Loading ...Dark Souls Review
Enter into the dark pit of despair that is the world of Lordran.
A disease of unknown origin has inflicted the human race. Once contracted, it leaves you with something called the dark ring and you're sent to live out your days slowly losing your sanity and becoming a Hollow; an undead that has lost all its sanity and is now an extremely violent former shell of the person that it once was. Not the best of circumstances in any game but it's just downright discouraging to be starting a game known for its intense difficulty empty handed. So, congratulations! You start your journey in an asylum prison cell where you've been sent to spend your days as an undead immortal. Besides the opening explanations that set the tone of what to expect, additional information is given by NPCs, that fleshes things out at times. Let's be honest here - once the game starts dealing out painful (and frequent) death, the story is going to be the last thing on your mind. Survival quickly becomes of paramount importance to the player.
Much like its predecessor, Demon's Souls, you are able to customize your character. There are a variety of starting classes to choose from that will effect your starting stats, weapons, combat choices and gear. You can also give it a name, choose it's sex, physique and there are a variety of faces and hair styles to choose from. This time around you also get to choose a starting gift. If look closely you'll notice the thief starts with the master key automatically and still gets a bonus gift. Some are more obviously helpful then others in the descriptions but each one will eventually help you out along the way and all of them, except the master key, is available in game. Keep in mind you don't need the master key to beat the game, it just means that you'll have to find the specific key for each door you want to open. Choosing your starting class will also set the bar for your fighting style for the first few levels. It's not going to pigeon hole you into any one category in the end but in the beginning each one will effect the stats you have and will determine your ability to use magic, use a bow and arrow and what kind of weapons you can use. You can't beat the game strictly using long range weapons or just clobbering your way through. As you level up your attributes you can customize your fighting style and your fighting experience.