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. Shadexx7
    Nov 21, 2011
    8
    Dark Souls is an interesting game for today's generation, where games are usually much easier. I wasn't alive for the times when games like Battletoads came out, but I have gone back to play them. They are brutal. I am a glutton for punishment, playing games like Aban Awkins and The 1000 Spikes (etc.), but Dark Souls was one of the more enjoyable punishing games I've played.

    It's a great    Dark Souls is an interesting game for today's generation, where games are usually much easier. I wasn't alive for the times when games like Battletoads came out, but I have gone back to play them. They are brutal. I am a glutton for punishment, playing games like Aban Awkins and The 1000 Spikes (etc.), but Dark Souls was one of the more enjoyable punishing games I've played.

    It's a great fantasy game, there's no doubt about it. I like the "soul" system of currency, where you can either spend your hard earned money (which can disappear very fast) on new equipment or on levelling. It makes a guy think when he can either level a single attribute or buy that new armour from that creepy merchant, knowing both can help him. The combat is good, the system of having a left and right hand (and controlling them as such) is also good (I never played Demon's Souls). There are a few problems. Initially, the game was hard. Hard as hell. But then you realize, once you go through an area two, three, four, ten times, you just need to know where the enemies spawn and how to defeat them. Roll at the right time, attack. It isn't that hard once you go through the same area a few times. The bosses, on the other hand, are a mixed bag of emotions: they are very well thought out , and they're a blast to fight. Some of them do have very cheap tactics and moves that will see you killed without any warning or even knowing how something hit you. I also found some annoying parts, especially when starting, such as attacking someone by accident, having to kill them because they became aggressive, then losing out on a fairly important merchant early in the game.

    Dark Souls is not a bad game by any means. If you are a glutton for punishment, this is your game. I do have to tell you one thing though:

    Get TES: Skryim. It is a better game, especially if you're looking for a game that won't get you depressed considering how many times you die.    … Expand
  2. Kuzkula
    Nov 23, 2011
    8
    Criminy. Prepare to die. Simple as that.
    Well, I love this game. As always, I dip my toes in the Redbox and snag it on my night/s off. Got addicted. Returned RAGE and got this instead. Read my problems with that "masterpiece" in another review. To put it as others have, Dark Souls makes dying fun. :D
    Graphics: Dark Souls is beautiful. There's few if any clipping going on [dragon's tail],    Criminy. Prepare to die. Simple as that.
    Well, I love this game. As always, I dip my toes in the Redbox and snag it on my night/s off. Got addicted. Returned RAGE and got this instead. Read my problems with that "masterpiece" in another review. To put it as others have, Dark Souls makes dying fun. :D

    Graphics: Dark Souls is beautiful. There's few if any clipping going on [dragon's tail], weapons are just what you'd expect to be textured. You can see _forever_ in this game. If you find a high point you can easily turn around and either see the mass of corpses in your wake, or look forward and see certain doom waiting for you. Bosses are amazing, many moving parts and detail taken to make them truly terrifying. Don't believe me? Look up Gaping Dragon. That's not even the worst!

    Sound: Ahhh, dying in a eerily silent castle corridor has never sounded so realistic. There's hardly, if any, music going on at any time. Weapons sound like they're supposed to, and when you are slowly creeping the corridor of a dungeon, you know damn well to keep silent and LISTEN. The dry rasping of a hallowed will probably be all you have to tell you're walking into an ambush. Once again: Bosses - Terrifying.

    Controls: People keep complaining about controls. I don't see how. It's not a mash RT or X to win game, and people need to understand that. Armor and equipment load determine how well you move, and half of the fight of the game is learning how to inhabit this body as you try to survive hordes of enemies, traps, bosses, mini-bosses, and those damn black knights. Fighting is simple yet strategic. Basically this - never just run in swinging like an idiot. Block, strike, repeat til dead. Can't block that hit? DODGE, KNUCKLEHEAD. Oh wait, you've died because you can't understand the basic principle of not blocking attacks with your face. Here's your helmet due to your head being caved in for being an idiot.

    UI: Easy to navigate, but man they make you rush due to there being a lack of a pause menu. Pressing start opens a quick menu and keeps the game world running. Smart players would equip their items to the multiple slots for swapping out a weapon for a talisman or whatnot. The menus are a nice touch for determining what equipment is better thanks to a stat display. Lower bleed resistance but higher fire defense. Niiiiiice. Leveling up also keeps you on the verge of insanity, needing more and more souls to get that little stat bump to keep yourself from getting stuffed in a corner and... well... y'know.

    Gameplay: CHALLENGING. God. It's not a selling point as much as it is a fun factor. It's basically a huge game of find the weakness, except with two swords and your face. Riposte/slash/block/slash and repeat. Can get quite repetitive if you try to grab too much too quickly, typically leaving you farther than comfortable from a bonfire, making you go alllllll the way out there again to retrieve your lost souls/humanity so they're all not wasted. Bosses are, again, terrifying. Once you traverse the white light, it becomes very tense, then panic, and probably disappointment at dying yet again at the damn bell tower gargoyles. Sometimes it feels as though the enemies are unfair and just pummeling you into dust. Protip- try a different method. Experiment.

    Overall: Love this game. Harsh gameplay leading to many people quitting just makes me laugh, but it can be frustrating at times, so it's understandable. Go in with patience, caution, and just a bit of foresight, and you may die less than 100 times your first playthough.    … Expand
  3. Medevil9908
    Mar 6, 2012
    8
    Dark Souls is probably one of the most polarizing games ever made. You either love it or hate it. The main thing that makes this game difficult is its unforgiving gameplay. If you make a few mistakes during any fight, you'll most likely be killed. In addition to that, the items you can use to heal (estus flasks and healing spells) have a limited number of uses. Most enemies take a sizableDark Souls is probably one of the most polarizing games ever made. You either love it or hate it. The main thing that makes this game difficult is its unforgiving gameplay. If you make a few mistakes during any fight, you'll most likely be killed. In addition to that, the items you can use to heal (estus flasks and healing spells) have a limited number of uses. Most enemies take a sizable portion of your health away with each hit so chances are you'll run out of healing items.

    The game's environments are varied and either beautiful or intentionally ugly. The music in the game is very good. The graphics are good but they seem washed out at a distance (I think this was intentional). There are so many different ways to play the game. You can be either a magic caster or a melee-only tank. As you progress, you find many suits of armor (some of which look really cool) as well as weapons. The boss encounters are varied but they use the same enemy type 3 times in the game (the very first boss can be encountered two more times in different forms). It seemed like they ran out of new ideas for bosses which is odd considering that every other boss is different. The other two bosses are completely optional though.

    I understand that difficulty is that game's selling point but I felt that the difficulty should stay in combat and not in the menu/inventory system. The game explains what each button does, how to attack, block, parry, do critical hits, heal, equip/switch weapons, evade, how to use gestures, and how to bring up the start menu. Things that are explained easily in other games are not explained in this one. My first time playing this game I had no idea how repair/upgrade weapons, properly use a bow, or how to jump. Yes, jump. The manual only explains the bare minimum. Regardless this game is still a good buy. It has a unique online multiplayer component that I haven't seen in any other game (I believe it's in Demon's Souls but I didn't play that game). For new players: the game takes a few hours to get used to. If you're tired of easy games (Skyrim, KoA: Reckoning) give this one a try. It'll kick your ass. The best piece of advice is located right on the back of the game's box: PREPARE TO DIE.    … Expand
  4. Cabinutz
    Mar 12, 2012
    8
    Dark Souls is not a game for everyone. The gameplay of the game is similar to that of Monster Hunter in some aspects. You will die a lot. But the things that this game does well outshine the negative aspects of it. Customizability of your character makes them feel as if they are unique in nature. The ever changing areas as you progress through the game create a nice flow. The game isDark Souls is not a game for everyone. The gameplay of the game is similar to that of Monster Hunter in some aspects. You will die a lot. But the things that this game does well outshine the negative aspects of it. Customizability of your character makes them feel as if they are unique in nature. The ever changing areas as you progress through the game create a nice flow. The game is constantly scaling its difficulty to keep up with your levels, and for those who enjoy gameplay elements akin to childhood difficulty will be reminded of it. Gamers have become too catered to easy games where everything must be spoon fed to them. Its nice to find a game that goes back to its roots and teaches you the basic elements and allows you to wander out and discover the rest of it for yourselves. The story is very thinly laid out in Dark Souls, but everything else makes up for it. The only big problem I had when playing it was input lag, which made hard situations even harder.… Expand
  5. somethingguy912
    Dec 2, 2016
    8
    It might be a bit late for me to make a review on a game this old, but I had just completed the game's story just a few weeks ago, and do understand the appeal of this game, although, even with that in mind, it does have some flaws.

    Now, this game is largely herald for it's absolutely insane difficulty curve and it's seamless environment, and half of that is true. Now, the game is    It might be a bit late for me to make a review on a game this old, but I had just completed the game's story just a few weeks ago, and do understand the appeal of this game, although, even with that in mind, it does have some flaws.

    Now, this game is largely herald for it's absolutely insane difficulty curve and it's seamless environment, and half of that is true. Now, the game is difficult, but it's difficulty is largely based on the fact that the game does not give you any pointers in terms of plot or combat other than the basic controls of the game. There's one thing to hand hold the players, and it's a whole other thing to not even give your players the correct means to progress through the game. Most if not all of your credentials are going to rely on looking up the wiki, which much like with Minecraft, completely takes the user off from the initial experience when you get ganked on and the game does not explain certain aspects. Did you know that you could talk to the daughter of chaos? You wouldn't unless you looked up the wiki. Did you know that Lautrec would kill the Fireseeker in Firelink Shrine, and that you have to go to a specific part in Anor Londo to get the soul back? Only with the wiki. The only story details the game tells you is the basic main story of lighting the two flames via ringing the two bells and retrieving four lord souls, and despite my expectations for some narrative twists - the only one is the fact that Gwyndolin has made an illusion of sunlight in Anor Londo - there is none. It's as straightforward as it comes: link the flame to continue the age of fire, or keep it selfishly to yourself. It's about as black and white as it gets. As a result of this forced piecemealing of the story, it does lose points.

    As for the environment and the gameplay, it is very solid, once you get the hang of it. Once again, the difficulty comes from the lack of explaining core details, the game still can be hard if you just come in rushing, unless you are overleveled against weaker foes. Blocking and timing attacks are key, and keeping your health and stamina pools is necessary for your success. You will in fact, die a lot, but dying is only a part of the learning experience of the game, as it does not give you any wiggle room on it's part. The world is built very well, as you can seamlessly travel through Firelink Shrine and bend towards New Londo, and make a backroad to the Valley of the Drakes and head towards Blighttown, and so on and so on. Even areas that aren't tied together, like Demon Ruins and Tomb of the Giants, still give you an opportunity to see these areas from a distance. But be careful about travelling to said areas, like with other open world areas, some places will be harder than others. Weapon variety is very well done, with a number of weapons that tie to certain builds, but be certain that your builds are the ones you want, as you cannot ReSpec in this game. Not to mention, miracles and sorceries, basically spells, can only be restored through bonfires and by no other means, so be careful with using them. Multiplayer is a bit flawed, as connectivity is sometimes inconsistent and lags horribly via Coop or even PvP matches, which is still well done since it is still based on the combat.

    So overall, Dark Souls is a well done game on exploration, observation, survival, and combat, but as for a story driven narrative, a lot of it is overly reliant on the items you find and the wiki you'll look up to realize you need to go to Scrumly the Crow and give him a Sunlight Maggot in order to get the Old Witch's Ring to talk to the Daughter of Chaos, which is completely irrelevant to anything.    … Expand
  6. dodgingbullet
    Sep 9, 2014
    8
    Dark Souls is that kind of game that you pay for so you can feel idiot, miserable and incompetent about yourself. And although you pay gladly for those feelings you wind up having a great and marvelous journey.
  7. Princevalvick64
    Dec 21, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. "The difficultly isn't what makes Dark Souls unique, but its wide combat system and amazing lore/story makes Dark Souls truly, a one of kind game." Despite what I said there, Dark Souls is diffidently not for everybody. Prepare to die and yeah, your gonna die a lot from its (At first) starting difficulty until you understand its learning curve. For some players, after half way through the game, the game doesn't seem all that hard anymore. I really enjoy the combat system, I'm always creating new builds to just try out different play styles such as Light wight dexterity being my favorite and heavy strength builds with faith magic just to mix things up. There's no best armor or weapon as its all custom to your play style as every weapon, magic, or armor always comes with its pros and cons. Dark Souls is an open world game allowing players to explore in their own risk; with its well done level design, your rewarded for finding shout cuts making exploring and getting to a boss easier and quicker. The story soft-of hard to understand. Instead, your told lies through the whole playthrough and to understand the truth behind the horrors of dark souls is by reading the lore left in item descriptions. As the player, your discovering the story on your own and going back to some of the memorable areas will seem to be more understandable in how it became what you see and how it wasn't before you got there. Dark Souls is an amazing game and I'll never get tired of it but it does come with it short comings and some disappointment after Demon's Souls. The game comes with a unique multiplayer that works half the time. you can leave messages for other players to discover and help or troll. When you are human(You start as an Undead) you can summon random players to help you defeat an area and its boss but as human, other players can invade your world and kill you for half your souls and humanity. Dark Souls is an amazing and unique game but isn't for everybody. After really getting into Dark Souls, there are very few problems that can limit the player into its world and its multiplayer but overall, your getting huge and complex game that's filled with content and a DLC that wasn't even planed. Despite the rude community outside of Dark Souls, they are really supportive with each other.… Expand
  8. Sneetches
    Dec 19, 2012
    8
    TL;DR A great RPG that'll have you raging one moment and cheering the next.

    Dark Souls is a highly debated game with one side crying of "artificial difficulty" and the other being fanboys defending it. However, if you're in the middle (hopefully), you'll realize that its a great game that still has its flaws. Addressing one of the most argued point(s), pertaining to the "artificial    TL;DR A great RPG that'll have you raging one moment and cheering the next.

    Dark Souls is a highly debated game with one side crying of "artificial difficulty" and the other being fanboys defending it. However, if you're in the middle (hopefully), you'll realize that its a great game that still has its flaws. Addressing one of the most argued point(s), pertaining to the "artificial difficulty", learning curve, or anything in between, I can say that there are legitimate and also illegitimate complaints. For one, those mainly complaining of the difficulty either tried to A) Blow through the game and got their **** promptly slapped, then complained. or B) Don't understand how to fight or address the different enemies/situations in the game, and would rather not go through the "trial and error" process. Don't be fooled, there is a LOT of trial and error at times. Outside of that highly debated topic, the game is interesting. The beginning and end cutscenes are the only story related scenes, the rest of the story is to be figured out through the player's exploration (another unpopular feature among the modern gamer). The world feels vast, being that you can actually see a lot of the zones from within each other, and they seem so large in view. The characters, while eccentric, aren't exactly memorable, but they aren't very bad either. The game has a depressing atmosphere to it, and it can be felt at times. The art design is great, and really fits the theme, along with the enemies of the world.

    The combat is another learning curve that definitely takes some getting used to. Parrying is an interesting mechanic that isn't reliable to the average player, but getting better at it makes dealing with small minions a breeze, but unfortunately it ruins one very important fight in the game. All the classes seem rather balanced although mage/ranger are play styles that seem better suited to the more experienced player, but being proficient at 2 is a big plus. The stats system holds true to any traditional RPG, and while gear doesn't make a world of difference (unless you're worried about your roll...), there is still a lot of customization.

    The PVP, while being a very large part of the game, still has its flaws. Summoning is unreliable at best, and doing Co-op with friends isn't exactly easy. Another problem arises with twinks (experienced, very low levels who have beaten the game and NG+ and have their best possible setup) will easily make any newcomer confused and angry at their first online invasion experiences. Lag turns any fight into a "who gets the lucky backstab" duel, and gankers can get very annoying.

    I'm not really sure how in-between you can be with Dark Souls, its either something you love, hate, or your friends are making you play to torture yourself with. Despite what many naysayers will complain about, the game still has its strong points, and I would argue that these will outweigh the complaints of "artificial difficulty" and other excuses.    … Expand
  9. jcarl663
    Feb 14, 2015
    8
    It's a very unique and fresh game, which is surprisingly difficult your first time through. The lore is drip fed to you, which can be a double edged sword. It leaves a LOT of room for interpretation, but in many cases leaves too much room. If you look closely at points, things just don't make sense. It's pretty clear that Miyazaki really loves reusing things, so he tends to cram the sameIt's a very unique and fresh game, which is surprisingly difficult your first time through. The lore is drip fed to you, which can be a double edged sword. It leaves a LOT of room for interpretation, but in many cases leaves too much room. If you look closely at points, things just don't make sense. It's pretty clear that Miyazaki really loves reusing things, so he tends to cram the same things into his games repeatedly, even if they don't have any reason to be there. It's a weird part of Eastern philosophy that things don't need to, and often don't, make sense literally, but can be traced to some philosophical concept that does make sense.

    Point of note: this game isn't hard in the sense that you're constantly struggling. This game is hard to get used to. Once you do, it stops being hard. After the first few hours, you learn the majority of the mechanics and what the game expects of you. The gameplay, while difficult and rewarding, diverse and consistently fresh, is incredibly easy to cheese out and subsequent playthroughs offer little. Once you've beaten a new enemy, it's just a matter or repeating the pattern. There are many ways to play (many of which are entirely useless) tons of weapons and fighting styles (again, most of which are entirely worthless) but it can be fun.

    The biggest drawbacks I have for this game are that, for one, there are a few optimal play styles, from which any deviation is just wasting your own time and energy, and getting the play style you want often times means beating the game once just to get all the items.

    Despite these things, it is still an intensely fun game, offers a very unique challenge, a highly engaging world and a refreshing experience overall.    … Expand
  10. Jub
    Mar 2, 2015
    8
    This game was a much needed breath of fresh air into the gaming industry.

    It's not perfect and I did find that most of the difficulty is down to figuring out the game instead to player skill which is still fun but severely lowers replay difficulty. The setting, story and characters all come together to give this deep sense of hopelessness that will stay with you long after you finish    This game was a much needed breath of fresh air into the gaming industry.

    It's not perfect and I did find that most of the difficulty is down to figuring out the game instead to player skill which is still fun but severely lowers replay difficulty.

    The setting, story and characters all come together to give this deep sense of hopelessness that will stay with you long after you finish the game.

    One of the let downs for me was the PvP. There's really no sense of balance whatsoever.

    All in all this game has some really cool uniqueness about it and rewards the players hard efforts.    … Expand
  11. ninjanerd
    Jul 16, 2014
    8
    i think that dark souls is a good game. but im a noob gamer and i found dark souls to be incredibly hard and challenging and rewarding. the game looks good has a great combat system and has a large open world for you to explore. i dont think dark souls is a bad game it is just too damn hard for people like me who like easy games to blow through.
  12. swargo109
    Nov 5, 2014
    8
    Probably one of the hardest games I've ever played and I loved every minute of it. Combat is simple to learn but difficult to master. The lore in this game is super deep and will have you thinking about the world of Lordran. The only negatives is that the graphics look slightly dated now and that there is some issues with frame rate in places. If you can look past these small problems, youProbably one of the hardest games I've ever played and I loved every minute of it. Combat is simple to learn but difficult to master. The lore in this game is super deep and will have you thinking about the world of Lordran. The only negatives is that the graphics look slightly dated now and that there is some issues with frame rate in places. If you can look past these small problems, you can find a cheap gem at your local Gamestop.… Expand
  13. ManemanFTW
    Apr 18, 2015
    8
    is a very good RPG, what else can i say? oh the frame rate is **** in some parts but the game is so good that makes you forgive it very quickly. the combat is amazing and the pvp is actually very good. The only problem is that it is very difficult to play with a friend online. but hey, it is a very good game
  14. RllyCoolGuy
    Jun 10, 2015
    8
    Well, it's a really good game, it has its flaws, but i'll get there.
    At its core, it's an action-rpg, and it does that pretty well. When i first played, i thought that there was going to be a few classes. The usual tank-slash-melee guy, the casting-inteligence based-mage and the quicky-stealthy- dodgy(?) thief. All the classes are variations of the listed above, but thats kind of "cute"    Well, it's a really good game, it has its flaws, but i'll get there.
    At its core, it's an action-rpg, and it does that pretty well. When i first played, i thought that there was going to be a few classes. The usual tank-slash-melee guy, the casting-inteligence based-mage and the quicky-stealthy- dodgy(?) thief. All the classes are variations of the listed above, but thats kind of "cute" to see.
    Graphics and art design at all are pretty well done (except for blighttown, that was horrible).
    Speaking of blighttown, framerate drops EVERYWHERE, sometimes even if i'm just critting someone, the game just lags. It doesn't seem like so much problem, but later in the game, if it freezes or lags at you during a boss figth, you're completely f*cked.
    Overall, it's a good experience if you like rpgs, and a really good experience if you're masoquist enough to handle this game.    … Expand
  15. 11254man
    Jun 26, 2017
    8
    I really hate useless _/10 scores, but this platform forces one, so wait until the end for a recommendation on how much you should buy it for, as I feel it to be a more accurate representation of whether the game is, you know... worth it. Dark Souls is an Action RPG by From Software. Dark Souls is a game I enjoy quite a bit, and I'm going to spend the bulk of this review talking aboutI really hate useless _/10 scores, but this platform forces one, so wait until the end for a recommendation on how much you should buy it for, as I feel it to be a more accurate representation of whether the game is, you know... worth it. Dark Souls is an Action RPG by From Software. Dark Souls is a game I enjoy quite a bit, and I'm going to spend the bulk of this review talking about why, and what gave me pause even in my blind admiration. First off, the sound design on the whole thing is wonderful, from satisfying sound effects to amazingly orchestrated boss themes, the game excels in its sound design. Graphical design is the first thing I start to have a bit of a problem with. The game looks great for the most part, but some things are just hard to get over. The lava in the game quite literally hurts to look at, some of the backdrops aren't even slightly worked on (though others are to excess) and, one thing I really can't get over: there are some spots that are straight up unfinished. The stairs into the Lower Undead Burg straight up don't have anything to the left of them, just a gaping, lazy hole. Now, story wise, Dark Souls can't be touched. it's told through item descriptions and optional character dialogue, with very little laid out for you. This allows you to piece together an expansive and complete world. The gamplay is where this series shines, however. Rolling is responsive, blocking is responsive, combat is calculated but an adrenaline rush all the same. Some of the bosses, like Orenstien and Smough, are some of the best in all of gaming. However, other bosses, like the Bed of Chaos, are inexcusable, awful bits of the game I wish I could just skip. So, is the game worth it? YES! Get it now! at its current 20$ price point (For both the game and it's DLC.) it's a steal. Definitely one of my all time favorites.… Expand
  16. JRY69
    Aug 31, 2016
    8
    Ah, Dark Souls 1. I was so hesitant to get into the series because of this infamous game. Known for its ball-crushing difficulty made me such a **** to try it out. But, after beating Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2, I finally bought the game and gave it a try. And while I'm not nearly as in love with the game as some others are, I do think that this is a very solid, fun, and extremelyAh, Dark Souls 1. I was so hesitant to get into the series because of this infamous game. Known for its ball-crushing difficulty made me such a **** to try it out. But, after beating Bloodborne and Dark Souls 2, I finally bought the game and gave it a try. And while I'm not nearly as in love with the game as some others are, I do think that this is a very solid, fun, and extremely challenging RPG.

    The story is mainly told through the opening cutscene, item descriptions, and NPCs. This is either something that you'll love or hate. Personally, I feel that the game does well enough telling you why you're doing what you're doing so that you won't care about the deeper lore behind certain characters or locations. But, if you're into that sort of thing, you can get plenty of it here as long as you like reading (or just go to Youtube). What really makes the game stand out though it the gameplay. It feels like a slower yet more complicated style of From Software's previous game, Demon's Souls. Well timed dodges/blocks and knowing when to strike is the way to victory over most bosses and enemies, and damn if it isn't satisfying as hell taking down a crowd of enemies or a giant demon boss. However, this is when I begin to have problems with the game.

    The game is supposed to be hard, I know, but some enemy set ups can be down right brutal (especially later in the game). Some early game bosses are very poorly designed as well. For example, the Bell Gargoyles. A doable fight yes, but no one can deny that a boss that's just two enemies of the same type bombarding you with fire on a thin platform isn't the best boss design. Or what about the Capra Demon; a fast, aggressive boss thrown into a tiny crowded room with 2 fast aggressive dog enemies. Then of course theres the Bed of Chaos but, I'd rather not even mention it's name as it give me PTSD.

    That being said, there are some amazing bosses in this game both in terms of story and gameplay. The Great Grey Wold Sif is a tragic figure: a pet who only wants to protect her master's grave. And of course the infamous Ornstein and Smough; a boss so well designed and thought out that it's my favorite boss in the entire series.

    Areas range from god awful to breathtaking. Some highlights for me was Anor Londo and The Painted World. But theres also areas like Blighttown that are not only designed poorly, but also cause the framerate to drop significantly; causing frustration and broken controllers everywhere.

    The combat itself is simple yet complicated. Each boss and enemy as specific times where you need to roll in order to avoid their attacks, as well as certain times where it's safer to attack them. Learning these things will result in your death. And get used to the death screen, because on your first play through you're going to be seeing it a lot.

    The graphics haven't aged gracefully, but it remains a pretty game in its own right. I never saw any texture pop in or low res textures in my many playthroughs of the game. I encountered a couple glitches when it came to the sound in the game. Namely the opening cutscene voice being extremely quiet, but that may be my own fault with sound settings on my Xbox.

    Overall, the game is extremely solid. And while I do have legitimate complaints with the game, it doesn't stop it from being a solid RPG that will kick your ass. But once you overcome the game's challenges, your confidence will reach new heights.    … Expand
  17. BlakDak666
    Mar 9, 2017
    8
    Dark Souls is an important game that should be played by everyone. It is a game that challenges the person on thinking outside of the box and becoming more attuned to its world as a result. It punishes but also rewards with all sorts of gear, items and lessons. It has a wonderful atmosphere, some amazing boss fights and a DLC worthy of your time. Of course it is not perfect; the first halfDark Souls is an important game that should be played by everyone. It is a game that challenges the person on thinking outside of the box and becoming more attuned to its world as a result. It punishes but also rewards with all sorts of gear, items and lessons. It has a wonderful atmosphere, some amazing boss fights and a DLC worthy of your time. Of course it is not perfect; the first half of the game is outstanding, but starts to falter by the second half. The network connections are too long and tedious, making online coop or pvp an issue. Framerate drops often in large scale areas and some bosses are absolutely awful (esp. in the second half). Otherwise, a well done game that succeeds in dark fantasy and difficulty in games done right.… Expand
  18. Charlybs
    Jan 22, 2018
    8
    Yo diría que lo mejor del juego es la ambientación deprimente y esa sensación de soledad que hace que vayas con el culo apretado en cada paso para no morir. Puede llegar a desesperar no encontrar el camino correcto o morir 300 veces en el mismo jefe pero cuando consigues pasarlo la recompensa lo vale. Una vez te lo pasas tiene la opción de NG+ que está muy bien.
  19. ZXSth
    Apr 15, 2019
    8
    As everyone and their grandmother has probably recognized by now, Dark Souls is a legendary game franchise. This entry in the series is the one that many people see as the pinnacle of that experience - I think this is a prime example of nostalgia blindness, but am willing to validate the multiple things this game gets right.

    Dark Souls is a game in which you really must earn everything.    As everyone and their grandmother has probably recognized by now, Dark Souls is a legendary game franchise. This entry in the series is the one that many people see as the pinnacle of that experience - I think this is a prime example of nostalgia blindness, but am willing to validate the multiple things this game gets right.

    Dark Souls is a game in which you really must earn everything. It also tells you very little about what you need to do - some will adore this lack of forced direction, while others will be enraged by it. Additionally, the game has a phenomenally high learning curve that is rewarding to overcome, but hell to try and manage in the beginning (or at least, it was for me). This approach to game design is truly love-it-or-hate-it, with most players falling into the 'love it' category, if its rabid cult following is to be believes (key word being 'cult' - ergo 'niche').

