Demon's Souls

 PlayStation 3
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: Oct 6, 2009
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2033 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,772 out of 2033
  2. Mixed: 135 out of 2033
  3. Negative: 126 out of 2033
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  1. SirL
    Oct 14, 2009
    6
    Being a loooong time swords & sorcery RPG fan...enjoying D&D for near 20 years...and having had a very good time with Diablo...I naturally went into Demon's Souls with some high hopes. I was really hoping to be blown away and get back abit of the gaming magic I felt when I first got hooked on Command and Conquer or Planescape:Torment. Unfortunatly, Demon's Souls is only Being a loooong time swords & sorcery RPG fan...enjoying D&D for near 20 years...and having had a very good time with Diablo...I naturally went into Demon's Souls with some high hopes. I was really hoping to be blown away and get back abit of the gaming magic I felt when I first got hooked on Command and Conquer or Planescape:Torment. Unfortunatly, Demon's Souls is only impressive when compared to other simplistic and watery Console game...and just barely holds a candle to the frenetic imersiveness of Diablo. Demon's Souls is a very well presented bare-bones RPG...while it is 80% repetative reflex-action game, with an annoying-without-being-purposeful sudden death element. The only thing being engaged here is one's hand-eye coordination and patience...then more patience...and still more patience. If you're like me, and were dreaming of a game that might be an improvement on Baldur's Gate 1&2 and Neverwinter Nights 1&2...keep right on dreaming...while you go back online to enjoy some more fan-generated Hardcore Rules NWN...where it's been possible to enjoy richly deep RPG play with a high-risk sudden death element for the last 6 years...for free... Demon's Souls is a fine achievement...if you thought Mario Bros., Halo and Naruto were all there is in the gaming world... Anyone who owns a PC is going to wonder what the fuss is about. Better sword swinging RPGs have been around for decades...and I've never been a fan of reflex-action games - I do that at work every day. Play Demon's Souls if you like eye candy, button mashing and frequent restarts.… Expand
  2. JulienT
    Oct 19, 2009
    6
    (Why is there a slider for Male and Female when creating a character? LOL?) Now, before I start my review, I'd like to say that I'm an action/RPG and action/adventure lover. I've been playing these kinds of games for years. I listened to the hype around me and was intrigued in what was all that fuss about. After sitting next to a friend of mine for a full weekend and (Why is there a slider for Male and Female when creating a character? LOL?) Now, before I start my review, I'd like to say that I'm an action/RPG and action/adventure lover. I've been playing these kinds of games for years. I listened to the hype around me and was intrigued in what was all that fuss about. After sitting next to a friend of mine for a full weekend and analysing this game, I came to a simple conclusion: Overhyped product and brainwashed forum posters. First of all, this game is the most tedious experience you will find in the recent game releases. The gameplay is based around having one or two skills and repeating them tens of thousands of times (without exageration). The enemies are monotonous, the skills are unoriginal and limited in quantity, the enemy AI is simply taken out of an MMORPG (completely dumb, in other words) and the targetting system is the worst I have seen in my past gaming years. You have countless submenus that are just chaotically organized, crippling navigation and effectiveness. The multiplayer elements feel taken out of 1996 and poorly integrated to add very little value to the game. I could go on and on with the negative points about this game, but I'm sure if you read a non-fanboy review, you might get a real opinion of what this game is really about. On the good side, I do have to admit there are a few memorable moments in the game. For instance, having to run past a dragon's breath to avoid becoming roasted humanoid felt unique, not to mention the first time a player invades your game hoping to get a free rez from your death. Gameplay-wise, the upside would have to be the simplistic camera, that always faces forward (mix of shoulder and arcade camera from other adventure games). The melee block / attacks feel right (except the spells) because of their reactivity. The sound seemed OK, although there was a lot of noise in the room while I played the game, so I cannot really comment on this aspect. One important subject I frequently read about is the game's difficulty. I have to agree with some posters that the difficulty is not high in general. It becomes extremely frustrating to die in some situations because of the game's fault, not the player's. There is a big difference between dying because you know you did bad, and because the game just cheap shots you. It happens too often in this game, hence the high number of posts about this issue, I guess. All in all, there are some good ideas that I think the developpers aimed at and missed the bullseye. If you think this game is for you, take my advice (I'm not being paid for this review, I'm doing you a favor :) ), you should rent the game, and if you like it, probably not pay over 30$.… Expand
