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. asonk1ng
    Sep 10, 2023
    9
    I played the remake before this and was not planning on finishing this game, im halfway thru and im kinda loving this. Its a little bit too easy but i dont mind since im just really good. I died a million times in the remake and i felt like i already knew what was coming. Its really good because its like dark souls 1. Basically it.
  2. Dogmeister
    Sep 5, 2023
    8
    I finished this game after DS 1,2,3 and ER. DS 1 is by far my favorite of the series because of its atmosphere, which is why I instantly felt at home in Demon's Souls. The whole artstyle is basically identical along with the ambience. It was a great way to get more Dark Souls, although it's noticeably less developed than its successor.

    There's very little optional things to discover and    I finished this game after DS 1,2,3 and ER. DS 1 is by far my favorite of the series because of its atmosphere, which is why I instantly felt at home in Demon's Souls. The whole artstyle is basically identical along with the ambience. It was a great way to get more Dark Souls, although it's noticeably less developed than its successor.

    There's very little optional things to discover and the bosses are sometimes incredibly easy. In general, the difficulty balancing is very odd. Flamelurker was a serious challenge for my melee character, but afterwards it felt like I was too strong for the remaining areas and bosses. That said, Elden Ring, in comparison, is so huge and the bosses are so mechanically demanding, it's nice to go into the other direction for a change. Demon's Souls is significantly more strategic than the fast paced, reactive playstyle of the modern Souls games.

    I'd recommend it to Dark Souls 1 lovers, but if you're more a fan of the recent titles it may be too slow for you.    … Expand
  3. DrAMaximus
    Aug 29, 2023
    9
    Когда после многих часов в других соулсах начинаешь знакомиться с душами демонов, то подсознательно сравниваешь их с более поздними играми поджанра, из за чего ощущаешь едкий запах архаики во всём. Однако, чтобы по настоящему понять значение этой игры, следует обратиться к ранним проектам фромов, а именно king's field и shadow tower. Тогда становиться понятен масштаб радикальных изменений,Когда после многих часов в других соулсах начинаешь знакомиться с душами демонов, то подсознательно сравниваешь их с более поздними играми поджанра, из за чего ощущаешь едкий запах архаики во всём. Однако, чтобы по настоящему понять значение этой игры, следует обратиться к ранним проектам фромов, а именно king's field и shadow tower. Тогда становиться понятен масштаб радикальных изменений, которые привнёс Миядзакич: вид от третьего лица, таргетная боёвка, кувырки, парирования и многое другое. Эта игра буквально делит историю студии from software на до и после. Соулсы начинаются именно здесь, несмотря на то что база для них разрабатывалась фромами с 1994 года.