    While Dark Souls is a great game with many environments that are undeniably beautiful and impressive, some areas of this game (and some of its bosses) present a kind of frustration that is incredibly off-putting and alienating. Specific examples include: The framerate-killing Blighttown; the visually staggering brightness of Lost Izalith (and its utterly infuriating puzzle-style boss, the Bed of Chaos); the egregiously dark and overwhelmingly difficult Tomb of the Giants; and the ragequit-inducing battle against the camera that is the Capra Demon boss fight (which invites cheesing the boss instead of fighting it).

    Despite being what I would call 'unrefined,' Dark Souls' interconnectivity between its areas, its challenging but rewarding combat, its vicious bosses and its overall artistic design are absolutely enthralling. The game has such a storied status in the video gaming world for a reason despite its flaws.    … Expand
  20. Cafe_8bits
    Nov 14, 2019
    8
    Dark Souls is not just a game, but an entire experience. Dark Soul is not your average RPG, where you grind your character untill you can destroy the world, but you as a player grow to master the mechanics as a whole. Levels matter here, but your handle of the game matter the most.
    The melancholic atmosphere and great narrative choices made this game an unforgettable experience for me,    Dark Souls is not just a game, but an entire experience. Dark Soul is not your average RPG, where you grind your character untill you can destroy the world, but you as a player grow to master the mechanics as a whole. Levels matter here, but your handle of the game matter the most.
    The melancholic atmosphere and great narrative choices made this game an unforgettable experience for me, and everyone who likes RPGs should play it.    … Expand
  21. Arya977
    Jan 11, 2021
    8
    Gameplay..........Good.
    Graphics............Mediocre.
    Score.................Amazing.
  22. Khazar2
    May 5, 2020
    8
    A hack n slash game that actually provides a challenge unlike many of the others.
  23. prussii
    Dec 31, 2020
    8
    Poorly optimised and wacky, but hey it's dark souls and it's awesome. Memorable locations and bosses. Great world and unique storytelling.
  24. Fr0styFeet
    Nov 12, 2022
    8
    Picked up dark souls for the 360 as my first souls game, and what a great game it was. It has some rough edges compared to the later entries in the series, but is still a great game with its magnificent world design, and the ability to actually make you feel proud of yourself for overcoming the game
  25. godofallu
    Oct 7, 2011
    7
    Dark souls has a decent enough opening trailer, and the starting tutorial/prison is pretty fun. After that the game gets serious. A lot of people complain about the difficulty, but it isn't just that the game is hard. The game is cruel.

    Let me explain further, after the tutorial ends you are dumped at a campfire with 4 paths to take. 2 of those paths are the wrong answers, and if you go    Dark souls has a decent enough opening trailer, and the starting tutorial/prison is pretty fun. After that the game gets serious. A lot of people complain about the difficulty, but it isn't just that the game is hard. The game is cruel.

    Let me explain further, after the tutorial ends you are dumped at a campfire with 4 paths to take. 2 of those paths are the wrong answers, and if you go down them the game is impossible to beat. Not just hard but literally impossible due to you being the wrong level. Of course there is no way to actually know that at first, since enemy levels are not shown. Once you find the right path the game gets decent again, until a new boss to get stuck on or a red dragon who seems to be impossible to get past.

    If you are looking for a hard game this is it, but be careful since the game isn't just hard but unfair.    … Expand
  26. FragCzar
    Mar 6, 2012
    7
    Finished the game. Rate it a 7. The game designer/producer describes the game as "spicy" yet "edible". I suggest the game is more "bitter" than "spicy", and having been "eaten" it leaves a bad aftertaste. Story is minimal, camera and controls are chaotic, frame rate is bad in many areas, and the game requires too much repetition in order to figure out how to progress. I substitutedFinished the game. Rate it a 7. The game designer/producer describes the game as "spicy" yet "edible". I suggest the game is more "bitter" than "spicy", and having been "eaten" it leaves a bad aftertaste. Story is minimal, camera and controls are chaotic, frame rate is bad in many areas, and the game requires too much repetition in order to figure out how to progress. I substituted that repetition with online walk-throughs (which I try to avoid but could not avoid in this case). I rate it a 7 because it is entertaining in parts, but overall it is not a game I would ever recommend or replay… Expand
  27. thebrock
    Jul 22, 2012
    7
    There is no dought about the most difficult rpg game to be released on xbox 360. Dark souls is an absolute **** nightmare. It is time consuming, and very very repetitive. Also the storyline can be a little hard to follow if you dont use the internet as a guide. I however loved the leveling system in this game and felt the attention to detail was incredible. Will probably go back and haveThere is no dought about the most difficult rpg game to be released on xbox 360. Dark souls is an absolute **** nightmare. It is time consuming, and very very repetitive. Also the storyline can be a little hard to follow if you dont use the internet as a guide. I however loved the leveling system in this game and felt the attention to detail was incredible. Will probably go back and have another crack at this game. Nearly got to the end but not quite. If you like a challenge buy this game.… Expand
  28. lolholm
    Oct 9, 2011
    7
    I like this game in spite of the obvious and frustrating flaws that has me rage quitting every so often.

    The graphics are ugly and look ancient, the controls are clunky, the menu is in annoying, the targeting is awful and the camera is downright terrible. All these flaws angers me, but I live with them because Bandai Games understand that having to repeat a section does not kill the joy    I like this game in spite of the obvious and frustrating flaws that has me rage quitting every so often.

    The graphics are ugly and look ancient, the controls are clunky, the menu is in annoying, the targeting is awful and the camera is downright terrible. All these flaws angers me, but I live with them because Bandai Games understand that having to repeat a section does not kill the joy of a game. Repetition also means you don't have to create slow and soft sections of the game purely for players to learn the game. It's do or die as soon as you start up this game. I also love that there is one difficulty, which is Nightmarish and it uses checkpoints instead of free saves.

    I will never give a game with this many serious flaws 10 and I'm settling on 7. I think Bandai Games can make a third installment, that is 3 points better than this one.    … Expand
  29. ShadeKirby
    Oct 10, 2011
    7
    The game, while not as technically impressive as other games on the market, is still a visually appealing game with interesting dark fantasy designs, plus a precise and deep combat system. However, its punishing difficulty will almost certainly be a discouraging element for some players, and definitely not for the wrong mindset, the ill-tempered, the impatient or the easily misplaced.The game, while not as technically impressive as other games on the market, is still a visually appealing game with interesting dark fantasy designs, plus a precise and deep combat system. However, its punishing difficulty will almost certainly be a discouraging element for some players, and definitely not for the wrong mindset, the ill-tempered, the impatient or the easily misplaced. Everyone else will have fun dieing.… Expand
  30. AverageToaster
    Nov 8, 2011
    7
    Great game but insanely hard, not for everyone I have to stop playing this game about ever hour after how man it makes me. Sofar I have put in a good 60 hours and just beat the first level.
  31. mikelink
    Dec 14, 2011
    7
    Let me start off by saying that this is not a bad game. I bought it day one and I really tried to love it like I loved Demon Souls but I could not. The graphics are wonderful, the difficulty is ramped up, and a lot of love went in to making this game ad you can see it everywhere. What made me trade this game in three and a half hours after I bought it was the fact that it was so repetitiveLet me start off by saying that this is not a bad game. I bought it day one and I really tried to love it like I loved Demon Souls but I could not. The graphics are wonderful, the difficulty is ramped up, and a lot of love went in to making this game ad you can see it everywhere. What made me trade this game in three and a half hours after I bought it was the fact that it was so repetitive I wanted to smash my head against a wall. In my opinion, Every single area is exactly the same and there is no variety in structure. It might be just because I didn't get far enough but that's how it seems to me. I know it's a hit or miss game but i urge you to try it yourself because at it's core it is REALLY god.… Expand
  32. holymoly
    Aug 13, 2012
    7
    Dark Souls is a good game, but not a great game. What makes Dark Souls a good game is the challenging difficulty, dark atmosphere, and haunting boss encounters.

    GOOD Dark Souls is one of the hardest games ever made. It takes a truly obscene time commitment and a strong gaming background to be able to progress through this title. If you're new to role-playing games, this isn't the one    Dark Souls is a good game, but not a great game. What makes Dark Souls a good game is the challenging difficulty, dark atmosphere, and haunting boss encounters.

    GOOD

    Dark Souls is one of the hardest games ever made. It takes a truly obscene time commitment and a strong gaming background to be able to progress through this title. If you're new to role-playing games, this isn't the one you should start with. The game punishes failure more than any other game to arrive in the last decade; every time you die (and you will die a lot) you risk losing a vast amount of progress. That can be a good thing, however, because it encourages you to persevere and become excellent. The boss fights, which test even the best players, will demand greatness from you. The feeling you get when killing a truly difficult boss is like nothing else. BAD

    Three key points. First, the game lacks narrative almost entirely. It's strange to have an RPG without a story component, but there you have it. Don't come to Dark Souls looking to be entertained by the storytelling. Second, the game comes without common conveniences like the option to pause the game or fast-travel between locations. You'll find yourself running back through hostile areas again and again just to get to another location on the (non-existent) map. Third, the game doesn't explain how to perform simple actions like upgrading weapons, invading other worlds, storing inventory items, or what your next objectives should be. Players will need to do a lot of reading online in order to even learn how to aim with a bow. Some will argue that this just adds to the challenge, but I disagree - challenging difficulty is one thing, but not explaining how to interact with the game world is another thing entirely; it's just sloppy game design. CONCLUSION

    Though Dark Souls will appeal to some, most gamers will be (rightly) inclined to steer clear. The game does one and only one thing well - it punishes mediocrity. It doesn't tell a good story, doesn't help you learn how to play, and doesn't make playing convenient. It just beats on you again and again. Some will love it; other will hate it. I'm somewhere in the middle.    … Expand
  33. HSuke
    Jul 31, 2020
    7
    This game is brutal, and it doesn't always feel fair.

