Dark Souls

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1574 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,343 out of 1574
  2. Mixed: 87 out of 1574
  3. Negative: 144 out of 1574
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. AncientGR
    Aug 13, 2012
    4
    Challenging, addictive and exciting but eventually proves to be too user-unfriendly and unrefined for it's unforgiving level of difficulty. Lacking of all but the basic plot and scenario, forwarding the story at a very slow and repetitive pace that strongly resembles the early 90's -fun- yet now obsolete trial-and-error mechanics.
    Compared to other titles of its age, feels more like an    Challenging, addictive and exciting but eventually proves to be too user-unfriendly and unrefined for it's unforgiving level of difficulty. Lacking of all but the basic plot and scenario, forwarding the story at a very slow and repetitive pace that strongly resembles the early 90's -fun- yet now obsolete trial-and-error mechanics.
    Compared to other titles of its age, feels more like an arcade than a complete-game experience.
    Unforgivable flaws include taller enemy attacks hitting you through walls, slippery surface glitches, frame rate drops, difficult multiplayer mechanics, dull combat mechanics, doesn't pause, and eventually subjects you to an unavoidable charade of almost endless farming and backtracking.
    Adult players should be warned that this game shows no respect of your time spent playing it. If you are playing video games only for a few hours of high-quality fun, then steer clear of this game.    … Expand
  2. harbglarb
    Oct 10, 2011
    2
    People rave about this game and Demons Souls, i really thought "wow, they must be great games." but they aren't! The movements of characters feel and look unnatural, the story is virtually nonexistent, the controls are so clunky i almost think the Difficulty people rave about (which by the way is one of the most retarded selling points I've ever heard) was put there specifically to make itPeople rave about this game and Demons Souls, i really thought "wow, they must be great games." but they aren't! The movements of characters feel and look unnatural, the story is virtually nonexistent, the controls are so clunky i almost think the Difficulty people rave about (which by the way is one of the most retarded selling points I've ever heard) was put there specifically to make it look like the crappy controls were part of the difficulty, There's a giant Raven early on and if you just sit and watch it, you see it goes through only 3 animations. That wouldn't be so bad if they were actually natural looking instead of look down look up look right, and it just repeats. There's a dragon and i literally saw no animation in it from far away and i could see almost every part of it. I understand wanting a difficult game, i play every game i can on the hardest difficulty available, but does difficulty make a game worth buying? no, neither do clunky controls, lack of story and unnatural animations. Hell i prefer Too Human over this, i was originally going to give this a 5 but putting my thoughts down actually made me realize how bad this game really is. I'm giving it a 2 literally only because the graphics are very nice. P.S. i don't even find the game hard i only stopped playing because the game was crap in my eyes.… Expand
  3. KletassVanDam
    Oct 16, 2011
    1
    I had fun setting up my character, and starting thru the tutorial... that's about it. After I escape the first dungeon, I meet a knight and decide to fight him and take his soul (I'm a thief in the game after all...). He kills me in 3 hits... Fine, try again. Respawn/reload the game, he kills me again! The fighting is so lame... He hits me, and my character has to go thru this delayedI had fun setting up my character, and starting thru the tutorial... that's about it. After I escape the first dungeon, I meet a knight and decide to fight him and take his soul (I'm a thief in the game after all...). He kills me in 3 hits... Fine, try again. Respawn/reload the game, he kills me again! The fighting is so lame... He hits me, and my character has to go thru this delayed reaction/animation, realizing he's getting hit, and by the time I regain control, I'm hit again, then dead... again. Fine, can't fight him, I'll reload the game and run away. Nope, he just follows me no matter where I go, and how far I run. My hits are so weak, they barely register, and of course, he has no slow down from my hits, just continues thru his attack motion as if I'm not hitting him multiple times. 9 Deaths later, and screaming at he TV, i quit. Not fun. Why not at least "reset the scene" if the player is killed? If it was a mistake to fight the first character I meet, why not let me learn that, and leave him be upon reloading? Do i have to restart the whole game, and go thru the tutorial dungeon all over again? How many similar situations would ruin my evenings if I decided to keep this torture session disguised as a video game? I would have loved to play with a friend to help me, why restrict me from doing so? Multiplayer is random and can't be coordinated. Not fun. I gave it a rest and tried again the next day, still not fun. At all. Trading it in for Batman Arkham City.… Expand
  4. Dude_Largepants
    Jun 2, 2014
    0
    This game is hard. Not just "hard" but "throw your controller through the screen" hard. It's a modern game for people that somehow enjoy Megaman and Castlevania games. Endless trial and error and enemy pattern memorization are the key to success. You start the game with no real personal back story, no primer as to what the hell is going on and not even really any instructions has to howThis game is hard. Not just "hard" but "throw your controller through the screen" hard. It's a modern game for people that somehow enjoy Megaman and Castlevania games. Endless trial and error and enemy pattern memorization are the key to success. You start the game with no real personal back story, no primer as to what the hell is going on and not even really any instructions has to how the entire game works. A few words scribbled on the floor are you basic control instructions and anything beyond that is left to the player to figure out. I don't like 2 hours tutorials that are tacked on to games, but I would like to have a basic rundown of how everything works.

    As for the game mechanics themselves they're awful. There isn't much going on besides going from enemy to enemy dodging attacks and hoping that they somehow don't get in a cheap shot that usually kills you instantly. That's assuming you can even get any hits in at all. I can't describe much more as I didn't make it past the first enemy I came in contact with. I play all of my games on the hardest difficulty right out of the box and this is just too much.

    I get it, make a punishing game in a market that stagnant with games that offer little challenge at all. I get that people want a game that pushes their skill, but this game just goes too far. I'm not sure how it gained critical media acclaim and the gaming news outlets should be ashamed that they overhyped a game of this calibur. I also don't understand the point of this game as playing video games is meant as an escape from reality. This game offers no real game world to get lost in, it's graphics are on par with games like Divinity II(terrible graphics) and with its immense difficulty curve it takes all immersion out of the game. If a person really wanted that much of a challenge outside of their real life, why not take up a hobby like trying to solve the Hodge Conjecture?

    The happiest part of the experience is knowing that I got it for free no thanks to Games for Gold. I can only suggest that you read all the negative reviews if you're planning on playing the game, as the positive ones paint this game in a completely different and unrealistic light.    … Expand
  5. DarthRevan2552
    Sep 5, 2013
    2
    I went into this game with high hopes, just to have all of those hopes smacked down to the ground. I have heard multiple people praise it as if it were the holy grail of gaming, but I call BULL CRAP. First off, the story makes absolutely NO SENSE. Secondly, the tutorial doesn't explain nearly enough for the player to do an adequate job at anything in the game, it pretty much dooms you toI went into this game with high hopes, just to have all of those hopes smacked down to the ground. I have heard multiple people praise it as if it were the holy grail of gaming, but I call BULL CRAP. First off, the story makes absolutely NO SENSE. Secondly, the tutorial doesn't explain nearly enough for the player to do an adequate job at anything in the game, it pretty much dooms you to failure for the unfair difficulty. Yes, I said UNFAIR. Now, I'm not saying difficulty in a game is bad. In fact, a game without difficulty is the only thing i can think of that's worse than this. This game doesn't give you a chance at success. Cheap enemy placement, simply overpowered enemies, and a terrible death system. The game is basically saying, "Oh, you didn't see the 40,000 skeletons around the corner and now you're dead? Well TOO BAD, we're gonna take all your experience away!" Which brings me to another point, the experience and leveling systems are TERRIBLE. Scenario, you leveled up one of your class' main skill and want to level up one of the lower skills. WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU NEED TO SPEND THE SAME AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL UP A LEVEL 2 SKILL AS A GOD DAMNED LEVEL 18 SKILL. And also, while the game looks good, it suffers from horrendous frame rate issues on consoles, and the animations just look stupid. No matter what you hear from other people, this game is NOT the great game everyone has made it up to be. You need to be a masochistic in order to get any entertainment from this game.… Expand
  6. Deathmonger
    Jun 12, 2014
    1
    In short, this game is really, really bad. I can't believe that it was recommended to me and that people actually like it. For people that say it is "challenging" and terrific, you don't really have a clue about video games. This takes video games back to 1999, and not in a good way. I have beaten over 140 video games, so I'm not just trolling here. Why did I pick 1999? Well that isIn short, this game is really, really bad. I can't believe that it was recommended to me and that people actually like it. For people that say it is "challenging" and terrific, you don't really have a clue about video games. This takes video games back to 1999, and not in a good way. I have beaten over 140 video games, so I'm not just trolling here. Why did I pick 1999? Well that is the year that Drakan: Order of the Flame came out. And Dark Souls is basically that game, without even getting to fly amazing dragons. Drakan was INCREDIBLE...when it came out. The combat was epic at the time. Graphics were amazing. Pathetically, Dark Souls is just about where Drakan was then, and that was 15 years ago, but Dark Souls actually has WORSE combat, CLUNKY controls, and TERRIBLE camera. And you will miss enemies 1 foot from you because the weapons don't hit where they should. People are confusing "challenge" and piss poor gamemaking. Funny thing about Drakan, is that half way through, it gets really freaking hard as well. You have to count your arrows, roll like a maniac against giants, dodge and run and arrow giants, sometimes even backtrack half a mile to where u left your dragon just to pull a giant to it so you can mount up and take it down. Drakan was hard and you had to use your brain sometimes. Dark Souls is hard because the controls and graphics and camera suck. Glad it was free on Xbox Gold, waste of money otherwise, and I still don't recommend playing it. And it isn't even that hard once you compensate for the poor controls and aim boxes, but you shouldn't have to.… Expand
  7. Arauggio
    Jun 9, 2014
    3
    Another overrated game! It is just hype. The game is well designed, but it lacks in history. There is no indication on what you must do (you just wake up and start walking around. There is no explanation; there is no motivation), and the difficult is unfair. You must stay hours doing repetitive things to gain levels and try to have a chance against a boss.

    Unless you are a masochist    Another overrated game! It is just hype. The game is well designed, but it lacks in history. There is no indication on what you must do (you just wake up and start walking around. There is no explanation; there is no motivation), and the difficult is unfair. You must stay hours doing repetitive things to gain levels and try to have a chance against a boss.

