14 DAY TRIAL // One of the big talking points that appeared before Dark Souls 2 was launched was that developer From Software was interested in making the game more mainstream, which might involve introducing a host of new features designed to appeal to newcomers, even if the overall difficulty would not be affected in any way.
I have not played Demon’s Souls and I have only watched other try and fail in the first Dark Souls, but the general idea of the game appealed to me, because it was supposed to offer a fair challenge, a cryptic world and a story that unveiled itself over time.
So I decided to be the one to play and review Dark Souls 2 and I am here to report that this is a very hard game that can demoralize even the most hardened player, but that there’s plenty of joy hidden under its hard shell.
From Software has kept part of its promise and has created a starting area that serves as tutorial and introduction, allowing a gamer to pick up the basics of the combat and exploration gameplay and understand the main elements of the story.
The only problem is that right before this space, they also placed a monster that I tried to kill for the better part of an hour before I understood that I was just unprepared for the challenge it posed.
Dark Souls 2 does teach the player about the controls and some core concepts, but all players who are accustomed to the way modern titles hold their hand and point them towards objectives, sometimes even giving them full info on how to achieve them, will quickly feel a pang of despair.
I felt it too and wondered why I should push on, given that my only hint was that I was supposed to find a number of powerful monsters and take their souls, but it’s easy to start exploring the game and set oneself little challenges.
I first tried to kill some mutated pigs (which is much harder than it sounds) and then moved up to other hollow humans and even some fearsome hulks with powerful weapons and shields.
It took hours and many failures to take them out, but once I did, I felt a genuine sense of accomplishment that other modern games rarely manage to offer.
The world of Dark Souls 2 is one filled with pain for the gamer, but there are rewards for those willing to endure and persevere.