    On the positive side, the lore of this game is gorgeous, and the interconnect map is awe-inspiring. On the negative side, DS1 is less polished and evenly-paced than its 2 sequels, and the design in certain areas is sometimes questionable. This game is 100x harder playing offline without a guide, and that's how I did it during my    This game is brutal, and it doesn't always feel fair.

    On the positive side, the lore of this game is gorgeous, and the interconnect map is awe-inspiring. On the negative side, DS1 is less polished and evenly-paced than its 2 sequels, and the design in certain areas is sometimes questionable.

    This game is 100x harder playing offline without a guide, and that's how I did it during my first run. Don't do this. Just play online. You get so many hints playing online.

    Many parts of this game are masochistically difficult but very rewarding once you figure them out. Enemies and environmental objects are specifically placed to cause maximal frustration. You can spend 5 minutes to reach a certain point, dodging dozens of attacks, only to die from a random giant pendulum that pops out of nowhere. You then reattempt it 20 more times, dying in the same spot every time. By the time you finally get past it a frustrating hour later, you only venture another minute further before some minion skeleton jumps out of nowhere and pushes you off a cliff. There is little consistency to figuring out the location of hidden walls, so you can spend an eternity wasting time swinging at every wall.

    If you want bleak and brutal, but fair, go play Dark Souls 3 or Hollow Knight. Save points/bonfires in DS 1 are extremely spread out. Everything in the world, especially the environment, wants to cheese you and can single-handedly do so on your first encounter with it. There's no teleportation between bonfires for most of the game. Many bosses are cheesy. Just stay away this game unless you're a masochist like me.

    Though after you've finally beaten it, it'll feel like you've spent an eternity living in its bleak, depressing world. You'll realize that you've become part of it, and it just won't let you go. You'll choose to linger around as a soulless Blade of the Darkmoon, punishing others who are just starting their journey ... others who are just like who you once were.    … Expand
  34. iamevilhomer
    Jan 2, 2017
    7
    I never give 10's because nothing is perfect. Perfection does not exist. Anything can be viewed as flawed depending on who you talk to. For example a FF7 nut would think that it's perfect. While some one with a brain can see that there is a lot of boring stuff there too.

    So lets start the review. It's a pretty awesome game for the most part. The world of the game is a Picasso painting    I never give 10's because nothing is perfect. Perfection does not exist. Anything can be viewed as flawed depending on who you talk to. For example a FF7 nut would think that it's perfect. While some one with a brain can see that there is a lot of boring stuff there too.

    So lets start the review. It's a pretty awesome game for the most part. The world of the game is a Picasso painting on crack that's all interconnected. Very trippy but also very kool. Players will want to explore but at the same time will have a sense of fear since this game has a way of tricking the player constantly. No human being could possibly beat this game on their first try unless they knew what to do at every part and even that's a stretch.

    The characters. Very mysterious is the way to describe it. The story isn't really there and needs to be pieced together in a way that ultimately is left up to the player. Basically the story is whatever the player wants it to be. Interesting but lets get real here. That can easily be looked at as lazy story telling rather than a genius approach.

    Combat. This is some of the best and worst stuff about the game. Rolling, shield blocking, attacking, different weapons up the ying yang, magic, archery type stuff, bombs, weird items all over the place. Very deep is the word I would use to describe it. But in the end there are only about 10 things that any smart player would stick to lol. So a lot of stuff in the game is next to useless.

    Online servers are trash in this game. Getting coop to work is already a nightmare and because of the servers being trash... Good luck. Some parts of the game don't even work for coop so you will have to find out which parts of the game are good for this sort of a thing. And while you're trying to get coop to work a invading player that's op or just plain cheating with mods can show up and crap on you which is always a bummer. Hilarious... But a bummer if you're actually trying to just have fun with your buddy in coop. You can play offline if you don't want to deal with invading players who are often cheaters but there is no way to play coop without having to worry about invaders. This is a huge disappointment with the game. Some defend it by saying that dark souls is just that sort of a game... But honestly... Why can't we have the best of both worlds? Maybe the game on PC can fix this problem with mods lol.

    Only certain areas are done with coop so don't think that you can play the game from start to finish with your friend. The game is lame like that. The game is designed to make players suffer in frustration essentially. Veteran players of the series will have a much easier time but even they too will be butt spanked by the game.

    The visuals are amazing as well as the music. Very good stuff here. It's also a game that's worth your money. It offers soooooo many secrets and areas to explore. The game has a lot of replay value and that's great. Controls are fairly effective as well. Once you get a feel for rolling, moving, and knowing when to attack and when to fall back you will truly start to understand what it feels like to be good at the game. Or you could just spam magic like crazy which basically turns the game into easy mode. JK lol... If you want to just spam magic it wont be that simple. You will still need to learn how to time things even if it is easier than using a melee weapon. A very challenging game and a game that's not for players expecting a easy game.

    Good game. But great? Nahh... maybe in some ways but because of limiting options for multiplayer, bad hit detection in some areas, OP stuff which takes out balance, frustrating areas like the 2 archers in the golden palace, story isn't really there, trash servers etc etc...

    It's hard to judge this game. I give the game a 7 to be the guy in the middle ground. Casual gamers would probably give the game a 6 because it's too hard for them and not what they are used to in a rpg. Hardcore challenge loving gamers would like it a lot because it's hard and deep (lolz). Everyone agrees though that the options for multiplayer/coop are weak and the servers suck. Everyone agrees that the story could be told in a more str8 forward way. Do it like skyrim. Have a bunch of little side stories to explore but the main story is still there. That satisfies both the casual and hardcore. Everyone agrees that there is OP stuff like Dark Bead. It's still a good game for the most part and a little different from your usual rpg that you have been getting for the past 20 years. I highly recommend at least experiencing the title just to see how rpg's can evolve these days. I liked it a whole lot but this review is for all gamers so I'm looking at it in a way that all gamers would. Obviously most players would have some gripes so this is a 6-8 depending on who you are really. Giving it a 10 is impossible for obvious reasons and giving it a 9 is being too nice.    … Expand
  35. SpunkyMonkey
    Dec 28, 2011
    6
    Whilst there's fun to be had in Dark Souls it is also a prime example of how dumb, sad and gullible it's core audience is as reading through comments and user reviews people seem to be more bothered about the fact that they can play a tough game as some kind of badge of honour than the game itself. You see, the game is actually very lazy - great graphics but naff all music, barely any RPGWhilst there's fun to be had in Dark Souls it is also a prime example of how dumb, sad and gullible it's core audience is as reading through comments and user reviews people seem to be more bothered about the fact that they can play a tough game as some kind of badge of honour than the game itself. You see, the game is actually very lazy - great graphics but naff all music, barely any RPG elements of which to speak (with hardly any plot or story to drive you on), and worst of all repetative gameplay that just makes the game DRAG. I don't mind fighting a tough boss 5, 10, 20 times to beat it, but when I have to run down an empty path for a few minutes just to get there first and then be killed in one hit it's hard to look back on the time spent travelling and finding any fun in it. Also, the game could get away with being to tough and merciless if it's mechanics worked well, but the camera gets stuck behind trees, you roll through solid walls, and most unforgivingly of all the targetting mechanic spins you round in the opposite direction if you're not close enough to an enemy - by which time the enemy has usually jumped you. Dark Soul's also doesn't allow you to pause the game....ever. Now, I don't know about you but sometimes I need to pee, eat or actually do things in real life such as answer a phone call, the fact that this wasn't included is beyond a joke. If you're batteries die mid combat? No pause screen, your man just stands there and dies. But, slap a tag on it that this game is for "real games" and the drongos will buy en mass *facepalm*. On the plus side the combat can be fun and once you're a bit tougher it isn't so bad - until you come to a new area which means hours grinding to get tough again. I've probably focussed a bit too much on the negative aspects of Dark Souls, but folk need to be warned that it's more than just a case of it being a hard game - it's a hard game that's mechanics are poor and doesn't allow for glitches or reality. Deffinately try before you buy.… Expand
  36. rykeith
    Oct 13, 2011
    6
    Borderline terrible controls and hit detection at times. Framerate suffers immensely when the screen is full of characters. Multiplayer is probably the worst I have ever experienced, tried for over an hour multilpe times to join other people or have them join me met with failure save for one time. Difficulty is as stated, but the game flirts with completely unfair/borderline impossibleBorderline terrible controls and hit detection at times. Framerate suffers immensely when the screen is full of characters. Multiplayer is probably the worst I have ever experienced, tried for over an hour multilpe times to join other people or have them join me met with failure save for one time. Difficulty is as stated, but the game flirts with completely unfair/borderline impossible with some of the enemies in the game. Overall, it's an ok game, nothing to write home about.… Expand
  37. Artomoz
    Aug 17, 2014
    6
    Disclaimer: Dark Souls is not made to suit the average gamers. Disregard all those bad reviews made by players who could not survive the first few fights of the game. I myself was frustrated in the beginning, until I realized if you play this game with an MMO mentality, you'll do well. If an area is difficult, grind, level up, try again, if it's still difficulty, grind level up, repeat.Disclaimer: Dark Souls is not made to suit the average gamers. Disregard all those bad reviews made by players who could not survive the first few fights of the game. I myself was frustrated in the beginning, until I realized if you play this game with an MMO mentality, you'll do well. If an area is difficult, grind, level up, try again, if it's still difficulty, grind level up, repeat.

