a small japanese developer never known for any good game prior to this. So how come they made it? I believe it is a combination of "marketing" (read:bribes), younger gamers' inexperience and vanity, and Stockholm syndrome. Sony and Japanese gamers/media, have every reason to attempt to push this cheap trash as a "masterpiece" in order to make a comeback in the industry. Professional reviewers don't want to score it lower to not be called "n00bs" and told to "git gud". They typically never finish their games, they almost always play on easy, but somehow they adore Dark Souls... Yeah right... Kids with no accomplishments in their real life, are eager to show off by finishing this turd, and then go online and tell everyone and their dog about it. And they call anyone who won't suffer this garbage "a casual". Most of those kids have completed this game by sheer repetition and grinding, or with guides and cheats. Yet they want to keep the appearence of having fun with it, because admitting this is trash, will make them having to admit they wasted their time and what they accomplished is nothing special. Probably the reason for the whole popularity.

    I have even seen a best game ever list on us gamer, putting Dark Souls on No1 spot. That is after the release of Witcher 3... Calling it a master piece and work of genius. My God, the emperor has no clothes. Are these clowns getting paid to write this?

    Waste no time with this game. Next time someone calls you a "casual" for it, just laugh at his face. This fad will be over soon.    … Expand
  13. ugi_b
    Jun 26, 2016
    0
    The worst game experience I've ever had. It might be better on console, but it is obvious that no real effort has been made to make it even mildly enjoyable on PC. Unbelievable that it is still available as a PC version, as it can only give the game a bad name. Keyboard and mouse need elaborate mods and fixes (and even then it's not much better), messages for key presses come up withThe worst game experience I've ever had. It might be better on console, but it is obvious that no real effort has been made to make it even mildly enjoyable on PC. Unbelievable that it is still available as a PC version, as it can only give the game a bad name. Keyboard and mouse need elaborate mods and fixes (and even then it's not much better), messages for key presses come up with console buttons and not PC key bindings, menu system is awkward, movement feels clunky and awkward, directional aim is clunky, camera view is slow.… Expand
  14. plotlesviolence
    Apr 30, 2016
    0
    [OVERALL = 0 (or less)]
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours    [OVERALL = 0 (or less)]
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours grinding your stats and find the "cheat" weapons with a walkthrough, most encounters become so easy they're boring; and it isn't fair, the game randomly punishes you (SEVERELY) often and without warning, and is totally unplayable without a step-by-step walkthrough. If someone patched the game to remove the upgrade system, properly balance the enemy encounters, and put a navigation arrow telling you where to go, a 50-hour-plus slog would turn into a 3-hour game that would bore you after the first hour.

    [PRESENTATION = 7]
    (Visuals = 7) Graphics aren't bad, but everything more or less looks alike (brick castle with vegetation); the only reason you recognize places is that the game halts your progress so much you become familiar with the most generic of locations.
    (Sound = 7)
    (Voice Acting = 5)
    (Vibration = 5)
    (Physics = 8) Enemies ragdoll when they die and the physics of broken crates/barrels is actually pretty cool, although physics never affect gameplay.
    (Plot = 5) The story isn't great but is unintrusive.

    [CONTROL = 2]
    (100% 3D hack-and-slash = 2) DS is a shallow hack-and-slash. Damage can penetrate blocking shields and is affected by distance and whether you press the light/fast attack or heavy attack button, with every move drawing from a limited but regenerating stamina pool. But there are only three moves:
    a) while locked-on, deflect an incoming attack to instant-kill; this reduces the game to a quicktime event without a button prompt
    b) while locked-on, hold the shield button to block a strike until the enemy staggers, then counter-attack
    c) do a dodge-roll to avoid a strike, then counter-attack. This is the most risky strategy, it mostly only works on bosses (whereas a and b only work on standard soldiers)
    All of these put you at risk when you face more than one enemy at a time, because you can only focus on one.
    The game also lies to you about there being other options. Supposedly it's possible to wield one heavy sword with both hands, or one weapon in each hand, but since you need the shield to block if you want to survive multiple encounters, these are impossible.
    There are also some purchasable projectiles, and the occasional rare item that grants you a significant advantage (like doubling your health or the weapon's damage, etc.) but you'll never use them because you die so regularly that any one-use item would be a waste.
    (Camera = 6)
    (Physics = 4)
    (Friendly AI = none)
    (Enemy AI = 3)

