Demon Souls: The PS3 Sleeper Hit of the Year?

[meancode]

I must have spent a good 2 hours just trying to get to the boss because of that damn Dragon and those Blue Knights, then I get crushed by the boss and spent even more time trying to beat him. I ended up buying arrows to use the bow because fighting him head on just wasn't working for me and I (probably) would've beaten him if I hadn't ran out of arrows.

I'm going to try again later and if I'm unable to beat him this time I just may go completely insane.

You should have picked up Turpentine in 1-1. After you kill all the little guys around him, start hitting him with your melee attack. Turpentine takes out the boss and the little guys out easily. Also if you roll around back the little guys, they are more vulnerable.

As to jumping into other games, you can do so when you are in Soul Form. When you are in Normal Form, you can summon people in Soul Form.

[exit]

You should have picked up Turpentine in 1-1. After you kill all the little guys around him, start hitting him with your melee attack. Turpentine takes out the boss and the little guys out easily. Also if you roll around back the little guys, they are more vulnerable.

I was refering to the giant Knight in 1-2, I had no problem beating the 1-1 boss.

[meancode]

I was refering to the giant Knight in 1-2, I had no problem beating the 1-1 boss.

Yea, arrows would be your best bet. I am playing through now as Royalty so I have the Soul Arrow spell. Makes that boss battle a lot easier.

[Mianrtcv]

I'm going to try again later and if I'm unable to beat him this time I just may go completely insane.

This is the type of dedication I can appreciate. Complete insanity is an option. Nice.

[Overbite]

I bought this and got past 1-1 and 2-1, most of 3-1 (couldn't find the way out) and 4-1 is way too hard to even start.

I liked it at first but I just don't have the time to play something where I'm dying over and over and not making any progress. It's up for sale :(

[jonnyutah]

Overbite the point of this game is being hard......hardcore that is! :)

appreciate this game for it's dedication to the pure western rpg. this is one for the diablo, elder scrolls, kings field fans. this game has the deepest combat system in a rpg to date. the encounters will make you cry! the worlds are big, hard and just pure fun. not to mention multiplayer, inovative online concepts, solid stats and item management and good graphics.

best rpg this gen imo. if you want easy? ...just visit the wii section of your local retailer :D

[BHvrd]

I found a sword that has a constant turpentine effect, aka a fire sword. Actually even stronger than the turpentine effect, I was lost in a freaky area and found it inside a dead dragon's rib cage, the maps can be just plain huge and epic in design, SO EXPLORE! Me very happy. :D

Btw, yes, I also agree with a previous statement, this game makes me feel like a kid again, it's full of wonderment.

[jonnyutah]

Exit, use tactics. summon a archer and a knight so the archer can hit him with ranged attack while the knights go in for cqc. use team work on him and he's not that bad.

[norkusa]

A heads-up for anyone that pre-ordered on Amazon....the price for the Deluxe Edition dropped to $57.99 on release day (it's back up to $66.99 now). If you pre-ordered, you're entitled to a $9 refund because of Amazon's pre-order release day price guarantee. Call or send them a e-mail and they'll credit the $9 back to your account.

[Cornelius]

A heads-up for anyone that pre-ordered on Amazon....the price for the Deluxe Edition dropped to $57.99 on release day (it's back up to $66.99 now). If you pre-ordered, you're entitled to a $9 refund because of Amazon's pre-order release day price guarantee. Call or send them a e-mail and they'll credit the $9 back to your account.

Thanks for this info... I didn't know about the drop. I emailed them, and here is the reply (bold added):

Hello,

Whenever you pre-order a book, CD, video, DVD, software, or video game sold by Amazon.com, the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the release date.

However, if your order enters the shipping process before the release date and the price is lowered before release date, we will automatically refund the difference between the price you were charged and the lowest price between shipment and release date.

I'm sorry it appears, because of a typo at our end the price difference has not been applied automatically. No need to concern, however. I've requested a refund of $9.00 to your Master card. You'll see the refund in the next 2-3 business days.

Once processed, you'll be able to see the refund here:
<snip>

Typo my ass. How much money do you think they'll make because of this 'typo'? Now that they are aware of it, do you think they are going over all the preorders to double check?

[kupomogli]

A heads-up for anyone that pre-ordered on Amazon....the price for the Deluxe Edition dropped to $57.99 on release day (it's back up to $66.99 now). If you pre-ordered, you're entitled to a $9 refund because of Amazon's pre-order release day price guarantee. Call or send them a e-mail and they'll credit the $9 back to your account.

Thank you. I'll do this as soon as I get home.

[norkusa]

Typo my ass. How much money do you think they'll make because of this 'typo'? Now that they are aware of it, do you think they are going over all the preorders to double check?

Yeah, right. Heard about this on CheapAssGamer. Everyone that asked for a refund though didn't have any problems getting one. It's just kind of shady that you have to contact them for it rather than them doing it for you automatically.

Still totally geeked that I scored the Deluxe Edition w/ extras for less than the regular version. Take that Gamestop!

[carlcarlson]

Still totally geeked that I scored the Deluxe Edition w/ extras for less than the regular version. Take that Gamestop!

Speaking of extras, how is the guide? I saw an unboxing and was disappointed to see it is more of a mini guide than a full-fledged doublejump product. Is that the exclusive guide, or is there going to be a regular one for retail as well?

[norkusa]

Speaking of extras, how is the guide? I saw an unboxing and was disappointed to see it is more of a mini guide than a full-fledged doublejump product. Is that the exclusive guide, or is there going to be a regular one for retail as well?

Not sure, my copy should be here Monday. Price I pay for being a cheapass I guess. But yeah, I've heard the guide isn't so hot and lacks maps. Haven't heard of another guide being released any time soon though, so this might be the only one.

[placebo]

Picked my Deluxe copy up at Fry's for $59. This game is kicking my ass. I dont' know how many times I've tried the first level and still not beat it. Maybe I'm the wrong guy for this game.

Though I must say, more often than not, I die because I pull a dumbheaded move.

[Overbite]

Overbite the point of this game is being hard......hardcore that is! :)

appreciate this game for it's dedication to the pure western rpg. this is one for the diablo, elder scrolls, kings field fans. this game has the deepest combat system in a rpg to date. the encounters will make you cry! the worlds are big, hard and just pure fun. not to mention multiplayer, inovative online concepts, solid stats and item management and good graphics.

best rpg this gen imo. if you want easy? ...just visit the wii section of your local retailer :D

I know, the game is good and I appreciate it for what it is, it's just really hard because I play reckless and that doesn't work in this game.

I did go back to it and I killed the dragon in 1-2, killed the boss of 3-1, and I even killed a player who invaded my game.

[kupomogli]

Alright. I didn't bitch out and said it in the nicest way possible in the email. I didn't specifically ask for a refund, but I kindof pointed out that it said on the last day it was 57.99 and that I paid more for it.

[maxlords]

Picked my Deluxe copy up at Fry's for $59. This game is kicking my ass. I dont' know how many times I've tried the first level and still not beat it. Maybe I'm the wrong guy for this game.

Though I must say, more often than not, I die because I pull a dumbheaded move.


You literally CAN'T just rush in in this game. It's not a matter of beating levels either, as you can come and go from every level as you please. It's more a matter of building up the skills and items necessary to progress. Don't think of it as "beating level one, then beating level 2 and so on". Think of the ENTIRE game as an open world divided into sectors and trying to slowly build up and beat it all.

[BHvrd]

it's just really hard because I play reckless and that doesn't work in this game.

I think that some people really just don't get that this is very much a true statement. If you just rush into this game and keep constantly dying you are going to pay.

The worlds have what's called "tendencies" and if you die too much the tendencies will shift and the game will start making you suffer the consequences. You will start to feel like you are digging yourself in a whole cause essentially you are.

When the game starts shifting to dark it will get harder things will take longer and it will seem like you are making very slow progress. I've never had a game that actually made me start feeling like I was becoming the bad guy. Areas will literally stagnate at points between pure white and pure black and areas will be drained, every soul counts and losing them will catch up with you. Unless you plan on going pure black dying is not an option on your first playthrough.

[exit]

Well I finally beat the Knight last night and it was very satisfying, now I just need go back and kill the Red Dragon. It's kind of funny, but I honestly don't mind being stuck in the same area for several hours. It's nice to have a game that doesn't try to rush you through and actually wants you (willingly or unwillingly) to stay in the same area as long as necessary.

Edit: Well I just beat the Red Dragon, I didn't have enough arrows and since the merchant in the area didn't sell any, I had to buy a crossbow to finish the damn thing off.

Another thing I like about this game is that you can just quit in the middle a level and start right where you left off next time you play. This is a feature I hope more implement in the future games in the future

[misfits859]

This game sounds like Monster Hunter - Lite.

[kupomogli]

Well. They're applying a refund to my card.

Still haven't received the game though. Few more days.

[Half Japanese]

I'm on day 2 of Demon's Souls after picking it up on a whim at Best Buy. I started with the barbarian, and unless you're a glutton for punishment, don't pick the barbarian. 1-1 felt like climbing up a slide on the playground only to have a bully push you back to the bottom once you reached the top (metaphorically I mean the stairs at the beginning, the barbarian sucks that bad).

I'm using the Hunter now, and am faring much better. I still haven't reached the boss on 1-2 because I'm chickenshit around the dragon as he flies overhead and roasts my ass. Anyone have any luck against the Red Eye Knights with a fairly low level? I'll go pick a fight with the one in 1-1 every now and again, but usually end up running away or dying if I'm not quick enough with the evasive maneuvers.

[exit]

I'm using the Hunter now, and am faring much better. I still haven't reached the boss on 1-2 because I'm chickenshit around the dragon as he flies overhead and roasts my ass. Anyone have any luck against the Red Eye Knights with a fairly low level? I'll go pick a fight with the one in 1-1 every now and again, but usually end up running away or dying if I'm not quick enough with the evasive maneuvers.

