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. Kampanius
    Oct 6, 2015
    10
    Bought it, played for ten ours. Got to sewers, hated the whole game from the start. Stopped playing. Gave another try after 6 months. Didn't die once going to sewers. Understood something about the combat. Something clicked. This game is the best in it's genre. Easily. Still the best game ever. Praise the sun.
  2. JeromeLey
    Mar 28, 2017
    10
    Hands down the best game i've ever played. No sentence could describe the combination of dread, excitement, and awe that I felt every time I go through a fog gate and see a boss for the first time.
  3. ultrasoft
    Jul 28, 2016
    10
    Love it. Might be my favourite game ever.

    Yeah, the port is dodgy. Download the mods, get a controller, and prepare to give a few hundred hours to this amazing game. It's such a unique experience, with a strange world crammed with character, atmosphere, and creativity. What's very interesting to me, and I don't think I've experienced this with a game before, is how the    Love it. Might be my favourite game ever.

    Yeah, the port is dodgy. Download the mods, get a controller, and prepare to give a few hundred hours to this amazing game.

    It's such a unique experience, with a strange world crammed with character, atmosphere, and creativity.

    What's very interesting to me, and I don't think I've experienced this with a game before, is how the consciousness that you develop when playing Dark Souls leaks into the rest of your life, and you find yourself examining reality with a different mindset. That's pretty amazing. I guess YMMV

    A challenging, magical, life changing game for me.    … Expand
  4. Swagalf
    Jan 30, 2016
    10
    Dark Souls..
    First of all : Use a controller. And if you want to, use some mods.
    After that.. just enjoy. Enjoy, die, enjoy, die and enjoy again. You can go through the game without reading anything, without searching anything. And you'll play the ending cinematic , thinking : "What the **** happened there? This is the worst story ever blblblbl" and you know what? You'll still enjoy    Dark Souls..
    First of all : Use a controller. And if you want to, use some mods.
    After that.. just enjoy. Enjoy, die, enjoy, die and enjoy again.

    You can go through the game without reading anything, without searching anything. And you'll play the ending cinematic , thinking : "What the **** happened there? This is the worst story ever blblblbl" and you know what? You'll still enjoy the game.
    But.. you can explore everything and learn about one of the best story ever created in the history of video game. This game is simply beautiful, touching and incredibly deep. You'll have question, you won't understand everything and you'll make theory and search in the internet.. some people will have a different theory and you'll read.. read again, searching for more. And you'll discover the wonderful truth. You will never understand everything and be 100% sure. But you'll search again.
    This game is challenging, yeah. But it's fair. You can avoid 90% of it's difficulty by looking for clue or way to kill a boss.
    I don't recommend this game if you don't like a start without any clue about what's going on. I don't recommend this game if you need a game that hold your hand all way long.
    This game look at you and challenge you. You want to enjoy it ? You will have to deserve it before!

    You can think that this game hate you. And you will love it for that.
    But at some points, you'll understand that this game love you and all of the game community. And you will love it even more for that.

    This, is for me one of the best game ever.. if not the best game ever. This is an experience. This is an adventure. This is a tale. This is Dark Souls.    … Expand
  5. loloppez
    Oct 1, 2016
    10
    this is simply the best game i have ever played, never before have i dedicated so uch time to wining a game and understanding its lore than with the souls series. this being the first one will remain in my memory, and in my drive, for ever.
  6. Vicente_ao
    Apr 13, 2016
    10
    El mejor juego que he jugado.
    Donde cada error se paga caro, donde hasta el enemigo más debil puede matarte, donde ni la mejor arma ni la mejor armadura significa que ganarás fácilmente, donde la rejugabilidad es alta, donde tendrás que aprender por las malas que no hacer, donde los escenarios son magníficos, donde los diseños de armas y armaduras son originales y hermosos, donde los    El mejor juego que he jugado.
    Donde cada error se paga caro, donde hasta el enemigo más debil puede matarte, donde ni la mejor arma ni la mejor armadura significa que ganarás fácilmente, donde la rejugabilidad es alta, donde tendrás que aprender por las malas que no hacer, donde los escenarios son magníficos, donde los diseños de armas y armaduras son originales y hermosos, donde los jefes son hermosamente dañinos y únicos, donde la historia es tan poco contada y a la vez tan rica, donde la música es heroica y melancólica y de las mejores bandas sonoras que he oído, donde te tendrás que acostumbrar a morir,

    Lo bueno:
    - La historia o mejor dicho la mística y meláncolia del mundo de Dark Souls.
    - La jugabilidad.
    - La dificultad.
    - La música.
    - Las recompensas.