    [DESIGN = 0]
    (Menus = 4)
    (Upgrade System = 0) Non-automatic upgrade systems are a cancer on videogames, because they always result in boring grinding early on and then being boring-ly overpowered later. Of course DS embraces both flaws to both extremes. But worse, you drop all non-spent experience points where you die and they vanish if you don't collect them on the next life, so it's easily possible to waste 2 hours of your time for nothing.
    (Level Design = 0) Every checkpoint has like 5 paths branching from it, 2 of them hidden, only 1 of them feasible in order to advance the game, and of course there are no hints as to which path that is. It is unplayable without a walkthrough. This is a problem videogames solved around the GTA3/Crazy Taxi era: navigation arrows.
    (Difficulty Curve = 0) Personally, I don't like "exploration" games, but for those who do, one of the prerequisites is that exploration not be painful. In DS, the constant risk of losing all your experience holds you back from trying new paths or risky jumps. At one point I fell into a pit and got hit by gas that took half my health (aka "cursed"). PERMANENTLY. Unless you trekked across the entire map and bought one of a LIMITED number of cures. And since enemies respawn, it is totally possible to lose half your health forever.
    The game is so punishing that you stop feeling guilty about winning through exploits that aren't fun: spamming projectiles from outside enemy reach, tricking the enemy AI into walking off cliffs, etc.
    (Modes = Singleplayer campaign w/occasional online Players allowed in to fight you, 50 hours, 95% padded) Had difficulty been properly calibrated, you could get through the whole game in 3 hours if you could stand how simplistically boring the combat is.

    [CONCLUSION]
    This isn't "hard", it's bad design. I've played bad games before, but never one made intentionally so bad to purposefully frustrate its audience. Super Meat Boy is hard. ANYONE can beat Dark Souls with a walkthrough guide and the willingness to be bored and frustrated for 50 hours straight. I only wasted as much time as I did to see what the fuss was about, and I regret even that.    … Expand
  15. MaddysonGovnoed
    Apr 10, 2016
    0
    Very bad game very bad gameplay its very stpd game !!! Very bad game very bad gameplay its very stpd game !!! Very bad game very bad gameplay its very stpd game !!!
  16. reguire
    Apr 5, 2016
    1
    Worst port ever. Even mods can hardly fix this. As a pc gamer, I don't support the use of controllers instead of keyboard+mouse. This is me surpassing the 150 characters limit.
  17. Molvanian
    Jan 18, 2016
    0
    This game is known for being hard. It isn't hard because it's a well made, challenging game. It's hard because the camera is game-breakingly awful, the enemies will awkwardly slide around at times while tracking you with attacks rather than animating movement (Or standing still like you have to), and they forgot to add any character motivation. The entire reason for literally everythingThis game is known for being hard. It isn't hard because it's a well made, challenging game. It's hard because the camera is game-breakingly awful, the enemies will awkwardly slide around at times while tracking you with attacks rather than animating movement (Or standing still like you have to), and they forgot to add any character motivation. The entire reason for literally everything you do is a guy says his family told him undead should go to this place. So... you do. Even though you must fight legions of monsters to do so. Because some dying guy mentioned it.

    Don't believe the hype, this game is poorly made, it's lazy, enemies attack through walls that instantly stop your attacks if you're even near. Save your money and don't buy into the hype. It's not worth it, and it's not the difficulty. It's just poorly made.    … Expand
  18. nilsy
    Nov 25, 2015
    1
    This is not a good port from a console to PC game, its not halfway good its one of the worst ive seen.
    It did not feel like they spent half the time needed to make the controls work for a PC user and considering the difficulty in this game this is a to me like the 8th deadly sin:
    Though shalt not make a bad port from console to PC or you will burn in hell for all eternity. They didnt    This is not a good port from a console to PC game, its not halfway good its one of the worst ive seen.
    It did not feel like they spent half the time needed to make the controls work for a PC user and considering the difficulty in this game this is a to me like the 8th deadly sin:
    Though shalt not make a bad port from console to PC or you will burn in hell for all eternity.

    They didnt actually try to make a good PC game in my opinion just a quick money grasp, lets see who will buy the game based on its strong console game reputation.

    This gets a 1 there may be a few extreme case games that are actually worse but i cant think of any i remember the name of but im sure ive played some.    … Expand
  19. Keenanz
    Oct 3, 2015
    3
    BAD THINGS :
    Terrible PC port.
    This game is unplayable on average PC unless you download a mod called DSFIX. You can't even bind numeric key if you want to play this game with keyboard. Graphics looks bad and a lot of framerate drop in certain area. Terrible game Design This is basically a rage game, a Lot of enemies can often insta kill your character even if you wearing    BAD THINGS :
    Terrible PC port.
    This game is unplayable on average PC unless you download a mod called DSFIX. You can't even bind numeric key if you want to play this game with keyboard. Graphics looks bad and a lot of framerate drop in certain area.

    Terrible game Design
    This is basically a rage game, a Lot of enemies can often insta kill your character even if you wearing medium-heavy armor and invest a lot on vigor stats. Some bosses are easier than some normal enemies that you will encounter while exploring. Overall, this game is cheap and unbalanced in the terms of difficulty. If you want a balanced and challenging game, this is not the game for you

    A lot of area in this game are felt empty and lack of detail. the dev are even put strong enemies in ridiculous formation for preventing players to explore some unfinished area.

    took 30 hour less to beat the game on my first try, and i missed the DLC content because no way i can find the portal without reading online guide.

    GOOD THINGS :
    - O&S is my favourite boss fight in this series
    - Cool armor design
    - some enemy design are mindblowing
    - interesting lore
    - unique multiplayer design    … Expand
  20. Trebek
    Aug 30, 2015
    4
    This game for all its potential depth and story does a few things that are cardinal sins in my opinion. First off, it has very fiddly controls combined with a 3rd person camera that make the blocking and striking mechanics harder than they need to be. Secondly it combines punishing difficulty with a lack of a save/load function, so if you try something and mess it up, there's no tryingThis game for all its potential depth and story does a few things that are cardinal sins in my opinion. First off, it has very fiddly controls combined with a 3rd person camera that make the blocking and striking mechanics harder than they need to be. Secondly it combines punishing difficulty with a lack of a save/load function, so if you try something and mess it up, there's no trying it again - e.g. the sleeping dragon at the start with the items you're supposed to be able to sneak up, steal and get away with (or die but keep). In my game the fiddly controls had me smashing A for my character to pick up the 2nd item before the dragon murdered me only to find that it just wouldn't register the command, and now the game is saved with the dragon awake.