    Но даже в отрыве от исторического контекста, души демонов ещё могут удивить, ведь игра наполнена неким духом эксперимента: странные и символические битвы с боссами, всякие чудные идеи вроде тенденций и интересное смешение разных стилей. И всё это под очень самобытный саундтрек, состоящий из завывания апокалиптических дудок и вгоняющих в транс барабанов войны. Таким образом, для меня на каком то тонком эмоциональном уровне души демонов не похожи ни на один из последующих соулсов и как минимум заслуживают внимания даже спустя многие годы.    … Expand
  4. Seathate
    Aug 21, 2023
    8
    Souls-like konseptinin en ilkel hali. Ancak buna rağmen boss kalitesi şahane tek sıkıntı aradaki mesafe bazen gereksiz uzun hissettiriyor. Onun dışında Demon's Souls hala taş gibi oyun.
  5. Emilio200
    Aug 17, 2023
    9
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  6. DemonsSouls
    Aug 5, 2023
    9
    This game is what made me fall in love with gaming. Even though, at 8 years old, I couldn't get past the first level, it captured me in its bleak charm. Yes, I acknowledge that this game has quite a few flaws, but I really don't care. It is by far my favorite game of all time. I mean, just look at my damn username. I've put in over a thousand hours and no-hit this game multiple times, evenThis game is what made me fall in love with gaming. Even though, at 8 years old, I couldn't get past the first level, it captured me in its bleak charm. Yes, I acknowledge that this game has quite a few flaws, but I really don't care. It is by far my favorite game of all time. I mean, just look at my damn username. I've put in over a thousand hours and no-hit this game multiple times, even doing it twice in a row on one occasion. I know just about everything there is to know about this game, which makes me best qualified to point out some of its glaring problems. The gameplay can be clunky, the enemies are mechanically simple, the framerate is inconsistent, but at the end of the day, I just don't care. I love this game too damn much.… Expand
  7. majesty_x
    Jul 31, 2023
    8
    Graphics: 7/10; Storyline: 7/10; Gameplay: 8/10; Atmosphere: 10/10; Music: 10/10; Summary rating: /10
  8. 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
  9. eva3si0n
    Jun 10, 2023
    9
    Few games can give. emotions like Demon's Souls. I've never been a fan of Souls-like games, but decided to try it from the first part of the series. And it's just amazing. It's a pity, of course, that Demon's Souls remained exclusive to PS3, so more players would meet it. Great gameplay and a wonderful atmosphere of dark fantasy. The complexity of the gameplay is frightening at first, butFew games can give. emotions like Demon's Souls. I've never been a fan of Souls-like games, but decided to try it from the first part of the series. And it's just amazing. It's a pity, of course, that Demon's Souls remained exclusive to PS3, so more players would meet it. Great gameplay and a wonderful atmosphere of dark fantasy. The complexity of the gameplay is frightening at first, but then you pull. And now you already accept every death as a challenge. A great start to the series.… Expand
  10. FATsentinels
    May 23, 2023
    10
    If you have a ps3 you must try this game even if have the remake version on the ps5
  11. H0i29
    May 14, 2023
    0
    ميازاكي انت قحبة ياباني احول ولد يابانية قحبة وش هذا العطب اللي قاعد تسويه بجي انيكك في بيتك يا مازوخي يا مخنث
  12. 3ls0ul
    Mar 7, 2023
    9
    Este juego aún no lo eh jugado o completado, así que pondré una reseña y nota diferentes cuando lo haga.
  13. Mastereed
    Feb 27, 2023
    7
    SOULLESS FATHER

    STARTING THE DEATH CYCLE: Demon's Souls, as the progenitor of modern Souls-Like, launches the foundations that will later be taken up by its heirs. The player is launched as usual within an evocative cutscene that summarizes the entirety of the game world. Due to its simplicity and conciseness it manages to make clear in a few minutes the setting of the world, the main    SOULLESS FATHER

    STARTING THE DEATH CYCLE:
    Demon's Souls, as the progenitor of modern Souls-Like, launches the foundations that will later be taken up by its heirs. The player is launched as usual within an evocative cutscene that summarizes the entirety of the game world. Due to its simplicity and conciseness it manages to make clear in a few minutes the setting of the world, the main enemies, and the protagonist's ultimate goal, to kill all the demons and take their souls. As soon as the cutscene is over, the player will have to dabble in figuring out the mechanics of the game in order to manage not to die in the first few seconds of gameplay. Since there is no explicit tutorial, the early stages of the game are deliberately complex and aimed at making the player understand the target audience and the difficulty they will face. Once the initial gameplay phase is over, one will find oneself in the main hub, from which the real journey begins.

    ENDING THE DEATH CYCLE:
    The gameplay of Demon's Souls is iconic and has created a real genre, the Souls-Like. It is all based on an old-style RPG, relying on a variety of weapons, spells and armors that can give players an immense variety of combinations. This makes the game very replayable and diverse according to the player's style. One of the iconic features of Souls is the difficulty; this is based on a focal point, the dodge, built to be the main method by which a player can go from being annihilated by an enemy to annihilating it. Thanks to the dodge the player can go through virtually any attack, and the amount of invincibility frames vary according to the weight carried by the player; this varies thanks to a mechanic of transportable objects and weight, which will vary according to the amount the speed of the player's movements. Speaking instead of exploration, the game presents 5 routes available upon reaching the central hub, which will provide access to areas completely different from each other. There are also some mechanics exclusive to Demon's Souls, such as the ability to climb over small obstacles, or the tendency mechanic, a value that will vary depending on the player's actions; this value varies between pure white and pure black, and triggers in-game events, such as NPCs, weapons and invaders, depending on the two sides.

    PEERING AN ENEMY FROM AFAR:
    Graphically, Demon's Souls comes across as very dull; the use of unsaturated colors such as gray, green and orange makes the gameplay experience very exhausting and very lackluster. The use of the above colors certainly tends to give an even more pronounced impression of the game's setting, but it often makes the game heavy and tiring, even to the eye. Graphically it is not a gem, there being games released in the same vintage with far more staggeringly detailed graphics. In addition, the design of some bosses often turns out poorly. Animations often result in unnatural and clunky, and it is not uncommon to find many of them repeated for weapons even of different categories.