    Unless you are a masochist (AKA "core") gamer, avoid this title. It's just waste of time, literally.    … Expand
  8. JoeMc
    Dec 6, 2013
    3
    It's not a tough game just very very poorly executed. The following; no pause function whatsoever, majority of boss fights rely on pure luck to overcome, soul/recovery system is deeply broken, 'pvp' involves very advanced levels killing low levels attempting to overcome game content, the lowest of enemies is always able to fully kill you and remove all your hours of 'work', it feels likeIt's not a tough game just very very poorly executed. The following; no pause function whatsoever, majority of boss fights rely on pure luck to overcome, soul/recovery system is deeply broken, 'pvp' involves very advanced levels killing low levels attempting to overcome game content, the lowest of enemies is always able to fully kill you and remove all your hours of 'work', it feels like 'work', the distance between 'bonfire' checkpoints and excessively glitchy/poorly designed bosses is erratic, no story to speak of for the first 10 hours, dull slash-block-slash methods, casters/mage etc can't function below 15+ hours, environment hinders player while enemies slash through solid walls, enemies have friendly fire turned on and are unable to harm each other at all. I could go on but I'm aging here.
    I came up in the MegaDrive era, and all the folks here saying it's old school tough are sadly mistaken, it's simply very poorly put together, with very little 'challenge' worked in. The developers have simply found the games mechanical flaws and refined them, that does not really present the paying public with a progressive experience. I really disagree with it being a marmite type game, love it or hate it, I loved the idea, but the execution is frankly unforgiveably poor.    … Expand
  9. RA1NMAN
    Jun 1, 2013
    3
    This game, to me, is dated, repetitive, and boring. It felt like it was only hard at times because the controls were so bad. After getting killed by a boss because of those clunky, unresponsive controls, spending 30 minutes having to fight all the re-spawned enemies to try again is not enjoyable, it's annoying. Some people enjoy this game, and that's fine, but these high ratings areThis game, to me, is dated, repetitive, and boring. It felt like it was only hard at times because the controls were so bad. After getting killed by a boss because of those clunky, unresponsive controls, spending 30 minutes having to fight all the re-spawned enemies to try again is not enjoyable, it's annoying. Some people enjoy this game, and that's fine, but these high ratings are ridiculous. I liked Deadly Premonition, loved it ,in fact, but I would never score it higher than 3-4. Here's a tip for everyone, most games have high difficulty settings in the options, if that's what you're after.… Expand
  10. Lucky-Jinx
    Oct 11, 2013
    4
    I bought this game under the impression that it was an open-end world-- and technically that may be true. Go left for instant death, go right and die in 5 seconds, or go straight ahead and take a few hours memorizing the bosses moves so you can kill him in the best AI exploiting method you can uncover.

    No character customization, no real plot, just a string of progressively harder boss    I bought this game under the impression that it was an open-end world-- and technically that may be true. Go left for instant death, go right and die in 5 seconds, or go straight ahead and take a few hours memorizing the bosses moves so you can kill him in the best AI exploiting method you can uncover.

    No character customization, no real plot, just a string of progressively harder boss fights with a mediocre combat system. However I did give this a 4 because when you DO beat that boss you feel that you really did accomplish something which is where the majority of the fan-base is coming from. If you enjoy punishing yourself, this is the game for you.    … Expand
  11. nosebeagle
    Jun 2, 2014
    2
    I heard the hype and tried dark souls...I do not understand the hype. The world is well rendered, and the concept is good. However, the wheels fall off quickly. Repetition galore is what this game should be called. Enemies reappear in the same number, formation, etc. after you leave an area and immediately return. They follow the exact patterns of attack, and the game slips intoI heard the hype and tried dark souls...I do not understand the hype. The world is well rendered, and the concept is good. However, the wheels fall off quickly. Repetition galore is what this game should be called. Enemies reappear in the same number, formation, etc. after you leave an area and immediately return. They follow the exact patterns of attack, and the game slips into mindless lather, rinse, repeat. Combined with the insane difficulty, this game becomes boring quickly. I like a good challenging game - I just like a little variety. Killing the same enemies with the same attacks after they use the same moves over and over again is mind-numbing.… Expand
  12. pavel2
    May 10, 2019
    0
    Probably the worst game I have ever bought. Game was fun for a short while when I fought common enemies and discovered new things but quickly became a nightmare when I encountered bosses. To say they are very unfair is an understatement. Avoid this overhyped game at all costs.
  13. ToOGoodOfAPlaya
    Dec 28, 2011
    3
    "You Died"
    "You Died"
    "You Died" Get used to that as you're going to see it A LOT. Let me start off with some positives: considering how large the game world is, there is zero load time. The world looks amazing and is vastly populated with seemingly endless, forever spawning enemies that are so hard, their nightmares are afraid of them. But that's where it ends for me. Don't get me    "You Died"
    "You Died"
    "You Died"
    Get used to that as you're going to see it A LOT.

    Let me start off with some positives: considering how large the game world is, there is zero load time.
    The world looks amazing and is vastly populated with seemingly endless, forever spawning enemies that are so hard, their nightmares are afraid of them.

    But that's where it ends for me.
    Don't get me wrong, I love a challenging game, but when I say a challenge, I mean one that isn't a chore to grind through for three hours whilst dying and returning to your checkpoint 15 minutes sprint away.

    And that's a massive failure to me, not only do the checkpoints happen only during a full solar eclipse, but if you stop by after killing 5 baddies, and you heal up, be prepared to kill those guys again, as they seemingly come back to life.

    Enemies also seemingly never run out of stamina, and despite the belief that the move set is varied you will be killed by the same 2 hit combo over and over by every enemy that is near you.