    Frustrating design combined with huge difficulty and punishing auto saving? You get to meet my friend called the steam refund policy!    … Expand
  21. WillG027
    Apr 11, 2015
    1
    Terrible Port. Programmers should be ashamed! Absolutely no care was given to the transfer from console to PC.
    The game itself, whilst having a nice atmosphere, has very simplistic controls - that are not responsive, which makes for a very amatuerish combat system. The graphics are VERY dated.
    If you like any sophistication in your gaming, then stay away from this abomination. Giving it    Terrible Port. Programmers should be ashamed! Absolutely no care was given to the transfer from console to PC.
    The game itself, whilst having a nice atmosphere, has very simplistic controls - that are not responsive, which makes for a very amatuerish combat system. The graphics are VERY dated.
    If you like any sophistication in your gaming, then stay away from this abomination.
    Giving it one out of ten just for the atmosphere.    … Expand
  22. Kovil1402
    Apr 2, 2015
    0
    I would give this game a 5 just because its the worst concole port I've ever seen and because it is impossible to play the game without the controller...Moveover the game is boring the plot is simple and vacuous not to say the least.The story is just not engaging and even the gameplay itself,which is supposed to be key in this game, is filled with walking through poorly designed corridorsI would give this game a 5 just because its the worst concole port I've ever seen and because it is impossible to play the game without the controller...Moveover the game is boring the plot is simple and vacuous not to say the least.The story is just not engaging and even the gameplay itself,which is supposed to be key in this game, is filled with walking through poorly designed corridors and engaging in combat with armies of skeletons.This is not fun at all!Difficulty is not enough for making a good game.Challenge is not the only thing needed to make an interesting game.I am concerned that this game has so many fans because this tells much about the gaming community as a whole.… Expand
  23. Caputalis
    Jan 11, 2015
    1
    I'm being completely honest when I say that Dark Souls is one of the worst games that I've ever played. Seriously, I don't mind difficult games. In fact, I embrace them. They're fun in their own way. Dark Souls is not a difficult game. After fifteen-hours of torturous gameplay, I have come to the conclusion that it is a broken piece of garbage. The only way in which Dark Souls is difficultI'm being completely honest when I say that Dark Souls is one of the worst games that I've ever played. Seriously, I don't mind difficult games. In fact, I embrace them. They're fun in their own way. Dark Souls is not a difficult game. After fifteen-hours of torturous gameplay, I have come to the conclusion that it is a broken piece of garbage. The only way in which Dark Souls is difficult is that the controls are horrendous, the response time between when you press a button and when your character actually does what you wanted them to do is laughable, and the gameplay itself is dull and heavy, as if your character were obese. Literally, they make it seem as if your sword weighs one-hundred-fifty-pounds. I feel like my character is an overgrown baby trying to swing a longsword. All of this would have been forgiveable, if it wasn't for the fact that sometimes when you press a button, your character will do the complete opposite. For example, I'll tell him to dodge left. He dodges right. He dies. I then proceed to remember reading someone writing, "In Dark Souls, when you die, it really is your fault! It's fair!". Really? When my character decides to roll right into a spear, that's my fault? Get out of here. I love the reviews on here, too, where they'll list so many negatives, and then still give it a 10/10. How does this game have such a high score? I am genuinely baffled. I feel like it would be easier to discover why it is that kids love the taste of cinnamon toast crunch than it would be to discover why this game is so highly rated. It is ridiculous. I would sooner meet Vlad the Impaler than play Dark Souls one more time.

    0 Games for Windows Live out of 10.    … Expand
  24. jimbobslimbob
    Dec 10, 2014
    3
    Meh.

    I don't understand the hype around this one. It's really nothing special. Couple this with the god-damn awful PC port that it is, it's enough to safely put me off from playing this anymore.I found the game to be significantly lacking in all areas. Sure, it's hard, but that is really all it's got going for it.

    Jimbo Rating: 3/10
  25. SpawnCap
    Nov 29, 2014
    4
    Dull boring environment. Boring combat. Boring world. Demon Souls was great both Dark Souls series very boring. The graphics on both Dark Souls on the pc are worse than the graphics of demon souls on the ps3. FANS OF SINGLE PLAYER GAMES AVOID THIS TITLE. Nothing but a bunch of children invading other's games.
  26. Azazaa
    Sep 20, 2014
    0
    7.3 ? Are you kidding me? Absolutely bad graphic! PC version is bad. It so bad - that mouse cursor runing over game! It so bad that i don see difference with resolution 640*480 and 2550*1440! It so bad that 4 kays not move to keabord! I see many games, ilsee thousands bad games. But this - absulutely record of bad games.
  27. Muffinrex
    Aug 13, 2014
    3
    The game might be terrific for all I know, but the PC port is so goddamn awful that I just can't play it. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get around Games For Windows Live, and when I finally got into the game, I FOUND OUT IT WAS HORRIBLE.

    I am so disappointed! The framerate and resolution are crap, as well as the over all graphics. You can clearly tell that the team didn't    The game might be terrific for all I know, but the PC port is so goddamn awful that I just can't play it. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get around Games For Windows Live, and when I finally got into the game, I FOUND OUT IT WAS HORRIBLE.