    “YOU DIED”:
    Audio side the game has two main points, the sound effects and boss OSTs. The sound effects remain iconic to this day and often reused in sequels. As for the OSTs on the other hand, they are still in the early days of what will be seen in Demon's Souls successors, except for a few that are very catchy.
    BUT WHY 7?

    CONS:
    It proves very difficult to be able to critique the father to the Souls genre after completing first the successors and then the original. The feeling one gets from playing it turns out to be that of a test to see if the genre could work, a text that is obviously successful, but that comes across as meager in many of its points. The gameplay often feels monotonous because of the colors used, the very small game areas, with few alternative routes that make exploration more interesting. The use of many of the same or similar animations and the lack of special movesets in weapons makes the choice of one's weaponry a mere DPS value. In-game bosses with more than 3 attacks can be counted on one's fingers and the few bosses with good aesthetics rely on gimmick mechanics (That is based on repeating a monotonous mechanic such as pulling a lever or completing a path by dodging attacks). The game's OSTs, as already discussed, are few and unmemorable, being very short and sparse. Finally, two game-breaking mechanics are present, namely the tendency and the cure grass. As the grass is farmable, it unbalances the game. Tendency, on the other hand, unbalances bad players too much by making them take more damage and good ones to cause more damage.

    PROS:
    Certainly the game's greatest pro is that it has given life to a new genre and tried what no one else had tried before. In addition, the already vast amount of weapons, armor, and the infamous souls lore already makes it a valiant, unfortunately immature title.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 8
    Music: 5
    Story: 8
    Soulness: 7
    _    … Expand
  14. Pmstz
    Jan 31, 2023
    9
    Masterpiece

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  15. ArtierGG
    Jan 27, 2023
    10
    Cuando lo probé por primera vez (hace algunos años) me sentí un poco frustrado al no poder avanzar, pero esa misma sensación se transformó en emoción y orgullo al ir, poco a poco, avanzando y descubriendo la historia. Uno de mis juegos favoritos hasta la fecha. Llevo ya cinco vueltas en el remake para PS5.
  16. Armin4
    Jan 15, 2023
    10
    a true gem
    it did not age well after 13 years but still i enjoy playing it
    among all the soulsborne series it was the easiest
  17. shenkenhigh
    Jan 12, 2023
    10
    What a great, magnificent introduction to Souls Universe. 1 Word for this, and it describes everything. Outstanding.
  18. NopeSep79
    Dec 26, 2022
    10
    Me encanta, mi videojuego favorito de los soulsborne y en general, de la vida. Simplemente me encanta la ambientación, la música, el arte del juego, los personajes y la historia. Fue el primer juego de Fromsowfare que analicé más a detalle para enterarme del lore, esto hizo que me enamorara de este juegazo. Simplemente gracias Miyazaki.
  19. Crimson9
    Dec 12, 2022
    8
    Dark Souls seems to get all the praise for starting the Souls-like formula, but the genre actually started with Demon's Souls. That alone puts this game high up there in video game history.

    But even ignoring that. This game is amazing. The atmosphere here is so good I dont think its ever been topped. I also really like how the bosses here are more unique and zelda-esque than the route    Dark Souls seems to get all the praise for starting the Souls-like formula, but the genre actually started with Demon's Souls. That alone puts this game high up there in video game history.

    But even ignoring that. This game is amazing. The atmosphere here is so good I dont think its ever been topped. I also really like how the bosses here are more unique and zelda-esque than the route the series would take eventually.

