DARK SOULS™: REMASTERED

Setting and Atmosphere
Dark Souls is set in the haunting and decaying kingdom of Lordran, a place where the age of fire is fading, and the undead curse has gripped humanity. The world of Lordran is intricately designed, with areas interconnected through clever shortcuts that create a sense of discovery and immersion. The seamless world design is arguably one of the game’s greatest achievements, giving players the feeling of exploring a massive, living labyrinth. The atmosphere is thick with a sense of despair and decay, emphasized by minimalistic ambient music that only swells during boss fights, making those encounters feel epic and intense.

Story and Lore
The story is subtle and deeply layered, told through item descriptions, environmental storytelling, and cryptic dialogues from NPCs. You play as the Chosen Undead, destined to link the fire and prolong the Age of Fire or let it fade into the Age of Dark. The game never holds your hand in telling this story, leaving much of it to interpretation. The rich lore, crafted by Hidetaka Miyazaki, creates a sense of myth and tragedy that resonates long after you put down the controller.

Gameplay and Combat
The combat in Dark Souls is precise, methodical, and punishing. Every encounter feels like a duel, requiring patience, timing, and skill. The game’s signature stamina management system forces you to balance attacking, blocking, and dodging carefully. Weapon variety is impressive, from mighty greatswords to agile rapiers, and every weapon has a unique move set that encourages experimentation. The parry and riposte mechanics are particularly satisfying, rewarding skilled players with devastating counter-attacks.

One of the most iconic aspects of Dark Souls is its boss design. From the imposing Bell Gargoyles to the chilling Four Kings, each boss presents a unique challenge, often testing your reflexes, strategy, and understanding of the game’s mechanics. Bosses like Ornstein and Smough stand out as some of the best in the series, demanding a mastery of both movement and combat flow.

Character Customization and Builds
Customization is extensive, allowing players to tailor their character to their preferred playstyle. You can build a dexterous swordsman, a hulking tank, a powerful sorcerer, or a versatile hybrid. The stat system is complex, rewarding thoughtful distribution to maximize damage and survivability. Magic builds feel drastically different from melee builds, offering a wide array of spells, miracles, and pyromancies that add replayability.

Level Design
The interconnected world design is a masterpiece in itself. Unlocking shortcuts feels like a revelation, and the way levels loop back on themselves is nothing short of genius. Areas like Anor Londo, Blighttown, and Sen’s Fortress each offer unique challenges and aesthetics that make exploration both daunting and exhilarating.

Multiplayer and PvP
The multiplayer component, including co-op and PvP invasions, is seamlessly integrated into the world. Summoning players for assistance or invading other worlds to challenge them adds unpredictability and excitement to the experience. The covenant system also provides incentives for different multiplayer playstyles, from helping other players to hunting them down.

Pretty good game. Very replayable.
Ai is relativity simple so if you get hit or die its usually your own fault. Second half of the game was rushed a bit in development so its not as polished compared to the first half. Bosses are OK for the most part, there are a couple really good ones, and a really bad one. Music is fire overall.
The world and story are beautiful, and the way its conveyed is unique.
Overall its very good, with some flaws here and there.
Online:
There is online in the game and it is pretty fun for the most part, but be wary of picking items up from random people since you can get banned if they give you "invalid data." And if someone is cheating its better to just AltF4 than get your characters playthrough destroyed.
If you want to mod the game make sure to play offline since even if its a harmless mod it gets flagged and you'll be permabanned from online play, so be careful.

Just beat the game!
First time playing this 14 year old game and I must say, it is better than most modern games.
Highly recommend!

we aint never had this, and old rotten eagles nest. nachos and hog wash. this is my juice! and im hungry. mcdonalds special. gimme a large plate, then ill sing sing sing about it. and imma leave a dime for you to eat at white castle. pouty people and whiny people friends shut yo ass up or im going back to sleep!

Maybe my favourite FromSoftware game, toss up between this and Dark Souls 3.