If you get a lot of arrows, you can take down the Red Dragon very easy on the top of the first tower in 1-2, you just need to have a lot of patience and a lot of arrows. From what I understand, there's a way to kill the Red Eye Knight on a lower level, it involves making him fall off a certain area. My friend told me about it and saw a post about it on another board, it's even in the strategy guide that came with the special edition. I just don't remember exactly where the particular spot is.

[Half Japanese]

If you get a lot of arrows, you can take down the Red Dragon very easy on the top of the first tower in 1-2, you just need to have a lot of patience and a lot of arrows. From what I understand, there's a way to kill the Red Eye Knight on a lower level, it involves making him fall off a certain area. My friend told me about it and saw a post about it on another board, it's even in the strategy guide that came with the special edition. I just don't remember exactly where the particular spot is.

I tried to get him to fall down the winding staircase at the opposite end of where you find him (the one that winds down to near where the Phalanx boss is), but I couldn't get him to fall from high enough to do him in. I've already snagged the item behind him while he was distracted, so I'll probably just wait until later on to take him out.

I'll have to try the arrow trick after another run through part of 1-1 to save up for more arrows. I haven't bought many arrows yet because I was shocked initially at how much they cost per arrow, but you never really find them in the wild (at least not compared to bolts, which are comparatively everywhere).

[exit]

I'll have to try the arrow trick after another run through part of 1-1 to save up for more arrows. I haven't bought many arrows yet because I was shocked initially at how much they cost per arrow, but you never really find them in the wild (at least not compared to bolts, which are comparatively everywhere).

What I did for both the Knight boss and Red Dragon was a quick run through of the first path you take in 1-1 and I'd get 1000 souls easily. Do this and depending on your character stats, you should be able to take down the Dragon the first time around, unless you're unlucky like I am that is. The Knight takes a lot less arrows than the Dragon does and it's the easier route to go to defeat him.

[BHvrd]

What I did for both the Knight boss and Red Dragon was a quick run through of the first path you take in 1-1 and I'd get 1000 souls easily. Do this and depending on your character stats, you should be able to take down the Dragon the first time around, unless you're unlucky like I am that is. The Knight takes a lot less arrows than the Dragon does and it's the easier route to go to defeat him.

I actually farmed the red eye knight in the palace top floor in 1-1 as you get 2k+ everytime he dies and it's easy access once gate is open. The secret to beating him is baiting him on and using the environment and soul arrow (if your magic is decent). Melee is outta the question cause at that early level he will one or two shot kill you and standard arrows just don't cut it. I was beating him at level 4 with royalty and it's by far the quickest way to earn souls that early on.

[Half Japanese]

I made some good progress today, beating 1-2 and 2-1. I also ventured around a good chunk of 2-2 before pussing out a little ways before the boss and cashing my souls in. I learned my first spell, slayed my first (and second, and third...etc.) red eye knight, and have been in body form since beating 1-2. The only things bugging me right now are my inability to kill crystal geckos, and the fact that I wasted a good 15 minutes attempting to slay the dragon in 1-2 before running out of arrows. But thankfully I now have a +5 compound bow and some heavy arrows thanks to Patches the asshole in 2-1, so that's my goal for tomorrow.

This is probably the most addictive game I've played this generation of consoles; it's literally a fight to pull your ass off the couch to do something else.

[Oobgarm]

Got into this one last night. Quickly lost almost 2 hours to it before I knew it. Died a couple times but was able to get the souls back. Backtracking never seemed tedious-got better and better at the parry/riposte and stabbing dudes in the back. Made it to the part before the first red-eyes knight.

Got a feeling this one's going to be one of those rare titles that I get deeply engrossed with.

[Geddon_jt]

I actually farmed the red eye knight in the palace top floor in 1-1 as you get 2k+ everytime he dies and it's easy access once gate is open. The secret to beating him is baiting him on and using the environment and soul arrow (if your magic is decent). Melee is outta the question cause at that early level he will one or two shot kill you and standard arrows just don't cut it. I was beating him at level 4 with royalty and it's by far the quickest way to earn souls that early on.

Even better. Just kill all the enemies leading up to the red knight (go up the stairs in the tower to the left of the archstone) and just have the red night chase you down the tower steps. He will usually fall and kill himself. If not, just lead him outside into the deadly pit around the corner from the bottom of the steps. stay across from him and he'll walk in and suicide every time. Farming this guy should be priority #1 for ANYONE just starting this game.

[BHvrd]

45 Hours sunk in the game. Level 58 Theif, yet it feels like I just started playing this mother fucker!

I'm at the Major Demon "Old Hero" and im happy to say the game does get harder. Till this point it was all seemingly fairly easy. I imagine by this point many will throw their hands up, me myself I love I still gotta work at this, flippin A the game never ceases to amaze.

Thing is I had the world that leads to the Old Hero turn black so there is a ton of phantoms in the stage, pure insanity. I LOVE IT!