    That said, theres a reason why Dark Souls gets all the credit. The level design in Demons Souls is really up and down. Theres no interconnectivity the developer would be known for later. The NPCs are largely without personality. The game is short. And while the lore , world design, and combat are great, Dark Souls does all of these things a lot better.    … Expand
  20. Gabitoxico
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Joya de SONY. Realmente me encantó el juego. FASCINANTE LA AMBIENTACIÓN Y LA JUGABILIDAD… Expand
  21. SilentLev
    Aug 31, 2022
    8
    Первая работа Хидетаки Миядзаки больше напоминает концепт, хотя вдохновения играми того же Фумито Уэды здесь чувствуются сильнее всего. Дело, скорее, в деталях, с которыми здесь довольно много проблем (например, банальное управление), помимо очень скверной технической реализации. Очевидно, что игра требовала качественного перенесения на новое поколение, но, честно говоря, ремастер потерялПервая работа Хидетаки Миядзаки больше напоминает концепт, хотя вдохновения играми того же Фумито Уэды здесь чувствуются сильнее всего. Дело, скорее, в деталях, с которыми здесь довольно много проблем (например, банальное управление), помимо очень скверной технической реализации. Очевидно, что игра требовала качественного перенесения на новое поколение, но, честно говоря, ремастер потерял шарм игр студии FS, обогатив и преобразив визуал в нечто иное. Для меня, всё же, оригинал будет каноничным, пускай он со временем и канет в лету вместе с PS3. А ещё это самая сложная игра From в плане локаций. Остров со скатами и болото - однозначно наиболее бесячие и сложные локи в портфолио студии.… Expand
  22. 9bb
    Jul 22, 2022
    10
    It’s sad to see that a lot of modern souls games have forgotten it’s roots. This masterpiece was truly ahead of its time. A game that encourages quick thinking and outsmarting your opponents instead of rolling at the right time. The world is masterfully created. The world tendency makes it so that your actions truly matter. Something g that later games failed to follow up. And the bossIt’s sad to see that a lot of modern souls games have forgotten it’s roots. This masterpiece was truly ahead of its time. A game that encourages quick thinking and outsmarting your opponents instead of rolling at the right time. The world is masterfully created. The world tendency makes it so that your actions truly matter. Something g that later games failed to follow up. And the boss fights all feel different, and all have their own gimmicks. Well most of them.… Expand
  23. KAHRAMANOV
    Jul 5, 2022
    8
    И так мой первый soulslike, жанр мне зашел то что обещал разработчик по поводу айфории после потных боев с боссами абсолютная ПРАВДА мне нравится в игре почти все.
    начнем с плюсов это отзывчивость управления и отличная оптимизация да бывали просадки особенно при битве с Аллантом и при уничтожении коробок в игре и все
    сложность в игре как по мне не такая сложная как все говорили минус    И так мой первый soulslike, жанр мне зашел то что обещал разработчик по поводу айфории после потных боев с боссами абсолютная ПРАВДА мне нравится в игре почти все.
    начнем с плюсов это отзывчивость управления и отличная оптимизация да бывали просадки особенно при битве с Аллантом и при уничтожении коробок в игре и все
    сложность в игре как по мне не такая сложная как все говорили
    минус это легкие боссы ну камон путь до босса сложнее чем сам босс анекдот нет это Demons souls.
    В игре просто дебильная прокачка оружие что бы добыть к примеру лунный камень тебе надо так попотеть чтобы сделать лунное оружие а в этоге его продаёт дворянка Bruh.
    Чтобы дальше чтобы дальше прокачать оружие тебе надо найти полноценный камень который очень редкий камон это не минус но не очень приятно.
    ИИ отличный но сложный в начале особенно голубоглазые рыцари которые меня дико унижали в начале а потом пошло все наоборот а потом красноглазые рыцари которые такие же как и прошлые но все равно будут вас унижать особенно если это тот рыцарь который держит swort двумя руками. бесили арбалетчики у них стрелы самоговорящие nice
    и особенно скелеты с большим мечом на локации 4-2 к тем челам лучше использовать остатки душ на это локации , если ты попытаешься мочить их сам то одним ударом они сносят выносливость щита и ты не успеваешь увернутся 70 смерть а еще эти летающие скаты сами они просто твари как же я бомбил с них а их босс властитель бурь просто посмешище казуальное Bruh
    долина скверны это просто пзд вам надо сразу нафармить королевских лотосов и одеть легкую броню а иначе Bruh самая худшая локация как по мне а худшая из за отравления но все равно я люблю эту игру, Спасибо Бабадзаки это было просто топ
    советую всем нормальным людям у которых не кривые руки казуалом соболезнуюBruh    … Expand
  24. NessNoldo
    Jun 14, 2022
    0
    Overrated game and saga. Frustrating gameplay instead of fun. The most capricious and pedantic games I have faced, labeled as "hard" when, at least with this title, is just a game with modern gaming features removed to add an unfair difficulty. You can't save when you like. There is no checkpoints. You can't pause, even if the controller runs out of battery, you are served to the enemies.Overrated game and saga. Frustrating gameplay instead of fun. The most capricious and pedantic games I have faced, labeled as "hard" when, at least with this title, is just a game with modern gaming features removed to add an unfair difficulty. You can't save when you like. There is no checkpoints. You can't pause, even if the controller runs out of battery, you are served to the enemies. Camera is crap, trophies are too much tedious and annoying to bare for a completion and the game is plain to be made to kill you. If you die you must run all the way back, kill all the enemies again to recover your souls (currency of the game and somehow the experience to make you stronger), because if you die again without recovering, all that progression is lost, just like your time. This game is a total waste of time and the fanbase is just as annoying as the very game. When you try to heal, you can't run or walk at the same time, instead, your character stops and stay there by 2 seconds where your enemies can rape you. I don't know why this saga is considered a big deal, because this is not real difficulty if you have all the modern features ripped off. How is supposed to be fun a game that need you to explore but then it punish you to do so? Is like a bad joke.… Expand
  25. Desertstorm
    May 28, 2022
    10
    To me, this is the best game I ever played when taking into consideration it's era, obviously it is not the overall best game today but if you compare this in 2009 to any other game in that game's year of release, I think it comes out on top. The atmosphere and immersion in this game are unmatched until today.
  26. zach_grech
    May 3, 2022
    8
    A stellar experience that kicked off the Soulsborne series. Incredible how the game managed to get so many things right. The flaws with the game include frustrating level design and the frame rate dips often.
  27. frederik1478
    Apr 17, 2022
    9
    This is my favourite Soul game even if it isn't the best one.I think the open design and atmosphere is the best in the series I absolutely love it and it's music and feelings are the best.But sadly I can say it's the best feeling it's like the gameplay leg is something after playing Dark Souls and this you can really feel how much they improve the heat and animations in Dark Souls andThis is my favourite Soul game even if it isn't the best one.I think the open design and atmosphere is the best in the series I absolutely love it and it's music and feelings are the best.But sadly I can say it's the best feeling it's like the gameplay leg is something after playing Dark Souls and this you can really feel how much they improve the heat and animations in Dark Souls and this just needs it but it has the best boss fights in the serious I would say.… Expand
  28. DragoonC71
    Mar 27, 2022
    10
    This is where my Souls Mania Started 10/10 without a Doubt (yeah there is a Nostalgia factor, sue me)
  29. Taulf
    Feb 24, 2022
    9
    Demon souls foi o segundo jogo que joguei da fromsoftware na epoca do ps3 , que jogo maravilhoso é um otimo action rpg , gameplay muito boa e também as boss fight são epicas!!
  30. cchenders40
    Feb 22, 2022
    10
    I played this game in 2022 and absolutely loved it. Obviously it inspired the souls/souls like genre of western/Japanese action RPGS. And obviously it created the series known for being so immensely difficult yet fair (Dark Souls 1-3). For those reasons it’s important to gaming. But how does the game stand on its own?