    "You Died"

    Bosses should be this hard in all games, but what they shouldn't do (and in Dark Souls they do EVERY TIME) is hit you with an area of effect attack that knocks you down, wait for you to just start getting up, then as you stand hit you with same attack again and again and again and again and again ad infinitum.
    I say that though, you'll most likely die from the evil stare they give you as every weapon an enemy wields, seemingly does about 10000000 HP of damage.

    In all if I was told why I started in a prison at the games start and what the outlining plan was (after 4 hours I'm yet to get out of Lordran as I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing or where I'm going) it may be forgivable.

    Suffice is to say that this game is unforgiving, aimless and boring.
    After defeating bosses for a reward that seemingly does little more than look nice, and levelling up to find I'm still getting killed in 2 hits, I find little else to praise.

    Poorly implemented targeting and boring "story" make this feel like a chore rather than fun.

    AVOID    … Expand
  14. milesprower06
    Jun 8, 2014
    1
    I too came to this game through Games With Gold, and was looking forward to how challenging it supposedly was.

    I want challenging due to gameplay, not challenging because they don't show you even the most basic concepts of HOW to play. I didn't even make it 30 minutes in because my time is more valuable than throwing myself at a boss endlessly because I have no clue how to equip and use    I too came to this game through Games With Gold, and was looking forward to how challenging it supposedly was.

    I want challenging due to gameplay, not challenging because they don't show you even the most basic concepts of HOW to play. I didn't even make it 30 minutes in because my time is more valuable than throwing myself at a boss endlessly because I have no clue how to equip and use spells. Sorry. Questionable design decisions if you think players can just figure stuff out like that by screwing around in the menus hoping they click the right thing.    … Expand
  15. sominex
    Jun 5, 2014
    2
    this game looks cool but you can't even save, can't even go back if you make a mistake, annoying. I don't understand why a video game wouldn't allow you to save.
  16. Starkiller94
    Jun 14, 2014
    1
    When this game was made available to be downloaded for free with the 'Games with Gold' program on Xbox Live, I thought I'd go ahead and try it. (Available from June 1st, 2014 - June 16th, 2014) Believe me, it's not worth the 3.9 gigabytes it takes up on your hard drive. This game is the most repetitive, unforgiving piece of rubbish I've ever played in my life. Just compare it to The ElderWhen this game was made available to be downloaded for free with the 'Games with Gold' program on Xbox Live, I thought I'd go ahead and try it. (Available from June 1st, 2014 - June 16th, 2014) Believe me, it's not worth the 3.9 gigabytes it takes up on your hard drive. This game is the most repetitive, unforgiving piece of rubbish I've ever played in my life. Just compare it to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which was released about a month after this game came out. Does this game look like it was made in 2011, or 2006? You tell me... I know Skyrim looks like it was made in 2011 for sure. The graphics are mostly made up of dull grays, browns, and blacks, with a little puke green added into the mix. Low resolution images and screen tearing plague the game. The characters mouths don't even move when they speak. The voice acting is horrible too, sounding like the voices were recorded in a portable toilet. The controls are even worse... I found myself drinking potions and using items in the middle of combat because the control placement is so bad. Want to hear the real kicker?

    Everytime you die, all of the enemies in the stage respawn!!!

    Yes, I'm not kidding... Even if one of the small minion enemies kill you, the last 20 guys you just blew through are coming back. So basically it's a patience game... It tests to see how frustrated you get before you put your controller through a wall. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge as much as the next guy. But Dark Souls takes it way too far... The checkpoints are placed miles apart from each other, causing you to be sent like ten to twenty minutes back when you die. So yeah, that aspect makes the game extremely repetitive... It just boils down to an half-baked RPG that could have been something interesting, but turned out to be a crock of ****

    I beg you not to download this game... By not downloading or purchasing it, you'll save yourself a lot of grief and turmoil.    … Expand
  17. czombie
    Mar 25, 2012
    2
    This game has some promising features but it is way too difficult and has some annoying features. For instance, if you die in the middle of trying to clear an area, you have to go back to the beginning and kill the same mobs all over again (although you do get to keep the weapons and items that you've already found). If this game had an easier setting for more casual gamers, and if itThis game has some promising features but it is way too difficult and has some annoying features. For instance, if you die in the middle of trying to clear an area, you have to go back to the beginning and kill the same mobs all over again (although you do get to keep the weapons and items that you've already found). If this game had an easier setting for more casual gamers, and if it let you save in the middle of a quest, it might be a lot of fun. If you like a challenge and are an RPG fan then you might light this game a lot. I gave up on it through and will be moving on to something a little less difficult.… Expand
  18. plotlesviolence
    Apr 28, 2015
    0
    OVERALL - 0 (or less)
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours    OVERALL - 0 (or less)
    The Dark Souls series are the worst-designed games ever made and have no redeeming factor. They are also the most overrated, because for reasons I can't understand, the rest of the internet adores them and actually praises their flaws as if they were virtues. "Hard but fair" they say? Dark Souls isn't hard, it's time-consuming and obtuse; once you waste 5 hours grinding your level up and find the "cheat" weapons with the walkthrough, most encounters become so easy they're boring; and it isn't fair, the game randomly punishes you (SEVERELY) often and without warning, and is totally unplayable without a step-by-step walkthrough. If someone patched the game to remove the upgrade system, properly balance the enemy encounters, and put a navigation arrow telling you where to go, a 50-hour-plus slog would turn into a 3-hour game that would bore you after the first hour.

