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. lockie507
    Sep 25, 2013
    0
    This is by far the worst port I have ever seen. they have not even bothered to remove the Xbox controller promps when playing on a keyboard.

    Also the Camera is very jittery and unpredictable, also why oh why would they leave the standard mouse pointer to be seen permanently in the game....

    Please don't waste your money on this.
  2. wyzeguyy
    Sep 22, 2013
    10
    Best game I have ever played. I love the difficulty, and that amazing feeling of reward after getting through a tough section/boss. On top of that for only spending about 20 bucks at the time I got almost 100 hours of game play on my first play through! The only thing that is a potential downside with an easy fix is that you need to download a 3rd party file to fix some of the FPS issues,Best game I have ever played. I love the difficulty, and that amazing feeling of reward after getting through a tough section/boss. On top of that for only spending about 20 bucks at the time I got almost 100 hours of game play on my first play through! The only thing that is a potential downside with an easy fix is that you need to download a 3rd party file to fix some of the FPS issues, and I would highly recommend you have a game pad.… Expand
  3. ArchMage
    Sep 19, 2013
    10
    Let me clear things up for the people that are complaining, dark souls was not made for the PC originally and was ported from the console version, people are complaining about the graphics, well you own a computer, take 2 minutes out of your time and download and install DSfix and boom, lovely graphics, 60fps which you can lock if you want, it's not meant to be played with a mouse andLet me clear things up for the people that are complaining, dark souls was not made for the PC originally and was ported from the console version, people are complaining about the graphics, well you own a computer, take 2 minutes out of your time and download and install DSfix and boom, lovely graphics, 60fps which you can lock if you want, it's not meant to be played with a mouse and keyboard because once again, it's a console port and it was made by FromSoftware for people who wished to have it on PC, quite a while after the console version was released. Now for the game itself, the gameplay mechanics are wonderful and the game is deep and challenging, people give it a bad rep because they have no patience and are used to the linear hack and slash two hit kills gameplay they get from other sword and shield games (the type that take about 2 hours to complete), the story is incredibly deep and is purposely shrouded in mystery in order for the player to discover it and see the depth and journey for himself instead of handing it out on a silver platter. It's a masterpiece of a game, unrivaled by any other RPG to date.… Expand
  4. Trigonometry
    Sep 16, 2013
    5
    When it comes to dark souls, I am conflicted having played both the console and PC Port. I'll start now, saying that the PC Port receives a 5/10 without any mods, 6/10 properly modded while the console version gets a 7/10 because it's multiplayer isn't compromised by Games for Windows Live. Take this score as objectively as possible, because my subjective opinion is that I absolutely loveWhen it comes to dark souls, I am conflicted having played both the console and PC Port. I'll start now, saying that the PC Port receives a 5/10 without any mods, 6/10 properly modded while the console version gets a 7/10 because it's multiplayer isn't compromised by Games for Windows Live. Take this score as objectively as possible, because my subjective opinion is that I absolutely love this game and if I graded this score based on my subjective opinion, I'd grade it a 10.

    Dark souls is a gritty dungeon crawler that has become famous due to it's difficulty with a slightly more open world than it's predecessor Demon Souls. Unlike Boletaria, Lordran is plagued with the undead who have started to appear as the fires within the Kiln of the First Flame start to die out.

    Gameplay: Dark souls follows the same formula as Demon Souls when it comes to gameplay. It's an 'hack and slash' adventure RPG with a lot of strategic depth. Fights require you to think and time your attacks precisely whilst monitoring your stamina use. Stamina is used for attacking, blocking, dodging and running making it incredibly important. Weapons and armor all have their pros and cons, but although there are weapon and armor stats there is also a metagame involved. There is no 'best weapon of the game' like in some other RPGs as a weapon is only useful if you can use it well. In PVP this is seen quite clearly. Armor might be effective, but you might want to use light armor to be more mobile and able to dodge, or invest in Endurance so you get more carrying capacity and are able to use Medium armor as if it were light armor. If you don't know how to move in the set of armor you're using, it's also not going to do much which makes the game very skill based which is a very good thing.
    It's also here however that the game takes a blow from it's poorly executed PC Port. I'm certain that many PC gamers are thankful that From Software ported the game to PC, but the PC controls are absolutely horrible making the game impossible to play without a gamepad unless one gets mods to fix them like the DSFix and the DS Mouse Fix. I know some people who don't have gamepads, and were greatly aggravated claiming the game was unplayable until they finally got the mods.

    Multiplayer is the heart and soul of the game, you don't experience it fully if you're not playing online. Players leave messages giving you hints about dangers ahead or luring you to your death, bloostains tell you how others have died, if you're not Hollowed, a state that you start at untill you sacrifice Humanity to reverse it and regain if you die, you can summon players from their game world to help you complete the level, but you can also be invaded by other players or worse. Unlike Demon souls where there was just an axis between good and evil, in Dark Souls factions were introduced into the game with plenty of different multiplayer interactions, Gravelords will infect your world with powerful monsters until you find their signs for instance which is many a New Game player's woe. If you get it to work that is. Games for Windows Live is absolutely broken and I'm sure From Software only used it because they didn't know what they were getting into. Because it doens't work, players have brought upon themselves ways of fixing this by modding the game, but making it only possible for players in their friends list to invade them, with large groups like /vg/ having a player list so people can have others to interact with but also further isolating the community. Without the mod, you're likely not to invade anyone not to mention the amount of people who just play the game as Hollow to not be invaded, completely removing multiplayer from the picture due to it's horrible implementation.

    The story is very interesting but also very vague, but I say this in a good way. Most of the things you'll discover will be through speculation and item descriptions, with Lordran itself being an amazing setting filled with different scenarios. From the decadent Undead Parish, it's sewers and putrid blight town, to the Demon Ruins below the earth filled with Lava, to the city of the 'Gods' Anor Londo and the new DLC areas which include the Abyss.

    However, when looking at it objectively, this game is an improvement Demon Souls but some of it has been stripped and streamlined. There is no longer 'mana', magic has charges which makes it very easy for a character to pick it up. In fact, with Pyromancy, one only needs attunement to get more spells and an improved pyromancy flame to be effective (As well as skill to use them). In Demon Souls, you needed intelligence to improve your mana and spell uses. As a Faith character, you needed to invest in inteligence anyway for mana as well as faith for your spells to be effective and to have more spell slots. There are too many checkpoints, making the game a lot easier than it's predecessor. It's still a game you can spend a lot of time on and worth your money.    … Expand
  5. LosingStreak
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    Pretty much the exact same fantastic game as the console versions but FROM SOFT messed up the port with bad keyboard+mouse controls, and poor PC optimization. Nothing community mods couldn't fix though.
  6. Sboriky
    Sep 11, 2013
    8
    The porting on PC is just awful, but with the right fixes made by the community, the game is very enjoyable.

    The combat mechanics are great, and the background story and the atmosphere are awesome. The main story is not that good, but as I said, the settings and the events behind our adventure are very detailed. Everyone should buy this masterpiece. It's an unique action RPG, full of    The porting on PC is just awful, but with the right fixes made by the community, the game is very enjoyable.

    The combat mechanics are great, and the background story and the atmosphere are awesome. The main story is not that good, but as I said, the settings and the events behind our adventure are very detailed.

