OFFICIAL BLOG #1: Introduction

[AtlusAram]

THE OFFICIAL BLOG — Entry #1 — Introduction

Recently, Atlus revealed Demon’s Souls for PLAYSTATION 3, an action RPG developed by FROM Software slated for release in fall of this year.

A select group of hardcore gamers are already aware of the game, having either had a chance to try it out or perhaps having imported the game from overseas, but it is likely a vast majority of gamers, Atlus fans or otherwise, really have no idea what the game is about… hence this blog series we will intuitively and affectionately title Demon’s Souls: The Official Blog. For this, the first entry, we’re going to focus just on the basic premise of the game, and how players can expect the game to control. Things like the game’s revolutionary online feature set, character creation and customization, and epic boss fights will be for future posts, so do remember to check back.

So what is Demon’s Souls and what is it about? Well, if you’re wondering about story, it goes a little something like this:

King Allant the XII, the last king of Boletaria, searched tirelessly to expand his might. The Nexus, a great ice shrine nestled in the mountains, bestowed the power of the souls onto him, bringing prosperity to his kingdom. Still unsated, he returned again to the Nexus, where he foolishly awakened the Old One from its eternal slumber. This long forgotten evil, now wrought upon Boletaria, plunged the realm into darkness and fog. A mighty demon horde poured into the kingdom, devouring the souls of men.

Champions from other realms learned of Boletaria's fate and sought to deliver the kingdom from evil; none would return from the cursed land. Called upon by a mysterious maiden in black, you go forth, the last hope for humanity in a place lost to demons and darkness...

Nothing like a premise that finds you totally doomed from the get-go, huh? And if that wasn’t all, you’re in for a nasty surprise at the end of the game’s tutorial.

“Well how does it play?” you wonder aloud to no one in particular? At its core, the game is actually quite pure and simple as far as action RPG experiences go. And that’s a good thing. Aside from the control basics you’d expect to find (this is a very easy game to pick up and play from an intuitiveness of control standpoint), there are a number of options at your disposal to change how to approach exploration and combat in the game. Do you want to use mostly one-handed weapons and depend on your shield for defense, or do you lean more towards larger, two-handed weapons for their range (or perhaps you like the bow and arrow)? For more offensive-minded players, you’re able to easily toggle into two-handed mode (assuming the equipped weapon is one-handed), in which you’ll do more damage, but you’ll also be more susceptible to attack.

As you’d expect, you have equipment and an inventory, where you’ll either don or remove weapons or armor you’ve picked up during your adventure, or manage things like herbs, potions, and the like. The directional pad serves as a rather convenient quick navigation of your weapons and items. Spellcasters can cycle between melee weapons and their magic item (“Magic item” because Magicians have catalysts while priests have talismans), which will allow them to cast spells.

Something you’ll absolutely have to lean on to survive will be your lock-on ability. Need to cycle through multiple bad guys in a hurry? Just flick the right analog left or right toward who you’d like to take on next… simple, right?

Playing smart is critical in Demon’s Souls. Find that perfect balance between not letting your health run too low and not depleting your limited supply of healing items, because you’ll find the game is far from generous with their allocation. Avoid using long weapons that require wide swings in tight, narrow corridors. The game does not let you clip through the environment; you will not be able to finish your swing, and this can often prove fatal. Watch your stamina; swinging wildly and exerting yourself could be the end of you. There are tons of tips and strategies you’ll quickly discover and apply as you start your adventures in the kingdom of Boletaria. The more time you invest in the game, the more rewarding your experience.

We’ll touch on things like specific items, weapons, player classes, character creation, and so forth in future blog entries, but we do want to touch on one final aspect of the game, some general, but something players should take note.

Demon’s Souls is relentlessly, mercilessly difficult. It is not for the faint of heart. Gamers who want to step up to a real challenge will find exactly what they crave. Some fans who followed the game’s E3 coverage seemed to conclude that the difficulty of the game had been toned down in some way, that Atlus was of the mindset of making the game easier. Not going to happen. We get off on your tears, so expect Demon’s Souls to be exactly as soul-crushingly hard as it was when it was released overseas.

Ok, so that about wraps up the first entry in the Official Demon’s Souls blog. Mostly general info, just intended to give you an idea of how the game handles, hardly diving into anything specific. We’ll touch on more information, especially regarding things like the game’s revolutionary online functionality, in a future blog post.

Until next time,
AtlusARAM

[sarshelyam]

Fantastic. I suppose I'm one of those "core" gamers you mention above having had this since day one. Good to see you're reaching out to the masses who eagerly await this game. Just so you know, I'll be buying it again once you launch it in Fall.

[fatedsoul]

I do hope this game is compatible enough with the Asia import so that people here in the 'States can play online with me. : )

[Pibbman]

Whar Be Mah Releasz Datez?!

[BlindsideDork]

I actually imported this game like 30 mins before you announced it, regardless I could see myself buying it twice! I am so excited for this game.

Any word on the differences between the original and the US edition?