    CONTROL - 2
    DS is a shallow hack-and-slash. Damage can go through blocking shields, and is affected by range to the enemy and whether you press the light/fast attack or heavy attack button, with every move drawing from a limited but regenerating stamina pool. There are only three moves:
    a) while locked-on, deflect an incoming attack to instant-kill; this reduces the game to a quicktime event without a button prompt
    b) while locked-on, hold the shield button to block a strike until the enemy staggers, then counter-attack
    c) do a dodge-roll to avoid a strike, then counter-attack. This is the most risky strategy, it mostly only works on bosses (whereas a and b only work on standard soldiers)
    All of these put you at risk when you face more than one enemy at a time, because you can only focus on one.
    The game also lies to you about there being other options. Supposedly it's possible to wield one heavy sword with both hands, or one weapon in each hand, but since you need the shield to block if you want to survive multiple encounters, these are impossible.

    PRESENTATION - 7
    Graphics aren't bad, but everything more or less looks alike (brick castle with vegetation); the only reason you recognize places is that the game halts your progress so much you become familiar with the most generic of locations. The story isn't great but is unintrusive. Enemies ragdoll when they die and the physics of broken crates/barrels is actually pretty cool, although physics never affect gameplay.

    DESIGN - 0
    Non-automatic upgrade systems are a cancer on videogames, because they always result in boring grinding early on and then being boring-ly overpowered later in the game. Of course DS embraces both flaws to both extremes. But worse, you drop all non-spent experience points where you die and they vanish if you don't collect them on the next life, so it's easily possible to waste 2 hours of your time for nothing.
    Every checkpoint has like 5 paths branching from it, 2 of them hidden, only 1 of them feasible in order to advance the game, and of course there are no hints as to which path that is. It is unplayable without a walkthrough. This is a problem videogames solved around the GTA3/Crazy Taxi era: navigation arrows.
    Personally, I don't like "exploration" games, but for those who do, one of the prerequisites is that exploration not be painful. In DS, the constant risk of losing all your experience holds you back from trying new paths or risky jumps. At one point I fell into a pit and got hit by a gas that took half my health (aka "cursed"). PERMANENTLY. Unless you trekked across the entire map and bought one of a LIMITED number of cures. And since enemies respawn, it is totally possible to lose half your health forever.
    There are also some purchaseable projectiles, and the occasional rare item that grants you a significant advantage (like doubling your health or the weapon's damage, etc.) but you'll never use them because you die so regularly that any one-use item would be a waste.
    The game is so punishing that you stop feeling guilty about winning through exploits that aren't fun: spamming projectiles from outside enemy reach, tricking the enemy AI into walking off cliffs, etc.
    This isn't "hard", it's bad design. Super Meat Boy is hard. ANYONE can beat Dark Souls with a walkthrough guide and the willingness to be bored and frustrated for 50 hours straight. I only wasted as much time as I did to see what the fuss was about, and I regret even that.    … Expand
  19. PanzerWulf
    Dec 30, 2011
    0
    This game is incredibly repetitive. I like a challenge more than the next guy, but goddamnit! I play video games for fun and entertainment, not for bitter frustration. If you constantly like dying from cheap shots while putting up with such a lame battle sequences. This game is for you. I don't know about you, but i don't have the patience to fight nearly impossible bosses and their cheapThis game is incredibly repetitive. I like a challenge more than the next guy, but goddamnit! I play video games for fun and entertainment, not for bitter frustration. If you constantly like dying from cheap shots while putting up with such a lame battle sequences. This game is for you. I don't know about you, but i don't have the patience to fight nearly impossible bosses and their cheap hits to reload from a checkpoint ten minutes to fight that same boss again, with all the annoying enemies respawned again. Its not the challenge that really gets me, its the repetitive battle sequences, not to mention complete and utter boredom. At least in Skyrim, there's alot more ways to fight an enemy. This game is going to make you get so mad to the point where it just becomes, not fun. I admit, the games out today make it to easy for you to win, but you have to draw the line somewhere. At least make the game with some kind of variety. I love well written storylines and DS doesn't have one really. So it almost for me, becomes pointless to let this game drag on more than it has to. I had to turn off the game after dying 574897539 friggin times before i start putting unnecessary holes in my walls. This F--- this game! A video game should be fun to play and not a hassle! Skip this atrocity of a game and buy Skyrim.… Expand
  20. youlouz
    Jan 20, 2015
    3
    This is one of the worst, most boring games I have ever played

    PROS
    -good graphics

    CONS
    -sad
    -too much to learn
    -boring
    -slow
    -too hard

    DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!
  21. chainsawslayer
    Mar 9, 2016
    4
    why there is such a big hype about the souls series is beyond me. i bought this game because i wanted a good, challenging game. But instead i got a cryptic, broken, low budget game. Glad i paid only 5 bucks for it.
    First the pros: i like the environments and the enemy design.especially the boss design.
    The cons: the controls are totally overloaded, and the buttonlayout is completely    why there is such a big hype about the souls series is beyond me. i bought this game because i wanted a good, challenging game. But instead i got a cryptic, broken, low budget game. Glad i paid only 5 bucks for it.
    First the pros: i like the environments and the enemy design.especially the boss design.
    The cons: the controls are totally overloaded, and the buttonlayout is completely random and makes even after hours no sense.
    The menu is a total mess, and the most things get no explanation. If the game is
    self-explanatory like Ninja Gaiden, or Street of Rage then it okay when there is no ingame help.
    And that brings me to the next point. That is what the game should be, a linear brawler with a high difficult level, but instead we get a "where i have to go" game, with no map or waypoint system.
    The combat system is so stiff and unresponsive, and you have to fight more the camera then your enemies. do not believe you get something like a ninja gaiden combatsystem in an RPG version.
    The characterdesign, of your own guy, is one of the uninspired if seen in years, and i have no relation to the character. That is also the fault of the missing story. Some say, you have to carefully listen to the NPCs to get the whole story. Sorry, but no! The voiceacting is so boring and bad, that it is not even laughable. Even the fist CDROM games in the 90s have better voiceacting. The checkpoint system adds only more frustration to the game. it is so annoying, to go for an 20 min walk after a enemy hits you with a cheap instant kill, or the camera or the bad controls kills you. if this was a straight hack&slay, or you know where you have to go, you could get through the complete game in on sitting with ease, because content wise there is not much to it.    … Expand
  22. TheAllRoundNerd
    Dec 22, 2014
    4
    I personally don't understand why people like this game. The toned down difficulty just spoiled the game, enemies are WAY easier to kill, did not deserve a game of the year nom at the game awards
  23. Sh0dan
    Jan 5, 2012
    3
    Clunky, inefficient design doesn't belong in games that are so challenging. For most gamers, challenge is fun part of any game. In most cases, the harder the better compared to today's super accessible casual games for the masses, so I was looking forward to Dark Souls based on what I had heard from around the web. But boy were those opinions misleading. Its not that the game is tooClunky, inefficient design doesn't belong in games that are so challenging. For most gamers, challenge is fun part of any game. In most cases, the harder the better compared to today's super accessible casual games for the masses, so I was looking forward to Dark Souls based on what I had heard from around the web. But boy were those opinions misleading. Its not that the game is too difficult.. I mean it is difficult, but that's not the problem, the problem is that its horrendously designed and when games are this poorly designed it really isnt a good idea for them not to have a forgiving nature. The game itself tries to mix western style high fantasy with outdated traditional Japanese design sensibilities which isnt a terrible idea, but its so poorly executed that the player constantly finds himself dying through no fault of his own. Camera's getting stuck on the surrounding, rolling directly through solid walls and falling to your death etc. Add to that the unfriendly user controls and interface with multiple button presses when one would suffice, odd control layout (left and right bumpers are the primary attacks / defence), the huge eye-saw of a HUD and inventory system, and the fact that game regularly slows down and gets very laggy even when there aren't any enemies on screen, and it all boils down to a terrible port of a mediocre PS3 game. And to top it all off, the environment GFX and sound are bland and uninspired... Anyway, I've wasted enough of my time with this game, so I'll end with the warning, regardless of what you have read about the PS3 exclusive Demon Souls (which apparently did have some potential, Dark Souls the sequel is not a worthy successor or a game I can recommend to anybody, especially on the 360.… Expand
  24. Chapa9dj
    Aug 24, 2012
    4
    Overrated, uninspiring and boring. So this is the game that my friends pictured to me as the ''Panacea of Gaming'' and turned out to be completely wrong.
    The gameplay is clunky as hell, especially when you engage in a boss fight.. The map design feels bland and very empty, not to mention that the graphics are downright terrible. Is this 2012 or 2004?
    Ok, continuing with this, its not    Overrated, uninspiring and boring. So this is the game that my friends pictured to me as the ''Panacea of Gaming'' and turned out to be completely wrong.
    The gameplay is clunky as hell, especially when you engage in a boss fight.. The map design feels bland and very empty, not to mention that the graphics are downright terrible. Is this 2012 or 2004?
    Ok, continuing with this, its not open world as some people told me, its completely linear and boring and the character lacks personality and charisma.
    Also, it has GFWL. That is enough for anyone to stay away. I don't even know why companies still use this.

    I'm glad i got it as a birthday gift, but sometimes i wish my friend didn't have to spend that amount of money. I'm not ungrateful, on the contrary, but this game is definitely not my cup of tea.

    Definitely one of the most dissapointing games of 2012.    … Expand
  25. PWNS74R
    Nov 29, 2012
    4
    My experience with Dark Souls was terrible, now the reason why I say that, is that the game is flawed! So, first of the all lets get the graphics out of the way, it looks good but the textures look flat... Done! The A.I. offends me as not only is your character slow at recovering... but once you've been hit, say goodbye to your souls, as the A.I. WILL NOT STOP HITTING YOU! Plus, onMy experience with Dark Souls was terrible, now the reason why I say that, is that the game is flawed! So, first of the all lets get the graphics out of the way, it looks good but the textures look flat... Done! The A.I. offends me as not only is your character slow at recovering... but once you've been hit, say goodbye to your souls, as the A.I. WILL NOT STOP HITTING YOU! Plus, on top of that the A.I. will disregard it's own safety and fall off a cliff to get you! The controls feel slippery and awkward... why would you attack with the triggers, this isn't a first person shooter! The camera is awful, often getting pushed upwards against a wall, and I'm unable to see my character until I manually move itl As for story and music, I don't care... it's bland and unimportant. However, I do have to praise From Software for the art direction!