[Half Japanese]

I'm still hooked too. I accomplished what I wanted to do today (killing the dragon and beating 2-2). If anyone's having trouble with bosses, don't be afraid to use the stone of ephemereal eyes (?) to revive into body form. It's a hell of a lot easier with a phantom to help you out, and there's always plenty of them to choose from. I also started working on leveling up to learn miracles, I just can't afford any of them yet. Any recommendations on starter miracles? The one that sends you back to the Nexus is tempting, but also really expensive (20,000).

If it weren't for the fact that I have to read a novel and have a test and a midterm this week, I'd be playing right now.

[jedimind7]

Im so jealous of people that have a PS3 and get to play this fantastic looking game. Im going to try to get a PS3 by the end of the year or early next year.

[acem77]

May trade mine for Brutal Legend.
Got past 1-1 started to get hooked, but the main reason i bought the game was for co-op.
But that seems to be a pain to get a known friend in the game.
still waiting for my buddy to beat 1-1 so we can meet up.

Maybe border lands will be more what i am looking for in co-op.

[motorcity_madman]

Is this game harder than ghosts and goblins?I still haven't ever beat the first stage on that game :shameful:

[Cornelius]

Is this game harder than ghosts and goblins?I still haven't ever beat the first stage on that game :shameful:

I only got to put about an hour into it last night. My impression is that it has a steep learning curve. You have to figure out where baddies are and a good technique to dispatch them. I died several times without worrying about it because I was trying to figure some things out. I think this game needs a practice area.

G&G in contrast, I could learn every pattern, etc, and I'd still be unable to execute them with enough precision to get through the game... at least not with tons and tons of preparation.

[meancode]

I have hit a good stride recently. I am about level 75 I think, It is not Ghosts and Goblins hard. This game is not cheap and unfair.

Just take it slow, and be smart about how you level your character. I was dumb and do not have a high enough Item Equip stat for the armor I found - of course ditching the previous armor before I realized how dumb that was. So I have been busy leveling Endourance, which is not exactly a bad thing in this game.

I just wish I could figure out a good way to dispatch those huge club weilding goons in 5-2 that beat you down and don't let you get a hit in edge wise.

[BHvrd]

I just wish I could figure out a good way to dispatch those huge club weilding goons in 5-2 that beat you down and don't let you get a hit in edge wise.

Oh man it's even worse when you run into a pack of them and can't roll! Being poisoned in a swamp where you move slow, cannot roll against 3 of these guys with big clubs where a shield is useless = run or die lol, it's a nightmare. I imagine good magic would work but my magic sucks.

Though I agree even one can get the best of you cause they keep beating you even when you're down. Roll and don't get hit, though in the swamp good luck finding somewhere to roll lol.

[kupomogli]

I just started to play and beat the first and second part of the first stage and then the first part of the second stage.

Then I get to the caves in the second part. Where the fuck do you go. I was wandering around those caves trying to find a place to go forever, so then I'm like. Maybe you have to actually go out where the lava is. Ran over the parts of lava to each safe area and wasted an asston of healing items. I must have missed something, but something this obscure is just pissing me off.

Gameplaywise it's an amazing game. Some enemies take a bit too long to kill, I'd rather them take off more hp and have less defense. Though I'm pissed off at the caves part right now and that's where the game will end unless I get past there. Which may not be until tomorrow or the next day, whenever I feel like playing it again.

Also. Alot of places say the game is too hard and you stay in soul form most of the time. The only reason I end up getting back in soul form is because I do some stupid crap. Like on the first part of 2-2 I jumped off the edge because there were some wooden walkways on the bottom. My jump didn't exactly reach one and I fell about 1000 feet to my death. It's because you're at a new area and you want to try new stuff. There are other reasons as well though, like wanting to try and kill the Red Eyes Knight after I beat the Phalanx(died in one hit,) walking forward while the explosive barrels are burning because I thought they wouldn't damage me because they already exploded(stupid thing to do.)

[Cornelius]

I've got a question for some more veteran players. Is it generally better to upgrade gear I have, or plan on finding better stuff?

I'm purposefully leaving this very vague, so just give me your thoughts.

[kupomogli]

I've got a question for some more veteran players. Is it generally better to upgrade gear I have, or plan on finding better stuff?

I'm purposefully leaving this very vague, so just give me your thoughts.

I'd say no. Enemies get alot of defense each new area. You also get alot of upgrade item drops each new area, but only once, the rest of the time it's random depending on the enemy(such as the small Phalanx enemies dropping Sharpstone most of the time, sometimes Hardstone.)

Also there are multiple shops during each area. Like in 2-2 you'll find Clearstone for 1500 souls which you can use to upgrade a Longsword + 3 to an Enhanced Longsword.

So yeah. You can grind for the items from enemies or buy them fairly cheap with souls if you go to the area that sells them.

*edit*

Found where to go on 2-2.

[meancode]

*edit*

Found where to go on 2-2.

Was about to ask what the heck are you taking about cliffs in 2-2 for? It is a strait shot across the castle.

[meancode]

My biggest problem with my character right now is that Endourance is crap. My Equip Weight stat is not good enough. There is a ring for that, but I am working on getting that stat up. Having very high Equip Weight stat makes rolling so quick.