    Everyone should buy this masterpiece. It's an unique action RPG, full of details and things to discover. Dark Souls is potentially an endless game... just prepare yourself to die an infinite amount of times!    … Expand
  7. edknator
    Sep 9, 2013
    9
    This game is very atmospheric and challenging. People complaining about it just have to go and buy a controller to plug into their PC. It's only ~20$.
  8. tech-noir
    Sep 5, 2013
    7
    As one the worst ports I've ever played, it also suffers from poor storytelling and an unforgiving difficulty. The battle mechanics are very good, while boss fights are the highlights of the game. It can be tedious sometimes, but it is an overall enjoyable experience that requires patience and dedication.
  9. Kydos
    Sep 1, 2013
    10
    Forget about playing with keyboard and mouse, you just have to accept with this one that it's designed to be played with a controller. Once you get over that little stumbling block, then you're in for a world of wonder. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said but I will say it all again anyway because this game is something else in today's market. It takes today's crop ofForget about playing with keyboard and mouse, you just have to accept with this one that it's designed to be played with a controller. Once you get over that little stumbling block, then you're in for a world of wonder. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said but I will say it all again anyway because this game is something else in today's market. It takes today's crop of hand-holding games and throws that philosophy out the window. Games like the Fable series and the later Elder Scrolls series (IV and V) offer no real challenge. The Fable games are quite fun (the first one anyway) but you breeze through them in mere hours and can easily complete them without dying. I gave up on Skyrim after it became just a routine of blasting through dungeon after dungeon like the unstoppable destroyer you so easily become. You know a game is doing something wrong when a dragon appears in the sky and all you do is roll your eyes thinking "another nuisance." With Dark Souls you start sweating when you see something as big as a dragon appear because the game is difficult. The first time you run through this game everything is more difficult than it should be and the reason is because you are liable to die at any time. The first enemies you kill when you first get a weapon can still challenge you hours into the game if you're not careful. Yes you can cut through them like butter at that stage but you still need to maintain concentration and take them out efficiently because even a bunch of lowly Hollows can take you down quickly if you let them swarm you. The beautiful thing about this is when you're exploring a new area and haven't a clue where you are, everything terrifies you because everything can kill you. And when your health bar is at about two thirds and you're unable to heal, have no idea where the next "checkpoint" is and you're carrying a whole lot of souls that you so desperately don't want to lose but you don't know what's waiting around the next corner, then you will start to feel your blood rush and I don't know about you but a game hasn't made me feel like that in a long long time. One of the neatest things about this game is the shortcut system built into the world. With limited loading screens the game does well in immersing you into the experience but the clever shortcuts prevent endless trekking around and also serve as a slight reward in that you are spared from going through some of the tougher parts of the game more than once as you can cut out the bulk of journey. Of course the shortcuts themselves are kind of cheesy in that they're usually just doors that only open from one side for some reason or elevators that have to be activated from the top first before they work properly but the way the world is all interconnected gives a nice feel to the game. Of course the world is quite huge and later the teleport system can be deemed almost necessary if not as immersive as the shortcut system. The story of the game is best judged as an accumulation of all the subplots rather than just the main quest line. That being said this game has some fantastic lore which you have to tease out bit by bit through item descriptions and sparse NPC dialogue but I've spent a lot of time just reading up on the different NPC's and their backgrounds as you'll find nearly everyone in Dark Souls has a very interesting story. What I like about this is that while you're clearly the strongest dude around and the so-called "main character," not everything revolves around you and some NPC's couldn't care less about who you are. Again it adds to the immersion that everyone has their own agenda and aren't just waiting around doing nothing until you come along to do some mundane task for them so they can get on with their lives. Nothing breaks immersion like the almighty Dragonborn having to make house calls because some dame has got a problem with some rats. I should point out in conclusion that the Elder Scrolls and Fable series have their own merits and I am a fan of them, but Dark Souls offers an entirely different and even though this word is always used rewarding experience. It is not, as some claim, difficult for the sake of being difficult. It is difficult for the sake of being real. It is one of the best experiences in gaming that's out there and you'd be doing yourself a favour if you picked it up, even if you only make it to Blighttown.… Expand
  10. ALkasyn
    Sep 1, 2013
    4
    A friend suggested I buy this game because it is challenging and a good throwback to how games used to be. Well, I can agree that the game is indeed difficult, but unfortunately it is the dumb kind of difficulty, where the enemies just 2 shoot you. Normal creeps also have the ability to instagib you with an animated attack, even if you are at full health. The story is pretty muchA friend suggested I buy this game because it is challenging and a good throwback to how games used to be. Well, I can agree that the game is indeed difficult, but unfortunately it is the dumb kind of difficulty, where the enemies just 2 shoot you. Normal creeps also have the ability to instagib you with an animated attack, even if you are at full health. The story is pretty much non-existent, you are never told anything helpful as there is no tutorial/practice level and you learn the tactics for a particular boss by dying to them, respawning and running to them again. You don't really know where to go or what do to apart from a general idea of "ringing two bells". The NPCs don't tell you anything more useful than that. Top it off with PKers invading your world even though their level is twice as high as you and the fact that to understand anything of the game-play the Covenants, the Invasions, the Phantoms, Bosses etc. you have to browse the Wiki. Oh, and the abysmal respawn system where you have to run back to where you died to pick up your experience points before finding a shortcut this might take up to 15 minutes to reach your body the monsters have all respawned, too. All in all, a disappointment, and the only redeeming factor for me is that I bought it on a Steam sale. If you do play this game, do it on a controller, not the keyboard+mouse as the port sucks.… Expand
  11. Aaragon
    Aug 27, 2013
    8
    Through game play, interesting narrative and story, Dark Souls has SO much to offer. The problems with the port however must be addressed first before I go into the actual review of the game...