    So yes, the game is difficult.. but for all the wrong reasons, it's called Fake Difficulty, and thats what dissapointed me, if it all genuine... I would of enjoyed it! But is it worth playing? Not if you want a fair challenge... only resort to it if other games aren't difficult enough for you, and you want to push yourself!    … Expand
  26. ADobbo
    Feb 17, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I got Dark Souls after looking at gameplay and thought to myself, this looks like it could be one of the best games of 2011. I got this game and I immediately got used to the controls, RB didn't feel like such a bad button for attacking and it ended up becoming quite fun. However after easily killing the Asylum Demon the game just went downhill for me. The way the game is layed out just doesn't suit my gaming style. Don't get me wrong, the way the map links up is absolutely incredible and like no other game I've ever played before. The way that there is no loading screens when walking around the map is also good. It took me a bit of time to kill the Taurus Demon but by that time I was already bored by this repetitive piece of junk. The soldiers (or whatever they are called) are some of the most stupid things I have ever seen in a video game. I got to the Capra Demon and was a bit apalled to see that all the enemies seemed to have been called demons up until then. I have struggled with the Capra Demon for several hours of my time and I think if I put enough effort in I could finish him off, but why put effort into something which is such a time-consuming piece of rubbish that should only be found at a landfill. The NPC's mouths don't even move when they speak (or they barely do) which is unacceptable for a game of 2011 when games from 10 years ago even had mouths moving. If you are thinking of getting this game, buy a better RPG such as Skyrim or something from the Fallout series. There is absolutely no competition to Skyrim from this game. The only reason I give this a 1 is because of the way the map links up. This game is hard but hard in a boring way not fun. A game can only be so hard until it gets on your nerves. For some people this may not be the case but for me it was.… Expand
  27. XSevendust
    Jan 9, 2012
    0
    This "game" is literally HORRENDOUS. This is one of the worst creative endeavors ever undertaken. I made a metacritic account just to shut all these people up who say otherwise. If you like this game you have a serious ego problem because you are trying to be "mr hotshot" and "mr hardcore gamer" please give it a rest. Anyone could beat this game if they put in the time to memorize theThis "game" is literally HORRENDOUS. This is one of the worst creative endeavors ever undertaken. I made a metacritic account just to shut all these people up who say otherwise. If you like this game you have a serious ego problem because you are trying to be "mr hotshot" and "mr hardcore gamer" please give it a rest. Anyone could beat this game if they put in the time to memorize the areas and grind their way to victory. First off the voice acting is horrific, I could have done a more believable job than their hired voice actors, its laughable how bad the voice acting is. Also, the game atmosphere is all dark and lonely. No fun or excitement to be had here. The graphics suck and I dont know why people keep saying they are good and the interface reminds me of old NES or SNES games, sorry I will pass on crappy old japanese video game feel in the year 2012. I would rather play a game like Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption where the voice acting is amazing and the world is beautiful and wonderful stories are told. Speaking of story......there is NONE in DS. You run around facing mindless enemies who just come straight at you and swing. Not dynamic whatsoever. This game makes you think its open world but really its not because if you try a certain area you will quickly realize your supposed to "grind" more to get there and then come back later when you have leveled more and it will be easy to defeat the enemies. Some people claim this is how you know you have come along and gotten better. No this is not skill. This is memorization and learning. Your attributes are now better because you grinded. Doesnt mean you are good. Like I said people only like this because they want to feel like they are talented video game players, again WRONG you are just the only losers who waste the time to sit and memorize and replay areas over and over and over. If you want to prove your skill go play MLG halo or starcraft and then come talk to me. I have played in two MLG halo tournaments and have never placed higher than top 84 out of 200 teams and I dominate every multiplayer game I have ever played and have beaten every game I have ever played on the hardest difficulty. Dark Souls is just a terribly made game and one thing I am really sick of reading about is the "great" game design here. This is about the laziest game design I have ever seen. I am all about challenge like the next guy but they dont even teach you how to play the damn game. Everyone is like "thats the beauty they throw you in and you have to figure it out" no thats called lazy design. I need to learn how to play the damn game and I shouldnt have to look at online guides to help me. They teach you a few little things and thats it. Even basic inventory management is not taught. Would you call an Mixed Martial Arts coach good if you walked in and he taught you about wrestling and then threw you into a fight without teaching you any of the other facets of MMA? Of course not you would get your head ripped off standing up and would blame him for not teaching you. But apparently teaching you a few concepts in this game while you figure out this rest is "great" game design. Am I in college now? Where I just teach myself? No thats why we pay you for your game so you teach us how to play it. In review DS is a horrific game and I am telling you DO NOT but this game and if you buy it for the challenge and to brag I am here to tell you that you are not a skilled gamer just because you beat it so get off your high horse. Please stop. Like I said go play MLG and then come back and tell me how good you are. Any lemming can sit and memorize and grind and beat mindless horribly implemented NPCs. Beat SMART human players...now that takes skill. Re doing areas again and again to learn and level up is how you win in DS. Thats not skillful. Mindless spamming magic spells and blocking and evading dont make for amazing or skillful combat.… Expand
  28. sdwillie
    May 17, 2012
    0
    This is quite possibly the worst game I've ever played. Using a scale of 0-10 it falls somewhere between 90 and 100. Not because it's SO good, but because it earns *both* the 9/10 *and* the 0, and the zero is enormous. Tremendous. Overwhelming. So much so that the 9/10 doesn't count.

