Demon’s Souls is Not the Most Boring Game of the Year
Deep down inside, I know Demon’s Souls is 2009’s Game of the Year. Other titles — Uncharted 2, Modern Warfare 2, and the like — look better on paper, and they have that high-grade production polish that makes a game seem less gamey. Demon’s Souls is different. It’s a living, breathing game that punishes often, rewards rarely and always beckons.
It’s also the saddest game I’ve ever played.
I’m inspired by a column in Edge by Chris Dahlen that calls Demon’s Souls “The Most Boring Game of the Year.” To be clear, Dahlen loves the game, he just doesn’t think there’s anything exciting to say about it. His reasoning consists of two parts: First, the game appears boring to anyone who’s not playing it, and second, there’s just very little of interest to say about Demon’s Souls besides its brutal difficulty and haunting aesthetics.
Let’s get the first point out of the way quickly. Most games are a snooze to watch. People will rave about Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, but to the observer you’re just running through a warzone, shooting at small, fast-moving targets, getting knocked down, respawning and starting over. Sure, some games will lure in passersby with a particularly intense set piece or cinematic, but games are rarely free from the grind that makes an observer want to do something else. Demon’s Souls is no different.
But is there really so little to be said about the game itself? Of course not.
The thing you’ll hear most about Demon’s Souls is how hard it is, and indeed, you’ll face gigantic bosses that can fell you with one blow, you’ll get torched by airborne dragons and you’ll occasionally die at the hands of an underestimated grunt. However, there’s depth to this madness and Dahlen only glosses over it.
There are two mechanics in Demon’s Souls on which its difficulty hinges, both pertaining to death. When you perish, your character is taken back to the start of the level. Maybe you’ve unlocked a few shortcuts along the way, but in most cases you’ll have to hack through all the opponents you previously defeated, even if you reached the boss. In the process, you’ll burn more precious resources, such as healing herbs and arrows, making it harder to continue.
The second part of the equation are souls, which are the game’s equivalent of both gold and experience. If you survive a level, you can cash in these souls for new items, better weapons and upgraded skills, but if you die, you lose everything. Demon’s Souls gives you one shot to reclaim your lost souls from the spot of your death, and if you perish again before making it there — and you will — those souls are gone forever. You can’t even store souls in a safe place between missions, so instead you’ll spend as if you had a terminal illness.
What I find so interesting about these mechanics is that they’re beyond archaic. There’s something old-school about them in the sense that you can’t save and you aren’t coddled with checkpoints, but even The Legend of Zelda doesn’t punish you for death by taking away every last rupee. As game design goes, it’s a terrible system. I would want no other game to be like Demon’s Souls, and yet in this game it works. When playing Demon’s Souls, you’re worried all the time, but somehow compelled to keep playing.
Dahlen dismisses some of the game’s aesthetics as being secondary to the gameplay, but they’re an integral part of the act. Each level — from ruined fortresses to haunted prisons to a stage that’s actually called “The Valley of Defilement” — has hardly any friendly faces. The lack of music robs the game of pacing, so you feel indefinitely lost in every level. You’ll also notice that non-player characters’ faces are somewhat obscured when you speak to them. It might be the size of their avatars, or the way they barely animate, but they feel cold and distant. Like the gameplay, these attributes would be a failure in most games, but in Demon’s Souls, they come together to convey emotions of hopelessness.
That feeling carries over to the game’s online component, which is initially little more than white wireframes wandering around. These are other players, toiling just as you are, but you can’t interact with them or see the enemies they’re fighting. At times, you’ll see bloodstains on the ground, signifying that a player has died here, but the player is anonymous. Activating the stain shows you how the player died, but it’s just another wireframe running ahead to some peril that you can’t see and will soon confront, probably with the same outcome. Later in the game, players can lend a temporary helping hand to others, but you can’t use voice chat or invite specific friends, and some players will appear solely to fight you and wipe out your progress. For a game that’s teeming with players, Demon’s Souls is a lonely, depressing affair.
Video games don’t easily convey sadness and hopelessness. Lots of games have sad moments, but it doesn’t feel sad to play them. Action games are rarely hopeless, either, because you’re usually playing as a superhero who’s expected to save the day. In Demon’s Souls, the opposite is true. You’re expected to fail and give up, and the horrible fog that’s turning the entire world into mindless husks will continue to expand. There’s even one supporting character who serves no purpose except to demoralize you. It’s powerful, and it works.
And there’s nothing boring about that.
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Check out another recent GamerCrave feature: “Breaking the Mold: Gaming’s Minority Stereotypes and Exceptions“
Thursday, December 3, 2009 2:20AM
Good article. I'm simultaneously really interested to try the game and dreading ever playing it.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 1:56PM
DS is cool, but isnt cool enough to be the Best Game of 2009. Uncharted2 has this award already. But yeah, I enjoyed DS a lot just cause of it dificulty.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 2:03PM
This is a great read, and it says exactly what I've been wanting to convey about this game. It's just so morbid and depressing yet I feel compelled to play the game. Especially in front of my friends. They enjoy watching me cuz they like to see me die (we are awesome friends xD) yet I love proving them wrong in terms of my skill and when I destroy one of the many demons that Demon's Souls has to offer, they congratulate me. One time I took out 4 invaders, back to back and they were hella proud. Made me feel good. I also doubt it was boring for them to watch considering their reactions to them game.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 2:33PM
I could forgive this game it's short comings if the developer wasn't trying to make no voice chat sound like a feature.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 5:28PM
I am unable to stop playing Demon's Souls. It is absolutely phenomenal. All other games this year have not held my attention like this game has.
