Dark Souls - Preview: Gaming Masochism Isn't Dead

If there's one thing hardcore gamers love to bitch about, its how easy games are getting. Well one release in 2010 shut any of them up that happened to own PS3s for a while. That game, was Demon's Souls, an RPG so punishingly difficult it left grown men weeping. Now, developers FromSoftware have confirmed a spiritual successor - Dark Souls - and promised that, yes, it would be even harder.

Demon's Souls was a highly tactical action RPG set in a decayed fantasy world. It was heavy on the oppressive atmosphere which nicely accompanied the horrifying notion that you couldn't walk 10 feet without something rotten and terrifying in all likelihood, popping out and killing you. Worse, every death in the game was tracked, stripping you of all your souls (the game's universal currency) each time and actually making enemies tougher if you bought it too often. Critics assured gamers that this was a lot more fun than it sounded because it made success exponentially more rewarding for the cautious and persistent.

Even to the surprise of the developers (who seemed to be vaguely aware that the game gave the impression it was all a sick joke), Demon's Souls sold really well, especially in Japan. And on February 1st announced that they were working on a sequel, though it would not continue the plot. Obviously, there are still gamers out there who just love being fucked with but I'm not complaining, because the first leaks of gameplay from successor Dark Souls make it look like one of the most exciting titles due for release this year.

Dark Soul's setting is as yet unnamed, but has a distinctly Medieval Europe look about it: imposing Gothic castles and fortresses, ancient forests and rugged mountainous areas have so far been revealed. Enemy models are equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying. The standard high fantasy archetypes prevalent in the first game (skeleton knights, zombies and the like) seem to have been toned down in favour of diseased and mutated versions of the local wildlife.

Case in horrible, horrible point.

Lighting and textures have been given an overhaul, so these oppressive environments and intimidating enemies are all dazzlingly well realised. Its predecessor was praised for the extent and believability of its animations particularly on the main character which have also carried over nicely. And there are a few more graphical nuances this time around, like motion blur effects which are visible in the debut trailer when a  player got nailed by what looked like an armoured rhino.

Trial and error was your one guiding light in Demon's Souls: learning enemy placement, weaknesses and trap locations was paramount. My only worry at this point with the sequel, is that the original was delicately balanced. It was tough, but not cheap. Making a point to openly announce that Dark Soul's would be more difficult was risky, if they're forced to follow through on that then they may have no choice but to approach the game sadistically. They've already openly admitted there would be areas of the game where players had, and I fucking quote: "no chance". And also that they're employing a similar system where if you die you have one chance to get back to the same place and recover your souls. This could potentially tip players over the edge to the point that they feel victimised by the game, which would poison the whole experience. Also, how forcing players back to the start of the level in order to try again will work with their new open-world design is a mystery.

Demon's Souls' hub and five main areas are gone. Replaced by a seamless world which you can explore in any fashion you choose. Instead of returning to a hub area to upgrade you skills/buy new weapons/cry at the unfairness of it all the player is able to start up their own camps, like safehouses. But there are no safe areas outside these and the area the game opens in. For example, during a demo, a player engaged an ogre-like creature that strongly resembled one of theenemies from Shadow of the Colossus (only on a much smaller scale). They attempted to escape it by fleeing to higher ground, only to be followed. From the looks of it, enemy AI will be fucking diabolical especially if they're able to follow you anywhere. There goes the option to run then.

This is unavoidable isn't it? Can't we just talk through our problems like reasonable adults?

Not much info on gameplay has been released. But players will have the ability to use the environment to their advantage this time. During the same mini-boss fight, the player managed to leap down from a ledge to stab the ogre in the back. FromSoftware promised that doing so wasn't scripted and that any attack from elevation would result in some sweet damage bonuses. Another cursory attempt to give you an easier time are the 100s of weapons and spells to find and master. But the whole point of Dark Souls is going to be the almost insurmountable challenge, and it's one I'm looking forward to trying.