    Just to get the irrelevant out of the way, everything it does, it does everything extremely well.    This is quite possibly the worst game I've ever played. Using a scale of 0-10 it falls somewhere between 90 and 100. Not because it's SO good, but because it earns *both* the 9/10 *and* the 0, and the zero is enormous. Tremendous. Overwhelming. So much so that the 9/10 doesn't count.

    Just to get the irrelevant out of the way, everything it does, it does everything extremely well. Graphics, sound, environments are all beautiful. Controls are pretty good, some things on the stick are awkward but almost nothing is bad to the point of detraction (archery is garbage), and there aren't many instances of 'screw you cam' (when you're trying to run across a narrow path and the camera rotates around your character making a straight path nearly impossible but falling to your death *extremely* easy). Inventories are deep and enemies are varied. In short, nearly every thing the developer attempted was successful.

    Sadly, the developer chose to do a lot of things which aren't good. Some are absolutely awful. And those aren't the worst.

    Open the case and you have a disc and 16 page manual. The manual is in four languages, so you have a few pages in your native tongue. The deep inventory uses icons which are never explained. Attributes and abilities are never explained. There's a Bonus system which is never explained. There are loads of things which are never explained. Including what you're actually trying to do, unless a single statement in the middle of a cut scene with a character whose relevance is never mentioned counts. This game needs a serious manual more than anything I've seen in several years. You're given a few pages. Have fun googling for the information that the developers should have given you.

    There was a time and place when it made sense for falling to your death to be integral to a game. Actually it's still that time, but the place remains what it was: platformers, particularly 2D platformers. In a 3D RPG it's awful, particularly in conjunction with Dark Souls next absolutely miserable failing...

    The ability to save progress is something that there's no compelling, or valid, argument against. Unless you're the maker of Dark Souls, in which case they apparently believe differently. I say "believe" rather than "think" because I said "valid." To put it in the form of a question that pertains to Dark Souls, "What's wrong with making a player repeat what took nearly 90 minutes, only to die by falling because the moving walkway slid out from under the player's feet?" What's wrong with that? *Everything*. It's awful to have few checkpoints, but much, *much* worse when the game makes them easy to miss.

    Leaving a number of other major shortcomings (4 off the top of my head) I'm just going to move to the last, the net effect of the fully intended and incorporated failings of Dark Souls. It's frequently called a difficult game. It isn't. There are a few points in the game that are hard, but most of it isn't more challenging than most of what's out there. Rather than difficult, Dark Souls is frustrating. For the linguistically challenged, difficult is getting stuck at a point, failing over and over before passing on the 40th (or more) attempt. Frustrating is forcing players to spend fifteen (or forty) minutes passing tedious obstacles on each of those forty+ attempts. That's why mistakes are made, and how weak enemies gain the potential to defeat your character. And it's complete and unforgivable garbage.

    In short, the people that made Dark Souls should be pleased with how well they succeeded in making the game they set out to make. Unfortunately, most of what they tried to do in inherently detritus.    … Expand
  29. pk45
    Jul 9, 2012
    0
    Really regret buying the game and was really hoping to enjoy it. The "hardcore" aspect was appealing...however, there is absolutely no ramp-up for your learning curve. The situations get so involved, so quickly that you do not have much time to get the combat system down (and I am not a fan of their targeting system)........if there was a chance for a learning curve and the combat systemReally regret buying the game and was really hoping to enjoy it. The "hardcore" aspect was appealing...however, there is absolutely no ramp-up for your learning curve. The situations get so involved, so quickly that you do not have much time to get the combat system down (and I am not a fan of their targeting system)........if there was a chance for a learning curve and the combat system worked better, it would probably be ok. You have to be very, very precise with your aim , so much so that it is unreasonable for what they expect you to pull off sometimes. I have not played the game for several months and I would still love to kick them in their collective balls and then give myself a good shot for being suckered in to the marketing. All I wanted was a good RPG (graphics, story, etc.) that was not necessarily for kids if you know what I mean. I do not mind difficult at all, but this is not difficult, it is unreasonable. Time for my therapy session! ;)… Expand
  30. Neddy
    Sep 24, 2015
    0
    I bought it on Steam for PC. I know the controls suck but I battled for a couple of hours getting DSfix and DSMfix going and voila, almost playable. I loved the world and enemies enough to really want to play.

    Four hours later so six hours in total I have given up. I am stuck spawning in the same place over and over again for over three hours. I am sick of it. It is not hard, it is    I bought it on Steam for PC. I know the controls suck but I battled for a couple of hours getting DSfix and DSMfix going and voila, almost playable. I loved the world and enemies enough to really want to play.

    Four hours later so six hours in total I have given up. I am stuck spawning in the same place over and over again for over three hours. I am sick of it. It is not hard, it is taking the pi$$.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 66 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 66
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 66
  3. Negative: 0 out of 66
  1. Gamer Limit
    Nov 29, 2011
    85
    All in all, Dark Souls is a more difficult, but less enjoyable (and less accessible) Demon's Souls.
    Read full review
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2011
    90
    Dark Souls' world is dense with something new around every corner. [Issue#78, p.76]
  3. Xbox Achievements
    Nov 15, 2011
    90
    Dark Souls makes no bones about being unrelenting in its difficulty though, although it's by no means insurmountable. It's a rare game that's unlike anything else, refusing to pander or compromise in any way, shape or form. In this day and age, Dark Souls is hugely refreshing then, and well worth the time and effort.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »