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. EarlGray
    Sep 10, 2023
    7
    This review focuses primarily on boss fights, combat, and leveling. The game has 26 bosses, including 4 from the DLC.

    Great boss design encompasses the following: easily learnable mechanics, counter-able bosses, most if not all setups will be viable against them. Dark Souls does very well in the easily learnable mechanics realm, is moderate in the counter realm and does terrible with    This review focuses primarily on boss fights, combat, and leveling. The game has 26 bosses, including 4 from the DLC.

    Great boss design encompasses the following: easily learnable mechanics, counter-able bosses, most if not all setups will be viable against them. Dark Souls does very well in the easily learnable mechanics realm, is moderate in the counter realm and does terrible with build viability for bosses, there are some setups that will just NEVER work against certain bosses. My favorite boss is still Artorias, my least favorite Black Dragon Kalameet.

    Dark Souls could have been a 9/10 game if the game had focused on making fights more interesting rather than just punishing. A fight should never feel impossible and can still be challenging to overcome.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. BraidzMC
    Sep 7, 2023
    9
    It's the game that ruined Action RPG's for me forever.

    No world design in gaming has stacked up since.

    An imperfect buggy unfinished masterpiece
  4. Lazzakz
    Aug 21, 2023
    10
    Single-handedly the most ridiculously good level design in ages. Fantastic worldbuilding, unique and genre-defying gameplay. The ultimate experience for its generation of gaming.

    10
  5. BioShip0706
    Aug 11, 2023
    8
    8.5 . Amazing game, i didn't really notice the downfall on the second half of the game cause i played it many years ago.
  6. agq
    Jul 28, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the closest any game will ever come to in terms of true art. The story is told through rare bits of NPC dialogue, descriptions of items, and the world around you. The enemies, bosses and world design feel intricately designed in a way that makes the world feel real and lived in. This game-play can go from dreadful to fearless depending on where you are, the trip into the Depths and down to Blighttown always gives me a unique sense of dread that not even a horror game could give me. But you persist and move on through the game, unveiling the ending leaving you thinking that you have played the greatest game ever to be created.… Expand
  7. Naked_Snakee
    Jul 22, 2023
    8
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  8. Magikcarp
    Jul 19, 2023
    10
    Gameplay - 10
    Plot & Characters - 5
    Storytelling - 8
    Pacing - 10
    Music & Sound - 9
    Replayability - 9
    Performance - 7
  9. Marcio_
    Jul 2, 2023
    10
    Those who gave low marks clearly did not know how to take advantage of the essence and its real message. Regarding the controls on the PC, there are no conditions to play a game of this size on the keyboard. Furthermore, this masterpiece still has an impact on games today. To those who complain, I hope you have a good reasoning to understand everything that happens in this work whileThose who gave low marks clearly did not know how to take advantage of the essence and its real message. Regarding the controls on the PC, there are no conditions to play a game of this size on the keyboard. Furthermore, this masterpiece still has an impact on games today. To those who complain, I hope you have a good reasoning to understand everything that happens in this work while resting at the fire. PRAISE THE SUN!… Expand
  10. Tintler
    Jun 26, 2023
    6
    Çok kötü bir PC portuydu. Topluluk patchleri olmadan imklansızdı. Fakat oyun olarak, oyuncuya başarma duygusunu veren en iyi oyunlardan.
  11. KOMC
    Feb 26, 2023
    9
    one of my favourite game of all time!!!
    insane world design, excellent boss design!!
    too much unforgettable memory!
    all the NPC are so interesting too!
    Ash lake is still most breathtaking area of souls series and one of the best in gaming history!
  12. smahlt
    Jan 20, 2023
    9
    This is a very good game. Fantastic beginning of the Dark Souls series, and the best of the three.
  13. Beeshu
    Dec 19, 2022
    9
    DS1 is an instant classic. The way the game presents challenge and storytelling is revolutionary for the whole games industry. Some might be scared off by the game's difficulty and lack of direction, but once you overcome that initial learning barrier, the game opens up as an incredible skill-based RPG with a fantastic underlying story and a mythical and hostile world waiting to be conquered.
  14. Chalkbrood
    Dec 11, 2022
    8
    this is my favourite game but I cannot in good conscience give this more than a 7.5/10
    It's beautiful in a sense that it's not actually as hard to learn as people make it out to be, it's just that applying the knowledge to new areas of the game manages to stay as punishing as the start of the game when you don't have that knowledge. that's a good learning curve my friends
    or it is a good    this is my favourite game but I cannot in good conscience give this more than a 7.5/10
    It's beautiful in a sense that it's not actually as hard to learn as people make it out to be, it's just that applying the knowledge to new areas of the game manages to stay as punishing as the start of the game when you don't have that knowledge. that's a good learning curve my friends
    or it is a good learning curve until the second half of the game, where it seems that they ran out of money, one area is cast entirely in darkness, it's almost like they didn't have to design a place
    one is a lava field filled with dragon asses (this is not hyperbole or a joke), it's basically just a stack of pointless reused assets, one area is a single room which would be clever if it were implemented properly but it rather unfortunately is quite a dull area. it doesn't help that by this part of the game your character should be somewhat overpowered in comparison to what should be the more interesting individual encounters.
    Furthermore the game is nigh impossible to penetrate the ideas of, while it's fine for the story to be obfuscated behind little details, a lot of quite important gameplay details are completely unclear. This paired with the fact that when buffs are most useful (early game) is when buffs are also completely non replenishable makes the barrier to entry quite high and not just because it's designed to be hard, but because it's pointlessly obscure what does what. One of the stats you can put points in is legitimately useless. Furthermore there are nearly gamebreaking weapons that have a 1 in 5 drop rate from enemies that don't respawn that there are only one of, so first timer success can be contingent on luck.
    So those are the negatives and ultimately they're not all that negative, this game is very enjoyable to get good at and a lot of enemy designs and environment designs are amazing fun to look at. So yeah, git gud, play dark souls, but do it with a strategy guide cause it's probably impossible without one    … Expand
  15. maluigario
    Dec 5, 2022
    9
    The beginning of a delicious series of games and creative brethren. The graphics and combat don't hold up as well post-Dark Souls 3/Sekiro/Bloodborne, but this game still holds a place of honor for being the birth of an absolute CRAZE in new gameplay design. It did for action/adventure games what FNAF did for horror; it changed the way everyone looks at the genre and forced the entire gameThe beginning of a delicious series of games and creative brethren. The graphics and combat don't hold up as well post-Dark Souls 3/Sekiro/Bloodborne, but this game still holds a place of honor for being the birth of an absolute CRAZE in new gameplay design. It did for action/adventure games what FNAF did for horror; it changed the way everyone looks at the genre and forced the entire game industry as a whole to shift, so much so that Steam now has a "Souls-like" category. That should speak for itself.… Expand
  16. Aidelweiss
    Dec 5, 2022
    8
    great game, you really wanna take it slow. the multiplayer meta is a bit dependent on a single build
  17. vip_leaf
    Nov 21, 2022
    10
    Truly one of the greatest games of all time. The pc version needs the dsfix mod though to be playable.
  18. CodaHensley
    Aug 27, 2022
    8
    Dark Souls, how I love you. Dark Souis, how I hate you. I know these days there isn't really a new take under the sun, but with the circle jerk it surrounding Dark Souls, I still feel as though it's blasphemy to say any part of Dark Souls isn't amazing. I personally think a lot of Dark Souls isn't amazing. The main foundation that manages to uphold the game is its feel, no other gameDark Souls, how I love you. Dark Souis, how I hate you. I know these days there isn't really a new take under the sun, but with the circle jerk it surrounding Dark Souls, I still feel as though it's blasphemy to say any part of Dark Souls isn't amazing. I personally think a lot of Dark Souls isn't amazing. The main foundation that manages to uphold the game is its feel, no other game captures the same atmosphere of Dark Souls. However, at the end of my most recent playthrough, I think I've become convinced that's all that's good about Dark Souls. Dark Souls has abysmal combat. A lot of people say that it's skill based, no it's absolutely not, each weapon has such limited implementation, trapped to only a few basic attacks each. Its more of a memory game, becoming comfortable with a specific weapons attack patterns and adding in the knowledge of enemy attack patterns in order to equate to being able to attack the number of times that the enemy's recovery time allows. This however, very often has you using the same weapon for the entire game, and this is not a short game. In a game that seems to throw variety at you, begging for experimentation, anytime I picked up any new armor or weapon and I was curious enough to test it, I would get stomped out while trying to essentially relearn the combat of timings of each weapon. And I'm specific about saying 'timing', because there is no variety from weapon to weapon, a weapon either thrusts or stabs, thats it. The only thing that changes is the animations that play when a characters swings. It makes the game feel stale very quickly, and the last few hours became a slog. I changed weapons all of one time to fight a boss that was easier to overcome with quick attacks rather than high damage ones, but that was one boss out of a plethora of big, slow moving tanks, and I'd argue that its one of the most unfair bossfights in the game anyways. Despite my issues, I can't bring myself to hate it. I've never gotten more angry at the **** a game pulls than playing this game, but the design of the world and its characters are so damn appealing to look at, even if they don't make any sense when you put the specifics of it under a microscope. That's one last gripe, item descriptions aren't a **** story dude, not one of the damn Dark Souls games has a good story, i'd be hard pressed to say any of them have any story at all. And no, I will not watch a cringe youtube video to explain to me the lore that he made up in his head because you didn't put enough in your game. A bit harsh, but it comes from a place of love. If I didn't like the game, the things im not a fan of wouldn't stick out so much in my mind.… Expand
  19. 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.
  20. Artors
    Aug 10, 2022
    9
    Un juego que no llegaba a 5 euros y me dio muchas horas de juego.Recomendado.
  21. k1ra120
    Jun 26, 2022
    8
    Dark souls is beautiful at its core. Interesting game mechanics and combat system. However, the port itself is bad. 30 fps lmao
  22. demestros
    Jun 13, 2022
    10
    This game is the reference. It has technical limitations, it was not polished, but it was revolutionary. At a time, when games became more and more like movies and played themselves, this game singlehandedly changed the focus of game machanics in the mainstream. It was hard and not afraid to hide game elements, to reward the player at the end.