[AtlusAram]

Originally Posted by BlindsideDork

I actually imported this game like 30 mins before you announced it, regardless I could see myself buying it twice! I am so excited for this game.

Any word on the differences between the original and the US edition?

We will seek to address this in a future blog entry.

[Drakxxx]

I remember reading some time ago that Demon's Souls actually started production by From Software as King's Field 5.

I'm very interested in the game regardless, but I'm curious to know if this is fact, and possibly if From plans on revisiting the King's Field or Shadow Tower games on current gen consoles. lastly, I'm hoping you guys at Atlus would consider porting said games over if they do ever get made.

[SATequila]

I'm one of those hardcore nerds who imported this game. I'm glad to see it's getting a domestic release.

Do you guys know if From Software will continue supporting this game in the form of content and game balance updates?

I would like to see the 6th world as well as an alternative method of "up" shifting the world tendency that is not tied to the bosses.

[LadyMelo]

I have heard that this game will be multiplayer. Will this only be multiplayer online or will I be able to play with someone on the same system?

[SATequila]

Originally Posted by LadyMelo

I have heard that this game will be multiplayer. Will this only be multiplayer online or will I be able to play with someone on the same system?

The multiplayer is online only.

[spazmatron]

Originally Posted by Drakxxx

I remember reading some time ago that Demon's Souls actually started production by From Software as King's Field 5.

I'm very interested in the game regardless, but I'm curious to know if this is fact

from famitsu, via 1up, via wikipedia :

SCEJ producer Takeshi Kajii described the game to Famitsu as a spiritual successor to King's Field. "I am a fan of From Software, but naturally that also means there are parts of their games I'm not satisfied with, too," he said. "If this was a new King's Field game, there would be areas we wouldn't be able to touch since they're part of the series; working together like this, we can try to make something really new."

[Halaster]

Really looking forward to this.

I had also actually placed an order through play-asia to import this right before it was announced. Hoping to get it in a week or two and get going.

[ShadyNook]

one thing that might be unofficially confirmed is that new enemy in that screenshot above. i dont remember slaying one of those things in my countless hours spent in the mines.

[Demiath]

I got this from Hong Kong two days ago, and have only had time to play it for a few hours yet. So far the game has definitely lived up to my expectations, though, and I think it's safe to say that anyone who happens to long for some exciting, genuinely dangerous exploration of a dark and foreboding world filled to the brim with priceless treasures and unspeakable horrors (as opposed to lazily going on auto-pilot and clearing out dungeon after dungeon, which seems to be the norm in most RPGs these days) will find Demon's Souls to be one of the most worthwile game experiences of this console generation.

[blammo]

Really looking forward to this! I am hoping for early September 'Fall' and not November 'Fall'.

[specktheimp]

I also bought the Asian version the day it came out and i'm glad i did as everywhere sold out shortly after or were unreasonable on ebay. Anyway, just want to say LOVE the game played through it twice and would consider getting it again especially if there is new content involved! Keep up the good work guys!

[DFBTG]

Honestly, I had never heard of this game before Atlus announced they were releasing it over here. But, from the reviews and everything I've read, I'm looking forward to this. Very few games lately pose much of a (non-cheap) challenge lately. A nice break from the norm.

[Ssylex]

This game looks great! I haven't played the Asian version, but I actually placed my pre-order about an hour before this blog went up.

Being that this game is already available in full-English (although I'm unaware of the quality), what sort of "Atlus touch" is this going to receive?

[reson8er]

I am so psyched for this game its absurd. I was on the verge of importing, but with E3 coming up (at the time) I held off. I am so glad I did.

I have heard that while passable, the English still left a lot to be desired. Here's hoping Atlus cleans it up a bit.

Man am really pumped for this game

[Quig]

I've been following this game since I read about it on RPGfan.com last year. I cannot wait to get this!

[cimerians]

I already bought it so my excitement is lessened somewhat. I will look forward to a future blog explaining any differences between the two. If there are few changes I may not buy it and just stick with buying an english strategy guide. (or a used copy of the instruction manual)

Of course, if its worth buying again I will do so.

[ReaperX30]

I got a PS3 after hearing that this game would be released here and so far I don't regret it. From what I've seen and read this game could be the one I was waiting for. Few next-gen games really caught my interest in the last years. Thanks for bringing it here!

I got questions about items (weapons, armor, etc..). Is the game like for example Diablo when you kill a creature they sometimes drop weapons or gold or other items. Is there a shop where you can buy stuff. Finally I read that once you finish the game you can start from the beginning with your stuff, stats plus increased difficulty. Will the items you find be more powerfull?

That would really give the game replay value and that's something games today are lacking a lot.

[callahan09]

I would like to request that you guys look in to the bug where world tendency reverts back to neutral when playing online. Also, perhaps add an option when loading your game to play offline or online rather than always being connected online.

[fredcoiv]

Already got this on my wish list. I've got quite a few DS games from ATLUS, looking forward to this PS3 game.

[callahan09]

Originally Posted by ReaperX30

Is the game like for example Diablo when you kill a creature they sometimes drop weapons or gold or other items. Is there a shop where you can buy stuff. Finally I read that once you finish the game you can start from the beginning with your stuff, stats plus increased difficulty. Will the items you find be more powerfull?

Hi, the game is sort of like Diablo, where the creatures all drop things. Each creature has a set of specific items they'll drop, and it's random whether they drop anything, and if they do drop something, what they'll drop. Better things, obviously, have a lower drop rate. But you'll never find, say a pure bladestone dropped by a zombie in the first world. There is only one type of enemy that drops the pure bladestone, and there are only 2 of them in the game. And it's drop rate is less than 1%. I've personally killed that skeleton about 600 times in the last 3 days farming for that pure bladestone, and still haven't gotten it. You use stones to upgrade your existing weapons and shields, which can be given all manner of different side-effects (steal enemy's HP, regenerate your own HP slowly, cause the enemy to bleed, poison the enemy, do magic damage to the enemy, do fire damage to the enemy, high chance of critical hit, and more).

There is no "gold" in this game. Souls are used for everything, and every creature drops souls when you kill it. Some just give a few, others give thousands. You use souls to level up and also as the currency for buying items from vendors. When you die, you lose all of your souls, but the location of your death will have your bloodstain waiting for you. If you can get to it and touch it without dying again, you get back all of the souls you'd lost. If you die before getting to it, that bloodstain and those souls are gone forever, and a new bloodstain is dropped at the location of your most recent death.

You always start at the beginning of the level when you die and have to work your way back to where you'd been. Pretty much all of the levels have shortcuts that you can open up by reaching it from the other side. Once you've unlocked a shortcut, it's there for the remainder of the game and you don't need to go around the long way again.

When you beat the game, you start a new game+, retaining all of your stats, spells, equipment, items, etc. The enemies become more challenging and they give more souls than they did before. The items and equipment, however, are the same. The same enemies will drop the same things, and there are no items that are impossible to get on the first play through Though it IS impossible to get all items in one play-through, each individual item is possible to get on the first play through, but there are a bunch of items that, if you opt for it on your first play through, means there is another item that you cannot get until a subsequent play through. To get every item, you have to play through the game a minimum of 4 times. And doing so is required for the platinum trophy.

[DarinCMU]

This game is very fun, though it is pretty unforgiving. Nothing worse than losing tens of thousands of souls (or in some cases I've read, losing millions of souls) and getting tossed back to the beginning with nothing but lower equipment durability and being down some consumable items. Despite having that happen to me way too many times (and it WILL happen many times), I'm still insanely addicted.

I think my only real gripe with the game is not being able to keep people from breaking into my game. Twice now, I've been in body form, shopping at an NPC or busy fighting, and some prick breaks in behind me and immediately starts cutting me down before I can even react. So not only am I dead and in soul form, but I'm back at the beginning of the level, having to slog my way through the baddies again. Sucks. I wish they'd at least let you record who's broken into your games so you can get revenge (Maybe they do? I haven't really messed with it.)

I do love the game though. Character customization fans will be happy to know that the face options are pretty detailed. Sliders for a ton of different options, so you can spend a pretty long time getting that right face. Also, after you beat the first boss, you'll get to start upgrading your character stats using souls. That's one of the great things about this game, being able to customize so many things about your character.

[cimerians]

I would definitely add the option for offline or online play. Sometimes you simply want to get through a level without interuptions. Big time annoyance. I usually simply unplug my network cord but thats simply not something to do all the time.

[ZeroNova]

I'm also one of those who imported the Asian version of Demon's Souls, but it's good to see that you're releasing this game in the US as well, though I live in Europe. It's definitely one of the best ps3 games released so far in my opinion.

I haven't really encountered any bugs or glitches other than the world tendency resetting (if that even is a glitch) but I have noticed a few mistranslations/typos here and there, mostly in the various item descriptions, though I'm guessing this will be fixed in the US release. I'm also wondering whether people who have US and Asian versions will be able to play online.

Originally Posted by cimerians

I would definitely add the option for offline or online play. Sometimes you simply want to get through a level without interuptions. Big time annoyance. I usually simply unplug my network cord but thats simply not something to do all the time.

Agreed, this would be very handy. I also unplug my network cable sometimes, but it's kind of annoying having to do that.

[matmanx1]

Demon's Souls is an awesome game and I'm extremely glad Atlus is bringing it over to the US. I imported the Asian version shortly after it launched and put 50+ hours in on one playthrough and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I can't wait to pick up the US version with that familiar "Atlus" logo on the front and start my adventures again this fall!

[sarshelyam]

Originally Posted by Drakxxx

I remember reading some time ago that Demon's Souls actually started production by From Software as King's Field 5.

No, but many of the original team are on board and the director, Hidetaka Miyzaki, have all been quoted as saying something along the lines of indicating it is the spiritual successor to the series.