“Epic” gets attached to bosses so often that the word has lost the capability to describe those of Demon’s Souls. Other bosses impress with size and cinematic flair. These behemoths make their impacts by killing you in 10 seconds or less, repeatedly. How exactly does one kill a four-story knight? Hacking and slashing is hardly a worthy strategy. Every boss has weaknesses to decipher and exploit. The trick is finding them. One battle tasked me with defeating a giant spider as it launched fireballs through the narrow cavern separating us. I tried dodging, shooting arrows, and going kamikaze. In the end, maneuvering through the maelstrom was a simple matter of equipping a… (recommend my message and find out).

Demon’s Souls is a rare game that is tuned to near-complete perfection, but it also represents the antithesis to the recent trend of emphasizing player-friendly experiences over challenges. It is unyielding and relentlessly unmerciful. A single stage will take hours of repetitious practice and cautious progression to complete. The reward is pride. As you progress into the deepest reaches of Boletaria and the bloodstains and messages grow scarce, you know that you are one of the few adventurers with the skill and determination to defeat the Old One. And that’s a unique and rewarding feeling.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .