Just completed Demon's Souls for the first time. Some thoughts and observations.

[Hammerklavier]

I recently completed the PS3 version of "Demon's Souls" for the first time.

Everyone always seems to say that the first From Software game you play is the hardest, and that each new one you play is easier than the last. I don't find this to be true at all. Granted, I'm pretty sure I am a well-below-average caliber Soulsborne player, but I've completed Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodborne, exploring every area and defeating every boss (DLC included), as well as almost everything from "Sekiro" (Sword Saint and Demon of Hatred drove me to rage quit that game), but I still had a very difficult time with "Demons Souls," despite its reputation as being easier than later From Software titles.

Some random thoughts and observations:

1) Having experienced every other Soulsborne game prior to playing "Demons Souls," I'm struck by how much of the ideas and content of those games were first introduced here, and already with such polish and refinement.

2) I love how each of the five levels has its own look, feel and atmosphere.

3) 3-1 has a truly unnerving atmosphere, sort of like a mix of the Upper Cathedral Ward from Bloodborne and the Duke's Archive from Dark Souls. During that level, "Demons Souls" feels every bit like as much a horror game as anything from "Bloodborne."

4) As much as Valley of Defilement is a repulsive and often annoying area to explore, I think it's my favorite of the "swampy, poisonous craphole" stages so often featured in From Software titles, edging out the likes of Blighttown, The Gutter and Farron Keep in its ability to produce a sense of being trapped and lost within a dark, grimy hellish chasm of despair.

5) The bosses I was able to beat on my first try include Phalanx, Tower Knight, Penetrator, Armor Spider, Flamelurker, Old Monk, Storm King, Leechmonger, Dirty Colossus, and King Allant. Some of these were more intense than others.

6) The bosses I died to the most include Dragon God (took me a while to figure out how to avoid getting scorched towards the end), Maneater (ugh), Adjudicator and Maiden Astraea (who I learned to cheese with the bow and arrow from a high ledge. I feel a bit bad about deploying this cheesy tactic.)

7) Level 4-2 was a harrowing experience. None of my attacks seemed to do much against the respawning ghosts or the reapers, but the reaper's magic could often obliterate me in one or two shots. I ended up having to slowly and methodically battle my way past the five skeletons on the narrow cliffside more times than I can remember. And no shortcuts that I could find. This level can burn in a raging inferno.

😎 The other areas that gave me the most problems (not including the bosses) were 4-1, 5-2 and 3-1.

9) Old King Allant's ability to chip away at my hard-earned soul levels feels like a cruel mechanic even for a From Software game, but I can't say it didn't make the battle even more intense.

10) The world tendency mechanic seems promising in theory, but I didn't care for the implementation. After getting stuck in darker world tendencies at the beginning and dealing with the obnoxious phantom skeletons from 4-1 repeatedly, I basically was incentivized to fight through the rest of the game in soul form. Every time I defeated a boss and regained my humanity, I scaled the stairs of the Nexus and rolled off the edge so that I could lose my humanity in the Nexus rather than having to suffer through a darker world tendency in one of the main five levels.

11) As a magic user, the Man Eaters were far and away the boss that tormented me the most. None of my spells or attacks seemed to inflict much damage on them. I did come very close to defeating them legit as I killed the first and got the second down to 1/3 of its health, only to see my full HP bar get completely decimated when the remaining maneater's magic projectile made contact with me. After that, I ended up exploiting the "arrows through the fog door" glitch to take down the first Man Eater. I don't even feel bad about it.

12) The order in which I completed the levels went something like this:

1-1
1-2
2-1
3-1
2-2
2-3
1-3
5-1
4-1
3-2
3-3
5-2
5-3
4-2
4-3
1-4

Overall, some frustrations notwithstanding, I greatly enjoyed the game. I'm not normally one who binges on gaming, but "Demons Souls" had me playing for hours at a time and completing it over about two weeks, pretty quick work for me. I plan to play through it again at some point with a melee build. Maybe the Maneaters will be easier for me, but I'm anticipating that several other areas and bosses will end up being much more difficult.

 

Moderator Edit: Thread title changed at OP's request. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Shagger

[Hammerklavier]

Apologies for not including the game in the thread title.  I'd edit the name, but I'm not seeing an option for it.

[Shagger]

23 hours ago, Hammerklavier said:

Apologies for not including the game in the thread title.  I'd edit the name, but I'm not seeing an option for it.

 

Regular members can only edit posts within 10 minutes of originally posting them, but I can change if for you if you want.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Shagger

[Hammerklavier]

That would be much appreciated.  I'm finding that I can edit my responses to my thread, but not the actual parent post itself.