  3. LesE
    Dec 8, 2009
    6
    Yes i did find it difficult but it was not that the difficulty that warranted this modest score, it was the total lack of story telling depth or character development. With Mass Effect or Dragon Age you come to care for the main charcters and develope an emotional response to the game. The experience is totally imersive. With Oblivion, though the main character was merely a foil to tweak Yes i did find it difficult but it was not that the difficulty that warranted this modest score, it was the total lack of story telling depth or character development. With Mass Effect or Dragon Age you come to care for the main charcters and develope an emotional response to the game. The experience is totally imersive. With Oblivion, though the main character was merely a foil to tweak around with the RPG stats, the sub plots and often immersive storyline supplied a similar emotional response. With this game you are merely presented with a series of vignettes that are, as they say, full of sound and fury......… Expand
  4. SamH
    Oct 8, 2009
    6
    This game is difficult and infuriating on as many levels as possible. You are constantly getting killed and losing all of your money and having to redo the entire level. Also, the combat is extra generic for a hack and slash "RPG". There is very little gore and you dont get that satisfying feeling when you smack the enemy. Its like the fan weapon from super smash bros. In the end they This game is difficult and infuriating on as many levels as possible. You are constantly getting killed and losing all of your money and having to redo the entire level. Also, the combat is extra generic for a hack and slash "RPG". There is very little gore and you dont get that satisfying feeling when you smack the enemy. Its like the fan weapon from super smash bros. In the end they managed to make a mixed up sub-par version of an action and rpg game.… Expand
  5. Todd
    Nov 27, 2009
    6
    The amount of challenge in the game makes it rewarding to finish, but I was left feeling bored at the end due to the story being so watered down and nearly non-existent that I just didn't give a crap what happened. I see lots of people giving this game a 10 because OMG SWEET A HARD GAME FOR ONCE. While it did some things well, I feel like the game was half-baked in a lot of ways. The amount of challenge in the game makes it rewarding to finish, but I was left feeling bored at the end due to the story being so watered down and nearly non-existent that I just didn't give a crap what happened. I see lots of people giving this game a 10 because OMG SWEET A HARD GAME FOR ONCE. While it did some things well, I feel like the game was half-baked in a lot of ways. With the difficulty that was present in the gameplay I expected boss fights to be a lot more difficult and engaging than they actually were. To be brutally honest most of the bosses were a total joke. I think I died maybe 3 times total between all the bosses in the game, which was a heck of a lot less than the amount of times I died up to that point. I was happy to have a game that didn't hold my hand but I feel like there were a lot of little things that should have been improved before sending this game out that would have given me reason to actually give this game a 10.… Expand
  6. ArkonBlade
    Oct 15, 2011
    6
    ok theres a fine line between being a hard game and being a game that dicks you ... and well demon souls dicks you more then it does at being hard. do i mind dieng alot ... no , do i mind having to start back from the begining of a level if i die ... no , do i mind challenging enimies and bosses ... no . but what i do mind is that when i die my life bar gets cut in HALF! and if i dieok theres a fine line between being a hard game and being a game that dicks you ... and well demon souls dicks you more then it does at being hard. do i mind dieng alot ... no , do i mind having to start back from the begining of a level if i die ... no , do i mind challenging enimies and bosses ... no . but what i do mind is that when i die my life bar gets cut in HALF! and if i die before i get back to where i died before to reclaim my souls they are gone too . i mean i was already penalised bad enough by having to start over again and loosing all my health items to get that far and now i cant buy more since i lost all my souls, i mean the game is kinda fun and looks pretty good . the combat is pretty simplistic the story is ok . its not story heavy by any means . its also neat that people can leave messages to warn you aboiut dangers ahead as well but why is it set up for being online at all times? i prefer to play my RPG"s solo and if i want some one to join i should have the option of turning it online or off. this game also wouldnt have hurt its self by adding a difficulty option . i mean i like challanging games ive played plenty and beat them like kings field and others iif you want a game that kicks you in the balls over and over again then demon souls is for you .thankfully i bought this only for $20 new and almost but dark souls first . i would have wasted $60 if i did. id advise if you are still thinking about getting this game rent it first or buy it cheap to be sure you will get into what i just mentioned.… Expand
