GameTech review: Demon's Souls is an impressive dark fantasy game that suits the PS5
Demon's Souls video game.
Not everybody likes a challenge. For some, life is about making things easier for yourself, not harder. But for others, there is a reward in overcoming odds, in pushing through adversity for the sake of winning.
Demon's Souls is the gaming epitome of picking yourself up, and trying again. For the year that’s in it, what a perfect way to launch the PlayStation 5 and look forward to a better 2021.
Two things stand out about this dark fantasy adventure. The first is the deeply imaginative world, almost a mixture between Lord of the Rings and a Guillermo Del Toro original film. Demon Souls is dark fantasy myth come to life in breathtaking fashion, and every corner of the world is worth exploring.
The second standout feature is the combat. Although it’s not for everyone, Demon's Souls is an extremely calculated, unforgiving game, one that requires you to be patient and observant in order to win. Unlike faster, twitchy games, Demon's Souls asks you to become a student of its combat and enemies, so that you can read their patterns and eventually master every encounter.
So, the question becomes – do you like a challenge, and do you have the time to face it? Demon's Souls doesn’t expect you to be entertained by the action, or wowed by set pieces. It expects you to learn. Only gamers with the time and energy to educate themselves will enjoy the experience.
There are rewards for becoming a master of Demon Souls. Every new area unlocked feels like the chapter of a book turning, with beautifully grotesque new landscapes and enemies to admire. One incredible moment involves battling giant flying bosses, in a scene worthy of any blockbuster.
Demon's Souls rewards exploration too, like few action games of its ilk. Taking the time to search hidden paths or dark corners almost always rewards the player with a new item or accessory. With so many different weapon types, armour and accessories to discover, finding new stuff often means changing up the gameplay too.
Most people will know that Demon's Souls is a remake of the original PS3 classic, the game that launched the famous Souls series. As a full-on remake, this is a game that takes full advantage of the PS5’s power and completely reworks the gameplay system to modern standards, without losing a beat of what made the original special.
Despite that, fans of the existing Souls games may find Demon's Souls a little less expansive by virtue of being an earlier game in the series.
Nonetheless, for those of you with a PS5, Demons Souls is a beautiful game and the ideal way to face the demons of 2020. The only question is, are you up for the challenge?
Speaking of which, people used to challenge each other to a game of Worms back in the day. For younger readers, Worms is a classic 2D strategy game, where two teams of worms faced off on either side of a map. Each worm took turns moving and firing a variety of weapons, with the goal of wiping out the other team.
Well, Worms are back, but not as we expected. Instead of a slow strategy game, we get Worms Rumble, a 2.5D action game that resembles a Battle Royale. From what we can tell, it’s an all-out action war between you and 30 other players in various arenas.
As reboots go, this doesn’t seem like a bad idea. The Worms series always had a great aesthetic, with the timeless worms lending to lots of excellent design work and amusing character models – plus, no one ever complained about cartoon worms blowing themselves up.
Early reports suggest the maps might be a bit large at times and the action sometimes a little too chaotic, but that’s part and parcel of a frantic online multiplayer game. There will also be lots of customisation options for changing how your worm looks, if that’s your thing.
We’ll reserve judgment on our earthy friends until we play the game, but Worms Rumble certainly doesn’t look like it will soil the franchise’s good name when it comes out on December 1 for PlayStation and PC.
