Dark Souls II

The first game was close to what a gaming nirvana would be like, the second one inches even closer. [Issue #240]

I had huge expectations and was nearly certain that the game would fail to live up to them. Fortunately I was wrong – From Software miraculously managed to improve on nearly perfect Dark Souls. [04/2014, p.56]

In some ways, Dark Souls II is an altered formula of the original game. Not all of its retouches will be to your liking at first, but you will find out eventually there is a reason they are there, and it's all clear consecutively. Dark Souls II is a die-hard fun title holding up for tens of hours. It will let your hands vibrated by adrenaline. It will torment you, but still being righteous. It's just an extremely difficult game.

FromSoftware has warned you again and again: "You will die". And in this game you will love even these frustrating moments.

Dark Souls 2 still offers the emotions of a pure adventure, that sense of wonder and discovery that only videogames can provide, closing From Software's trilogy in a brilliant and perfect way.

It's a hardcore, heart-pounding adventure that's more accessible to newcomers, without sacrificing the series' sense of mystery, awe and wonder.

Dark Souls 2 is a refined, slicker version of what I consider to be the greatest video game ever made, and it is a title we’ll be finding more and more about post-release as its genius is fully uncovered.

Dark Souls II is a true hardcore challenge, and the weak of will and spine have no place in its cruel and unusual world.

Dark Souls II respects you enough to assume you can figure things out, despite having perhaps lost some of these sensibilities by playing other titles that walk you through on tether from start to finish. As a result, the rewards and achievements are that much more satisfying. It’s only March, but Dark Souls II stands tall as a potential game of the year.

Even more amazing, and difficult, than Dark Souls.

Astounding in its scale, Dark Souls II is a landmark slice of gaming brilliance to savour. [May 2014, p.55]

Offering at least 35 hours of play, Dark Souls II is a challenging experience and a satisfyingly in depth game that rewards perseverance and intelligent tactics.

Dark Souls II carries on the Souls series' trend of being one of the most unique, well made, and difficult Action RPGs on the market. Its a strong sequel that shows Dark Souls wasn't just a fluke, and that this series is here to stay.

One of the deepest, most challenging, and most rewarding experiences you’ll ever have in this modern era of video games.

Dark Souls II is a tough, bleak, and frightening action-RPG that is every bit as harrowing yet satisfying as its predecessors.

Loyal to its roots and perfectly executed, Dark Souls II is not only a worthy sequel: it is the worthiest homage to the mettle and spirit of hardcore gamers.

Dark Souls II is a great follow up to Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, maybe the best possible sequel. It's more accessible, but still hard, mysterious, always engaging and incredibly rewarding. A masterpiece.

From Sofware certainly knows how to create a better sequel. Dark Souls 2 is a deep, immersive experience which sticks firmly to the roots that make Souls games so precious but it also tries new things, new things that work well with the original feeling.

Dark Souls 2 is more and better. Enemies are smarter, and there's a wealth of bosses to find. Drangleic is an immense, beautiful world, amazing design, although it disappoints graphically. Fortunately there's so much content to discover that you'll hardly have time to occupy yourself with that.

This is the concept of a sequel everyone should adopt. "Bigger better" means nothing if amazing players are not the top priority. With Dark Souls II, From Software managed to do one simple thing: bring back the next-gen crown on PS3 and X360.

Dark Souls II is a challenge, it is death, it is fun. FromSoftware throws a new challenge to everyone who dares to cross all the hardships that the players will encounter in their adventure. In exchange, they will get limitless fun and a satisfaction that only a few games offer.

Dark Souls is back, with an epic adventure that delivers what fans expect from it. Maybe it's not as shocking as the previous one, but it's more solid, and still is a great game that proves the current generation of consoles is very alive.

Dark Souls 2 bears the torch of Dark Souls with honor. No mean feat! [Apr 2014]

Given the consistent rush towards the safe option in gaming today, the possibility of Dark Souls 2 meaning something special to you makes its worth checking out, even if you might well hate every second of it.

A well-paced, immersive RPG that is constantly challenging, but never impossible. [May 2014, p.59]

Dark Souls II offers a fresh adventure into what is quite possibly gaming’s most punishing, macabre fantasy world.

As a title that miraculously manages to be accessible to newcomers, challenging to veterans, rewarding to explorers, detail-rich for the lore-lovers, and able to be completed by the dedicated, Dark Souls 2 is an intriguing, well-designed title that should not be missed.

Dark Souls 2 is not the bomb as its predecessor was, but still manages to do its heavy brand justice. With sustained difficulty, atmosphere and overall experience of desperation, hopelessness and triumph at overcome difficulties, we see evidence that there is something in the phrase "do not fix what is not broken".

A worthy sequel to one of the best RPGs ever made. Noobs and casual gamers, it’s time to level up. [April 2014, p74]

Dark Souls II is a sequel done right in every way. There is more to explore, mechanics from the first game are polished and further expanded. Fans will be happy to know that the game is still challenging and at the same time it is more accessible for newcomers.

Few titles have the courage to leave the player's hand and give him a hostile world to explore at will. Dark Souls is still the one that does it best.

Dark Souls 2 is a true masterpiece, and one of the best Action RPG of this generation. Extremely difficult and yet always rewarding, it shows an impressive "lore" and a finely balanced gameplay.

You need to have at least tried Dark Souls 2, or you'll get nowhere. It pulls you into its depressing, brutal world and that feels like a homecoming to its masochistic fans. Still, everything is different. Only via trial by fire you'll discover as a player what the perfect balance is that From Software achieved with its forced changes.

The core gameplay and basic design sensibilities have been retained, and while there are some concessions to player ease, they don't interfere with the gameplay

A frustrating but satisfying experience.

Dark Souls 2 is a huge game. It’s Defiant, mysterious, intriguing, complex and in clear tune with the expectations of its fans.

While it may not always feel fair, you’ll be hard pressed to find a game that’s as intense and rewarding as Dark Souls II.

Dark Souls II takes everything built up with the two previous games, improves upon it and results in a fantastic action adventure. Hard as nails, and equally satisfying gameplay with a good variety of bosses and enemies.

Dark Souls II is a great way to expand an already awesome game. From Software did a great job working on the previous game in order to fix its problems creating a more accessible experience. The game is still as hard as hell, but this time player is able to understand it in a better way.

That balance is why its predecessors were so popular, and that's why the sequel is certainly going to be a major hit.

Uncompromising in its challenge, this supremely balanced slasher destroys your fingers and delights your soul with its unrivalled sense of triumph through trial.

Otherwise, Dark Souls II is outstanding, still a world better than most games and a worthy successor to a game that was, essentially, impossible to follow.

Despite so many slight changes here and there, the solid combat, janky platforming, overwhelming odds and brutal bosses all conspire to remind you that this is very much a Souls game, and yet another excellent one at that.

Though somewhat safe and predictable, Dark Souls II is more refined and somehow more challenging than its predecessor.

A carefully considered sequel that avoids upsetting existing fans and offers an olive branch to newcomers – all the while retaining its position as one of the most challenging, and rewarding, video games of modern times.

Dark Souls II is an ideal refinement, it maintains all of the original game’s qualities, but opens its doors a little to allow a whole new audience to experience it. It is the perfect sequel.

For all its little tweaks, Dark Souls II is, foremost, a game made for Souls players. It is a game that asks everything of you and gives so much back, keeping its cards close to its chest, and revealing them only to those prepared to die and die again. It is made to be played for hundreds, if not thousands, of hours as you try new builds, explore PVP and experiment with covenants, all the while slowly peeling back the layers of its lore.

Dark Souls 2 probably isn't quite the same masterpiece Dark Souls is, but then neither is anything else, and the fact it comes so close is remarkable.

The Souls games have rarely been about fun, but Dark Souls 2's smart tweaks and concessions brought out positive emotions even amidst the pain and exhaustion. It's still a stressful experience, but it's easier than ever to recognize the brilliance in those moments of triumph that make it more than worth the struggle.

Everything that made Dark Souls into a cult success carries over: complex game mechanics, punishing but fair gameplay and a richly detailed setting if you dig a little deeper. To keep things fresh, this is peppered with a mix of new elements, from improved graphics and game engine to a better designed starting sequence and new mechanics. Dark Souls II is a perfect sequel to Dark Souls.

I may not have yet unveiled all there is to know about this beastly game, even after 80 hours of play, but I do know this: I will be adventuring through Drangleic for many months to come, sure to be haunted nightly by the disturbing gazes of the faceless titans that tenderize my flesh with their two-ton hammers.

Dark Souls II is a smart, massive, and incredibly rewarding sequel. It’s crammed with deep systems, tense encounters, and enough clever multiplayer and New Game Plus elements to make me want to restart the second I saw the end credits.

It is not as fascinating as its predecessor. But nonetheless the mechanics of permanent failure are as captivating as always. This is a mysterious, gripping and unforgiving adventure.

The tweaks made to the formula perhaps hold Dark Souls II from being quite as good its precursor (and it’s for this reason I’d suggest serious newcomers to give Dark Souls a try first), but it’s still an excellent game that will keep Souls series fans hooked for months to come.

Dark Souls II delivers on its promises. It wants to challenge you to death — literally. It’s more of the same from the last, though the scope of the world seems to be a lot bigger with more challenges to overcome. If you enjoy this sort of difficulty and seemingly impossible gameplay then it’s right up your alley.

The most enjoyable near-death experience you're likely to get, though you'll suffer almost as much from the loading times than you'll do from dying over and over again.

Two steps forward and one step back for this incredibly challenging and rewarding experience.

I now no longer look at the world with simple eyes. I'm weighing up the pros and cons of venturing down that road, that path, or that slightly ropey looking foot bridge. Friends are no longer, just souls that could be harvested - if I should wish to go down a 'stabby' route - but really, for the most part, I'm just spending a hell of a lot of time playing Dark Souls 2. I hated the first two, but From Software's ever so slightly softer edge has ensnared me this time around. If you're a fan of character development, frustration, and mechanics that hark back to the 8-bit era, then you might have found your latest gaming beau.

Dark Souls II is a fantastic achievement for those who desire a hefty challenge. To be more specific, you want to enjoy that wonderful sense of accomplishment you only feel when the challenge is steep. You want to face and overcome, and you want to become lost in an amazing, mystical virtual world.

Stressful, tough but immensely challenging and rewarding, Dark Souls 2 will take you to hell and back, and then back to hell again.

It is a magical recipe of pain and frustration that seeks to make you a better player by the end, simply breaking you down step by step, until you feel like you have personally leveled up more than your digital avatar, and that is something not a lot of games can do.

While some of its features and design decisions might not sit perfectly with all fans of the franchise, Dark Souls II once again proves how enthralling and engrossing From Software’s formula of skill-focused combat, demanding challenge, and bleak ambience can be.

The game is just as mysterious and obtuse as before and puts the onus on the player to figure it all out. Therefore, players fond of the rich and complex challenge of From Software’s games are going to get the most out of it. To those, I say that Dark Souls II gives more of what you’ve enjoyed from the last two games. With new places to explore, enemies to fight and lore to uncover, it offers a significant amount of content to keep players busy for a great while.

Dark Souls 2 may not be what came before, but it is its own game, with its own hilarious deaths, ridiculous traps, haunting melodies, and foreboding bosses, and it still stands out with ease. That punch to the ribs may not wind as hard, but you'll still want to get up and explore this dark, devious world, over and over again.

Modeled on its predecessor, Dark Souls II shines with the same black light, strange, disturbing and fascinating.

Dark Souls II has lost none of its relentless difficulty, and the many improvements make it a great experience for veterans and newcomers. But it may not be for everybody. Still a highly recommended experience if you thirst for a new action role playing game in your collection.

While From Software amped up the comprehensive difficulty in Dark Souls II's most critical areas, they've managed to sneak in a tiny gift or two that may keep newcomers from completely losing their composure in distressful situations.