  7. Iyunzusto
    Oct 14, 2011
    6
    Should you buy this game? Is that why you're reading this? If so, yes, it's worth the money - but only because it's cheap now. There's a lot about Demon's Souls that is beautiful, even memorable. Some of the set pieces are awesome, and the grim dark styling is refreshing in a sea of cutesy characters and colourful UI design. So what's the problem? You will never, ever see this game on theShould you buy this game? Is that why you're reading this? If so, yes, it's worth the money - but only because it's cheap now. There's a lot about Demon's Souls that is beautiful, even memorable. Some of the set pieces are awesome, and the grim dark styling is refreshing in a sea of cutesy characters and colourful UI design. So what's the problem? You will never, ever see this game on the PC - because with decent controls, this game would be a complete pushover. Yes, the game presents a challenge, but if you're honest, you'll realise that 50% or more of the challenge comes from the controls. Some parts are broken - you'll see what they are especially if you're a magic user. But really, a console controller just doesn't suit a game where the slightest error results in death. It's like giving a baseball bat to a tennis player and asking them how hard it is to play a match. Overall though, it's a great production, and enjoyable, but the more you play it the less satisfying and fun it gets, as you realise more with every moment that you're not fighting the monsters, you're fighting the dual shock.… Expand
  8. kitsoon
    Aug 25, 2011
    6
    You die in this game, a lot. The difficulty was definitely a challenge, I wouldn't really say fun though. Maybe I'm a person who likes to be easily satisfied, I dunno. The story is kind of lacking in this game. You don't play as a main character but one of many who have come to slay the demons, which personally I don't like. I did like they had extremely hard enemies that you knew that youYou die in this game, a lot. The difficulty was definitely a challenge, I wouldn't really say fun though. Maybe I'm a person who likes to be easily satisfied, I dunno. The story is kind of lacking in this game. You don't play as a main character but one of many who have come to slay the demons, which personally I don't like. I did like they had extremely hard enemies that you knew that you wouldn't be able to beat at the time (or ever) so you would have to avoid them. There's not a lot of interesting people to talk to just a lot of fairly uninteresting demons to slay. I beat the first boss and returned it, wasn't for me.… Expand
  9. DBZ19
    Nov 25, 2011
    6
    I'm unsure about this game. The general consensus was that this game is difficult beyond reason and i'd agree. If you actually thought about it you don't do much you move forward, when you encounter an enemy you block then wait for an opening then attack, easy right? and it is there isn't any puzzles either. What really does get to me is we have now moved on from then ancient ways of dyingI'm unsure about this game. The general consensus was that this game is difficult beyond reason and i'd agree. If you actually thought about it you don't do much you move forward, when you encounter an enemy you block then wait for an opening then attack, easy right? and it is there isn't any puzzles either. What really does get to me is we have now moved on from then ancient ways of dying and starting from the beginning and even then you'd get check points and life, but in this you don't. I'm up for a challenge but come on your telling me i'n not allowed to even pause this game, RUBBISH.
    I'm a 27 year old male, who works full time and i have two young sons. So when i get in i spend some time with them and then (because if you don't she'll start moaning) i spend some time with the missus. When i'm finished my "duties" then i get a bit of gaming in, which may i add is around 9pm. so when i switch my PS3 on i want to play something thats going to help me escape the stresses of, DEMON'S SOULS will not. I'm already frustrated so i don't need that from a video game. For me this game is for people who doesn't have the responsibilities i have and can pour countless hours into it. When i play a video game i want to feel like i'm progressing, if i don't feel like that whats the point.

