Demon Souls better than Dark Souls/Bloodborne?

[Kane99]

I've only played a bit of Dark Souls and that has been about it. But, I am aware of Bloodborne, as well as the game that started it all, Demon Souls. I hear many people claim that Demon Souls is the best of the bunch, but other say it's Dark Souls 1 or 3 or even Bloodborne. 

What are your opinions though? Since I can't really decide myself, I would like to hear what fans of the series as a whole, have to say.

[Hammerklavier]

Hey Kane,

Sorry for "necroposting," but this seems like a good topic and I'm surprised it didn't get any responses.

I've played Dark Souls 1-3 and Bloodborne in their entirety (including all of the DLC), and love all four of them.  Demon's Souls (the original on PS3) is actually the only one I sort of gave up on (at least for now), only defeating a handful of bosses.  So my opinion on that game is incomplete, but I played enough to have a few impressions at least.

Interestingly, I feel like these games, along with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, seem to show a clear progression in terms of where the difficulty and primary gameplay is focused.  Demon's Souls seems to have the longest and most grueling areas to clear, while the bosses seem fairly manageable providing you still have enough health and resources remaining once you finally reach them.  By the time we reach Sekiro, the areas are short and can often simply be sprinted through, but the bosses are merciless.  If you'd rather take your chances with marathon areas, then the earlier games will probably be your bag.  If you live for tense boss battles, then the later games (Dark Souls III and Sekiro) won't disappoint.

Taking all things into account, here's how I would rank the games I've completed:

1) Bloodborne - My first exposure to From Software's modern action RPGs, and still my favorite.  I love the gothic, nightmarish setting and its unique blend of werewolf mythology and Lovecraftian eldritch horrors.  The characters and lore are fascinating, and so many of the boss battles are absolutely epic in terms of visuals, music and narrative implications.  It seems to strike a good balance between tough areas and tough bosses without going overboard on either.  Probably one of my top 10 favorite games of all time.  Biggest knocks are the long loading times on PS4 and the more restrictive character building and fighting styles compared to the Souls games.

2) Dark Souls - The combat feels a bit stiff, and later areas of the game, such as the Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, have a somewhat rushed and incomplete look about them, but the world is intricately constructed and carefully interconnected in such a clever way that you'll enjoy backtracking and finding new shortcuts.  Probably my favorite lore and story of the Souls series, though the final area feels a bit brief and anticlimactic.

3) Dark Souls III - The combat and graphics are as good as it gets for the Souls series, as are the highly formidable boss battles.  The Ringed City DLC is a pretty great finish to the series as a whole.  My biggest beef is that the world design feels a bit linear, and few of the game's environments feel fresh or surprising, mostly recycling what we've already seen in the previous games.  The lore, while fine, doesn't necessarily do much to establish itself from the original game.

4) Dark Souls II - Still a great game despite the "black sheep" label.  Suffers a bit from a "quantity over quality" approach when it comes to areas and bosses, but you can't say the development team didn't try their darndest to give this game its own lore and identity while offering lots of unique-looking areas.  Some of the area designs are nonsensical and bizarre.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Hammerklavier