[jonnyutah]

I'm now a temple knight female(had to start over after slaying boldwin the smith. makes it quite hard to play without a blacksmith handy LOL. my character is a temple knight but with more focus on ranged/magic spells. I'm ashamed to admit that i use ranged attacks on jsut about every boss. i find a sage spot and snipe. :)

shrine of storms reminds me of catlevainia. it feels just like it. enemies and all. next time you play storm of shrines, play this music in the background. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnedHQEGKmg&feature=related

it's guaranteed to take you back to 1989!

[kupomogli]

Was about to ask what the heck are you taking about cliffs in 2-2 for? It is a strait shot across the castle.

I don't use the guide so I'm not sure what 1-1 etc would be. Does the guide count the tutorial as 1-1? If so then the caves part I was talking about is 3-2.

I was assuming 1-1 would be the part before and to the Phalanx boss, 1-2 is the bridge to the Knight. The area that I was saying in the mines, 2-1 is the spider, 2-2 is the one with that flame beast enemy. I'd say 2-3 is the Dragon God.

The Dragon God raped me so yesterday I started going through the prison. The prisoners get in the way so I kill them all. I didn't until one group ended up stabbing me when I thought they were harmless.

[meancode]

Man I must have been asleep when I wrote that reply! I thought you were in 1-2.

While yes, I am using the guide from the LE of the game, most people just refer to the levels with their digit syntax. Look at the Word Tendency screen. World 1 is on the left, World 5 is on the right.

And yea, 2-2 can be confusing as hell, it can also be painfully short if you just take the right path and findn the boss and kill it.

And your summation is correct on the numbers.

The Dragon God is not really a boss battle. It is a puzzle. Get that hulking iron sword and break through the rubble on the right. Fire off the shot (big glowing blue thing). Then go down the stairs and over to the left side, do the same thing, another shot that takes close to half his health bar.

Then go down to the boss, hit it twice, end of boss fight.

You have to kill all the prisoners or they will just mess you up because you try and target the octopus head guys and it targets the prisoners, and you get fried.

I am at the boss battle in 3-2 right now and keep getting knocked off the ledge in the boss area. That is what makes that fight so hard, not the boss itself.

You wnt to talk about getting raped, wait until you try playing 1-3. Have you killed an arch demon yet? Don't try 1-3 as human, you will get slaughtered anyways.

[Half Japanese]

And yea, 2-2 can be confusing as hell, it can also be painfully short if you just take the right path and findn the boss and kill it.

To put this phrase in its proper context, you miss out on a TON of treasure by taking the right path, plus you have to be very careful after you clear the initial tunnel and begin your descent, as there are numerous drops that can be fatal if you don't catch the next ledge just right, and the only things you really get by going this way treasure-wise (some sort of soldier soul from what I remember) are far outclassed by what you receive by taking the left path (several souls, a ring, and a decent weapon or two, etc.). So take the right path after you've beaten the boss if you want, but don't neglect the treasure of the left path.

[kupomogli]

I am at the boss battle in 3-2 right now and keep getting knocked off the ledge in the boss area. That is what makes that fight so hard, not the boss itself.

I just got to 3-2. Yet to get to the boss. Like a dumbass I keep accidently sidestepping off some sortof ledge.

Just now I got to the part near the end of it I'm sure. I chased a crystal lizard off the edge thinking that it was on the short side that I just walked up. It was where I came up from. But a long fall. I didn't think I went up that far.

*edit*

Beat the boss on 3-2.

and less than 10-20 minutes later I beat the boss on 3-3. It was going to be a player but they left the game.

[Lord_Magus]

Just wanted to jump onboard and mention that I too have been completely blown away by this awesome game.

It's literally been years since the last time I experienced that very delicate balance between frustration and shear bliss in a game, and no matter how hard I get my ass handed to me I always come back for more.

Yes, it's brutally punishing to no end, but I see it more as encouraging mastery of the game and simply not tolerating careless play, and man, the feeling of satisfaction you get when you *finally* get passed that boss is unmatched by any game I've played in the last years.

Furthermore, its vision of online play is way ahead of its time, and a first example in my eyes of online gaming done right, and a vision I hope many developers will follow. Just the fact that you get your health refilled when someone recommends your message encourages you to care about what you write, and it makes you feel like you're (dare I say) contributing to the world rather than just receiving hollow rewards or trophies for your actions.

Damn, I could go on for hours and write about how awesome this game is. I just really, really hope this game does well, because Demons Souls is a prime example of a game that has the balls to do something different, doesn't for one moment compromise its vision and the result is easily one of the finest games of this generation.

[kupomogli]

Last night I made it to the last boss of the 1-4. I went in alone, and was fighting him, he was a joke, atleast a little bit. I couldn't heal at one point where he took alot of damage(he was at less than a four of health.) After dying against him, I lost a soul level. That really sucks.

Anyways. I know when I get back to him I'll be able to kill him.