    well i gave this game a 6 because even with all its faults i still enjoyed the experience upto my current position. If i'm honest i won't complete it purely because i have other games that will reward me for progressing and and sticking to it.    … Expand
  10. mrnice
    Feb 1, 2015
    6
    Dark Souls improved on the world-building a lot, so I'd recommend that game as the one 'Souls' series game to play. But there are a few reasons to pick Demon's Souls over DS II: tighter combat and levels, so you waste less time walking from A to B. Unlike DS II, this game was directed by the series' inventor Hidetaka Miyazaki, and a lot of Dark Souls II just pasted ideas that wereDark Souls improved on the world-building a lot, so I'd recommend that game as the one 'Souls' series game to play. But there are a few reasons to pick Demon's Souls over DS II: tighter combat and levels, so you waste less time walking from A to B. Unlike DS II, this game was directed by the series' inventor Hidetaka Miyazaki, and a lot of Dark Souls II just pasted ideas that were originally designed for this specific game. Demon's Souls feels more self-contained, with a more mysterious and 'legendary' feeling atmosphere. The level design feels instantly classic. The bosses feel like inventions of a visionary director, whereas in DS II, they sometimes feel like 'jobs' that some designer had to make.

    I instantly replayed the first level on New Game+, whereas in Dark Souls II, it felt like navigating the game world was too much of a chore, and not worth traversing if you already had checked it out. Everything in Demon's Souls feels like a SNES-classic-style level with constant encounters and challenges, with very few filler moments.

    The reason I still don't call the game 'great' is because the most challenging parts required me to do things that weren't fun at all. Like, using obscure spells, or just trying 10 times to count on luck or whatever. There were many moments where I thought "This is a 6/10 game, it's exactly like Dark Souls but tighter and more retro in its linear design, I preferred Dark Souls... it's like Dark Souls 0.5".

    I didn't follow the story, but the ending was my favorite of the three 'Souls' games, as it had its own location and felt like it took a few minutes to round off the story, rather than end with one boss and then go to credits.
    Overall, a good-quality game, but it's rarely pleasant to play. But I guess that's the point.    … Expand
  11. 3Potatoteers
    Dec 13, 2015
    6
    Again I rate this game based on Dark Souls. I heard many praises about Demon's Souls, and I wanna check Dark Souls' predecessor, but it turns out very disappointing.
    - Frame rate issues. The frame drops so dramatically sometimes my eyes are hurt.
    - Grass. Compared to Estus Flask this is just not good enough. Besides, you get less grasses when your World Tendency turns toward black. So    Again I rate this game based on Dark Souls. I heard many praises about Demon's Souls, and I wanna check Dark Souls' predecessor, but it turns out very disappointing.
    - Frame rate issues. The frame drops so dramatically sometimes my eyes are hurt.
    - Grass. Compared to Estus Flask this is just not good enough. Besides, you get less grasses when your World Tendency turns toward black. So basically the enemies are stronger, your health are less, and grass are more scarce. So what happened when you are out of grasses when die repeated? You farm... And remember don't get killed twice!
    - Lack of checkpoint, aka, bonefire. Unlike Dark Souls, in Demon's Souls you only get a bonefire after killed a boss in an archstone. This makes the adventure less rewarding and enthusiastic. No more well hidden bonefires, which when you find, it is worth it, you are making progress.
    - Hard to run pass enemies to challenge the boss only. Force to do tedious work over and over.
    - Lack of non-respawn enemies. In Dark Souls, some enemies don't respawn, like the boar, black knight, poison dart guy, necromancer. they can be tough, but when you made it, you don't have to do it again, you are making progress, it feel rewarding.
    - Due to the lack of healing methods and non-respawn enemies, the bosses are not that hard. I mean, if the 4-1 boss are as hard as Four Kings or Ornstain & Smough, I will give up on Demon's Souls. It is way too hard to reach the boss yet the boss are too easy, I don't feel the satisfaction as I feel in Dark Souls.
    - Rare stone can only be found by killing lizards yet the lizards only respawn certain times per play-through. Okay the game doesn't reward me for killing enemies but punishes me for missing lizards so I can never have a +5 Moon weapon? In Dark Souls you find rare stones hidden deep in some area, and the lizards only provide some extra stones so you don't have to farm souls to buy, and they respawn as many times as you wish. This is beautiful design.
    - The lore is not as elegant as Dark Souls. Reading item description and find hidden dialog can be really fun in Dark Souls. But Demon's Souls doesn't provide that from where I stand.
    - World Tendency really sucks. When you are killed in human form, the world tendency -1, and only by killing a demon(boss) the world tendency +1(Archdemon +3). This is not fair at all. If your world turns black, you suffer more health penalty in soul form, enemies hit hard and have more hp, and they drop less grasses. It feels like the game punishes you so hard, when you get rewarded, it feels like nothing at all. Basically you have to commit suicide in Nexus, use the cling ring, and play in PWWT unless you wanna farm rare stone or kill named black phantoms.
    - The doll boss is waaay too cryptic. Basically you don't kill NPCs in this game unless you know what you are doing. How on earth am I supposed to know I have to kill an NPC to kill the doll? After all the suffering of 3-1, the game designer decides to punish you further by fighting a boss in vain. Do I feel satisfied when finally killed the doll? Well I don't, I feel sick and finished world 3 last. Say Big hat is actually a primatial crystal and you have to kill it to beat Seth, will you feel satisfied?

