Blood Stains

From Wikidsouls

Perhaps one of the most talked about and creative components of the online play in Demon’s Souls is what happens when a player dies in their game. Now, whether by means of input error, misjudgment, or sheer incompetence, every single person who plays Demon’s Souls should expect to die at one point or another. The game is designed for it, and in fact becomes more enjoyable in parts once you are in fact deceased.

When you die, a bloodstain appears on the ground in the location of your demise in the games of other players. When interacted with, the bloodstain will present these other gamers with a red ghost replay of your passing. Now, humor aside (and there is certainly no shortage of funny or embarrassing deaths to laugh at), these replays can be incredibly useful. In a game where enemies are often capable of dispatching you with a single blow, and where traps and hazards can overtake you before you have a chance to react, being able to watch such a sad fate befall someone else can be tremendously useful.

An example: you enter a small room with a steep staircase ascending along the wall opposite the entrance where you stand. At your feet is a bloodstain, with which you interact. A red apparition appears, charges up the stairs with courage, only to suddenly turn around with noticeable panic and then die at the base of the stairs in a most pitiable fashion. You interpret this, properly, as a hint that a threat may loom at the top of the staircase, and so you proceed with caution. As you take the first few steps up you suddenly notice an enemy atop the stairs is about to gleefully roll a giant cannonball toward you. However, because you were able to receive a preview of coming attractions, you are prepared and deftly roll dodge out of the way.

This kind of scenario plays out constantly in Demon’s Souls, and continuously highlights how much of a positive impact the game’s online elements can have on someone’s single-player experience.