Breaking into other peoples games as the Black Phantom is pretty awesome too. I decide to not worry about the souls because it's alot more fun fighting against real players(not that it isn't awesome against regular stages altogether.) Once I've won against two people, once three. I've only lost a single time and that was way back on my very first time when I wasn't that good in the game and just made it past the 1-2 boss(this one had two people also but I didn't win.)

[swlovinist]

This is exactly what type of game Sony needed. I have had two of my friends buy a PS3 for this reason. Hopefully the quality exclusives can keep coming. It is good to see the PS3 with some good news for once. I know I have blasted it in the past, but right now all is forgotten with games like this.

[Trebuken]

Hate this damn game!!!! (Not really).

I was level 25 before I learned you can run.

I have mastered cliff diving.

Tired of being killed by red-eye (first stage, one or two shot still, even at level 35!!!!), yeah he's going down the stairs...

Red Dragon killed me a million times and all I had to do to kill him was stand on a tower and shoot arrows??? Really???

Tower Guard two hit kills me...stilll...what the....

Playing offline here. What's the deal with the Red Phantoms? Why does Red-Eye sometimes have an identical phantom near him?

Just need to level more I guess....anyone find themselves still grinding through the first area for souls even at high levels?

[Lord_Magus]

Hate this damn game!!!! (Not really).

I was level 25 before I learned you can run.

I have mastered cliff diving.

Tired of being killed by red-eye (first stage, one or two shot still, even at level 35!!!!), yeah he's going down the stairs...

Red Dragon killed me a million times and all I had to do to kill him was stand on a tower and shoot arrows??? Really???

Tower Guard two hit kills me...stilll...what the....

Playing offline here. What's the deal with the Red Phantoms? Why does Red-Eye sometimes have an identical phantom near him?

Just need to level more I guess....anyone find themselves still grinding through the first area for souls even at high levels?

hmm... The Red Knight should be relatively straightforward to kill for anyone over level 20, as long as you're careful and don't go in overconfident (which holds true for *any* encounter in this game really). I've been farming him for a while and don't even use arrows or magic - just a lot of strafing around him and blocking with my shield until I see an opening, then a few strong pierce attacks and the job's done.

The Tower Guard killing you with 2 blows sounds about right as well - when I beat him he would take off 4/5 of my health with a single hit. Just make sure you go in with plenty of healing grass (Knights are a good source of Full-Moon grass I think) and take it slowly. Some turpentine may help also.

[norkusa]

I'm confused about what's going on in this game. I just played for 2 hours straight and had about 3500 souls saved up. Got to the top of this tower in the first level that had a bunch of guards on this narrow walkway. When I started walking towards them, a giant dragon flew over us all and killed everyone (including me) with fire.

Are you supposed to start over from the beginning with nothing when you die? Or is there a way to save? When I started up my game today, I wasn't at the very beginning of the level but a little bit past it where that big hole-trap thing is. Don't know how I did that but every other time I've played, I always start at the beginning of the level.

Also, people are talking about leveling up but I'm still stuck at Soul Level 4 after 4 hours of playing so far. Tried reading the manual + guide for details but they're incredibly vague.

[Half Japanese]

I'm confused about what's going on in this game. I just played for 2 hours straight and had about 3500 souls saved up. Got to the top of this tower in the first level that had a bunch of guards on this narrow walkway. When I started walking towards them, a giant dragon flew over us all and killed everyone (including me) with fire.

Are you supposed to start over from the beginning with nothing when you die? Or is there a way to save? When I started up my game today, I wasn't at the very beginning of the level but a little bit past it where that big hole-trap thing is. Don't know how I did that but every other time I've played, I always start at the beginning of the level.

Also, people are talking about leveling up but I'm still stuck at Soul Level 4 after 4 hours of playing so far. Tried reading the manual + guide for details but they're incredibly vague.

I wish I had bought the deluxe edition, because all accounts indicate that the included guide is actually worth a shit. I blame other publishers rather than Atlus for my scarcely considering it, since most other Deluxe or Collectors editions just come with some lousy behind the scenes DVD or a tacky knick-knack. Regardless, this guide has helped: http://demonssouls.wikidot.com/concepts

You are correct, there is no way to save during a level, you have to either go it all at once (including the boss) or backtrack to the warp at the beginning to head back to the Nexus. When you die, you leave a green-glowing bloodstain that you have to touch (like you would pick up an item) to regain your lost souls, and if you die on the way to that one, your most recent death will leave a bloodstain to replace it. You keep all other items, etc. If I've got a lot of souls and don't feel confident enough to proceed to the boss, I'll generally backtrack to the starting point, return to the Nexus, and spend as many souls as I can.

I'm still pretty early on my first playthrough, so I can only speak as a melee character. The best advice I can give is to keep your shield up at all times, especially entering new territory, and learn a projectile magic attack as soon as it's feasible.


Tired of being killed by red-eye (first stage, one or two shot still, even at level 35!!!!), yeah he's going down the stairs...