    Lo malo:
    ....

    10/10    … Expand
  7. JustSomeGamer
    Aug 22, 2016
    10
    This is one of my favorite games of all time. Because of how hard and punishing this atmospheric game can be it's also very rewarding when you finally (somehow) beat that boss. Dark Souls also has AMAZING lore, although you will have so search it up for the most part, as the game doesn't tell you much and because some of the quest lines are easily overlooked.

    The only reason why i    This is one of my favorite games of all time. Because of how hard and punishing this atmospheric game can be it's also very rewarding when you finally (somehow) beat that boss. Dark Souls also has AMAZING lore, although you will have so search it up for the most part, as the game doesn't tell you much and because some of the quest lines are easily overlooked.

    The only reason why i didn't rate this game a 10 is because some aspects and mechanics of the game are very unpolished and not thought out very well. for example, if you accidentally hit a blacksmith once he will be hostile for the entire playthrough. another example would be how quite a big chunk of the content is practially impossible to know about unless you follow a guide or look this up on the internet. This includes things like optional bosses, npc, weapons and armor, and basically the entire story.    … Expand
  8. micigelati
    Jun 1, 2016
    10
    Dark Souls is, to me, the most enjoyable gaming experience I have ever had in my life, not just because of the gameplay, but because of all the little things you could spend hours talking about. The flawless tutorial level, the impressive worldbuilding through visual, spoken and written means, the overarching themes which become more defined with later games, every aspect of the game flowsDark Souls is, to me, the most enjoyable gaming experience I have ever had in my life, not just because of the gameplay, but because of all the little things you could spend hours talking about. The flawless tutorial level, the impressive worldbuilding through visual, spoken and written means, the overarching themes which become more defined with later games, every aspect of the game flows into each other creating this harmonic interwoven story which can't be experienced in any other medium. From a technical standpoint, however, it does fall flat. If you are thinking of getting this game, I recommend using the mod DSFix which unlocks the framerate which is capped at 30 and using a controller since the game was poorly optimized for the PC. As a closing word, I do recommend playing the game without seeking any knowledge other than technical. You only get one first Dark Souls playthrough.… Expand
  9. DeyvsonCaliman
    Jul 25, 2016
    10
    Dark Souls is able to make the player feel a great sense of achievement. I remember struggling to kill the first bosses and thinking about giving up, but then, as I progressed, I felt like I just had to end this game. The boss fights are sublime, they really make us fear them and be happy when we finally win. The game have this European dark medieval aesthetic that is very appealing, withDark Souls is able to make the player feel a great sense of achievement. I remember struggling to kill the first bosses and thinking about giving up, but then, as I progressed, I felt like I just had to end this game. The boss fights are sublime, they really make us fear them and be happy when we finally win. The game have this European dark medieval aesthetic that is very appealing, with great armors and weapons that look realistic, except for the big size of some. The story turns into mere background noise, although it has it's poetry, but what is really appealing about the game is it's sense of challenge against very strong enemies that you fear before you defeat them, and respect after.… Expand
  10. Kharon
    Sep 30, 2016
    10
    I only played it on PS3, and boy was it an experience. It is definitely one of the best games I've played, like ever. Gameplay is super fun (didn't try it with keyboard), story is really heart-touching and impressive, if you dig into it. Boss fights are designed beautifully (except a few :D) and are really rewarding. If you don't mind the challenge and have the patience for it, definitelyI only played it on PS3, and boy was it an experience. It is definitely one of the best games I've played, like ever. Gameplay is super fun (didn't try it with keyboard), story is really heart-touching and impressive, if you dig into it. Boss fights are designed beautifully (except a few :D) and are really rewarding. If you don't mind the challenge and have the patience for it, definitely give it a try.… Expand
  11. 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.
  12. 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
  13. angelss_13
    Apr 12, 2017
    10
    Una obra de arte. El primer videojuego que me hizo apreciar al videojuego como un arte. Su atmósfera, su jugabilidad, su historia, su banda sonora, su apartado artístico, todo es grandioso. Transmite emociones variadas e intensas a pesar de tener una narrativa no lineal y hasta cierto punto críptica (o más bien, quizás precisamente por eso). Las batallas contra ciertos jefes son algunasUna obra de arte. El primer videojuego que me hizo apreciar al videojuego como un arte. Su atmósfera, su jugabilidad, su historia, su banda sonora, su apartado artístico, todo es grandioso. Transmite emociones variadas e intensas a pesar de tener una narrativa no lineal y hasta cierto punto críptica (o más bien, quizás precisamente por eso). Las batallas contra ciertos jefes son algunas de las mejores experiencias que he tenido en un videojuego.