    I would argue it’s a masterpiece on its own. It’s creative, fun,    I played this game in 2022 and absolutely loved it. Obviously it inspired the souls/souls like genre of western/Japanese action RPGS. And obviously it created the series known for being so immensely difficult yet fair (Dark Souls 1-3). For those reasons it’s important to gaming. But how does the game stand on its own?

    I would argue it’s a masterpiece on its own. It’s creative, fun, challenging, a pinnacle of game design at the time (and still stands even today), has amazing atmosphere, great combat (better than even DS2), and a great story and cast of characters. This is simply an amazing game. Everything I got frustrated with (1:4 boss run past the dragon I’m looking at you) were never actually unfair, it was just that I didn’t take the time to patiently learn how to make it past that challenge (when I figured out the dragons attack pattern I felt stupid, just run straight). There are elements that are dated seeing as it came out in 2009, but even at that other than the graphics it doesn’t feel dated, it holds up with modern games and is better than most RPGs that have released in the last 10 years. This game is a dated masterpiece without a doubt. Give it a try, but know if you are struggling with an enemy or action sequence, just slow down be patient and learn it. This game is not about babying you and it wants you to take your time. Also pro tip listen to all dialogue, you’ll get a lot more out of this game if you do, there is some great lore and world building. Amazing game!    … 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

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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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