I had gotten to the point where the Red Eye Knights caused me no trouble anymore, at least until I got to 1-3 and 1-4, where they become much more difficult again, almost as bad as they are early on. So once you get to the point where you can reliably work over the Reds, don't take it for granted on later levels.

[BHvrd]

I wish I had bought the deluxe edition, because all accounts indicate that the included guide is actually worth a shit.

Yes it is very much so, i'm so glad I got the deluxe edition with guide as the only other guides are online or in japanese. I have already worn the guide faded, it's that useful you read it every other hour or so.



You are correct, there is no way to save during a level

Actually if you quit the game from "in-game" it will save the exact spot you are standing till you come back. Not sure what happen if you quit with PS button, never done that. So take your time and make slow progress as you can quit anywhere and resume later, but yeah "if you die" it's back to the beginning old school style.

Btw leveling up your character is not as important as leveling up your weapons, so start farming for resources, upgraded weapons is the key to winning. Otherwise learn character patterns and the way they fight to take them out.

[Half Japanese]

Apparently Atlus is already having to do a second print run of the game (regular version, Deluxe is still going fast if not already gone). It's great to see a game like this doing so well, especially in the age of save points around every corner, although I do wonder how many will end up traded in in the near future due to impatience and/or unwillingness to learn.

I finally started on 3-1 today after finishing out 2 and up through 1-3. 3-1 is probably the easiest level I've done so far (boss notwithstanding, haven't done that part yet), but what a huge level.

[kupomogli]

I finished all of stage 4. Working on 5-2 and man, I'm going to just rush through this one because it's just boring as crap wading through the poison and walking extremely slow.

I did die so decided to just help someone defeat a boss. It was me and one other person on the flame demon which I can't remember it's name. Is there a harder mode once the game is finished, because after defeating the boss I received 40,000 souls, at most I received 11,000(with only two people.)

Anyways. I think 1-4 is going to be no problem now. I'll continue leveling up the Enhanced Knight Sword to make sure just in case. I like the straight swords the best, had the longsword nearly the entire game. Still haven't lost against a player battle except that first time. Was attacked by another black phantom and killed this one like nothing.

I think all I have to do is defeat, atleast who I'm guessing he is; King Doran(is he the boss of the first stage or someone else, whatever, some guy with a sword,) Dragon God, and whoever is on the end of the fifth stage.

[Lord_Magus]

You are correct, there is no way to save during a level, you have to either go it all at once (including the boss) or backtrack to the warp at the beginning to head back to the Nexus.

Just wanted to add that although you can't save your progress during a level (i.e. there are no checkpoints) you can unlock some shortcuts that will make accessing later parts of that level much easier, so technically you never really need to do the whole level in one go. Also, when you defeat bosses they will open a new access point to the Nexus, so you can easily warp to and from that point without needing to retread all the ground until there again.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

i've read this thread and several reviews and i still don't get what all the fuss is about.

this game is gratuitously difficult, has intentionally obtuse game mechanics meant solely for player punishment, and yet people still love it? back in the day devs did this to hide the overall length of their games. why is from digging into a 20-yo bag of tricks?

i'm liking the aesthetic of the game, but i'll probably never play it because of both the antagonism towards the player and the combat. besides, i get enough stress from work.

[Half Japanese]

i've read this thread and several reviews and i still don't get what all the fuss is about.

this game is gratuitously difficult, has intentionally obtuse game mechanics meant solely for player punishment, and yet people still love it? back in the day devs did this to hide the overall length of their games. why is from digging into a 20-yo bag of tricks?

i'm liking the aesthetic of the game, but i'll probably never play it because of both the antagonism towards the player and the combat. besides, i get enough stress from work.

Part of the appeal is that the game doesn't hold your hand and tell you how to do everything. The tutorial shows you the basics of not getting your ass beat and sets you free. I've never been a fan of the Mega Man games, but the structure is sort of similar in that certain areas are much harder if you haven't completed another area before it. It's not so much punishing the player as it is forcing you to play more conservatively than most other games of its ilk.

As for "obtuse" game mechanics, I haven't really run across anything except the occasionally wonky lock-on targeting system. The fact that there aren't save points strewn across the levels makes it feel all the more epic, and none of the levels are prohibitively expansive if you have to start over. When you die in this game, it's your fault, plain and simple. In fact, as hard as it is, I think a lot of the talk surrounding the difficulty is hyperbole. You have to commit an hour or more at a time to playing it, so I think many people are confusing commitment with difficulty.

It's worth at least a rental, although I can't make you like it (nor do I truly care whether or not you or anyone else does). No one can convince me that the Final Fantasy series is worth a shit, so to each their own.

[Trebuken]

In Game Saving:

If you quit with the PS button you will come back somewhere short of where you left off. The game seems to save randomly or at certain events (walking through Fog saves the game).

So if you enter Fog just before a boss and die fighting him you can hit the PS button (do it quickly before the game can save your death), you can restart just before the Fog and try the boss again without repeating the level....you have to let the game reload which is generally quicker...

Thanks for the Red-Eye and Tower Guard tips...