    I am glad Demon's Souls has a terrific successor, the one and only, Dark Souls.    … Expand
  12. objectivelytrue
    Dec 10, 2015
    6
    I liked it, but this is easily worst Souls game. More than half of the bosses are pathetic gimmicks, magic isn't an interesting alternative because it ruins the game, only a few weapons worth using and some that destroy any challenge the game posed, a childish and generic fantasy story and setting. Worst of all, the idiotic invasion mechanics that force you to let other people hijack yourI liked it, but this is easily worst Souls game. More than half of the bosses are pathetic gimmicks, magic isn't an interesting alternative because it ruins the game, only a few weapons worth using and some that destroy any challenge the game posed, a childish and generic fantasy story and setting. Worst of all, the idiotic invasion mechanics that force you to let other people hijack your game and connection to grief you. I joined the game late, so I was harassed constantly by cookie-cutter pvp builds until I turned off the internet connection. I played Ultima Online, Darkfall, DayZ, but I just don't feel that the PvP fits into the game's design.

    Poorly designed and okay-ishly executed, the main reason this game succeeded was hype and exclusivity to the PS3.    … Expand
  13. wwwzzzzz
    Nov 10, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. just so so.................................................................… Expand
  14. aaronnmp96
    Jul 22, 2023
    6
    It has taken me a long time to play this game, I have passed the trilogy of dark Souls, Bloodborne and elden Ring, honestly, go for the remake, this game is too outdated and I have not been able to enjoy it. The game lag is horrible, it's too dark. The gameplay is very good, although the bosses are too easy, the levels are challenging, although perhaps too unfair. It's way below Dark SoulsIt has taken me a long time to play this game, I have passed the trilogy of dark Souls, Bloodborne and elden Ring, honestly, go for the remake, this game is too outdated and I have not been able to enjoy it. The game lag is horrible, it's too dark. The gameplay is very good, although the bosses are too easy, the levels are challenging, although perhaps too unfair. It's way below Dark Souls 1, he had very good ideas but he didn't give them the budget. Only recommended for true fans of Souls.… Expand
  15. BeauE
    Oct 15, 2009
    5
    Sam H.'s comments are exactly correct. It is pretty, but it is not an RPG, it is a platformer/fighting game. Quests/puzzles are nonexistent. Not being able to sell loot makes most of it pointless. Not being able to bank any of your souls (gold) is more than irritating. Combat is pure hack and slash without combo attacks. My feeling about restarting each level after each death went Sam H.'s comments are exactly correct. It is pretty, but it is not an RPG, it is a platformer/fighting game. Quests/puzzles are nonexistent. Not being able to sell loot makes most of it pointless. Not being able to bank any of your souls (gold) is more than irritating. Combat is pure hack and slash without combo attacks. My feeling about restarting each level after each death went from ok this is hard to this is ridiculous. If you think that changing a game's level of difficulty enhances a mediocre game, then by all means this is for you. For me a $5 steak at a fancy restaurant is still a $5 steak.… Expand
  16. ChuckP
    Oct 18, 2009
    5
    This game was a blast, for about the first 20 hours. Then it felt like the entire game was based around grinding levels so you could become powerful enough to have a chance at defeating the next boss. The combat seems deep and complicated at first with a brutal learning curve, but once you've learned what does and doesn't work combat falls flat with only a few basic moves to This game was a blast, for about the first 20 hours. Then it felt like the entire game was based around grinding levels so you could become powerful enough to have a chance at defeating the next boss. The combat seems deep and complicated at first with a brutal learning curve, but once you've learned what does and doesn't work combat falls flat with only a few basic moves to use. Online is the one shining feature of the game with innovative features, I especially enjoyed the option of summoning a fellow adventurer to help with difficult battles. If you like grinding levels repeatedly for hours on end then this game can be rewarding. For when you do finally level up enough to defeat the boss you've had your eye on you feel like you've accomplished something. This game is only for people that enjoy a long repetitive adventure. Otherwise look elsewhere for a more enjoyable experience.… Expand
  17. Sam
    Nov 9, 2009
    5
    The first playthru will seem oh-so enjoyable, but after that the flaws with the absurd pvp and "tendency" systems will drive you mad. The game doesn't have nearly enough content to support the pvp engine (which is what everyone wants to do after beating the game once) and upon beating the game, you will rewarded the best weapon in the game. Now, this would be fine and dandy if it The first playthru will seem oh-so enjoyable, but after that the flaws with the absurd pvp and "tendency" systems will drive you mad. The game doesn't have nearly enough content to support the pvp engine (which is what everyone wants to do after beating the game once) and upon beating the game, you will rewarded the best weapon in the game. Now, this would be fine and dandy if it weren't for the fact that the amount of damage you do with that weapon is determined by what your character's tendency is; and honestly: that to would be fine if pvping didn't change your tendency. That's right, whenever you kill a player, you drift towards black tendency, and suddenly I'm forced to go from a character that WAS pure white, to one that is pure black, only because the game forced me into it. By the time you've reached level 120 or so, you'll start to notice how absurdly lazy the item and build designs are, why? Because everyone is using the same stuff! What couldn've been an excellent, deep rpg is crushed by what seems like lazy design. The difficulty of this game isn't what'll drive you crazy: it's what the game could've been with a less retarded dev team that will do that.… Expand
  18. Treima
    Sep 23, 2010
    5
    Demon's Souls calls out to the player, begging him to find its secrets and explore its depths. Then it stabs him to death, urinates on his grave, and rapes his mother. The truly interesting and groundbreaking elements are drowned in frustrating controls, shoddy character creation, a bare-bones plot, and mundane art direction.
  19. InternetBadass
    Jun 27, 2011
    5
    Don't listen to people saying this game is challenging; it is quite the opposite. All the enemies are completely predictable in their attack patterns. The game is incredibly easy because the AI is so terrible that you can predict and counter every enemy 100% of the time. The game is also lacking in story, level variety (5 worlds that contain a derivative copy of one level type, very veryDon't listen to people saying this game is challenging; it is quite the opposite. All the enemies are completely predictable in their attack patterns. The game is incredibly easy because the AI is so terrible that you can predict and counter every enemy 100% of the time. The game is also lacking in story, level variety (5 worlds that contain a derivative copy of one level type, very very boring), and any kind of good looting system (loot is always in the same place every time, there is no challenge at all).

    The game is, at best, mediocre, easy , and boring. It is a waste of your time if you're looking for anything other than remembering attack patterns for the few enemy types they have (and most can simply be rolled past and back stabbed).    … Expand
  20. risky
    May 16, 2012
    5
    I think what constitutes a good game is that it presents a difficulty appropriate for every player. If you're a hardcore gamer, you should be able to find hardcore challenges in a good game. If you're a leisure player unable to spend hours on the game, you should be able to find appropriate challenges for that type of playing too. I appreciate that Demon's Souls has the ambition to put upI think what constitutes a good game is that it presents a difficulty appropriate for every player. If you're a hardcore gamer, you should be able to find hardcore challenges in a good game. If you're a leisure player unable to spend hours on the game, you should be able to find appropriate challenges for that type of playing too. I appreciate that Demon's Souls has the ambition to put up challenges that other RPG games don't dare to do to because of fear of losing customers, but without sufficient of time you end up spending an hour solely on dying. A potential outcome of this gaming hour is that you learn how to get past a few enemies, but at the start of the next gaming hour, you're at the beginning once again and your previous achievements are not reflected in the new gaming session. Therefore I believe that Demon's Souls lack diversity; it caters for a certain kind of player. For anyone unexperienced, it is ruthless and the satisfaction from finally beating a monster does not weigh up all the frustration you've gotten from dying and starting all over for the hundredth time.… Expand
  21. Iluvatar21
    May 6, 2014
    5
    HOW I RATE: 10-9 score: perfect or near-perfect don't exist; 8 score: one of the best games ever. Top score; 7-6 score: great but not one of the best; 5-below score: serious flaws.
    ===========
    Demon's souls is my favorite Souls game in terms of feel but the lack of checkpoints and having to restart the whole level made me crazy. Call me noob but DeS is not as good as DS1 which I'm near beating.
  22. Tanis70
    Dec 5, 2014
    5
    Frustrating, boring. It's like Dragon's Lair, with more freedom, 20 years later. Stunning graphics, unforgiving gameplay, storyline... let's just say Dragon's Lair had a better storyline.
    I'll pass, but I can understand that if for you videogaming is a test of reflexes, might be a game for you.
  23. JohnA
    Oct 13, 2009
    4
    The Gamervision review is dead on in its criticism, and their score may be too generous. And in truth, I'm stunned so many people are willing to forgive poor game design by touting it as "difficulty." In 2009, forcing a player to grind through the same level for hours at end, with an autosave and experience loss system that actually punishes exploration is poor game design, not a The Gamervision review is dead on in its criticism, and their score may be too generous. And in truth, I'm stunned so many people are willing to forgive poor game design by touting it as "difficulty." In 2009, forcing a player to grind through the same level for hours at end, with an autosave and experience loss system that actually punishes exploration is poor game design, not a smart return to hardcore difficulty. A bad camera and a shoddy lock-on system that doesn't work with large bosses and multiple targets in a room is poor game design, not a smart return to hardcore difficulty. Forcing players to grind for several hours, with little to no progress, simply because their armor breaks, is poor game design, not a smart return to hardcore difficulty. A nearly incomprehensible inventory system that forces players to slog through multiple stat screens just to figure out if their armor or sword is going to break is poor game design, not a smart return to hardcore difficulty. After spending 13 hours with this game, I can safely say I wasted $60 dollars. More people should be willing to admit the same.… Expand
  24. Sasha
    Nov 2, 2009
    4
    Nice looking game, good fighting. Bad inventory management and no pause. Punishing the player for every little mistake or twitch of the controller. There are challenging games, then there are sadistic games. and a few other minor issues.
  25. Pier
    Jan 23, 2011
    4
    Demon's Soul lacks any kind of story telling. It's simply dungeon after dungeon collecting souls... and that could be ok if the game in itself was good, but it isn't.

    The graphics are ok, nothing spectacular though. But that's the only good part. The interface is clumsy and illogical, as if nobody had spent a second thinking how the user would navigate the menus (which are ugly). It is    Demon's Soul lacks any kind of story telling. It's simply dungeon after dungeon collecting souls... and that could be ok if the game in itself was good, but it isn't.

    The graphics are ok, nothing spectacular though. But that's the only good part.

    The interface is clumsy and illogical, as if nobody had spent a second thinking how the user would navigate the menus (which are ugly). It is really plagued with bad ideas... for example when you're playing and recover your blood an annoying text appears on top of the screen but the game still goes on and you can't see what's happening (and yeah you can get killed or fall into some hole and die).

    The gameplay is basically repeating the dungeons again and again without being able to save at any point, and loosing almost all your progress every time you die, which makes it boring and frustrating. And you die a lot of times...

    The combat system is also clumsy. Your character will start a combo, you will loose control of it, it will make make a few steps, and fall into a hole and die again.

    Also the game doesn't inform you of anything. You have to go to the internet to learn

    Oblivion, which is from 2006 is still a better RPG.

    This game is terribly bad, it's by far the worst game I've played on the PS3. I bought it because it had a high score on MC and I still can't understand why it has such a high score.    … Expand
  26. skim123
    Jan 15, 2016
    4
    I have flip-flopped on my feelings toward this game a few times, but after giving it plenty of thought over the years, I think I have decided that the "Souls" series it quite overrated. In the end it just comes down to gameplay for me. I appreciate the difficulty in this series of games, but the gameplay is just too shallow. There's not enough variety, strategy and depth to the gameplayI have flip-flopped on my feelings toward this game a few times, but after giving it plenty of thought over the years, I think I have decided that the "Souls" series it quite overrated. In the end it just comes down to gameplay for me. I appreciate the difficulty in this series of games, but the gameplay is just too shallow. There's not enough variety, strategy and depth to the gameplay for it to be compelling. It's basically just "kill all the bad guys." Sure, you can kill them in different ways by choosing different weapons and spells, but after a while you realize that you're just shooting and slashing at enemies and it gets pretty repetitive. I wasn't all that frustrated with the difficulty - like I said, I enjoyed the difficulty....the gameplay was just boring. Plain and simple. There isn't enough variety to how you can approach the game, and not much AI to speak of (no stealth options or strategy to vary the experience), so the gameplay is really nothing more than "wander around the world and hack at enemies or run away from them." Basically just a glorified "hack-n-slash" with a lot of weapons to choose from. Meh.… Expand
  27. Stealthgear
    Nov 1, 2016
    4
    Demon's Souls was horribly out of date on launch. The artificial difficulty from poor controls and no save points made the game pointless. The atmosphere, music, and character creation were good enough to get the game a sequel. The meat of the game is unplayable and only those who enjoy finagling the glitchy gameplay stay with it. It reminds me of Shinobi, but there isn't much action goingDemon's Souls was horribly out of date on launch. The artificial difficulty from poor controls and no save points made the game pointless. The atmosphere, music, and character creation were good enough to get the game a sequel. The meat of the game is unplayable and only those who enjoy finagling the glitchy gameplay stay with it. It reminds me of Shinobi, but there isn't much action going on. It is not like this is DMC3. Its slow, boring, and uncontrollable. It's a super bad game that had cool atmosphere. Its NOT a hidden gem or a good game.… Expand
  28. Reaperville
    Nov 5, 2010
    4
    In my opinion the game was to complicated..... every time you die you lose your souls and have to run around killing everything trying to level up....... maybe i missed a trick to getting through the game but i gave up and moved on after a fews hours of dying over and over and having to try to collect my lost souls again
  29. StickyBomb
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    Once upon a time, before most of you were born, games were tough. VERY TOUGH. No quicksaves, heck sometimes even no saves at all. Ah yes...those were the days. And it seems that the developers of Demon's Souls want to drag us all back to those days. But is this a good idea? Frankly...no.