    for me the pc version is the reference    This game is the reference. It has technical limitations, it was not polished, but it was revolutionary. At a time, when games became more and more like movies and played themselves, this game singlehandedly changed the focus of game machanics in the mainstream. It was hard and not afraid to hide game elements, to reward the player at the end.

    for me the pc version is the reference because of the modding scene and randomizers available.    … Expand
  23. Yukhta
    Jun 8, 2022
    9
    The game itself is awesome, but the PC port was horrible ( and still horrible).
  24. Senden_Wh
    Jun 1, 2022
    9
    Так, игра имеет много проблем с механиками и их исполнением. Если бы не они, игра было бы идеальна
  25. Desertstorm
    May 28, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Dark Souls was and still is an unmissable landmark unique title that arguably changed the gaming landscape. It spawned dozens of copycats and influenced hundreds of games, which makes it even crazier that there is still nothing like it. The closest are the other two Dark Souls games but each one has a different feel, the other two don't capture the originals' feel but have different strengths and weaknesses. Dark Souls 2 feels more "arcadey" while Dark Souls 3 leans more towards being an action adventure game.… Expand
  26. Izoeros
    Apr 26, 2022
    6
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  27. 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
  28. BaldursThones
    Apr 14, 2022
    8
    I love this game more than the other entries in the series just from the world design. The combat might be clunky but the connection to fire link shrine is epic.
  29. prostopopez
    Mar 29, 2022
    10
    Simply put, a masterpiece.
    Great one-piece plot with lots of engraved details. At the same time, the presentation is unobtrusively woven into surroundings, for the realism and atmosphere of which game designers deserve special praise. The combat system is fair and balanced. The player chooses his difficulty, but not by clicking on the menu, but by making in-game decisions. Some of the    Simply put, a masterpiece.
    Great one-piece plot with lots of engraved details. At the same time, the presentation is unobtrusively woven into surroundings, for the realism and atmosphere of which game designers deserve special praise. The combat system is fair and balanced. The player chooses his difficulty, but not by clicking on the menu, but by making in-game decisions. Some of the songs are beautiful, the ending can bring you to tears. The motivation it gives is unimaginable. There are flaws, but this is one of the few games that I'm willing to give 10/10. So I do it.    … Expand
  30. dmcintire
    Mar 20, 2022
    9
    This port was a little buggy, but it was my introduction to the Souls series.

    DS1 has excellent level design, hard but fair gameplay, a ln intriguing approach to storytelling. I absolutely DS1.
  31. undamoth
    Mar 11, 2022
    7
    Frustrating, challenging, and a nightmarish pc port. Bad controls, framerate, and a camera/lockon mechanic that betrays you oh so much and the primary antagonist in this game. That is.... It's still dark souls man. There is still fun to be had with its outstanding combat.

    It can be fun. Probably best enjoyed in its other iterations though
  32. Shedfreak
    Feb 28, 2022
    8
    A classic, it has an awful port on PC but the simple mod called DSfix fixes everything and also improves a lot to the point you can make your own Remaster.
  33. 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.
  34. yasean
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    I love this game, this game opened another world of story and gameplay to me along with its challenges, of course, this version had a terrible quality in terms of FPS and some technical areas, at least on my laptop, of course For thick skin like me, it was enough to be a part of this game :)
  35. teratoma666
    Dec 23, 2021
    10
    Without exaggeration, this game saved modern game design. It made challenging and unforgiving gameplay and gloomy and oppressive atmosphere comercially viable. Might be the most influential game of the last decade.

    The port is terrible, but the gameplay, world and atmosphere are a work of art so giving it any less would be a disservice.
  36. f0rdragon
    Dec 23, 2021
    7
    very good game with a lot of potential but poorly executed.low fps,terrible pc port and don't even bother to even test it without controller.some of the port problems can be fixed by dsfix but this isn't an excuse for these major problems.
  37. nurfedx
    Oct 30, 2021
    10
    One of the best Games known to mankind.
    From Software is a safe heaven for the Gaming community.
    Especially in times where big Developers dissapiont us with theyr fraudulent intent.
    Praise the sun!
  38. Le0nidas
    Sep 27, 2021
    9
    Awesome game with one of the best combat system ever. Truly rewarding experience.
  39. rezo_21
    Sep 19, 2021
    9
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME SCORE : 93 IIIIIIIIII====================
  40. FRIST_008
    Jun 14, 2021
    5
    После бладика проходится очень уныло. Никогда бы не подумал, что дарк соулс, это вот это...
  41. Jonneeyy
    Jun 14, 2021
    9
    Ein hervorragendes Action-RPG, welches einen hohen Wiederspielwert hat. Geiles Kampfsystem, Wahnsinnig gut gestaltete Welt und knackige Bosse erwarten einen in dieser spannenden Welt. Das Spiel ist außerdem sehr schwer und anspruchsvoll und erzählt seine Geschichte sehr kryptisch.
  42. YoelofLothric
    May 11, 2021
    10
    Man i love dark souls, yes i know this isn't the best version of the game but it's the best PC version for thr single-player. I grew up with Dark Souls and it will always be one of my favorite video games ever made.
  43. HaemanJones
    May 11, 2021
    9
    Well Dark Souls is a flawed game but i can't ignore its impact on the industry, right now Dark Souls is a classic and prepare to die edition is so good,it's at least better than the console versions. I loved Dark Souls' Level Designs and Atmosphere and i think Miyazaki is a genius.
  44. danbut110
    Apr 25, 2021
    6
    Игра хорошая, но реализовать управление для ПК забыли.
  45. itsstillalive
    Mar 17, 2021
    10
    It's a bad PC port but with some mods It's easy to fix them, especially the graphic mod.
    To get the best experience you are pretty much forced to use a controller.
    After that you will play a game with one of the best designed open worlds, in which the areas are interconnected. Throughout the game it's usually a challenging experience and you will have to learn the movement sets /    It's a bad PC port but with some mods It's easy to fix them, especially the graphic mod.
    To get the best experience you are pretty much forced to use a controller.

    After that you will play a game with one of the best designed open worlds, in which the areas are interconnected. Throughout the game it's usually a challenging experience and you will have to learn the movement sets / reaction of enemies and bosses to beat them. While exploring a dark and atmospheric world with it's history and quests hidden in plain side.

    One of the main issues for new players is probably the backtracking at the beginning of the game, which will only be solved in mid game. Besides that the only possible disappointment is the area where they rushed the development with a corresponding boss fight.    … Expand
  46. dimvla
    Jan 31, 2021
    10
    ds1 is probably the champion in the ds series considering both the challenge and the originality in creativity. ds series in general is probably the best action rpg combination and what makes it even more compelling are the dark characters, stories, enemies and atmosphere in general.
    although game mechanics slightly improved during the series, there are a number of differences that are in    ds1 is probably the champion in the ds series considering both the challenge and the originality in creativity. ds series in general is probably the best action rpg combination and what makes it even more compelling are the dark characters, stories, enemies and atmosphere in general.
    although game mechanics slightly improved during the series, there are a number of differences that are in favor of ds1, as for example the limit of weapons/rings in use (which makes the game more difficult) and the lack of the vigor stat, which makes xp harder to find and levelling up not so easy. In addition the game map is the most intelligent in the series as it is a well 3d constructed world, and the game can purely be considered as open world (in contradiction with the rest of the series especially ds 3 where the game became more linear). Open world game-play provides more tactical options and overall makes the game more fun.
    ds1 is probably the top of the top action/rpg ds game series. the remastered version is highly recommended    … Expand
  47. JoelArpal
    Jan 15, 2021
    10
    Queria escribir esto cuando terminara el juego para tener una mejor vision de conjunto, pero he preferido hacerlo ahora, a pocas horas de acabar el juego, porque quiero plasmar la sensacion que tengo ahora mismo. A Dark Souls empece a jugar hara unos seis años. Por aquel entonces ya estaba empezando a afianzarse como el referente de su propio genero. Entre con cierto respeto y con algo deQueria escribir esto cuando terminara el juego para tener una mejor vision de conjunto, pero he preferido hacerlo ahora, a pocas horas de acabar el juego, porque quiero plasmar la sensacion que tengo ahora mismo. A Dark Souls empece a jugar hara unos seis años. Por aquel entonces ya estaba empezando a afianzarse como el referente de su propio genero. Entre con cierto respeto y con algo de escepticismo dado que, con toda la expectativa que estaba generando, temia que no fuera a estar a la altura.
    El resultado ha sido que despues de seis años, cuando por fin me he dignado a jugarlo en serio y a terminarlo, el juego me ha ofrecido una gran experiencia de juego. Su historia es quizás demasiado opaca y obtusa, sus personajes son pocos pero tienen carisma suficiente como para conseguir que los recuerdes a todos. Aunque como he dicho la historia del mundo que presenta es algo dificil de descifrar, los temas que trata consiguen calar y, almenos a mi, han conseguido emocionarme.
    Dark Souls ha sido una experiencia a la que he llegado muy tarde pero que aun asi me ha acogido con los brazos abiertos.
    Sus personajes, su ambientacion, su mundo... Son algo que se va quedar conmigo durante mucho tiempo.    … Expand
  48. wokenoodle
    Jan 9, 2021
    9
    Dark Souls is a game to be considered a masterpiece unquestionably.

    It's atmosphere, built on evocative visuals and mesmerizing sound design, magically keeps you deeply submerged into the strange, somber world filled with mysteries so ancient they've become irreparably lost - even to themselves, in case of it's memorable characters. The story, hidden in plain sight within obscure    Dark Souls is a game to be considered a masterpiece unquestionably.

    It's atmosphere, built on evocative visuals and mesmerizing sound design, magically keeps you deeply submerged into the strange, somber world filled with mysteries so ancient they've become irreparably lost - even to themselves, in case of it's memorable characters.

    The story, hidden in plain sight within obscure remnants that serve as your gear, is written with broad strokes and with no intention to give players answers - but with one to invoke some interesting questions.

    And, of course, the jewel in the crown - the gameplay that came to define a whole sub-genre and redefine what we expect of some fundamental aspects of a video game. It's slick, and deep, and satisfying in it's cruelty, and after you've defeated another boss it makes you feel the wave of something you'll struggle to find elsewhere. But you'll be looking, because, given some time, you'll fell in love with it.

