Is Demon Souls Remake Worth It? Gameplay Review

Demon Souls Remake is a good reminder of the classic souls-like game making you wonder Is Demon Souls Remake worth It? The game has been out for quite some time and it was a testament for Blue Point games to make it feel like the original one while still being a modern game. It is a good reminder of the classic souls-like game that is a massive improvement over the original one while still having the essence of the original. It has good character customization, role-playing, and combat. Demon Souls Remake has some major surprises despite retaining the core features. It can be considered an example of a good remake that has a cult following. The game shows why the PS3 Demon Souls was such a big deal and makes it even better.

A good remake should stay close to the source material while still being the modern version of it. That way, it can cater to both the old fans and new players. Demon Souls Remake can be good for both new and old players depending on their attachment to the series. It improves everything from combat to general gameplay and presents it through stunning visuals. It is a PlayStation 5 Launch title so it is a must-play for anyone who wants to experience everything the console has to offer. The combat is still as intense but it’s more responsive making it even better. Being a next-gen game enables it to do stuff that was not possible on the PlayStation 3. All this makes you think, Is Demon Souls Remake worth It? Let’s find out in the review.

Premise

You start with creating a character with a wide variety of options for character creation. You can make a demon-looking character that looks intimidating or downright horrible. There are lots of options so you can tweak them here and there until you are satisfied with the character. After that, you get to select one of the classes and start the game.

Demon Souls Remake is not a story-driven game so its story is not too deep. It takes place in Boletaria which is a fictional kingdom in a fictional world. Boletaria has been enveloped by fog because the king was doing something with the demons. This resulted in a misstep and all hell broke loose. The story is not too deep so don’t expect too much from it. Most of it is narrated through NPCs and written material but you can also find lore through exploration. At times, you might not even know why you are doing a certain thing. The plot is a simple one and it helps in supporting the narrative of the game. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It? to you for its premise. There is more to it.

Setting

It is not an open-world game but rather multi regional. There are five worlds, each one of them is different than the other in terms of both formation and challenges. The five worlds are not different just because their difficulty is different. When it comes to the difficulty they are all pretty much the same. You would need to change tactics to get better at a level. Each map has different enemies so they will react differently making combat varied for each level. Some levels will have different types of enemies so you would need to constantly change strategies to keep up. It is a souls-like game, so even a weak enemy could kill you if you are not careful enough. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It to you for its improved setting? Well, there is more to the game than looks.

Locations are creepy with some weird-looking stuff and quite a bit of detail. This makes the setting of the game more dreadful and immersive. There is a lot of darkness in the game even though most of its setting is pretty dark already. Some areas are barren but they still have a lot of details. You can see ledges falling as you go through these areas. The environment is responsive so it will react to the character walking around. The dark narrow tunnels are more claustrophobic than the original one. Steam rising from the lavs is more impressive. Thanks to the powerful hardware of the PlayStation 5 everything feels much better. Such things were not possible with the PlayStation 3 for the original Demon’s Souls.

Combat

Combat is one of the main aspects of the game. The original Demon’s Souls was the game that started the trend of souls-like games. Just like all other souls-like games, Demon’s Souls prides itself on hard combat. Combat is difficult and even a minor action can result in death if you are not careful.

The combat is not just about pure difficulty but rather depends on smart decisions. You have to decide whether you want to attack or defend. Both costs stamina and taking a wrong decision could be the end of you. Smart decisions are important because you might need to defend yourself but won’t be able so since you would have spent it on the attack.

The core combat is hack & slash but needs to be played carefully. This is what makes hack & slash games different than souls-like games. Enemies can surround you and attack you so you have to stay vigilant. Weapons are different not just in stats and characteristics but animations as well. Each weapon type has a finisher which gives it an identity and resonates with the characteristics of the weapon.

Combat is relentless and the game will throw you in daunting situations. After dying in the tutorial you will find yourself with half health. In the section after that, you will need to heal yourself as the game will just leave you half of your total health. The relentless nature of the game also makes combat good. The satisfaction you feel after taking down a boss that has been beating you for hours is unique to the souls-like games. Is Demon Souls Remake worth it to you for its combat? There is still more to it.

Bosses and Enemies

There are different bosses in the game and each one has unique mechanics. The mechanics of bosses will push you to the limit. Deciding when to attack and when to block will be crucial for survival. The way they react to your attacks is good making boss fights entertaining and frustrating at the same time. Demon’s Souls Remake is hard since it is a souls-like game so this much is to be expected.

Even the normal enemy type can pose a danger if you are not careful enough. There are different types of enemies in the game and each one requires different tactics. So players have to consider who they are facing when engaging in combat. Each area has different types of enemies that will make the combat varied levels. Areas are dominated by certain types of enemies but you will also find different types of enemies in each area from time to time. Some enemies have been redesigned but most of them remain the same. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It for enemies and bosses? Let’s discuss it in the general gameplay.

Same yet Different

The game is the same as the original yet different. The core mechanics are the same yet it improves on everything else. It is still very much the Demon’s Souls game that made us fall in love with the souls-like genre. Enemy locations, traps, and other such locations are the same as the original. The game does not change any of it but rather makes it better. Everything is more detailed which makes it seem better. The combat is more responsive even though at its core it is still the same. Responsiveness makes it feel a lot better.