    The game boasts about difficulty, in the end, it's not the difficulty of the game, it's being patient and studying your enemies, knowing what level certain areas require and once again, being patient. Average gamers expect a Skyrim experience where you can just take on a mob, that's not the case with Dark Souls, the game will punish you for bad decisions.

    The game itself is a broken mess, which adds to the "difficulty." The game suffers from: bad frame rate, terrible game mechanics, bad hit detection, bad button input response and recognition. Hence why the 6 is being given, bad game development does not yield a difficult game, it's just lazy development.

    Aside from the negatives, the lore of this game is very interesting and will keep you going through out the game. The areas a player visits are interesting, while very linear, the developers did a good job in giving it a pseudo free roam feeling.    … Expand
  38. scott13
    Nov 10, 2011
    6
    Dark souls is a good game if you like games to be really hard (like me) but it is repetative and ign thought it was going to destroy skyrim. not even close to as good as skyrim.
  39. MikeHammersmith
    May 24, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A completely original concept is hard to come by, yet the Undead lands of Dark Souls offer exactly that. Unfortunely, this game will alienate a lot of people, myself included, due to its odd take on gaming. What's so odd about it? You're expected to fail CONSTANTLY at this game. It's part of the misery the characters all live in, and you'll find yourself battling through the same scenario over and over to try and scratch out just another inch of ground before falling again. It's merciless, and I honestly enjoyed it to a point. Eventually though, I decided that it was just a hair *too* depressing to spend 3 hours battling, using up consumables, and actually be worse off than when you started. I'd recommend everyone that likes action RPGS to play it, as it's actually a great game, but it will certainly test how far you're willing to go to acheive success.… Expand
  40. MelkorMorgoth
    Feb 13, 2013
    6
    The mixed bag of mixed bags, Dark Souls shines incandescently in some places while falling flat on its face in others. First come the graphics; the environments are stunning and detailed to perfection, but constant frame rate drops can ruin them at times. Combat can sometimes be a marvel and it can sometimes be a chore, at times (mostly boss fights) its fantastic, flows beautifully, and isThe mixed bag of mixed bags, Dark Souls shines incandescently in some places while falling flat on its face in others. First come the graphics; the environments are stunning and detailed to perfection, but constant frame rate drops can ruin them at times. Combat can sometimes be a marvel and it can sometimes be a chore, at times (mostly boss fights) its fantastic, flows beautifully, and is a ton of fun whilst playing CO-OP, but outside of that the combat consists of exploiting the AI of other enemies...mostly the criminally overpowered back-stab or the Parry--Riposte combo which is so powerful and easy it almost breaks the game. Story wise the lore of Lordran is rich and interesting... but the story your character is taken on is abysmal. the story ceases to tell what you are doing, why you are doing it, and why it will matter for the first half of the game.... and when finished with the first of your tedious tasks your then introduced to a character who tells you to do go on a scavenger hunt for reasons you won't understand unless you've delved deeply into the lore. the story doesn't really suck you in or even make you care about what your doing, and the pay off includes two extremely vague and lackluster endings and NG+ which boosts up the difficulty higher every time you complete the game...its good at first but after a while it really limits what you can and can't do whilst playing. while in the first playthrough you can really use any weapon you please to with only a few exceptions...the higher NG your on the more it limits how your going play (you find yourself using overpowered black knight weapons or overpowered sorceries constantly which make the game boring). its these polarizing qualities that the game has that made me give it this score, sometimes i have a blast while playing it, other times i contemplate selling it. if you haven't played it yet I'd recommend you rent it before buying it, there's a chance you'll like it...but its a very very small one… Expand
  41. Sunykamey
    Jun 17, 2015
    6
    Unforgiving this game doesn't hold your hand explains nothing at all and asks from you to figure everything out by yourself. If you like this than maybe it's for you. But beware the gameplay gets repetitive and the enemies just stronger and more unfair.
  42. TundraFreeze
    Aug 19, 2013
    6
    If you are going to make a game this long have the decency to add a storyline to it, because this is not acceptable. Dark Souls features a fun and challenging combat system, with a plethora of weird and fantastic monsters to fight. The different zones or environments you travel through are equally as unique and fantastic as the enemy monster designs. So this game does some things reallyIf you are going to make a game this long have the decency to add a storyline to it, because this is not acceptable. Dark Souls features a fun and challenging combat system, with a plethora of weird and fantastic monsters to fight. The different zones or environments you travel through are equally as unique and fantastic as the enemy monster designs. So this game does some things really well. What it fails at is the storyline, which is far too thin to engage you, in particular for a game this long. I had trouble finishing the game because I simply stopped caring about it, it became boring because there is no real storyline in it. The storyline seems to have been attached as an after-thought. A thin storyline is acceptable in a short game, say 10 hours or so which is how long Demon's Souls was, but not in an 80 hour game. If I am to enjoy an 80 hour game I need some kind of storyline, something to hook me in and keep me interested. Dark Souls does not do that. It does not help that your character has no personality, he or she is just a killing machine, nothing more nothing less. Bottomline: if you want an action RPG with an engaging storyline and a protagonist with a personality I would think twice before buying this game, but if you just want to fight your way through some unique-looking monsters in equally unique environments you might enjoy Dark Souls.… Expand
  43. Frewp
    Oct 18, 2011
    5
    Dark Souls isn't a bad game, but it isn't great. I am a hardcore gamer, in fact I have been playing my whole life and I love challenging games, but this game has the sharpest difficulty curve anyone will understand. The first boss is probably one of the most easiest bosses in gaming history, but the second (which is probably 5-10 minutes right after the first) seems as if you played theDark Souls isn't a bad game, but it isn't great. I am a hardcore gamer, in fact I have been playing my whole life and I love challenging games, but this game has the sharpest difficulty curve anyone will understand. The first boss is probably one of the most easiest bosses in gaming history, but the second (which is probably 5-10 minutes right after the first) seems as if you played the final boss of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Ganon" with your controller upside down, blinded. Then after THAT boss, theres even a harder one requiring lots of grinding just to defeat him. Then the next, then the next, then the next. Very repetitive grinding, any console RPG game shouldn't have grinding, at all. We're not playing World of Warcraft.

    It's not a bad game, but before going deeply into difficulty, you have to give players a more grip of the game before giving them a near-impossible boss for a beginner. Yes, I did beat it, I love challenges.    … Expand
  44. whitespider999
    Feb 13, 2012
    5
    Instead of falling into the love it or hate it category. I am kind of indifferent about dark souls. It's certainly challenging. And there is a serious sense of empowerment from overcoming a situation based on understanding it. The combat is well constructed, and certainly involves more elements of craft than something like skyrim's. However after 63 hours with this game. I really haveInstead of falling into the love it or hate it category. I am kind of indifferent about dark souls. It's certainly challenging. And there is a serious sense of empowerment from overcoming a situation based on understanding it. The combat is well constructed, and certainly involves more elements of craft than something like skyrim's. However after 63 hours with this game. I really have nothing to say about it beyond listing it's features. Nothing is memorable besides the difficulty. It's almost mathematical. With no emotion or sweeping adventure. It's cold. And kind of dead. And that might be the point of what is being presented - however it's moving parts don't create something fascinating or magical or emotional. But rather a construct for masochistic players. I don't like being punished. Or hated. I don't like mean spirited things. This game feels like a heavy metal listening programmer - He's cold and condescending, ferociously skilled and talented - however the more time you spend with him, the less you like him. I liked dark souls until I understood dark souls. Now I am happy to be away, smiling, and supporting people. Being a good person. In the nice fresh air. Free. Free to enjoy the world and smile. And smell flowers. And kiss, and hug. And love.… Expand
  45. zenmechanic
    Oct 15, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted very much to like this game. It just didn't give me an opportunity to. After your initial tutorial, you have a boss fight that would be the equivalent of the last boss encounter in most games. The trash mobs that follow?.... killed me about 20 times in a row. That just isn't fun. Dark souls is for the hardcore only, and they will likely enjoy the hell out of it, but if, like me, you play most games on the 'normal' setting? you wont last ten minutes playing this game before you give up in frustration. Save your money for Skyrim.… Expand
  46. Stfu_Noobs
    Nov 20, 2011
    5
    Played Demon Soul's fought through hours of death( I must have died a 1000 time) anyways i don't feel I gained anything for it, Even though i told myself i shouldn't get Dark Soul (I did anyways) well... I guess its just not my kind of game. I get on die, die and die again. Sometimes its not even my fault. And your character really has no goals other than to just get through alive. ThePlayed Demon Soul's fought through hours of death( I must have died a 1000 time) anyways i don't feel I gained anything for it, Even though i told myself i shouldn't get Dark Soul (I did anyways) well... I guess its just not my kind of game. I get on die, die and die again. Sometimes its not even my fault. And your character really has no goals other than to just get through alive. The game just wasn't rewarding enough for all the dying.… Expand
  47. tdebug
    Dec 23, 2013
    5
    Though game play is reach and interesting, difficulty is what really killing this game. By difficulty I mean not difficult enemies they are great. Unfortunately really a lot of dump repetitive actions involved in the gameplay. You die really often and respawn really far from that point. I wish they have save and load option, allowing to save at any point.
  48. gabriot
    Apr 21, 2014
    5
    The only reason this game is hard at all is because hp is pretty much useless - you're going to die in 3 or less hits no matter what health you are. If they'd just be more forgiving in the game it'd be something i could enjoy, but instead what I get is a game that is far more frustrating than it is enjoyable. Call me crazy, but the reason I play games is to have fun. I suppose that'sThe only reason this game is hard at all is because hp is pretty much useless - you're going to die in 3 or less hits no matter what health you are. If they'd just be more forgiving in the game it'd be something i could enjoy, but instead what I get is a game that is far more frustrating than it is enjoyable. Call me crazy, but the reason I play games is to have fun. I suppose that's not the point of this game, because it certainly isn't that fun when you die and lose literally everything you accumulated (and if you used any consumable items, they've now gone to waste).