    The way it influences the industry on it's own makes Dark Souls something to be talked about for generations of gamers to come - but it does not redeem fully the game's lack of polish in the later parts, so there's a 9 out of 10.    … Expand
  49. stevix123
    Dec 4, 2020
    10
    el juego aun no lo e jugado pero dicen que es muy bueno y me a interesado el gameplay y su entorno me a gustado, ya cuando lo pruebe daré mi reseña. 10 puntos
  50. nitorita
    Oct 30, 2020
    9
    Dark Souls pioneered and defined a genre of action RPG that future generations of game developers, apart from the very makers themselves, have continued to fail to emulate and surpass.

    It's hard not to love Dark Souls. The game presents itself as difficult to add a degree of realism, but also stays within reason by offering mechanics that allow you to exhibit your skill and mastery of    Dark Souls pioneered and defined a genre of action RPG that future generations of game developers, apart from the very makers themselves, have continued to fail to emulate and surpass.

    It's hard not to love Dark Souls. The game presents itself as difficult to add a degree of realism, but also stays within reason by offering mechanics that allow you to exhibit your skill and mastery of the game (or lack thereof, hehe).

    The vast arsenal of weapons and builds you can create allows you to play however you wish (although ranged, my favourite type of gameplay in video games, is severely clunky and underwhelming).

    The maps are vast and exotic, and the central hub with each region branching out and intertwining is simply a masterpiece in world design. No two areas are the same, meaning there's always tons to explore.

    Unlike other games, even if collecting items may seem mundane at times and even unnecessary, the abundance of secret passages and areas off the beaten path urges you to explore every nook and cranny just to see what is there.

    The game is incredibly lengthy and definitely gives you insane bang for your buck. It also came with one of the best PvP systems in history: invasions.

    Dark Souls (and its sequels) deserves every bit of praise and hype that it gets. FromSoftware will be forever famous, and they have genuinely earned their place.    … Expand
  51. zoodle
    Oct 25, 2020
    9
    This is one of my favorite games and the first game in the "Souls" series, I liked this game for its complexity, although I was stuck on Nito the Lord of the Graves and the Iron Golem, the rest went from 1 to 3 attempts. The game also has a couple of very dark and heavy locations(but you will find them yourself). And yet, I really do not advise you to play the game on the keyboard andThis is one of my favorite games and the first game in the "Souls" series, I liked this game for its complexity, although I was stuck on Nito the Lord of the Graves and the Iron Golem, the rest went from 1 to 3 attempts. The game also has a couple of very dark and heavy locations(but you will find them yourself). And yet, I really do not advise you to play the game on the keyboard and mouse, I myself started as well, but it was very difficult for me, having moved to the gamepad, I began to play much better.… Expand
  52. 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
  53. Steplcy
    Jul 20, 2020
    10
    Master Piece !!! Great game engine , challenge always the gravity, every fighting is memorable .
    Excellent Map design, amazing when you find the shortcuts and how each areas are linked.
    Amazing story telling.
    10/10 , should not miss this game.
    DSfix helps to improve graphics a lot, but still has a frame rate drop in the Blighttown.
  54. Dzench
    Jul 11, 2020
    10
    Отличная игра, преодоление трудностей доставляет невероятный восторг!
  55. Spavvn
    Jul 5, 2020
    10
    Одна из лучших игр в мире! Просто обожаю её ♥
  56. Fatryon
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    El primer Dark Souls, sin contar a Demon claramente, es una de las mejores y mas difíciles experiencias de los videojuegos, una variedad de armas, de enemigos, de formas de jugar, jefes épicos, un multijugador divertido, y de las mejores bandas sonoras que escuche en los juegos. Un juego que marco el inicio de una era y que es referenciado constantemente como sinónimo de calidad y dificultad
  57. Guo56
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    My final dark souls review, this game is great on pc because it was mod potential.

    Best consoles to play on:

    PlayStation 3

    Xbox One X

    Switch

    Pc
  58. Leandro5an
    Jun 20, 2020
    9
    Mi primer contacto con From Software. Lo único malo es que se veía un poco lento, pero en general es tremendo juegazo. No se ve tan fluido como la tercera entrega pero aún así, es mi juego favorito de la saga, ya sea esta edición o la Remaster de PS4.
  59. bancandrei
    May 12, 2020
    7
    Hard? yes. Fair? barely. Obscure? hell yeah. God tier level design? You have got to be kidding me.
    It does have nice moments and it envigorated the RPG genre. A lot (and I mean vast majority) is derivative of Demon's Souls though, so I guess credit is misplaced.
    It is still a worth experiencing, especially the first "half" until getting the lord vessel.
  60. mugsy
    May 9, 2020
    10
    Definitely the best game in Dark Souls series (and the hardest!). The atmosphere and mystery was unmatched by later games. It sucks that it ran only in 30 FPS though.
  61. pavvlad
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    One of the best rpg and dark fantasy game with big world where every new location different from previous - so many characters and so many storylines... Creaters of this game is geniuses. This applies to all chapters of ds.
  62. abcdefgg11
    Apr 28, 2020
    9
    Masterpiece. Would be a 10/10 if not for some porting and technical issues.
  63. SgAkErRu
    Apr 11, 2020
    9
    Очень крутая и атмосферная игра. Лучшая в серии. Интересный стиль, сложность. Идея, которая лежит в основе игры - как по мне, чем-то напоминает древнегреческую мифологию. Не люблю фентези, но это одна из лучших фентезийных игр. Советую поиграть. 9.5/10Очень крутая и атмосферная игра. Лучшая в серии. Интересный стиль, сложность. Идея, которая лежит в основе игры - как по мне, чем-то напоминает древнегреческую мифологию. Не люблю фентези, но это одна из лучших фентезийных игр. Советую поиграть. 9.5/10
  64. Mithrandirkun
    Apr 9, 2020
    9
    Dark souls es un RPG ambientado en un mundo de fantasia oscura.
    En el juego interpretaremos el papel de un no muerto elegido que deberá enlazar la llama del horno de la primera llama y prolongar la edad del fuego.
    - El juego tiene unos gráficos bastante buenos para ser del año 2012, aunque hay algunas texturas poco trabajadas, en general el juego se ve bastante bien. - El juego    Dark souls es un RPG ambientado en un mundo de fantasia oscura.
    En el juego interpretaremos el papel de un no muerto elegido que deberá enlazar la llama del horno de la primera llama y prolongar la edad del fuego.

    - El juego tiene unos gráficos bastante buenos para ser del año 2012, aunque hay algunas texturas poco trabajadas, en general el juego se ve bastante bien.

    - El juego alterna entre musica ambienta, y piezas musicales muy épicas durante los combates contra los jefes. La banda sonora es de gran calidad, con canciones que se han convertido ya en un clásico de la industria.

    - La forma de contar la historia del juego es bastante sutil, no es un juego donde haya grandes dialogos o cinemáticas contando los acontencimientos de la historia. La información y el trasfondo de muchos personajes y acontecimientos se complementa en la descripción de los objetos del juego. Aún asi, Dark Souls tienen un mundo y una historia muy originales.

    - La jugabilidad es el apartado mas importante de este juego y es de 10. La cantidad de posibilidades que ofrece para crear nuestro personaje, armas, hechizos ect... dota al juego de una profundidad bestial. Dada la cantidad de opciones que tenemos para crear un personaje, este juego invita mucho a la rejugabilidad, con una capaña que puede dar perfectamente para 50h o más.
    Otro de los apartados más importantes del juego es su exigente dificultad, que obligara al jugador a repetir zonas o combates contra jefes en numerosas ocasiones, un juego poco apto para la gente que se frustre con facilidad.

    -La edición de PC no ha aprovechado las capacidades de un hardware más potente y el juego corre a 30 fps a720p. Por suerte, gracias a un mod se puede desbloquear el contador de fps hasta 60 y subir la resolución a 1080p. Otro defecto es que la configuración de teclado deja mucho que desear y el juego prácticamente te obliga a jugar con mando.

    Sin duda alguna nos hallamos ante uno de los mejores juegos de la década en su género. Una auténtica obra maestra que podría tener mejor nota si la conversión a PC se hubiera hecho con mayor mimo.    … Expand
  65. amazingmold46
    Feb 17, 2020
    8
    Although there are numerous problems with the pc port of Dark Souls, they are easily alleviated with dsfix. Dark souls still has the best world design in the series 8 years later. Sadly though the lock of rolling to 4 directions does make the combat feel rough around the edges. As well, the run back to a certain boss being quite absurd, and Lost Izalith being unfinished. The game is stillAlthough there are numerous problems with the pc port of Dark Souls, they are easily alleviated with dsfix. Dark souls still has the best world design in the series 8 years later. Sadly though the lock of rolling to 4 directions does make the combat feel rough around the edges. As well, the run back to a certain boss being quite absurd, and Lost Izalith being unfinished. The game is still host to some of the most iconic boss fights in history though and proved that there still was a commercial interest in difficult games. It is most definitely one of if not the most important game in the last decade.… Expand
  66. PanMrkvicka
    Feb 11, 2020
    9
    Its the first souls game I played and its one of the best games I have ever played. Combat is amazing, bosses as well. You wont forget anything from this game. You need some tools for pc to make it playable but after that its really an exprience everyone should go through.
  67. Gaisericus
    Feb 1, 2020
    10
    My best game of all time. Created a genre, and defined a generation

    needed dsfix though
  68. Jamalsaddam
    Jan 11, 2020
    10
    I'm not gonna say much because I talk about it so much but i love dark souls it's my favorite game of all time
  69. MadnessisRising
    Dec 30, 2019
    7
    I'm a huge fan of the artworks that's why i played this game. But it turned out as a nightmare. Not because of the difficulty (ok maybe a little) it's more the fact that this game is not that friendly to new players like the second or the third (which I played multiple times). Also the fact that you can't travel around, till the half game is "over" is really annoying.
  70. SByO
    Dec 29, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. it's THE masterpiece. almost everything works almost perfectly, and it's one of the few games that gets even better with bugs and glitches (dupe and skips). the lore is almost beyond perfection, answering any questions and leaving space to the community to speculate about the plot; it's an incredibly versatile game, with billions of mods and challange runs (like soul level 1 or the scorched contract). but since nothing is perfect, this game has a couple bosses that are a complete mess, like the bed of chaos, seath the scaleless and centipede deamon. the quests are something impressive, with perfect characterization of NPCs.… Expand
  71. Genek13
    Nov 15, 2019
    10
    Outstanding atmosphere, mechanics and overall gameplay.
    Very hard on the beginning, but after grinding very enjoyable :)
    Best in the trilogy :)
  72. KrakenOfPepsi
    Oct 15, 2019
    9
    This game is SO difficult. Its really tough to beat guys. You're going to lose a whole lot. Its so good guys. You're seriously going to lose a bunch. It really is a tough game this one. yeah. Man this game is really good because its hard, and because you die in it. Yeah, its really good. Its hard.

    Its a hard video game. (As long as you have DS Fix and don't plan on having your    This game is SO difficult. Its really tough to beat guys. You're going to lose a whole lot. Its so good guys. You're seriously going to lose a bunch. It really is a tough game this one. yeah. Man this game is really good because its hard, and because you die in it. Yeah, its really good. Its hard.

    Its a hard video game.

    (As long as you have DS Fix and don't plan on having your multiplayer features function properly, this is probably the best port of the game. Also, the game isn't that hard, Jesus Christ guys)    … Expand
  73. strangermoon
    Sep 23, 2019
    10
    all dark souls games dark souls 2 and dark souls 3 shows this gane far better and have complex map design others dont have es dark souls 2 lineer like game and start to end like game dark souls 3. pc score is not shows enough it was better than anything else execpt skyrim maybe. for many better than skyrim bcosue its more deep and you can be chracter you want. pc port was issues but withall dark souls games dark souls 2 and dark souls 3 shows this gane far better and have complex map design others dont have es dark souls 2 lineer like game and start to end like game dark souls 3. pc score is not shows enough it was better than anything else execpt skyrim maybe. for many better than skyrim bcosue its more deep and you can be chracter you want. pc port was issues but with easy mod it was better than consoles.… Expand
  74. kelvinsanchez15
    Aug 29, 2019
    9
    En este 2019 tuve la oportunidad de iniciarme en la saga Dark Souls y debo de decir que superó ampliamente mis expectativas. Para esta review no tomaré en cuenta la calidad del port ya que este deja bastante que desear.

    La historia y el lore están increíblemente detallados en una historia épica con ambientación sublime, es muy fácil sumergirse en el rol por la gran cantidad de opciones    En este 2019 tuve la oportunidad de iniciarme en la saga Dark Souls y debo de decir que superó ampliamente mis expectativas. Para esta review no tomaré en cuenta la calidad del port ya que este deja bastante que desear.

    La historia y el lore están increíblemente detallados en una historia épica con ambientación sublime, es muy fácil sumergirse en el rol por la gran cantidad de opciones que tienes desde un principio, el diseño de niveles y el como se interconectan son una genialidad por parte de los desarrolladores, cada pelea contra un enemigo regular o boss requiere una estrategia que varía dependiendo del estilo de juego de cada jugador.

    El único punto negativo que puedo señalar es el hecho de que la segunda parte del juego se ve que fue realizada con prisa o con "menos ganas", pierde la magia en parte y algunas zonas son simplemente tediosas.    … Expand
  75. 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
  76. Wweald
    Jun 24, 2019
    10
    Combat might seem janky at first but eventually comes to feel extremely satisfying. The plot is great to me despite some peoples claims that the game doesn't even have a plot and all of the lore written in the world is great, though it isn't told to you, you have to read and observe the world to uncover it. Almost all of the characters are great and the side quests are really good but theCombat might seem janky at first but eventually comes to feel extremely satisfying. The plot is great to me despite some peoples claims that the game doesn't even have a plot and all of the lore written in the world is great, though it isn't told to you, you have to read and observe the world to uncover it. Almost all of the characters are great and the side quests are really good but the way fromsoft does them is kind of stupid. A lot of them require you to look up what to do or spend a crazy amount of time exploring trying to figure it out. There are moments in this game that stand out to me as some of the best moments in all of gaming. It definitely has flaws. Certain enemies, bosses and areas are lacking, especially in Izalith. But despite them it is still one of my favorite games of all time. The way that the world is built, along with certain items and unpatched skips makes it the most replayable action rpg I can think of.… Expand
  77. theonlyone21
    May 12, 2019
    10
    lol so many salty people saying its hard its not hard just get the zweihander and its easy also if you didnt know your supposed to play with a controller
  78. Nightiscold
    May 6, 2019
    9
    This game is pure phantasy at its best (66h first walkthrough).

    On the first look this game looks like garbage, it is unplayable with keyboard and mice, and it is hardcore difficult. However, when you haven’t given up after 2-60 min and have switched to a Xbox 360 controller then this game begins to look completely different. Positive: - atmosphere is really good (sometimes    This game is pure phantasy at its best (66h first walkthrough).

    On the first look this game looks like garbage, it is unplayable with keyboard and mice, and it is hardcore difficult.
    However, when you haven’t given up after 2-60 min and have switched to a Xbox 360 controller then this game begins to look completely different.

    Positive:
    - atmosphere is really good (sometimes dangerous, sometimes lonely; did I mention bonefires?)
    - one of the best level designs (nonlinear, world is interconnected)
    - mostly not unfair, you need to be careful or you die
    - complex world, story, and class system
    - very good combat experience
    - you need to think outside of the box
    - very rewardfull when you solve a difficult challenge or puzzle
    - you are not rewarded every 30 seconds (the opposite still may be the case for stupidity/overestimation)
    - 4k resolution compatible, fog looks ok

    Negative:
    - 30 FPS
    - outdated graphics, do we have year 2000 again? (hmm, it was a good year)
    - some decisions can not be understood or known without a guide    … Expand
  79. Wivers
    Apr 28, 2019
    7
    Je suis assez déçu, au vu de sa notoriété je m’attendais à mieux. En deux mots : certain combats peuvent être difficile mais surtout le jeu est TRES laborieux.

    Alors y’a des trucs cool bien sur : l’ambiance, les combats exigeants, le design des ennemis… la violence ! C’est toujours cool de découvrir les environnements pour la première fois. Mais malgré toutes ses qualités, c’est trop    Je suis assez déçu, au vu de sa notoriété je m’attendais à mieux. En deux mots : certain combats peuvent être difficile mais surtout le jeu est TRES laborieux.

    Alors y’a des trucs cool bien sur : l’ambiance, les combats exigeants, le design des ennemis… la violence ! C’est toujours cool de découvrir les environnements pour la première fois. Mais malgré toutes ses qualités, c’est trop long : la duré de vie est rallongée artificiellement par la « difficulté » et autres choix douteux (voir merdique) de game design.

    Cote Technique :
    - faut faire des manipulations sous windows pour avoir du 60 fps. Et en plus on est obligé d’enlever l’antialiasing pour ca… wtf ? Ce n’est pas un petit détail ! Je vois beaucoup d’évaluations qui parlent de portage raté, et ca doit être une des raisons. Mais heureusement que y’a la communauté qui fait le boulot a la place du studio…

    - Ce jeu n’a PAS DE PAUSE. WOW, alors ca c’est du design de merde ! Votre femme vous appelle pour quelque chose ? Mieux vaut pas qu’il y ait d’ennemis dans les parages, ou c’est elle qui va devenir le votre ! Coup de téléphone ? Envie de pisser ? On sonne à la porte ? Le chat a vomi sur vos genoux ? Le bébé pleur ? Imaginez un jeune parent jouer a ce jeu… la galère que ce serait!

    - Interface menu perfectible.

    -Les contrôles aussi

    - système de sauvegarde qui fait chier plus qu’autres chose.

    - la camera qui fait chier régulièrement

    - Le jeu n’est pas clair sur beaucoup de mécaniques et le manuel n’apporte pas assez d’indications. Quand on joue pour la première fois on bite rien. Obligé d’aller voir un wiki bordel. storytelling quasi-inexistant. Combien de joueurs ont tout pigé seulement en jouant au jeu ?

    - le perso reste parfois bloqué dans les montés (escaliers/rampe) et cours sur place, c’est TRES pénible.

    LE point noir pour moi : Ce n’est pas si difficile, c’est surtout laborieux ! . Ma principale critique porte sur la façon dont le jeu vous fait parcourir de NOMBREUSES fois le même chemin, notamment celui entre le bonfire et un boss balèze. . Pour un combat de 2-3 min qui vous intéresse, vous devez perdre 5-10 min par tentative… Difficile de faire moins intéressant.
    Pourquoi ne pas avoir mis un point de sauvegarde juste avant le bosse ? Pas même un bonfire, juste une quicksave ?
    Ca ne créer pas de la difficulté mais seulement de la frustration et beaucoup de temps perdu.
    Et donc, la solution ? Tu cours ! Puisque ces combats sont inutiles, mieux vaut les éviter. Tu zigzags entre les monstres jusqu’au bosse comme si tu faisais un speedrun. Ca transforme ces 5-10 min en 3. Ces 3 min sont toujours aussi chiantes mais au moins c’est un peu plus court. Paradoxe du golf : le but est de jouer le moins possible.
    Heureusement que j’ai un deuxième écran ou je pouvais regarder netflix pendant ces périodes de sprint… Parce qu’on s’y fait bien chier !

    Le jeu n’est pas du tout débutant-friendly. De manière générale on ne sait pas toujours ou on doit aller. J’ai facilement perdu plusieurs heures à cause de ca, et ca participe au problème du rythme.

    aspect multijoueur: bofbof (pas assez de caractères pour élaborer )

    Deuxième point noir : un problème conceptuel que j’ai avec d’autres jeux : l’expérience infinie.
    contre la difficulté : farmer ! Le dilemme que pose le jeu est le suivant : est-ce que vous préférer perdre du temps à parcourir plusieurs fois le chemin entre un challenge bien corsé et un bonfire, ou vaut-il mieux perdre du temps à farmer d’abord?
    Et comme on le sait tous, « farmer » c’est le cancer du rpg. xp infini = challenge déséquilibré. +

    Finalement je ne sais pas si c’était vraiment utile que le jeu soit aussi punitif. Qu’on retire juste l’humanité a la mort, ca me semble être une motivation suffisante pour retourner la chercher. Mais toute l’xp ? C’est vraiment juste pour faire chier et ralentir la progression du joueur. C’est un système à la con. Ils auraient pu faire perdre un pourcentage, et ca aurait évité aux joueurs d’aller farmer pour compenser. Le rythme du jeu en aurait été amélioré.    … Expand
  80. Dudraug
    Apr 2, 2019
    10
    This game has changed my video game preference. Just 10/10. Perfect level design, lore, music. Sif.. Prepare to cry...
  81. 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
  82. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    10
    An amazing experience. At first it seems very basic but this game's mechanics and lore are as deep as you're willing to find out.
  83. Ruzaky
    Jan 22, 2019
    10
    Favorite game of last 6 years. This game reminded everyone what real video games can be like.
  84. aythamipt
    Dec 13, 2018
    10
    Simplemente escribo esto para que me conste como un análisis y que la nota del juego me salga en mi apartado de votaciones y tener un historial. Saludos
  85. Pushpak
    Oct 26, 2018
    10
    Background: Before starting dark souls, what my background on video games was. I had played darksiders, both 1st and 2nd and I loved them. I had played dota 2 which after putting **** of hours in I rediscovered my love for darksiders franchise. I was always into fantasy world things and these two games really helped me satisfy my hunger. But after getting almost everything of those games IBackground: Before starting dark souls, what my background on video games was. I had played darksiders, both 1st and 2nd and I loved them. I had played dota 2 which after putting **** of hours in I rediscovered my love for darksiders franchise. I was always into fantasy world things and these two games really helped me satisfy my hunger. But after getting almost everything of those games I was searching for new one and came across tomb raider. Another solid game but was shorter than I expected, with not so much of replayability. Then after doing a lot of research, I decided to give dark souls a chance, to see what all the fuss is about. And what I experienced changed my perspective of looking at a video game and I am glad to say, in a good way.

    Early Experience: I spent more than half an hour at character creation. And not for tweaking character body and facials but for choosing a class. It may sound dumb for experienced players who had already seen loads of games with character creation but it was a new experience for me. I wasted another half an hour after coming to firelink shrine trying to access area I can’t. Once I found out about the actual-intended area, I was stunned by the fact that even low tier enemies can kill you easily if you are careless. I have died more number of times just to get to the first boss of the game than to dying to the boss itself. The beauty about the game is it will kill you a lot but will never let you give up. Every time I died I was like ‘oh, I should have done this’ and never have I said ‘c’mon, this is **** or ‘I didn’t get a chance to fight back or survive’. Belfry gargoyles literally made me cry. I almost quit dark souls when I could not defeat that boss no matter how many times I tried. But the next day, there was urge in me to play it again despite my rage quit. And on the second try that day I killed the boss and that feeling can’t be described in words.

    Areas: The beauty of dark souls does not only lies in its bosses but also in the vast expanse that Lordran is. Every area gives you different experience. New level design, new feels, new enemies while keeping the difficulty intact. Let it be scary platforms of Blighttown, intimidating traps of Sen’s Fortress, beautiful cathedrals of Anor Londo or lifeless feel environments of The Catacombs and New Londo Ruins, the sense of accomplishment that you get after completing an area is astounding.

    Bosses and Enemies: Brutal bosses and equally punishing enemies are the highlight of dark souls. Apart from a couple of reskinned versions of the tutorial boss, all the bosses have unique design that is intrinsically appealing as well as merciless. Whatever you learn after defeating last boss won’t be enough to take down the next one. The thing that has been said about dark souls over and over again that it is difficult but fair is so true. Each or at least most of the bosses will make you realize you are not good enough. Every boss fight will make you raise your game. And this is true for other non-boss enemies as well. Every time you are in a new area, within first few moments you will be force to change your approach and if you don’t your death count increases. Dark souls has many impressive boss fights. Also you cannot just spam attacks and dodges until enemies are dead. Your movements are restricted by your stamina. Stamina management makes the battles even more challenging and unique from most of the other games.

    Memorable Moments: There are many unforgettable moments dark souls gave me – Test of patience with Bel Gargoyles, Traversal through hell that is Blighttown, First time arriving at Anor Londo, Facing dynamic duo Ornstein and Smough, encounter with Artorias, saving Onion bro, to name a few.

    Conclusion: Dark souls is a perfect example of how a challenge can be entertaining. Level design is very good, boss battles are epic, fitting soundtrack to support the themes of the fights and well-thought, thorough weapon mechanics makes this game a must have for any hard core gamer.    … Expand
  86. Vectis99
    Oct 24, 2018
    6
    Dark Souls is a deliberately clunky and frustrating fighting game. It is mostly linear aside from a few branches and tangents, so the player is usually provided with a clear sense of direction from the game's start to finish. The aesthetic of the game is very dark, gritty, and ugly; while this is sufficient to make an artistic point which is at the core of Dark Souls's appeal, the game'sDark Souls is a deliberately clunky and frustrating fighting game. It is mostly linear aside from a few branches and tangents, so the player is usually provided with a clear sense of direction from the game's start to finish. The aesthetic of the game is very dark, gritty, and ugly; while this is sufficient to make an artistic point which is at the core of Dark Souls's appeal, the game's egregious length makes this a touch overbearing. The main issue with Dark Souls is how its un-intuitive, poorly organized stats and progression are so lazily thrown together so as to be nigh incoherent. Keeping track of which stats correspond to what on items is tedious and pointless, coupled with the arbitrary and frustrating of repairs and upgrades. All manner of mechanics like this make Dark Souls feel like a bad RPG not artfully difficult. Overall, Dark Souls presents an interesting artistic concept executed in a mediocre fashion.… Expand
  87. BonkTrap
    Oct 16, 2018
    9
    This is the game that made me learn how to roll, okay bad joke, if you like hard games (not saying this game is hard, its just objectively harder than most games) you will enjoy the hell out of it. Performance wise, today, i would recommand taking the remastered copy (i mean its the only one you can take on steam today) simply because of the better performance, like even your "war machine"This is the game that made me learn how to roll, okay bad joke, if you like hard games (not saying this game is hard, its just objectively harder than most games) you will enjoy the hell out of it. Performance wise, today, i would recommand taking the remastered copy (i mean its the only one you can take on steam today) simply because of the better performance, like even your "war machine" wont be able to run it in 4k at 60fps trust me (the original not the remastered). Apart from not launching before i installed ds fix, this is a game i enjoyed on xbox 360 and pc later down the line.… Expand
  88. MrSealclubber10
    Sep 13, 2018
    7
    Pretty good game with a few problems for me.
    In about 75% of the game it's a fair challenge to the player but the rest of the remaining 25%? A very unfair memory test (Those percentages are totally not made up btw)
    The first boss for example, a real thrill of a challenge that feels rewarding once you beat him. But in other cases creatures off screen will just sling a projectile or    Pretty good game with a few problems for me.
    In about 75% of the game it's a fair challenge to the player but the rest of the remaining 25%? A very unfair memory test (Those percentages are totally not made up btw)

    The first boss for example, a real thrill of a challenge that feels rewarding once you beat him.
    But
    in other cases creatures off screen will just sling a projectile or some gargantuan beast from nowhere will pounce and you're dead. No two ways about it, you're dead.
    The camera coupled with the level design can sometimes screw you over, where it'll clip behind a wall and block your complete view.
    I like a challenge, not a memory test of jump scares and OHKs.    … Expand
  89. Andremax
    Sep 10, 2018
    9
    Thin line between hate and love is broken in Dark Souls. Game can frustrate and makes all players get full of hate with its extremely difficult bosses, but once defeated, after many tentative, the accomplished duty's sensation is rewarding, just like classic games. Forget about beautiful graphics (although scenarios being immense and breathtaking, principally looking far where you wereThin line between hate and love is broken in Dark Souls. Game can frustrate and makes all players get full of hate with its extremely difficult bosses, but once defeated, after many tentative, the accomplished duty's sensation is rewarding, just like classic games. Forget about beautiful graphics (although scenarios being immense and breathtaking, principally looking far where you were after progressing, but it aren't focus in game), lack of story, playablilty (enhanced in PC's version), Dark Souls goal is beyond it. It's a game focused in holding stubborn and persistent players. if you want to be introduced in 1st Dark Souls game, start in this version and with a gamepad.… Expand
  90. VahNabooty
    Jul 29, 2018
    6
    Very nice atmosphere and concept, but the gameplay feels very broken, and even though the community may tell you to "get good" the truth is that the game has bad controls.
  91. ChosenUndead99
    Apr 29, 2018
    9
    Dark Souls is one of my favourite games that reaches an almost masterpiece level of quality. Although the quality does drop at end game, its not enough to change my positive view. Controller required.
  92. Jucarock
    Apr 28, 2018
    10
    Dark Souls is a giant landmark in video game industry. It started with Demon Souls. The difficult, battle system, the learning curve, level design, online experience. I played with mouse and keyboard and i have to say that initially you will suffer with the "lock target" system (not if you play with controller), but Dark Souls is for the strong souls and you die and die and learn from it.Dark Souls is a giant landmark in video game industry. It started with Demon Souls. The difficult, battle system, the learning curve, level design, online experience. I played with mouse and keyboard and i have to say that initially you will suffer with the "lock target" system (not if you play with controller), but Dark Souls is for the strong souls and you die and die and learn from it. At the moment of this review, three Dark Souls already have been released and my opinion is If you want to start playing, start from this game because of graphics (2 and 3 are better and you can find it a little ugly if you start from 2 or 3 and come to this) and the next games will be less punitive since you have trained a lot in this game. Dark Souls is It's an incredible experience since you play knowing that you will have enough difficulty and will have to overcome the anger to advance in the game.… Expand
  93. DanBenevenuto
    Mar 10, 2018
    9
    Dark Soul: Prepare to Die Edition is one of the best games I've ever played. It is hard and challenging, the soundtrack is awesome, good graphics, the bosses and the lore are awesome!. You should play this game, it is a remarkable game.
  94. Lunatikculture
    Feb 20, 2018
    10
    One of the best games of all time for me. Simple mechanics that turn into a deep gameplay experience. Hard but rewarding. Complex and misterious story.
  95. Glacialangel
    Feb 11, 2018
    8
    While it isn't as difficult as people like to make it out to be, Dark Souls is tough but fair. When a meaty challenge is overcome, the feeling of accomplishment makes it all the better. The story is intriguing and mysterious, even if it's pretty convoluted and hard to find(you have to read many of the in-game descriptions of items in your inventory, plus there's a bit of guesswork involvedWhile it isn't as difficult as people like to make it out to be, Dark Souls is tough but fair. When a meaty challenge is overcome, the feeling of accomplishment makes it all the better. The story is intriguing and mysterious, even if it's pretty convoluted and hard to find(you have to read many of the in-game descriptions of items in your inventory, plus there's a bit of guesswork involved to patch the bigger picture together). The DLC is okay, but not nearly as good as the base game. It also doesn't really add much, and the Artorias fight in particular was boring(even though many love it for the "anime" elements it has, though those don't add anything to the fight itself). Definitely recommended, regardless of my nitpicks.… Expand
  96. alexfsmw
    Jan 26, 2018
    10
    Now this is one of my 3 favorite games ever! All the time I was playing it I couldn't believe how awesome this games is. The lore, the story, the locations, the characters, the graphics, the music, everything was just amazing! Highly recommended!

    For the PC version you just need the DS Fix and a controller and everything will be just fine, don't try playing without those 2 things.
  97. PappyBakesCakes
    Jan 17, 2018
    7
    This is a great game where the environment tells half of the story. There are no quests (besides the main), only suggestions and everything from the gameplay to the audio design to the story oozes with this idea of stagnation with moments of brilliance and passion. I would rate this a 9 but there are two issues:

    1) There are lots of bugs and such on the PC release. This has been fixed    This is a great game where the environment tells half of the story. There are no quests (besides the main), only suggestions and everything from the gameplay to the audio design to the story oozes with this idea of stagnation with moments of brilliance and passion. I would rate this a 9 but there are two issues:

    1) There are lots of bugs and such on the PC release. This has been fixed by a community patch you can find on Google. It is not a laborious task to fix it but clearly the developer had better things to do so this should show as a mark against the score.

    2) There is a section of the game that was admitably unfinished and rushed. This has caused the area to have an off feeling from the rest of the game. It still looks great but enemy placement and design is just a bit... weird. Also, the last boss is one of the most frustrating boss fights in my time spent gaming.

    Overall this game is filled with so much going right that even with some blunders it is still one of my favorite and most recommended games.    … Expand
  98. Klotz
    Dec 21, 2017
    9
    Dark Souls is an unique gaming experience, and I'm glad I give it a second chance.
    I started playing it at release in 2012 but fast getting frustrated and bored after about 20 hours.
    With Dark Souls 2 close to release I decided to give it another try and what can I say? I love it now ! This time I was mutch more careful, I prepared myself for every encounter and take my time when I    Dark Souls is an unique gaming experience, and I'm glad I give it a second chance.
    I started playing it at release in 2012 but fast getting frustrated and bored after about 20 hours.
    With Dark Souls 2 close to release I decided to give it another try and what can I say? I love it now !
    This time I was mutch more careful, I prepared myself for every encounter and take my time when I arrived at a new area.
    In consequence of that I died a lot less what led to less frustration and less repetition.
    I think the main problem for a lot of gamer nowadays is that we not longer used to this kind of slow paced gameplay. Your decisions have always impact in the world of Dark Souls. The atmosphere and the level / enemy design is great, combat is challenging and the voice acting is out of this world.
    Would give probably a 9 but the terrible frame-rate issues cost DS a point (even with mods).    … Expand
  99. xRabia
    Dec 3, 2017
    9
    LA trilogía. Sin duda entretenidos, rejugables y que te aportan una experiencia que no pueden aportarte otros juegos. 100% recomendables. Con los bosses más carismaticos. Un port que deja mucho que desear, pero gracias al dsfix todo se soluciona.
  100. vegemonsta
    Nov 5, 2017
    10
    The single most important game of last generation. It's difficulty is not the true focus. That's just stupid marketing. Near perfect in most regards. I will change this review to add more detail at a later date.
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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.
    Read full review
  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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