    As an alleged RPG, Demon's Souls has litte story. Heck, even DOOM has more story. So if you want a    Once upon a time, before most of you were born, games were tough. VERY TOUGH. No quicksaves, heck sometimes even no saves at all. Ah yes...those were the days. And it seems that the developers of Demon's Souls want to drag us all back to those days. But is this a good idea? Frankly...no.
    As an alleged RPG, Demon's Souls has litte story. Heck, even DOOM has more story. So if you want a narrative, please look elsewhere. So what does this game have? DEATH...YOURS...AND LOTS OF IT.
    Mostly, your death is caused by not knowing your enemy. So you must therefore retrace your steps and fight again. But when you die you lose souls (the games currency) and so you ideally want to get back to where you died and touch your own bloodstain. Naturally, whatever killed you is still there - so be prepared.
    That pretty much is all there is to this game. It's a rinse and repeat hack 'n' slash with no party members and no real idea of what you're doing.
    Oh but there is online isn't there? And here is another major problem. You are basically online all the time, along with everyone else. People can and will, invade YOUR game and they may help you, but more often than not, they will kill you. Charming. Back you go to the beginning of the level AGAIN.
    If you like the idea of all this repetition, then you will love this game.
    Controls feel a bit 'off' unless you use target lock-on, which works, but is a great way to end up dead as you can't move the camera around to see what's behind you.
    Having said all that, the graphics are nice, the sound is OK, and the music is appropriately melancholic.
    It's a tough game, but you are always battling it's design flaws, rather than anything else.    … Expand
  30. HazeSpire
    Jun 19, 2011
    4
    This game could easily have a subtitle of "The Punishment". I don't really have anything to add above what others have already written. The graphics are OK, the inventory system is average. I really like the combat system, though, especially because it has that tactical feel to it with stamina, one on one fights and other nice things. Unfortunately the checkpoints and foe respawn are aThis game could easily have a subtitle of "The Punishment". I don't really have anything to add above what others have already written. The graphics are OK, the inventory system is average. I really like the combat system, though, especially because it has that tactical feel to it with stamina, one on one fights and other nice things. Unfortunately the checkpoints and foe respawn are a major flaw of this game. It is not a difficult game despite of what some people would claim, I'd say it's on par with other titles out there. Basically you're going to die multiple times and will have to retry, but where another game would let you to load a save game or restart from some not too distant checkpoint, Demon's Souls will require you to repeat the whole level (or a great portion of it), including all the fights (well, you can try to run, but it's not always feasible) and it will also make it harder than the first time by taking away half of your HP. This one single design decision made me abandon the game, despite that I found it interesting otherwise and really liked the combat, player notes & warnings, etc. But I'm not going to play the same level and fight the same enemies over and over again just to die somewhere further down the road and be warped to the very beginning. This not my idea of fun. I am OK to repeat the same thing 20 times if I have to and eventually I will pass, but starting over with additional hindrances is not fair. This game has a potential and it could have been a great title. Could have, but is not...… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PS3 Game of 2009
2
#2 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009
2
#2 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 81 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 81
  3. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. Cynamite
    85
    Demon's Souls: Unbelievably hard and unbelievably satisfying at the same time. If you accomplish to get through your initial rage attacks, you will experience an outstanding action-RPG with a tense and dark atmosphere.
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  2. Telegraph
    100
    Beyond the initial threat of difficulty there waits a remarkable combination of accessibility and challenge, of risk and reward, punishment and empowerment.
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  3. Eurogamer
    90
    It's stoic, uncompromising, difficult to get to know, but also deep, intriguingly disturbed and perversely rewarding. You can learn to love Demon's Souls like few other games in the world. But only if you're prepared to give yourself over to it. [JPN Import]
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