    The port from consoles to PC was rushed, sloppy and almost unplayable (if at all). There is a strong recommendation to have a Xbox 360 controller before playing and it is mandatory that you have    Through game play, interesting narrative and story, Dark Souls has SO much to offer. The problems with the port however must be addressed first before I go into the actual review of the game...

    The port from consoles to PC was rushed, sloppy and almost unplayable (if at all). There is a strong recommendation to have a Xbox 360 controller before playing and it is mandatory that you have one.
    At first I recalled Super Meat Boy where even in the game they recommended you have a controller but I ended up beating that game with a keyboard (light and dark world). In Dark Souls however, I couldn't even clear some of the basic mobs running around at the start of the game.

    In regards to the graphics, I was ok with their quality, as my system never buffered or felt slowed down immensely by the game however a simple patch could have solved the issue but one was not provided...

    Another issue is with the "Prepare To Die" Content... This is almost impossible to find without external help. The exact details of unlocking it left me confused that I had to look it up through a guide. To me with so much of the game being great at letting you choose your own path, the exact conditions to get to the DLC are a bit ridiculous and will take some time and atmosphere out of the game while you look up how to get there.

    Lastly, this game does launch with "Games for Windows" which is it's own mess, but if you want to play the game offline you may lose your save until you re-establish connection. This is most frustrating since most aspects of the game are offline and if your internet connection drops you automatically quit the game and need to reconnect to keep playing (sometimes it works offline but that is rare).

    With THAT out of the way we can get to the actual game itself. I am rating an 8 because the pros do outweigh the cons only when you have a 360 controller. Bear in mind if that option was not available this game would easily be one of the worst I have ever played.

    The game is amazing. Not only is there an incredible back story to go with the game, but all of the bosses are foreshadowed at the start and are not just simply mobs you fight later.

    Game play is brutal and the developers want you to know that from the start. The mobs you encounter before the first boss are more or less training dummies, all preparing you for your first trial. This is already aberrational from normal game design because not only are you expected to handle any trial thrown at you, there must be an almost precise execution of this knowledge. That being said, this makes or breaks Dark Souls for you. I personally relish a challenge and killing a boss without feeling you "earned it" feels weak and causes you to either get bored with that game, or try to increase the difficulty on your own (AKA Veteran mode, using only a certain weapon etc...). In Dark Souls, while the challenges are great, overcoming them is the most rewarding aspect of the game.

    As far as the story goes, there is nearly no narrative in the game at all pointing you in a certain direction. This is a hit or a miss for most people and either the major strength or flaw for gamers. I loved this aspect of the game because I wasn't sent on a mission from someone else rather, I was choosing my path through the game and it was the initiative I took on that determined how successful I was. That being said, the lack of narrative doesn't make for an empty experience. There is good reason why you are not pointed in a direction and that is well... At the start of the game your character is nothing special. No legendary hero sleeping or warrior with hidden power. You are just another undead who decides to create your own destiny. If the game "crowned" you, the player, with anything more, then you would have no doubt Victory was assured. By not showering you in praise for just existing, the game gives the player a sense of humility which is not bad or degrading by any means.

    With all that being said, Dark souls is a masterpiece from start to end. By following the lore through the game when it is given to you (Not with cheap books but through your own discovery) at the end you will have a true appreciation about what you have been doing all along and even question yourself by saying "Why did I do what I just did?" and that is by far one of the greatest narratives a story can give is that of your own voice.

    So in summary, while there are obvious flaws in the PC port with almost no support at all, the game itself is not broken. If you enjoy a challenge apart from the mundane hack-and-slash games, Dark Souls is what you are looking for. If you only want a fun game to spend a few hours at however, I would say to look towards other games not because this game isn't for you, but because it was designed to have a different purpose.

    Hopefully this helps you decide whether or not to buy the game. I know it was worth it for me.    … Expand
  12. seva16
    Aug 25, 2013
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. For players PC without a joystick to play better not to even look in the direction of this game. But if you did have started to play without a joystick then get even more hardcore.
  13. solaris132
    Aug 23, 2013
    10
    This page is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. The casuals giving this game a 1 4 need to get their mouth off of CoD's and start playing games where it doesn't treat you like a child.

    Some make this game sounds like it's hard. The others make it sound like it will strangle you with your own intestines and paint the city with your blood. Both of those are true. While    This page is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. The casuals giving this game a 1 4 need to get their mouth off of CoD's and start playing games where it doesn't treat you like a child.

    Some make this game sounds like it's hard. The others make it sound like it will strangle you with your own intestines and paint the city with your blood. Both of those are true. While this is a crappy port, all you need to fix it is a controller. If you plan to play this game with a mouse and keyboard you're smoking something nasty.    … Expand
  14. Orctownorc
    Aug 22, 2013
    5
    The opening cinematics hint at a truly remarkable game. The rave reviews of fans are encouraging. However my PC version of this game remains unplayable for two key reasons: (1) Games For Windows Live. Why in the seven hells, did they have to append this horrible DRM on the game? This refuses to log in, refuses to allow saves in game, and refuses to even allow the game to be quit out ofThe opening cinematics hint at a truly remarkable game. The rave reviews of fans are encouraging. However my PC version of this game remains unplayable for two key reasons: (1) Games For Windows Live. Why in the seven hells, did they have to append this horrible DRM on the game? This refuses to log in, refuses to allow saves in game, and refuses to even allow the game to be quit out of without alt F4! (2) The controls are even worse than you heard. From Software chose the most ridiculous keys they could think of for their key mapping. "Buy a controller?" Hell, WHY! This is clearly a console game. As PC software it clearly earns 0/10. I suggest those who want to enjoy it do so on console.

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  15. Eitr
    Aug 12, 2013
    0
    Garbage port. Key bindings are the worst and the game wont even tell you which key because it only displays controller buttons. After finally getting it to go full screen and controller hooked up, gameplay was still buggy and the camera was awful. At one point an enemy had killed me at a bonfire, but when I respawned he still had agro on me again (and again). To make this worse, the gameGarbage port. Key bindings are the worst and the game wont even tell you which key because it only displays controller buttons. After finally getting it to go full screen and controller hooked up, gameplay was still buggy and the camera was awful. At one point an enemy had killed me at a bonfire, but when I respawned he still had agro on me again (and again). To make this worse, the game does not pause at all when entering any menu so I had to kite the enemy around before he killed me just to be able to exit the game. I can understand not pausing during pvp but this was in offline mode. Tutorial is practically non existent and expects you to just guess what the mechanics of the game are half the time. Little notes written on the ground where it's usually too late to respond to the situation after trying to read them does not suffice for helping new people get into the game.… Expand
  16. BasilZero
    Aug 12, 2013
    10
    Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition is an amazing game and possibly one of the most hardest games ever made. You will enjoy the storyline/lore, the simple yet complex gameplay, the unforgiving difficulty, the epic music and the hilarious engine that the game runs on. With the addition of a New Game+ and multiplayer feature, the replay value for this game is simply one of the best seen in aDark Souls Prepare to Die Edition is an amazing game and possibly one of the most hardest games ever made. You will enjoy the storyline/lore, the simple yet complex gameplay, the unforgiving difficulty, the epic music and the hilarious engine that the game runs on. With the addition of a New Game+ and multiplayer feature, the replay value for this game is simply one of the best seen in a RPG and to top it off you have a reasonable amount of hours that can be placed in the game and it comes with a famous composer's music that will bring more than likely more than nostalgia to some players. The amount you can do with your character, changing their play style, fighting style and amongst other things will keep you coming back again and again especially with a addicting PVP experience.… Expand
  17. Walrob
    Aug 11, 2013
    9
    Dark Souls is an incredible RPG. There's not much more to say about it, the better way of understand is playing it. I must advise, you gonna DIE! A LOT! But, in the end, you gonna love it, 'cause it's a very, very challenging game. I have to say, the PC version is not that good, because of the graphics' issue, the excessively high pc requirements for a good performance in the game and theDark Souls is an incredible RPG. There's not much more to say about it, the better way of understand is playing it. I must advise, you gonna DIE! A LOT! But, in the end, you gonna love it, 'cause it's a very, very challenging game. I have to say, the PC version is not that good, because of the graphics' issue, the excessively high pc requirements for a good performance in the game and the difficult itself. This, if I don't say the bad keyboards/mouse controls. But, even this way, the game is amazing. The gameplay is perfect, the enemies are perfect, the battle-system is quite good. And, as you can see, and as I said, there's not much to say about the game, but there's a lot to play. So, let's prepare ourselves, and let's go die!!… Expand
  18. youleean
    Aug 11, 2013
    10
    First things first. This Game is awesome. Many people say that it's too hard. It's not. It's just harder than other games these days. If you beat an enemy that kicked your ass about five times you feel so good. And i never had that feelings the last few years. And if it's "too" hard for you. There are sooooo many wikis' and tips in the internet. So give it a try. BUT if you don't want toFirst things first. This Game is awesome. Many people say that it's too hard. It's not. It's just harder than other games these days. If you beat an enemy that kicked your ass about five times you feel so good. And i never had that feelings the last few years. And if it's "too" hard for you. There are sooooo many wikis' and tips in the internet. So give it a try. BUT if you don't want to mod your PC version, buy one of the console versions! And you have to use a gamepad.… Expand
  19. PloppySon
    Aug 9, 2013
    0
    I saw this game in a Steam sale for £4.99. After a bit of research I downloaded the fixes in advance and noted that I should use a gamepad already have a 360 for windows pad so all was well. I bought and downloaded Dark Souls on Steam, applied the fix and followed the instructions in the Steam forums about switching off Anti Aliasing and Motion Blur game worked fine and with the pad iI saw this game in a Steam sale for £4.99. After a bit of research I downloaded the fixes in advance and noted that I should use a gamepad already have a 360 for windows pad so all was well. I bought and downloaded Dark Souls on Steam, applied the fix and followed the instructions in the Steam forums about switching off Anti Aliasing and Motion Blur game worked fine and with the pad i had no control issues either so it was a good start.

    You start the game fighting really easy monsters then a tough boss monster, after a few attempts I beat him then moved on to the next area 1st problem I had no idea where i was going and ended up fighting high level skeletons right away and took about an hour killing just a few and dying A LOT!

    Then I accidentally found the right way to go and the game got better as monsters we weaker and it seemed enjoyable for a few hours. Combat is very very unforgiving and you'll die trying to do simple moves that look like they will work but don't leaving you frustrated for most of the game.

    Once you upgrade your weapons and armour/items the game gets much easier and you just have to learn enemy attack patterns and so on all sounds fair but you have a lot of fights where you will be cheated out of a victory by glitches and other things that just waste your time. you respawn when you die and have to run back to where you died to get your xp back if you die trying to get it you'll lose your xp (Yes that's right, dying lots before you get to a bonfire/checkpoint/save means you can't level up).

    I could go on and explain every last detail about this game but it seems like it should be a classic but bad design flaws in the combat and instant death traps etc leave you wondering why you bother and certain class builds seem to be a requirement for every boss battle pick light/agile/caster or die.

    Most of the low scores here relate to the bad port but I just got bored of playing this game got to the DLC content and by that point still hadn't got to any part of the game that was exciting or cool.

    Very overrated by Fan-boys. I tried really hard to like this game and kept playing just to see if it got better and all it did was show how overhyped the game is.

    Who knows, you might like this game and give it 10/10

    If you like the quicktime events in Resident Evil 4 and being killed for not doing exactly what the game wants you to do at the exact time then this is the game for you.    … Expand
  20. bobbysnobby
    Aug 6, 2013
    9
    Potentially the best game in the last 5 years and rivals the massive titles launched 2007/2008. Most people will be put off on the difficulty of the game but its actually not as hard as people make out, its normally user error that leads to deaths, or people being unwilling to try things and fail. The animations are extremely fluid and weapons have weight and operate fundamentallyPotentially the best game in the last 5 years and rivals the massive titles launched 2007/2008. Most people will be put off on the difficulty of the game but its actually not as hard as people make out, its normally user error that leads to deaths, or people being unwilling to try things and fail. The animations are extremely fluid and weapons have weight and operate fundamentally different leading to varied combat for different user preferences. This game takes a lot of common sense, situational awareness, and a little trial and error. Its a massive story which is filled with depth and ambiguity which is the point of an RPG its not to spoon feed us a story and make us use waist high cover to grind through 20 hours of game play. This is a world, a hostile world, a world filled with love and hate and the story is no different, if you are not willing to take risks or meet the game half way you will have a terrible experience, however, if you do then I promise that this would be one of the only games in your collection you will pick up months and years from now. If you want to button mash and kill everything like a unkillable god then this is not really the game for you, if you like games where you can be in a half-stupor and clear everything this is not the game for your. This is a game for people who like/love a challenge, a rich story which you need to put a lot of work forward to understand. Its for people who like combat which is more "realistic" you approach fights like a human being rather than a video game character, you value your shield more than your sword, you need to find their weaknesses, you need to use your strengths. If next week people were required to reduce every game they own to just 3 titles and those are the only video games they could play, Dark souls would make my list. Having said all of that there are some negatives I personally dont find them very bad but they definitely hold it back from a "perfect" score. Firstly you need a gamepad I wouldn't presume to recommend one in particular, but mouse and keyboard are (to put it kindly) clunky. And many users have a Low resolution problem, which can be fixed very easily using a number of methods.

