Dark fantasy
The game that started it all has been made over for the next generation. From publisher Bandai Namco and developer FromSoftware comes Dark Souls Remastered. Return to the arcane land of Lordran and prepare to die again—and again and again!
Defining a genre
On the surface, Dark Souls Remastered can be defined as an action-role playing game. When you start peeling away the layers however, it’s so much more. Dark Souls has become one of those special few series’ whose name has become synonymous with the genre it spawned.
These days any number of games are popping up with similar mechanics. Invariably in reviews and forum discussions, these games are simply referred to as “Dark Souls-like”. That name alone invokes a complete sense of understanding in most gamers, and it is almost always a positive affectation.
This is all the more reason why Dark Souls Remastered is a great choice to receive a re-release.
Time to “get good”
The basic loop of Dark Souls Remastered is simple. Defeat enemies, gain souls, level up. The issue is that you can’t level up until you return to a bonfire, which act as home bases for resting and upgrading stats. If you die before you reach one, your souls are potentially lost—and believe me, you will die. A lot.
So the challenge in a game like Dark Souls Remastered is to balance risk versus reward. Do you push forward to the next bonfire and risk losing all, or take the much longer but safer approach of frequent retreat, making small but frequent gains.
Either way, the combat is punishing but addictive. Dark Souls Remastered has an element of repetition. It rewards patience and strategy, but can also lull players into a false sense of confidence. Just don’t look to the community for too much sympathy. They often have two words for those who complain of unfair or imbalanced fights—”get good!”
New improvements
Dark Souls Remastered has been upgraded to run at a native 60 frames per second on the Xbox and PlayStation platforms. It also supports 4K resolution on the PlayStation 4 Pro as well as the Xbox One X. Although these bumps in graphic quality to not apply to the Nintendo Switch, its impending release will mark the first time the series has appeared on a Nintendo platform—and the first time it will be playable on a portable console.
Improvements have also been made to the online multiplayer features of Dark Souls Remastered, starting with the addition of dedicated servers. The maximum number of online players has also been increased from four to six. Finally, the introduction of password matchmaking means you can control who enters your game, and invite your friends to join the fight.
Dark Souls Remastered includes both the main game as well as the “Artorias of the Abyss” DLC.
A new beginning
Dark Souls Remastered is out now for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. The Nintendo Switch version is currently planned for release in Summer of 2018.
Get Dark Souls Remastered for PlayStation 4
Get Dark Souls Remastered for Xbox One
Pre-order Dark Souls Remastered for Nintendo SwitchÂ
I know that I will likely die a lot, but I’m excited to try this game for the first time on my Switch! Thanks for letting me know what I need to know about it! 😉
Comments are closed.