RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Demon’s Souls is a hard game to describe. On paper, it sounds completely different than it does in person, and that’s a good thing. Until I had my hands on the game, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was something I wanted to play, but after trying it, it’s on my must-have list.

Demon’s Souls has a very unique mixture of single play and MMO-ish aspects. The game is played entirely solo, but other players can influence your game by leaving hints on the map. You can even view the way other players die; their blood stains are some of the most telling hints they leave. “Should I jump in this pit?” Just look around. See all those blood stains? Let’s view them and see how those players died. Oh, they all died jumping in the pit. Maybe it’s not such a good idea after all.

So what if I leave a note that says “Wow! There’s some really great treasure in that pit right there!” Well, players can view these hints, and they get to rubber stamp them. If a lot of people say it’s useful advice, you can probably trust it, but if not many people are willing to agree with it, you might be better off passing.

As for the combat, it’s pretty standard action RPG fare. You walk around and hit monsters in real time with a few different weapons. We didn’t get much of a look at how many weapons you can have or any of the character creation tools, so those will be things we’ll have to find out about. In the end, the unique play experience is enough to make me bite.