    Its a tough game, its unforgiving, it may not have the narrative break through of Bioshock, the atmosphere of Shadow of the Colossus, or the game play breakthrough of Super Mario Brothers but this is a game which deserves to be talked about in the same circles as those greats. What it does well it does in spades, and I as a long term gamer for the better half of my life, really respect it when a game is willing to treat me like a thinking adult, and makes me work for something. The struggle bears amazing fruit in this astounding title which will leave you pondering your choices, and what effect they will have on the world. I highly recommend it.    … Expand
  21. OmnipotentGamer
    Aug 5, 2013
    4
    An excellent game hidden beneath layers of GFWL and horrid technical issues. I honestly could not recommend the game unless you own a gamepad for your PC the controls on KBM are that bad. Also DS FIX is MANDATORY for full enjoyment IMO.
  22. hodgesb
    Aug 4, 2013
    8
    I really enjoyed Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition. It offers challenging gameplay that made even small successes feel rewarding. Overall, this is a fantastic game and I look forward to Namco's future titles.

    In my case, playing with a keyboard and mouse was not effective, so make sure you have a controller handy before jumping in.
  23. TheXand
    Aug 3, 2013
    0
    Gave it a 0 for not having any story or characters to speak of. Very shallow game and the only thing it has going for it is the fact that it's got a reputation for being "very hard" which to me speaks volumes about it's lack of balance more than anything. Give this one a miss and play Devil May Cry instead.
  24. Un0va
    Aug 3, 2013
    9
    While I did have major gripes about the PC version earlier they proved to be easily fixed with DSfix. Even with the problems this port has I still feel it deserves the highest praise just because the game is so incredible. The two warnings I have are that the game is very bad at explaining itself I didn't know what poise was, for example, a major facet of the game, and you have to look itWhile I did have major gripes about the PC version earlier they proved to be easily fixed with DSfix. Even with the problems this port has I still feel it deserves the highest praise just because the game is so incredible. The two warnings I have are that the game is very bad at explaining itself I didn't know what poise was, for example, a major facet of the game, and you have to look it up to learn. The other is that it exists to fill a very specific niche. If it fills that for you, then there is no finer game this generation. The game is a game of skill, not luck while it is renowned for its difficulty once you learn the ins and outs of combat it quickly becomes much better, though still challenging. For a game ported straight from consoles it looks wonderful. The boss battles are tense and exciting and will often destroy you, but even then are still fun. with the flaws it has I feel that it excels at everything it does and deserves incredible praise. I could go on about how incredible Dark Souls is, but the basis is, you should play this game. It deserves it and so do you.… Expand
  25. Traumator
    Aug 2, 2013
    10
    Have to give this a 10 (the PC port doesn't deserve it) just for the bunch of 0 rating dumb morons and kids with a low enough IQ to not be able to play/figure out this game.

    A lot of people even complain about the game not having a story.... Dark Souls does not have a story... freaking HILARIOUS! It's the ultimate proof the definition of "PC gamers" is now DEAD. (srry guys we are a    Have to give this a 10 (the PC port doesn't deserve it) just for the bunch of 0 rating dumb morons and kids with a low enough IQ to not be able to play/figure out this game.

    A lot of people even complain about the game not having a story....
    Dark Souls does not have a story... freaking HILARIOUS!