Very fun RPG, lots of different weapons, which can be upgraded and infused with different damage types. Lots of upgradeable armour. Lots of builds, although basic compared to later editions; ranging from Dex to Strength weapons, daggers to ultra greatswords, then to spells and pyromancy and miracles.

The map is pretty huge and it all intertwines within itself, you feel like you're going on for miles and you suddenly open a door and it turns out to be a shortcut back to a nearby bonfire.

Loads of fun and brutal bosses, the path from beginning to end is satisfying and you can see and feel the progress from every location you visit.

As for negatives, for some or most people I guess, the game can be hard, hard enough to start its own genre of games. Also before this remaster, the previous remaster was called Prepare to Die... and for a reason. Once you learn the patterns or get a weapon with a move-set you like, the game starts to feel a lot easier.

It takes a long while to unlock the ability to fast travel, not much of an issue, unlocking all the achievements in the game meant a lot of travelling back and forth. Its one of those things that you don't really care about, but once you get it and then start NG+ and lose the ability, you start missing it a lot more. Same as going back from Dark Souls 3 back to this one.

I think my biggest negative is the side quest stuff and the NPCs. Very little guidance is offered in game, and all the story and lore is in writing on the weapons and equipment etc. I know some people enjoy the little help the game gives you and the adventure of trying things yourself, but after you've attempted all that and want to find out how to actually progress certain stories, I find myself relying on the wiki guides, I always have to have one open when playing, just to make sure I don't accidently trigger an NPC to move on and die before I finish with them, or to lock out of certain spells and miracles or covenants. Even after completing this several times, I know the path to the end but I can never remember what NPCs are where and when or how they die off.

Genuinely such a pain in the ass some of the worst areas in the series and one of my least favorite games ever hell getting to the bosses is harder than the actual bosses themselves, and I absolutely love it

Re-playing "blind" after 13 years is a massive nostalgia hit and the game is just as good as when it released, but prettier [and no durability bug].

Such a beautifully-designed game!

yea sure why wouldn't i recommend the greatest euphemism of my life xD
bashing your head at something repetitiously for someone else's gain? yea its like having a dead end office job only cooler cause its not an office and there's fucking dragons

"You've died." And you don't know why.

Dark Souls isn't a game, it's a psychological test. They don't explain anything to you here, they drop you into a depressing world with a broken sword and tell you, "Figure out what to do before a rat kills you." And the worst part is, it kills you.
You try hard, you improve, you finally beat a boss after trying 30 times, and you think, "Now I'm really getting the game," but no. You never get it. Miyazaki always has another hell prepared.

- Blighttown? The greatest argument against the existence of God.
- Ornstein and Smough? Two cousins ​​who go to the gym together and hate you.
- Dogs in sewers? More dangerous than most bosses.
- Rolling? It's not an option, it's a religion.

11/10 Solaire didn't find its Sun, but it did find a place in my heart.

only game i know of that will ban you for offline modding. meanwhile they have cheaters online that teleport you across the map

very good game game good super playable very easy no learning curve at all 10/10 would buss again

As a person who started on the most recent entry to Myazaki's work being Elden Ring, I always wondered how Dark souls was, and why it started this Soulslike Genre. Man, this game truly is a great game, its so simple yet so confusing at the same time and most the bosses are some very enjoyable ones. This game showed me why people started to loved these games and would recommend it to anyone that wants to get into the Genre.

This game has the greatest world design I have ever played. The way the map all loops back to itself is truly amazing. Not to mention one of the best gameplay experiences I have ever had. If you have never played Dark Souls, definitely start with this one.

I love watching the ridiculous ways people die in this game via the blood stains and then dying in the most ridiculous ways myself.

Highly recommended. It is not "difficult", it just doesn't treat you like an infant. Combat is all about the fundamentals (spacing, positioning, timing etc) rather than relying on spreadsheet stats. Its purposeful game design has everything that you're used to in modern gaming (minimap, difficulty modes, pause function) but in a very covert form that favours immersion. The style of storytelling reminded me of "Under the Skin" - may not be for everybody but definitely my cup of tea. Not much else to say that's not been said a trillion times. Oh, it also played great on the deck.