There are not many changes when it comes to combat and gameplay. According to the developers, they directly imported combat data from the original game. That seems to be the truth since the basics of combat remain the same. As mentioned earlier the timing of the attacks, evade, sword speed, health and block are the same but it still feels different. Some weapon animations have been updated but most remain the same. Though all of the animations are much better than the original one.

General Gameplay

The basic structure of the progression is simple, kill enemies, collect souls, then use it to level up, buy items, and repairing items. Souls are the only currency in the game, so souls can be used for everything that requires currency. The original Demon’s Souls kicked of the souls-like genre and started the trend of souls-like games.

At times it feels experimental but it is still amazing. The modernization makes it seem far better than how the original game was despite retaining the core features. The weight of the items and even the weight limit seem pretty much to be the same. The players climb on ledges also similar to the original one, a trend that disappeared from Dark Souls games. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It? for its general gameplay. Let’s discuss some more before concluding.

The load times are also quite fast thanks to the fast SSD of the PlayStation 5.  You will be in the game in a few seconds which is amazing considering the fact that you die a lot. UI is better but still shares similarities with the original one to some extent. The visibility of items and the UI are clearer overall. Everything is more impactful since they look better and have a sense of depth to them.  Everything is certainly better than original visuals making them look better.

The Immersion

Nexus is the same but yet feels better since it has also a better version than the original one. The Voices of some characters are the same as the developers’ recorded voice-overs from the original voice actors. There are some new voices as well but all of them are pretty impressive.

The game support 3D audio and you can feel sounds coming from different directions. At times the 3D audio would even help you evade an attack as you can guess its distance and direction from the sound alone. The game also utilizes all that DualSense has to offer making it more immersive. It supports both the adaptive triggers and hepatic feedback. You can feel the material and clash of the weapon through the DualSense controller.

Visuals

Thanks to the powerful hardware of the PS5 it is one of the best-looking games ever. Enemies look good and the expression of NPCs is noticeable. Lighting, effects, blood, and other things around you are also good, making the game visually impressive. Bosses have better animation and are more responsive to attacks. Their spirit and core combat mechanics are still pretty much the same. The environment will react to your presence such as flickering of torches when you pass by them or rising of dust where you walk etc.

There are two graphic modes in the Demon’s Souls game. One is Cinematic mode and the other is Performance mode. The game runs at 4K resolution with ray tracing at 30FPS. The second is Performance mode and the game runs at upscale 4k at 60FPS without ray tracing. The game looks amazing in both cinematic and performance mode. If you want to see it with the best visuals then Cinematic mode is the way to go. I prefer performance mode since it makes it game smoother. In the end, it depends on your personal preference. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It? to you for its visual.

The Structure

When you die before reaching a checkpoint you lose everything. The only way to retrieve it is by going back to the location where you died and pick it up again. If you die again before collecting it then you will lose everything. When you open a path or short cut then it will remain open and when you collect an item then it will remain collected even if you die before reaching the checkpoint.

Going to Nexus will reset all the enemies in an area. You can also send the item directly to storage without returning it to the Nexus. So if you don’t have to go to Nexus after every checkpoint unless you have no other option. This structure is similar to The Surge 2 and other souls-like games. Is Demon’s Souls Remake worth It? There is still some more to it.

The game is dependent on farming to get health, material, and everything else. You can spend a lot of time killing enemies for farming which can get frustrating. You can use a tool belt for quick improvement in the middle of combat. Its progression and farming structure are pretty straightforward.

 

Multiplayer and Tendency

The basic structure of Demon’s Souls Remake is the same but the tendency is a different story. It is a morality system that is affected by the action of your character. There are two types of tendencies, character tendency, and world tendency. The good and bad actions you take will affect both of these tendencies. This time the game explains a little bit of it but it is still more complex than the morality system of other RPG games.

Demon Souls Remake has a multiplayer system but it is not that extensive. It is the same as before and this type of system is common in souls-like games. It is not a live service game or a coop focus game so don’t expect too much. Certain conditions need to be met to and an item needs to be used to enable multiplayer. Is Demon Souls Remake worth It to you for all that it has to offer? Let’s find out in the verdict.

Verdict

Demon’s Souls Remake is a good remake that makes the game a lot better while still retaining the core mechanics of the original game. These core mechanics made us fall in love with the game and the remake makes them better. It looks better and plays better making it a better version of the original one. It is the perfect game for all the people who like souls-like games. After all the PlayStation exclusive original Demon’s Souls was the game that kick-started the genre.

It’s not like the game is extremely difficult. It is more than just about pure difficulty as you have to know the stats, damage types, and mechanics of bosses to be successful. You would need to try again and again until you learn how to tackle a challenge. Boss fights are frustrating and can get on your nerves so knowing the mechanics can help a lot. Combat is more responsive and yet feels the same. It improves most of the things that made the original game such a great one while still feeling the same.

Now let’s answer the question Is Demon Souls Remake worth it? If you are a fan of the souls-like games and like the original Demon’s Souls then you will defiantly like this one. It is one of the few next-gen PlayStation 5 exclusive games so if you have PlayStation 5 then it is a must-buy. For fans of souls-like games and anyone that wants to try the souls-like games, Demon Souls Remake feels like the perfect start on next-gen consoles.

Buy Demon’s Souls and Other Souls-Like Games