    It's the ultimate proof the definition of "PC gamers" is now DEAD. (srry guys we are a minority and nearly extincted now) It's just a bunch of stupid sheep most of the time who need to be told where to go and what to do every freaking step of any game.

    PC games are rarely skill based nowadays compared to what they were even just 10 years ago.
    Are humans getting dumber?    … Expand
  26. Mortensus
    Aug 1, 2013
    4
    An horrible port from console to pc, unplayable as it with mouse & keyboard, you have to run through lot of tweaks to make it playable (provided by users!), for me the game don't worth the time spent to make it run properly...
  27. Osmium
    Jul 30, 2013
    0
    The game itself is simply fantastic, a legend among videogamers. The atmosphere is always tense, the difficulty level is horrendous you need a lot of patience and will die very often in this game. But this is exactly what makes progressing in this game so rewarding. Great action RPG, though recommendable to hardcore gamers only.
    But: The PC version which I am rating here is by far the    The game itself is simply fantastic, a legend among videogamers. The atmosphere is always tense, the difficulty level is horrendous you need a lot of patience and will die very often in this game. But this is exactly what makes progressing in this game so rewarding. Great action RPG, though recommendable to hardcore gamers only.
    But: The PC version which I am rating here is by far the worst console port ever to defile my hard drive. Graphics are horrible, controls (with mouse and keyboard) are beyond broken, other technical issues (games crashes to desktop, freezes, inexplicable FPS drops) are taking away the rest of the fun. No effort whatsoever has been put into this console port, it is disgusting and a disgrace to the devs. I would recommend anyone interested in this title to get it on the console, not for PC.    … Expand
  28. Makemon
    Jul 29, 2013
    10
    I made an account to get to review this game. The game feels like its a perfect combination of games like Vagrant Story, Ninja Gaiden and Shadow of the Colossus in a sense that it has deep RPG elements, nice and rewarding difficulty depending on player skill and strategies, and the atmosphere and design of the world is simply perfect and beautiful. Highly recommend this game to everyone.
  29. Scamdor
    Jul 29, 2013
    10
    To all the people saying this is a terrible console port. It is. From Software had little to no experience with PC games. But the community wanted Dark Souls on PC. So they gave us it. There are mods to fix the terrible keyboard mapping, to increase the FPS e.t.c. But even the fact that this is just a console game on PC doesn't mean that it's horrific enough to get a 0! The story, weapons,To all the people saying this is a terrible console port. It is. From Software had little to no experience with PC games. But the community wanted Dark Souls on PC. So they gave us it. There are mods to fix the terrible keyboard mapping, to increase the FPS e.t.c. But even the fact that this is just a console game on PC doesn't mean that it's horrific enough to get a 0! The story, weapons, game mechanics (aside from the multiplayer with no voice chat) and pretty much everything else is top-notch! The community is great too, unlike most other games where multiplayer can be such a core concept. Obviously the game could be better, but so could every other game! So instead of about graphics, do something productive and get dsfix. One of the main reasons you should buy this version over that of the console's is Mods. Having Gaben's face on a shield is hilarious. But sorry, you were too busy about this game on Metacritic to install dsfix, so your game looks like it is played on a 360. Most people who gave it 0 are probably saying "This isn't Skyrim. Why can't I change the difficulty so I one-hit everything? This game deserves a 0. Because I'm a hardcore fan of RPGs, as long as they have a casual difficulty."… Expand
  30. Gzhindra
    Jul 28, 2013
    9
    Dark Souls is hard but Dark Souls is highly rewarding. It is long and it is deep, full of lore and secret and there is something to be said of this game’s atmosphere too: Dark and warm at the same time. It has also a lot of replayability. I could praise this game forever.

    The fighting systems appear simple at first but when you start to dig it has a depth few games have. The character    Dark Souls is hard but Dark Souls is highly rewarding. It is long and it is deep, full of lore and secret and there is something to be said of this game’s atmosphere too: Dark and warm at the same time. It has also a lot of replayability. I could praise this game forever.

    The fighting systems appear simple at first but when you start to dig it has a depth few games have. The character development is also outstanding. Everything has its use and it change the way you play along with the tone of weapons that have their original move sets.

    It is a bless that this game came to the PC.

    The resolution is locked in the vanilla version but you can mod it in 5 min and after that the experience is perfect. The 30 fps limit is not a problem with this kind of game if your computer can keep it constant.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

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