PixlBit

Wherein I decide to play Demon's Souls way after the fact.

It’s 2:00 AM, and I really want to play Dark Souls. I don’t know if it was all the podcast talk lately, or the twitter buzz, or that Quick Look on Giant Bomb, but I want this game. But wait! I own Demon’s Souls, and I’ve never actually played it. I think I’ll pop it in. It can’t really be as tough as people say, right?

Right?

It’s asking me to sign into PSN. Oh, I guess I have to update. Eh, that’s okay—I don’t feel like sitting through another lengthy PS3 update, and I’m kind of terrified of high level players invading my world and slaughtering me. Offline it is.

Holy crap, these character models are ugly! I’m tempted to pick a melee class like I do in other RPGs, but I’ve heard enough about Demon’s Souls that I think I’ll go with a mage. I’ll name him Belgarath, after the beloved sorcerer in the Belgariad series of books.

Okay, I’m in. This game looks pretty nice, once you get past those creepy player character faces. I’m going to take it nice and slow. I hear that rushing through this game is the best way to die, so I think I’ll do my best to take the enemies one at a time. Yeah, slow and steady, Julian. This will be a piece of cake.

Wow, these controls are…different. The R1 and R2 buttons attack? I’m used to using square…ah, dammit! I wasted a healing item. I’m probably going to need that. Gotta remember that square is heal, not attack.

Well, this isn’t so bad! I’ve taken a couple hits, but the enemies are dropping healing items pretty often. The parry/riposte will take some getting used to, but it sure is effective. These undead guys go down easy, though. I got the impression that this game would rip me a new one as soon as I pressed sta—whoa, what is that?! This monster is as big as some other games’ end bosses! No problem—he’s slow, and I’m totally rocking this roll and backdash. I have plenty of healing items, so I’ll just chip away at him, and…

…and I’m dead. I got one-shotted about 20 minutes in. What. The. Crap? How am I supposed to…oh. That was supposed to happen. Whew! From the horror stories I’ve heard about Demon’s Souls, it wouldn’t have surprised me if I had been expected to beat that guy. Okay, no problem. Breathe. Breathe! You can do this!

I think I’m getting the hang of this. I’ve been taking it slow, isolating enemies, and making progress. I’ve been picking off some enemies from afar with my fire spell, and I’m getting good at keeping my shield up. Let me take care of this spear wielding skeleton; I’ve already seen that they take patience to kill. Wait, what the hell? There was another one over to the side!

Clever girl.

That’s okay, I can handle them. Just need to roll out of the way, and…and…I fell off of a ledge? I fell off of a ledge and I died. What the crap? How long has it been since I fell off of a ledge in a video game? Do they even make games like this anymore? I should quit this game on principal! But, I feel oddly compelled to keep going. Oh, crap, it’s after 3! I need to be up in 3 hours! Okay, Demon’s Souls—you win this time, but I’ll be back tomorrow.

Hey, this gives me a good idea for a series of articles chronicling my adventures in Demon’s Souls, two years after the game was huge. Like, a Demon’s Souls travel log. Yeah, I like that idea…

Next time: Going online!