๐ข TIME TO TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE GREATEST REMAKES OF ALL TIME! ๐ข
The original is also a great game. ๐
We have reached the end of our Soulsborne adventure. I know, I know. I am saddened as well. But! We still have the newest Armored Core to get to. And then! We'll be done with fromsoft... ๐ซ
It's kind of ironic that the last Soulsborne game we cover was not made by fromsoftware. Well, it was and it wasn't. We'll cover both the original release, and what made it special enough to light the cinder that would eventually become the Soulslike genre. And the amazing Bluepoint remake that reignited the passion for this amazing title.
And soโ๏ธ In this edition of Through the Lens ๐, we'll be taking a look at fromsoftware's (and Bluepoint Games') action adventure RPG from 2009 - and 2020: Demon's Souls. โ๏ธ
(the remake didn't have a title associated with it, but we'll be refering to it as 'Remake' throughout this article)
Roll it! ๐ฝ
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๐ท UP TOP ๐ถ
So, this is a first in Through the Lens - two soundtracks?? ๐ฎ Yes, this remake is no joke folks. While we'll get into the specifics of the differences, up top we have to mention that the soundtrack itself is different.
First off we have the original. Very JRPGish IMO. Grand and epic. But not to the scale of the other fromsoft titles. Still amazing, of course. And much more listenable than the Dark Souls soundtrack. I'm talking about background music, of course.
And who wouldn't want to touch up one of their old works? This time wiser and more experienced? Frankly, that's a dream come true. The remake's soundtrack is very similar to the original, except it's crisper, more grandiose, layered. All and all, its identity is stronger, and its execution more confident.
As for my experience with the game**(s)** I'll have to be honest and say I have never played the original release. Back in 2009, I was still busy playing Oblivion ๐ Don't judge me, I had a problem. And since the original was already out when I was going through my Soulsborne marathon, I saw no reason to come back to the original.
That's still alright however as the remake is a carbon copy of the original. Except it's better in every way. I am usually not so confident when talking about these things, but this is different. Even the Dead Space and Resident Evil remakes cannot compare to what Bluepoint managed to achieve here. As such, they will get equal shine as fromsoft. As fromsoft has been getting all the shine in these columns.
All of the photos in this article are from the remake. Since they look so amazing, it didn't make sense to upload low-res images.
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๐ท FOUNDATION ๐ถ
The Soulslike genre originated with Demoon's Souls. At the time no one thought so, but 15 years later here we are. For example: Lies of P was released not a month back. That's a game with a huge budget and team behind it. A game that would've never been made if not for the rise of fromsoft. If not for the groundbreaking venture into the dark - Deamon's Souls.
Miyazaki - fromsoft's creative lead - was promoted from another project because he promised he could save Deamon's Souls. You see, the game was in dire need of a new creative hand, as it was close to cancelation. Miyazaki said he could fix it, made some bold decisions, and all this time later here we are. Writing about it on blockchain social media. ๐
All the characteristic elements one would associate with Soulslikes are present:
- Precision combat based on learning attack patterns;
- A nuanced health recovery system;
- Difficult, epic bosses;
- A dead world with impeccable environmental storytelling;
- Intricate level design;
Fromsoft would of course improve on all of these elements. But it all started with Demon's Souls.
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๐ท GLOW UP ๐ถ
I am not the biggest fan of Gen Z slang, but Glow Up can stay. ๐
The Bluepoint remake does what all good remakes do - 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. And, if possible, enhance the original experience. All of the amazing remakes so far have enhanced the original game, rather than giving you a new experience altogether.
So what did Bluepoint improve? First of all, the graphics are just jaw-dropping. So beautiful. The original game looked decent enough for the time. Nothing special. But this remake? Fromsoft stated that the reason why they tried to make Elden Ring so good-looking was the amazing job Bluepoint did with the remake. Now that's high praise.
So it looks amazing. It also feels amazing. There is now 8-directional rolling, along with new animations for both the player and enemies. Combat has been brought up to date fully, unlike the original, which while solid, still had combat basics dating back 2 generations. I've read from a lot of people that going back to Deamon's Souls feels sluggish. With the remake that's been rectified.
The remake is just an uplifting. All of the mechanics for better or worse are still in the game unchanged. Like, would it have really hurt the game if they placed bonfires closer to the bosses? I mean running through entire areas just to get to a boss is tedious af. But oh well. ๐ Sometimes these minor inconveniences are what bring life to a game. Making it stand out.
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๐ท LEGACY ๐ถ
Demon's Souls was released as a small niche game exclusive to Japan. It then got a North American release where it finally got a surge in popularity. However, it was still a PlayStation exclusive. As such, it was a relatively unknown game. It wouldn't be until Dark Souls release that fromsoft was put on the map. And soon enough, Deamon's Souls was forgotten in place of the much more epic Dark Souls.
Well, more than ten years later, Bluepoint came to the scene and remade the game in spectacular fashion. So much so that people were like "hey, this game is amazing", which led to people realizing "wait, Deamon's Souls is the originator of the Soulslikes..." ๐ฎ
And, yes, it is. This isn't taking away anything from Dark Souls. But without Deamon's Souls, none of this would've happened. And with the fantastic job Bluepoint did, the game will now be remembered forever. It was gonna be anyway, but now it's gonna be with more fondness and acceptance. A truly fantastic experience that everyone should try.
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) ๐๐๐
๐ผ๏ธ Image Sources: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 ๐ผ๏ธ
Shout-out to the ๐PIZZA๐ gang, ๐ค gang. ๐ค
Howdy, howdy. So yes, next we're tackling Armored Core 6. The best mech game ever made? Possibly, we'll get into that in the article. Afterwards? Well, this article gave me the idea of covering other Soulslikes like Lies of P. What they did right and where they fumbled. Not sure how many we'll cover, but we'll definitely do Lies of P after Armored Core. We'll go from there.
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I hope you are having an amazing week! ๐
Return from Demon's Souls ๐ฝ Through the Lens to ะะพัะบะพ's Web3 Blog
