Dark Souls (Xbox 360)

Discuss Review + Want + Have Contribute

Description

Long ago, before humans existed, the world was ruled by dragons. However, when humans came along, the dragons were all but wiped out thanks to the Four Lords, mighty god-like beings who defeated them in an epic battle. The Age of Fire began, a golden age for humanity, but such prosperity could not last. A curious affliction has started to appear: called the Darksign, those it brands are cursed to become an immortal undead, forever returning from death until they ultimately lose their minds. It is said that one day, a Chosen Undead will appear, and a great change will occur in the world. One of the many undead manages to escape the asylum he was locked in, which is seen as the first sign for the role he will eventually play.

Dark Souls is a third-person action RPG and a spiritual successor to 2009's Demon's Souls. Mechanically, it is very similar to its predecessor. The player can choose between several character classes for the protagonist, choose the gender, and customize his or her physical appearance. Character attributes can be manually increased when leveling up. The game takes place in a series of interconnected, mostly dungeon-like areas populated by enemies. Some areas can be accessed freely, though the enemies there may be too hard for the player to tackle at earlier stages. Combat allows detailed options such as active parrying, blocking, rolling, and different attacks with equipped weapon. The player must pay close attention to both their vitality and stamina meters. All actions will reduce stamina, and when the stamina bar is empty the player is left vulnerable.

Much like its predecessor, Dark Souls touts its hardcore pedigree and high level of difficulty. Even the most mundane of enemies can be deadly if not handled with care, and many situations will seem impossibly unfair at first glance, but there is always a solution to be found. The game takes place in the kingdom of Lordran, which is a large continuous world where all areas of the game are interconnected. The game also features a unique and extensive online play system, where players can attack or assist each other for benefits, as well as find and leave messages for each other.

The player can improve their abilities and equipment using Souls, which are taken from defeated enemies and function both as a currency and experience points. There is also a secondary, much more scarce currency called Humanity, which provides a number of situational benefits. Humanity can be used to revive to human form, which allows the player to kindle bonfires to earn more healing items, as well as to call for assistance from NPCs or other players. However, if the player is defeated, they will revert to hollow, return to the last bonfire they rested at, and lose all souls and humanity they had on them. It can be recovered by reaching the spot where they died, but if they die again before collecting them, they are lost forever.

Screenshots

There are no Xbox 360 screenshots for this game.

Alternate Titles

• "Project Dark" -- Working title
• "ダークソウル " -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Group

• Dark Souls series

User Reviews

There are no reviews for this game.

The Press Says

OMGN: Online Multiplayer Games Network	Dec 13, 2011	9.8 out of 10	98
Jeuxvideo.com	Oct 03, 2011	18 out of 20	90
The Escapist	Oct 14, 2011		90
Xbox360Achievements	Oct 05, 2011	90 out of 100	90
Gamesbeat	Nov 05, 2011	89 out of 100	89
XboxFrance	Oct 17, 2011	8.5 out of 10	85
GamesCollection	Nov 22, 2011	8.5 out of 10	85
PC Gameplay (Benelux)	Sep 28, 2011	84 out of 100	84
Alternative Magazine Online	Oct 03, 2012	8 out of 10	80
Canadian Online Gamers Network	Oct 18, 2011	78 out of 100	78

Forums

There are currently no topics for this game.

Trivia

Awards

• 4Players
  • 2011 – Best Role-Playing Game of the Year