    I am so disappointed! The framerate and resolution are crap, as well as the over all graphics. You can clearly tell that the team didn't put any effort into this terrible port, because the bloody hotkey icons are still looking like X360-buttons! And the mouse, OH GOD THE MOUSE. The camera keeps spinning around, and the mouse cursor is still on the screen in-game.

    Don't buy this. If you have a PS3 or a Xbox 360, buy it for one of those. This port is a waste of cash. Totally unplayable.    … Expand
  28. TheNikus
    Jul 22, 2014
    4
    Dark Souls, AKA "The Great Test of Patience", AKA "Frustration: The Video Game", is certainly one of a kind. This is not a game for everyone. Calling it "difficult" does not quite hit the mark, "challenging" is a bit better - but there really is no proper single word for it. Here's a quick test to find out if you'll like the game: Do you enjoy repeating the same little part of a game overDark Souls, AKA "The Great Test of Patience", AKA "Frustration: The Video Game", is certainly one of a kind. This is not a game for everyone. Calling it "difficult" does not quite hit the mark, "challenging" is a bit better - but there really is no proper single word for it. Here's a quick test to find out if you'll like the game: Do you enjoy repeating the same little part of a game over and over, memorizing everything and finding out how to best trick the game, only to move on to the next little part and do the same, and do you not mind a game's very stylish but nonetheless crude presentation and a sense of foreboding adventure, in part due to the fact that the game totally alienates you if you do not have a third party to explain it to you? If you can say yes, then Dark Souls is for you. The game has its charm, but as already stated, it's simply too crude, so I can't recommend it (except maybe at a discount - that's how I got it, thank God).… Expand
  29. Drago_Malik
    Jul 11, 2014
    1
    The game is not difficult. You can game it easily by learning to doge and evade the patterns of everything including bosses. Therefore you can kill anything easily. The only stumbles I found are the camera doesn't lock on the PC view so you end up having blocked views if you don't adjust the second axis for the camera while you move. The other is the stuns that cause loss of characterThe game is not difficult. You can game it easily by learning to doge and evade the patterns of everything including bosses. Therefore you can kill anything easily. The only stumbles I found are the camera doesn't lock on the PC view so you end up having blocked views if you don't adjust the second axis for the camera while you move. The other is the stuns that cause loss of character control from hits or falls that delay character reactions that are much needed. These two are very gamey things that add difficulty which is easy to adjust once familiar with the game. The game is very linear. You open up new areas which are also linear. I like the concept of being undead and collecting souls and monsters and gear look cool for the most part. The multiplayer is burdensome and clunky. Try to get a friend in the game with you and you can wait up to an hour before they can join sometimes. That doesn't add to difficulty, it just is a time sink. Combat is interesting, but easy to game around with good evasion and not using target lock will help you more. Easy mode = skip to any item you want for your build by remaining low endurance to dodge and weave your way through anywhere in the world. Farm exp / souls by running high value monters/npcs off cliffs. Way too gamey imo.… Expand
  30. tybalt777
    Jun 23, 2014
    0
    This is hands down probably one of the worst rpgs I have ever played, any money spent on this game is a waste. The game is such a let down that the programmers should feel a sense of shame just for bringing this load of crap into the word
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Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2012
10
#10 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
20
#20 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    72
    The irony is that the PC version could have been much better than the PS3/360 ones, with higher resolutions to make the textures look better, a cornucopia of mods and/or an active (in theory at least) community. But FROM ruined it all (with the assistance of Games for Windows Live). It’s a shame really, if we at least had just a decent port (or a better infrastructure for a less appalling multiplayer mode), Dark Souls could have been one of the best RPG for the PC. [November 2012]
  2. GameFocus
    Nov 19, 2012
    80
    Not often do you see a game that is equally rewarding as it is frustrating; and it's not because the game is unfair.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 29, 2012
    80
    Dark Souls returns the hardcore elements back to action RPGs – heavy focus on uncompromising fight mechanics and absolute freedom in hero profiling. The price of this game is not for everyone. [Oct 2012]
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