    Basically the only reason this game has the hype that it has, is that they just made the default and only selectable game mode the "insane" difficulty option. It sucks because I feel there's actually a good game here waiting to be played, unfortunately I have neither the patience nor mad skills to experience it. They should have just had an "easy" mode or something for players that don't enjoy playing the same section of a level 50+ times just to get that "perfect" run where you play absolutely perfectly and don't die.

    Hardly anything in the game is explained either, so unless you google things, you will never know what half the stats or terms in this game mean. Even with the in-game tooltips, it doesn't explain anything.

    On top of that, the game itself has some serious flaws. First off, you can't change the control scheme, which is completely unacceptable, first on the principal of it all, but furthermore for the fact that the default scheme makes zero sense and half the time you make a mistake it's because of the AWFUL control scheme. None of it is intuitive.

    The lock on mechanism is completely broken too, it never locks on to who you need it to, and you can't just cycle through enemies, you have to unlock on, then relock on and hope the game magically chooses the correct. All the while this is happing, you are getting peppered with fire bombs, the camera is swinging around in all manner of horrible directions, and your block direction will be compromised and you will probably get hit, which will take half your **** hp away.

    All in all it's a gimicky game that should be thankful as hell that it's hype train went "viral" and allowed a pretty mediocre broken game to sell tons of copies, and gather rave reviews that it absolutely does NOT deserve.

    Avoid this game unless you are a hardcore gamer that loves playing games on insane difficulty from the get-go.    … Expand
  49. Firemind
    Oct 27, 2012
    5
    Dark Souls is a good game in some ways. I like the way you fight and how you have to watch out for traps, attacks and so on. It's pretty cool, because you won't come far with button-smashing.That's something I really like about Dark Souls. Also there's nothing to say about the difficulty of the game: it's okay, but sometimes unfair. For example: you search the area for the next checkpointDark Souls is a good game in some ways. I like the way you fight and how you have to watch out for traps, attacks and so on. It's pretty cool, because you won't come far with button-smashing.That's something I really like about Dark Souls. Also there's nothing to say about the difficulty of the game: it's okay, but sometimes unfair. For example: you search the area for the next checkpoint and meet an enemy, that's much higher than you are. So you die, that's okay. But you lose all the Exp gained on the way to this enemy. So you've got two options: forget the Exp, farm everything again or you try to get it back, but actually there's no chance of getting it back, because you die again if you go there, where your Exp are. So what? You farm again and again and again. You spend hours and hours farming the same routes over and over again. If you like this, go and play World of Warcraft but in Dark Souls it's just annoying. I really want to like this game, but it's difficult to like it that way. Don't be fooled by all of these hype-guys, giving the game a 10. It's an average game, but nothing more. Dragon's Dogma is much more fun, nearly the same way of Gameplay and you have the choice how difficult that game is.… Expand
  50. Daelus
    Feb 17, 2015
    5
    The Good - fun combat and a big world to explore. Good customization.

    The Bad - It's a long list, but the main ones: 1. The Cult-like fanboys of this game claim it is the hardest game out there....BS. The only truly difficult part of this game is the beginning bosses aren't scaled. The later bosses are the same toughness, but you are leveled with better equipment making the vast    The Good - fun combat and a big world to explore. Good customization.

    The Bad - It's a long list, but the main ones:

    1. The Cult-like fanboys of this game claim it is the hardest game out there....BS. The only truly difficult part of this game is the beginning bosses aren't scaled. The later bosses are the same toughness, but you are leveled with better equipment making the vast majority a cakewalk (and parry/ reposte is so op broken that anything less than a boss, and even some of them, is laughable). That lack of scaling (both ways) is a huge fail. I was as disappointed with the incredible toughness of the first few bosses as I was with the lack of challenge of the last 2/3rds. (Bed of Chaos....what a joke).

    2. Whomever designed this basically single player game to include live mp content was a moron. You can't pause the game for any reason (bathroom) or some "committed" fanboy will invade your realm and kill you (if you are human)....and that's in 2015...I can't imagine how annoying that would have been when the game was popular.....unbelievable fail. Many games have a mp component to a sp game....BUT THEY'RE SEPARATE!!!!!!!

    3. Story really, really sucks. In truth there really is no story as you could "complete" the game without ever knowing what you were doing or why. Again, the fanboys claim that is by design and that the game doesn't "hold your hand" like all other RPG's....joke on both fronts. Outside of Fable, I have never encountered an RPG that holds your hand more than this game....every 5 feet there is an unmissable note on the floor telling you exactly what to do right in that exact spot...even though you have no idea why you are doing it.....the lack of story is why this game has so many player communities on the net as nobody knows what to do or why.

    4. Inventory system is the worst I have ever experienced.....you can't sell your junk and by the time you figure that out, simply dropping the stuff (and no, dupes are not stacked!!!) takes forever...what the ^%& is the point of 25 broken swords!!!!!!!!!!!    … Expand
  51. Andremax
    Sep 10, 2018
    5
    As everyone knows, Dark Souls brings a totally different proposal comparing any other game for its generation, bringing challenging that is too much missed in any other videogame. But the PC version is too much better than consoles. Computer version has been enhanced about playabiliy and few about graphics. The game, not being hard enough, its simply unplayable in X360 because ofAs everyone knows, Dark Souls brings a totally different proposal comparing any other game for its generation, bringing challenging that is too much missed in any other videogame. But the PC version is too much better than consoles. Computer version has been enhanced about playabiliy and few about graphics. The game, not being hard enough, its simply unplayable in X360 because of difficulty of moving character and rolling on the combats. To play this worthwhile game, come and buy the PC "Prepare to Die" or "Remastered" versions instead of console's common.… Expand
  52. Krawbeard
    Nov 24, 2013
    5
    Definitely mixed with my review on this. I want to simplify this without going into a novel.

    Combat is slow in this game. I understand this a game where you have to learn from your mistakes, so i'm not going to rip on the difficulty of this game, infact that's why people love this game so much. The story is a good one that'll keep you wanting more, but to me the game just lacks.    Definitely mixed with my review on this. I want to simplify this without going into a novel.

    Combat is slow in this game. I understand this a game where you have to learn from your mistakes, so i'm not going to rip on the difficulty of this game, infact that's why people love this game so much.

    The story is a good one that'll keep you wanting more, but to me the game just lacks.

    I think the reason its not for me is because I'm an adult with several responsibilities and a full time job along with a Girlfriend I love to spend time with.

    I'm more of a casual gamer so to say. This is my opinion.
    If you're a casual gamer that loves to play for the fun of games then I wouldn't play it if I were you.

    Now if you're somebody who feels like they need to feel like they accomplished something in life then this game will make you feel so after you rise up to the top of this challenging foe.

    However real life itself to me is very challenging/frustrating where I learn from my own mistakes and feel accomplished when I complete something impeccable, so I don't need Dark souls to give me that sense of accomplishment.

    Definitely a perfect game if you're an expert gamer who devotes most of their life to games. In fact for hardcore gamers I would give it a 10 but for someone like me it gets a 5.

    I just didn't have the time and patience to play something this challenging with real life knocking at my door. Perhaps if I had a good paying part time job and didn't have to pay bills along with other responsibilities I would love this game.    … Expand
  53. Tanis70
    Dec 5, 2014
    5
    I won't deny it's technically irreprehensible.
    If the only thing that interest you in a game is a high level of challenge, you're welcome, and you'll find plenty here. Along with a ridicuolous plot, nice graphics and... uhm nothing else.
    If you're the kind of people that believes "it's cool to eat roasted spiders because it's challenging and something only for the brave", well... it's    I won't deny it's technically irreprehensible.
    If the only thing that interest you in a game is a high level of challenge, you're welcome, and you'll find plenty here. Along with a ridicuolous plot, nice graphics and... uhm nothing else.
    If you're the kind of people that believes "it's cool to eat roasted spiders because it's challenging and something only for the brave", well... it's the game for you (if you have also the time to go through a steep learning curve.
    If like me, you will always like a good, honest, everyday steak over roasted spiders, well maybe it's not the game for you.    … Expand
  54. Kire_92
    Mar 21, 2018
    5
    At first I really liked this game but the more I played it got less and less interesting.

    The setting and the difficulty of the game was really appealing. But the more I played it started to feel very repetitive. .Sure the game got different environments and enemies. But the overall gameplay and combat became stale and repetitive. And after a few hours of gameplay new bosses didn’t seem    At first I really liked this game but the more I played it got less and less interesting.

    The setting and the difficulty of the game was really appealing. But the more I played it started to feel very repetitive. .Sure the game got different environments and enemies. But the overall gameplay and combat became stale and repetitive. And after a few hours of gameplay new bosses didn’t seem interesting to me and the magic that had hooked me to the game wore off.

    If I could have stayed as interested as I was at the start throughout the whole game I would give this game a very high score. But that was not the case. But at the same time I can understand why others would love this game. Tough in the end it was not for me.    … Expand
  55. 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
  56. TooGoods
    Nov 19, 2011
    4
    Good game, but the cheap deaths is a very negative aspect to this game, and there's a lot of it. The story is not as good as Dark Souls and the absence of a central "Nexus" also ruins this game for me. I feel that the bosses are also not as memorable as Dark Souls. Another negative thing is that the game is full of people who spam "soul" glitches to reach levels that are far too highGood game, but the cheap deaths is a very negative aspect to this game, and there's a lot of it. The story is not as good as Dark Souls and the absence of a central "Nexus" also ruins this game for me. I feel that the bosses are also not as memorable as Dark Souls. Another negative thing is that the game is full of people who spam "soul" glitches to reach levels that are far too high (300-700) to even challenge against when you are in certain covenants such as the Darkmoon covenant.… Expand
  57. afrr23
    Dec 30, 2011
    4
    This is a good game, so hear me out.It's the falling attack gimmick that irks me and made me quit.Most boss fights revolve around finding some place to climb up, waiting and using said falling attack to do a huge amount of damage to him.Not only does this kill the mood of the fight but it makes no sense to me whatsoever.I just can't take a game that presents itself as "difficult" andThis is a good game, so hear me out.It's the falling attack gimmick that irks me and made me quit.Most boss fights revolve around finding some place to climb up, waiting and using said falling attack to do a huge amount of damage to him.Not only does this kill the mood of the fight but it makes no sense to me whatsoever.I just can't take a game that presents itself as "difficult" and "challenging" seriously when such simple and illogical methods defeat these monstrous bosses we are presented with.… Expand
  58. 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
  59. 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
  60. 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
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. NxtDoc
    Nov 17, 2020
    4
    Absolutely horrendous frame rate. Some areas are borderline unplayable. Such a disgrace coming from the spiritual successor of Demons Souls. Not sure how this game is rated so high
  64. GahsLva
    May 19, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game has many problems.
    PvE:it has by Far the worst PvE of souls series its the most gankyest,even the bosses are gankers,Taurus demon,Gargoyles,Iron Golem, Ornstein & Smough,Nito,Four Kings,Pinwheel,Capra Demon,Gaping Dragon.

    There's also many ganks on the areas of the game,the most ridiculous example was these skeleton wheels,they're actually stronger than the bosses itself.

    PvP:It's completely trash, unplayabe,dark bead ,backstabs,Pursuers,R1 spammers,roll spammers,parry spammers,Hackers,Glitchers etc.

    Bosses:Every singles Boss that HAS "Demon" on its name is VERY bad,and they are MANY,not only demon bosses are bad,but as well pinwheel,Gargoyles;
    And finally the MAIN reason to every single soulslike player,hate this game,BED OF CHAOS.
    The only bosses i like in this game are,Sif, Artorias,Gwyn,these are really amazing.
    The others are Just BS.

    Difficulty: game lacks difficulty,estus flask Is completely broken,poise is broken,dex weapons,STR weapons are broken,any kind of spell,humanity as well,you can break the game really early Very easy,every single Boss has a ridiculously low amount of life,you can one shot almost ALL of them easy,by Far was ridiculously easy.    … Expand
  65. 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
  66. 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
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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!!!!
  71. 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
  72. 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
  73. 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
  74. 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
  75. 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.
  76. 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
  77. 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
  78. r3l3ntl3ss
    Feb 17, 2012
    1
    1 line to prove a badly put together game:
    Peoples mouths don't move, nuff sed. If From Studios cant animate mouths then what CAN they do. The games a bore and as you encounter the same enemy relentlessly the urge to rip your own eyeballs from your head increases. If you are thinking of getting this game, go for a more up to date game like one from the fallout series or elder scrolls. This    1 line to prove a badly put together game:
    Peoples mouths don't move, nuff sed. If From Studios cant animate mouths then what CAN they do. The games a bore and as you encounter the same enemy relentlessly the urge to rip your own eyeballs from your head increases. If you are thinking of getting this game, go for a more up to date game like one from the fallout series or elder scrolls. This game had the making of a brilliant game , its a shame it was put into the hands of From Studios.    … Expand
  79. 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
  80. 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
  81. 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
  82. 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
  83. 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
  84. 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
  85. WideningTuna
    May 6, 2012
    0
    Story sucks. Too difficult. Don't waist your time with this game. Takes hours upon hours to do anything. Don't wait your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  86. 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
  87. iozay
    Nov 1, 2012
    0
    The game is impossible to control. Controles are by default incorrect displayed in the interface(For PC version at least). I would defenitely not recommend this game to anyone. The game defenitely has a lot of potential but is not executed well.
  88. 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
  89. 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
  90. xXCoD4LyFXx
    Nov 14, 2012
    0
    wat i booght this gaym and WAAT!!! no guns??????? wat kynd of game has no guns?!?!?!11/

    ryt anywaiz, teh game is just so terible. u do lyk NO DAMMAJ to mostners srsly?? do tey evn want ppl to win? lolol is it hard?? no its just super unballanced sword does 10 dammag??! in cod knyf kills 1 hit always so sord shud do like, 0-shot some1! okey so after playin sum more i got atacked by    wat i booght this gaym and WAAT!!! no guns??????? wat kynd of game has no guns?!?!?!11/

    ryt anywaiz, teh game is just so terible. u do lyk NO DAMMAJ to mostners srsly?? do tey evn want ppl to win? lolol is it hard?? no its just super unballanced sword does 10 dammag??! in cod knyf kills 1 hit always so sord shud do like, 0-shot some1!

    okey so after playin sum more i got atacked by some **** and tey killed me evn when i hit em! wat a peece of sheet. review: bosses lol dun bovver tey kill u cause tey ****s, all plaayurs are knyfer ****s an dun fyt faare and just evrythin wong wit it. by cod an enjoy kilin ****s in one-go wit ur knyf lolol oh and cod has gunz!!!! like, so mutch coller than ****gy swords    … Expand
  91. Raizulee1
    Apr 22, 2013
    0
    This game is the most overrated ever! Let me Explain why I think this game is bad.......1st: There is no choice of difficulty settings, instead you were force to be challenge all the time (which I hate).......2nd: Its exactly the same game as Demon Souls, only difference is the place, environment and the monsters, people was mad that "COD" always being a rip off from its previous gameThis game is the most overrated ever! Let me Explain why I think this game is bad.......1st: There is no choice of difficulty settings, instead you were force to be challenge all the time (which I hate).......2nd: Its exactly the same game as Demon Souls, only difference is the place, environment and the monsters, people was mad that "COD" always being a rip off from its previous game every time but what about Dark Souls rip off Demon Souls?..... 3rd: Its not "open world" type like Skyrim or Fallout 3 but instead your were force to go on a linear path anywhere........4th: There is very few dialogue choices while communicating with several NPCs (infact there were very few NPCs) on a game which its genre has being called an "RPG" game........5th There is no "cheats" or what so ever for players who are so frustrated by the game and doesn't want to be challenge.......6th: There is no storyline to it, just a linear dialogue and cutscene to push you forward? To me gaming is about "fun" and I find this game isn't about "fun" but "challenges". For me who has less "free time" and a busy person, I find this game a horrible game for me...... If I want to be challenged, I'll do it in real life like challenge myself in sports or any competition that benefits me in real life and not on a nerd virtual videogame that was made by someone who is successful at making money from giving others "challenges".… Expand
  92. 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
  93. Broyax
    Mar 30, 2017
    0
    Par rapport au premier (Demon's Souls), il y a comme un progrès au niveau des graphismes bien qu'en fait les cache-misères comme une ambiance (trop) sombre et la faible luminosité soient utilisés trop fréquemment mais admettons. Cela reste laid pour les standards actuels (ou même passés) en matière de RPG.

    A part ça, on retrouve les tics (et les TOC...) de From Software : des menus    Par rapport au premier (Demon's Souls), il y a comme un progrès au niveau des graphismes bien qu'en fait les cache-misères comme une ambiance (trop) sombre et la faible luminosité soient utilisés trop fréquemment mais admettons. Cela reste laid pour les standards actuels (ou même passés) en matière de RPG.

    A part ça, on retrouve les tics (et les TOC...) de From Software : des menus moches et pas pratiques, une interface pourrie et une maniabilité à revoir. On retrouve aussi cette difficulté ridiculement élevée et des points de sauvegarde tous les 36 du mois : il s'agira donc de recommencer, encore et encore jusqu'au par coeur comme une récitation de CE2 (c'est le niveau des joueurs actuels, c'est leur mentalité). D'ailleurs, je n'avais encore jamais vu de RPG qui vous balance un boss dans la gueule au bout de 45 secondes (c'est un record...).

    Pour le reste -s'il y a vraiment un reste ou des restes- c'est un monde creux mais qui n'est plus aussi niais que les jeux de rôle japoniais que les Japonais ont l'habitude de nous jeter en pâture : assez logique puisqu'on passe sa vie (enfin façon de parler) à mourir : c'est "hardcore" et vous ne verrez aucun chocobo, non, non. Monde creux et générique donc, peu développé et sans aucune histoire digne de ce nom.

    Finalement je ne vois aucune raison de persister à se faire chier dans un jeu pareil, à part une inquiétante tendance au masochisme.    … Expand
  94. 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.
  95. AmonOsiris
    May 11, 2020
    0
    From software are the worst company ever. They make poor games amp the difficulty because they know people will eat it up. Your not good for beating this game. You need a life. Hated this game and anything else theyve done. Fix your games from
  96. avhscopyofalien
    Jul 8, 2020
    0
    my favorite game of all time. yeah, it's difficult, but it's one of the best slices of media i've ever consumed...
  97. Rmznator
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    One of the best rpg if not the best, great characters, a creative map and a unimprovable gameplay, prepare to die
next
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 »