    Ahora bien, su adaptación a PC es realmente deficiente. Sin un control de Xbox simplemente no lo disfrutarás como se debe. Pero incluye uno de los mejores DLC's de la historia, así que se compensa.    … Expand
  14. vitucovigo
    Mar 22, 2017
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. PC port is bad, but with DSFIX is perfect. Controller highly recommended.
    The world is beautiful and really well connected. That connexions between areas are just crazy. It's awesome. The combat system is fantastic, the lore is dark and hard to find out without reading object descriptions. The bosses are incredible. The difficulty is well implemented. You must    This game is a masterpiece. PC port is bad, but with DSFIX is perfect. Controller highly recommended.
    The world is beautiful and really well connected. That connexions between areas are just crazy. It's awesome. The combat system is fantastic, the lore is dark and hard to find out without reading object descriptions. The bosses are incredible. The difficulty is well implemented. You must try this game out.    … Expand
  15. DariushL
    Apr 17, 2017
    10
    The 10/10 doesnt mean is a perfect game. It means it's PURE. It doesnt pretend to be what its not and i love that.

    A lot of atmosphere, a fascinating artstyle and lore, tons of personalization options and trial and error with no hand-holding; plus, the combat system is gold and the storytelling is unique in his cryptic fashion. The multyplayer invasion system is simply genious and    The 10/10 doesnt mean is a perfect game. It means it's PURE. It doesnt pretend to be what its not and i love that.

    A lot of atmosphere, a fascinating artstyle and lore, tons of personalization options and trial and error with no hand-holding; plus, the combat system is gold and the storytelling is unique in his cryptic fashion.
    The multyplayer invasion system is simply genious and offer even more thrills, mixing sp with mp for a one of a kind experience.
    NewGame+ Mode makes DS even harder to drop, and leveling up to NG+7 will be an amazing achievement!

    Dark Souls is as addictive as it gets, simply amazing.

    I'm playing with the 360 controller and while i could not play it properly with mouse+kb, many manage to...(my first hour with no gamepad...i was about to write for a refund)

    I was reluctant to try this PC port, but DS is now in my all time top-5.
    A MUST PLAY.

    10/10

    *OST is simply amazing.!!!    … Expand
  16. 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.
  17. SuperSourSauce
    Nov 1, 2017
    10
    Remember Castlevania? It was like Dark Souls! Because it was so difficult for its time.

    And Battletoads? Ghosts 'n Goblins? Zelda 2? All those games were like Dark Souls! Because lord knows we can't have a conversation about ANY challenging game/game with swords and shields these days, without it somehow being compared to Dark Souls! Ocarina of Time may go down in history as    Remember Castlevania? It was like Dark Souls! Because it was so difficult for its time.

    And Battletoads? Ghosts 'n Goblins? Zelda 2? All those games were like Dark Souls!

    Because lord knows we can't have a conversation about ANY challenging game/game with swords and shields these days, without it somehow being compared to Dark Souls!

    Ocarina of Time may go down in history as being the best Dark Souls game, but all work and no Dark Souls makes Souls a Souls Souls.    … Expand
  18. 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.
  19. 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
  20. Spavvn
    Jul 5, 2020
    10
    Одна из лучших игр в мире! Просто обожаю её ♥
  21. 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
  22. Ruzaky
    Jan 22, 2019
    10
    Favorite game of last 6 years. This game reminded everyone what real video games can be like.
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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 :)
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. Gaisericus
    Feb 1, 2020
    10
    My best game of all time. Created a genre, and defined a generation

    needed dsfix though
  29. 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!
  30. 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
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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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