20/10 cult classic
Gabe go get back prepare to die edition u cuck

Knowledge Check: The Game

If you don't already know the ins & outs of the various NPC story lines, enemy placements or attack patterns,
you'll suffer until *you do know them*. Attacks are poorly choreographed, enemies are often placed in locations where you can't infer their existence until they inevitably jump out of their hiding spot & hit you - giving you that knowledge for when you get back there.

You can easily miss dialogue, entire NPCs and even the "intended" way of learning about the alternate ending.
Sometimes even the area is obscured from you (darkness / invisibility), so you feel extra safe in your lack of knowledge.

When you *do* know, then the game becomes an open garden with many paths, great experiences and a rich story, neatly packed action and a lot of options in how to tackle each fight.

TL;DR: great game if you have knowledge, cheap design tricks & poor player experience if you don't.

A good game with low points, there is good reason this classic is beloved

Dark Souls is a masterpiece of RPGs. While it didn't pioneer the Soulslike genre (that honor goes to Demon's Souls), its success brought the genre to a more mainstream audience than its predecessor. I implore you not to dismiss the game for being "too hard", because difficulty is not what the game is about. Its indirect storytelling through the world, its characters, and items you can find lends itself to an almost pure gameplay experience with very little breaks in the flow. It may be slower than its sequels and spinoffs, but Dark Souls is worth the money and the time io takes to, as one would say, "git gud".

pretty good, held back by a lot of old clunkiness
if only this was an actual remake instead of an hd texture pack

great game was the first to introduce my into the geet good game style and it so rewarding mind you if it is your first time playing you will be just as lost as i was to begin with but i got there eventually

My first dark souls game from Elden Ring and It is a must play for anyone who loves the genre. The level design in this game is amazing, like mind blowing. Learning the mechanics and all make things so much easier! A tip for those wanting to play. Use humanity to make yourself human at bonfires and then use another humanity to "kindle" the bonfire. This is will give you more heals "Estus Flasks" when using that bonfire. Best of luck!

Yeah it's pretty good. Blighttown/the swamp isn't as bad as the internet makes it out to be. It takes a bit to get used to the controls and to navigate around Lordran. But once you get the hang of things, you have a great game in your hands. Until you make your way through Anor Londo and acquire the Lordvessel. The second half of the game is still alright but lacks the polish and quality the first half had. Overall still a great game and one I put the time to 100%.

The best level design in video game history, incredibly challeging but fair, amazing game play. But, bed of chaos :)

A timeless classic, everyone who is even slightly interested in Souls games should try it. In my eyes and in the eyes of many people a 10/10.

been able to get cursed right at the start of the game is one of the worst mechanics in any souls game, why the fuck did they make it so you either have to get to the end of blight town or to get to the end of new londo fuck new londo also one of the worst places ever designed ever making it full of ghost that kill you in two hits that follow you to the end of the goddamn map and go through walls fuck new londo and fuck curse

This game means a lot to me. Booting up DS1 and going back to Lordran always feels like coming back home.

Praise the sun!

very good, very fun, phenomenal, life changing experience, bed of chaos my beloved

To be modest, this game is life-changing. I was hesitant to play any souls-like until I played Dark Souls because the reputation it has for being unforgiving was super intimidating. After playing through this game, I want to differentiate the reputation and reality of Dark Souls.

Dark Souls IS challenging, often times feeling impossible and daunting, but it is also easier than it appears.

Dark Souls is a game that requires you to use everything you have at your disposal. You can absolutely throw yourself at enemies over and over again, memorizing patterns and brute forcing your way to the next bonfire if you want Dark Souls to feel like the impossible game it has the reputation for being.
Alternatively, the game gives you so many things you can use to make this game really easy. You can farm souls, summon player or NPC allies to help you, upgrade your weapons and armor, and so much more.