Being invaded by another player and fighting to the death is something that everyone needs to experience. Thrilling, to say the least.
It was funny when that article by Chris Dahlen was first published; my wife and a friend of mine hated Demon's Souls and agreed with the 'boring' title because all they wanted to watch me play was Uncharted 2. But I just kept going back to DS. (Not to say I didn't like Uncharted 2. I did finish it and plan on beating it on crushing difficulty. I obviously enjoy a challenge.)
Thursday, December 3, 2009 6:09PM
Demons souls is Kings field in 3rd person! So if you liked tha pice of crap, youll enjoy this one.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 6:19PM
The more i hear about Demon's Souls the more i want to play it. When the heck are they bringing this game to the UK??? Argggh!
Thursday, December 3, 2009 9:31PM
David. This game may never be released in PAL regions. I live in Australia and Demon's souls is the first game I have ever imported. You should do the same, you will not regret it. It's awesome!
Thursday, December 3, 2009 10:44PM
I have put about 30-40 hours into Demon's Souls so far, and having played through and beating the single-player modes on KZ2, UC2, MW2 (a lot of sequels!) this year, I have to agree that DS is the only one I haven't gotten bored of. It is so refreshing to play a game where every kill feels like an achievement, and every with step comes the possibility of incurring real punishment. The lasting appeal of the game, as well as the incomparable feeling of achievement when you finally slay a major demon is beyond comparison to any other game out there. While it will definitely frustrate you (those failures is what makes success so pleasurable), it should be the GOTY because more to gaming than any other title released this year.
Thursday, December 3, 2009 10:51PM
Here here, Will.
Indeed, one of the great things about Demon's Souls that I didn't mention in the article is that idea of meaningful death — the idea that your life isn't expendable thanks to frequent checkpoints and a lifetime supply of second chances. How refreshing it is to hear people say they actually like this concept in video games.
Like I said, not every game should approach death the same way Demon's Souls does, but this game proves that there's room for innovation in game death beyond silly Vita-Chambers.
Related reading: Did you hear about the guy who spent 20 hours playing through Far Cry 2 without dying? Self-imposed meaningful death. I am in awe:
http://drgamelove.blogspot.com/2009/12/permanent-...
Thursday, December 3, 2009 4:55PM
As someone who owns the game and is currently toiling through the engrossing environments and atmosphere, it is apparent that you haven't played it. Voice chat is a great tool in games where it makes sense. In this one, voice chat would ruin the FEEL of the game, which the developers obviously went to great lengths to generate. I don't mind that the when I summon a mysterious warrior's soul to my world he is just a ghost there to aid me, but not able to provide direction or feedback… it just feels right.
Friday, December 4, 2009 10:30AM
That IS EXACTLY the feeling you get when playing. The further you go- the more you want to play & the more you enjoy it too. But contrapositively, the farther you make it- the more you cr@p your pants at whats around the bend!
Monday, December 7, 2009 2:02PM
I imported this from the US, first game I have ever imported. Totally worth it, I have loved this game probably more than any other this GENERATION! It has totally sucked me in. I'm getting towards the end game now, and I'm a bit sad. I'm determined to exploit the World Tendency system to find everything I can, and I will probably give it a go on New Game +.
I would say that, while the game has definite choke points, any seasoned gamer shouldn't have too much trouble getting through it. I've defeated entire sections and bosses without dying once, on my first attempt. IT'S NOT AS TOUGH AS SOME PEOPLE MAKE OUT.
Sunday, January 3, 2010 4:23PM
Well sry but in my opinion there is nothing great about this game… It is hard but graphics to me r lame and camera control in some areas r so bugged that is just pathetic… game of the year? wtf ppls? No open spaces in it… only dungeon game… Online multi player overpopulated by cheaters… battle mode maby is realistic but its just makin it normal… I just dont like games where i need to do one dungeon 100 times to know where all mobs r to complete it… And plz dont compare it to zelda:P If u relly want then u can compare it to mario or pacman… Sry if i made mistakes… not so good in english writing.
Thursday, January 14, 2010 6:24AM
Link you are a real stupid.
The camera is too good.
Only a little bugs, no more than that.
Cheaters!?!?! loooool
Yes, is not only running and killing enemies throgh all the stages. You have to know the stage and enemies in the stage.
I love Mario and Zelda, but the last zeldas have been too easy and Mario is other thing.
If you want to cry because you can not pass boletario 1-1 please SHUT UP !!!!
Monday, February 1, 2010 8:13AM
All is true and anyone who badmouth Demons Souls obviouslly sucks at it and feels envious toward those people that can actually play it