[kupomogli]

this game is gratuitously difficult, has intentionally obtuse game mechanics meant solely for player punishment, and yet people still love it? back in the day devs did this to hide the overall length of their games. why is from digging into a 20-yo bag of tricks?

The difficulty isn't just from Demon's Souls. Nearly all of From Software's titles hold some sort of high difficulty.

Play an Armored Core title. The series is very difficult. Last Raven is probably the most difficult in the series, then Nexus, regardless whether you're a veteran of the series or not. However, there are people, including me, who can play in a standard Armored Core title using the default equipment and defeat alot enemies in the arena no problem, and AC battles are the hardest in an AC title.

The King's Field, Eternal Ring, Evergrace, Forever Kingdom. All difficult to some extent.

If you've also noticed, while the From Software titles have some sortof background story, the storyline pretty much just isn't there. There's a reason for that and it's because who needs a storyline when the gameplay is near perfect? Which is what From Software does best in. The gameplay for what they're going for is always alot better than what you might see on another game around the same time.

Also like every other From Software title, the gameplay is extremely fluid. From character movements to attacks, etc. If you ask me, the fluidity of the gameplay and how well everything is set together in this game is probably why people keep playing even when dying. It might not have anything when it comes to exploration if compared to Elder Scrolls, as Demon's Souls exploration would be likened to the Arena in Oblivion. When it comes to pure action oriented gameplay however, Demon's Souls clearly obliviates what Oblivion and the rest of the Elder Scrolls series has to offer. You could say it's Oblivion-lite with much better action oriented gameplay.

So mainly, because Demon's Souls is very action oriented, , if you are good and adapt to the gameplay quickly, you won't die nearly as much as others may.

[maxlords]

I also love the fact that you can't pause...at all :D

[kupomogli]

I beat the game. Last boss was a joke.

After you beat the game, starts over as a harder mode. Since I've had a full game to get better it's not too hard to deal with though.

[meancode]

I beat the game. Last boss was a joke.

After you beat the game, starts over as a harder mode. Since I've had a full game to get better it's not too hard to deal with though.

Oh yea, BTW, the last boss fight will be a joke :P

I knew that going in. Though considering the size of the thing, I am not sure what they could have done, but I do think they could have done something different.

So did you go with the Good or the Bad ending? I hope you went with the Good ending, because you will need Soul Sucker in New Game+. And if you are really up for it, beat it again and play New Game++! Of course if you are going to go for all the trophies, you will need to beat it at least 3 times.

[kupomogli]

So did you go with the Good or the Bad ending? I hope you went with the Good ending, because you will need Soul Sucker in New Game+. And if you are really up for it, beat it again and play New Game++! Of course if you are going to go for all the trophies, you will need to beat it at least 3 times.

I didn't know whether I got good or bad so just looked it up. I got the good ending, didn't kill her.

I should have gotten the bad ending though. Red Stone for online duels. That's what I want. Got something to work for.

[Half Japanese]

who needs a storyline when the gameplay is near perfect?

This is an excellent summation of how I feel about gaming in general. Too many games attempt to focus on a mediocre story and nonsensical or unnecessary cutscenes and really drag the rest of the game down (see: every fighting game ever made, Resident Evil(s), most shooters). Yes, the story in Demon's Souls is garbage, but the game itself is pure gold.

[Trebuken]

I beat the game. Last boss was a joke.

After you beat the game, starts over as a harder mode. Since I've had a full game to get better it's not too hard to deal with though.

What was your Soul Level? I want to get an idea of how many more I need to finish the game. I started making good progress once I hit 40; now I'm over 50...

Red Eyed Knight can still kill me, but only if I am careless...

The Black Phantoms are ticking me off though...they're tougher than the bosses...

[mailman187666]

I'm not sure if this has been said before but I got an EMail from the Atlus Faithful and the Delux edition is sold out OOP OMG now, just the regular editions are available.

[maxlords]

Jesus....LE is already GONE? That's...wow.

[Tron 2.0]

I'm not sure if this has been said before but I got an EMail from the Atlus Faithful and the Delux edition is sold out OOP OMG now, just the regular editions are available.
That's not good if that is the case crap ! Just last week i order the deluxe edition from amazon and it's supose to ship soon.I'm gonna be rather bitter if i have to settle for the regular edition instead.This all ways happens with atlus a low print run,then a reprint if the game is a hit :p

[norkusa]

How do you raise your soul level? I just beat the first boss and I'm still on the same level I started the game with (level 4).

[Lord_Magus]

How do you raise your soul level? I just beat the first boss and I'm still on the same level I started the game with (level 4).

You'll need to talk to the Maiden in Black in the Nexus. You can use your souls there to upgrade your character stats, and every time you do so you'll gain another soul level.

[Cornelius]

How do you raise your soul level? I just beat the first boss and I'm still on the same level I started the game with (level 4).


You'll need to talk to the Maiden in Black in the Nexus. You can use your souls there to upgrade your character stats, and every time you do so you'll gain another soul level.

And you have to beat the 1-1 demon (Phalanx) before the Maiden will appear in the Nexus.