You will have to put in the work to make this game possible, and you're then given probably the most rewarding experience in a game. You will feel yourself get stronger: maybe that first boss took you 50 tries to beat, and then that 15th boss only took 1 try. On top of that, you get to experience the most subtle but thoughtful story in gaming. You could easily go through this entire game and not pick up on a single plot point, as the story is found in item descriptions, hidden NPC dialogue, the music, and the atmosphere.

got into the soulsborne games for the first time these past 5-6 months and started out with this one, probably one of the best experiences i had with any game in a very long time. getting 100% was such a tedious grind, but oh my goodness the exploration, weapon selection, storytelling, along with the characters were all absolutely phenomenal. a game i will cherish forever and so glad to finally experience for myself.

One of the Greatest Games of all time. The only thing lost in translation from the original to the remastered is the amazing art style and arcade feel. Overall, I love the game for what it is, A miracle . The second half is blown out of the water because the first half was so god-tier,

10/10 My favorite Souls games next to Bloodeborne

I didn't have super high expectations of this game but it ended up being kind of fun playing it alongside a friend .

To be fair, the game is kind of janky, it's full of awful game design decisions, it's clearly unfinished (even after having the opportunity to finish it on the remaster), almost all bosses are kind of gimmicky to hide the fact that they are kind of simple/easy, it's locked at 60fps, the weapon balancing seems to not exist, it's kind of pricey for an old game...

I could go on and on about its flaws, but it ended up being enjoyable and it was about what i expected it to be. By this point you probably know what you are buying and it is exactly what you see on the box. Not a game for everybody and not a 10/10 but out of this thumbs up/thumbs down system it gets a passing grade from me.

Should you try Dark Souls 1 if you have completed the newer games?
Maybe, maybe not. It is 50/50 for me.

I wanted to do a spoiler-free run and check content as little as possible.

What I did not know was that when killing the final boss, the game restarts automatically into NG+.
No prompt, no pop-up, no warning, nothing.
This completely spoiled the feeling of victory, as I had more content to complete.
You also lose all your embers for upgrades.

Accessing the content for the DLC requires progressing to the mid-to-late game.
This means that I will never play the content I paid for; I do not have the patience to do it all over again.

In some aspects, the game has not aged too well.

For instance, there is no fast travel until the mid-to-late game, and some runbacks are *very* long. It is a massive time waster.

Some bosses are buggy, like Smough and Ornstein.

This is not a hard fight; this is a very buggy fight, especially Ornstein.
He sometimes jumps in one direction, freezes, then rushes towards you.

In his greater form, sometimes blocking works, and sometimes it doesn't.
His lance will go through pillars, and his missiles will go through Smough.

The hitboxes in the game can be quite imprecise.
It is a known issue on YouTube, just check 'Dark Souls hitboxes' to know what I am talking about.

Some areas are very mid, like Blighttown or Lost Izalith.

On the positive side of things, the game is big, and the lore is intriguing.
It is also interesting how it laid the foundation for future Souls games.

9.4/10
Even today revisiting Dark Souls still surprises me.
I was actually a huge Castlevania series player at the beginning and played almost every game many times. By the time I heard about Demon's Souls, I realized that the game was filled with a lot of Castlevania elements, and that the maker should have been more or less inspired by the Castlevania series, but at the same time it was also filled with a lot of original gameplay elements and unique thematic styles that stood out to me. While Demon's Souls still had its fair share of flaws, it was full of potential, but unfortunately wasn't well received by Sony at the time, which ultimately led to sales that fell short of expectations, and so From Software and Sony had this not-quite-as-pleasant experience together. It wasn't until two years later (2011) that Hidetaka Miyazaki developed Dark Souls as a spiritual sequel to Demon's Souls, and since then the Souls series has been on a flourishing path of creativity. Today, the Soul series is known to players all over the world, and Soul-like games have become a very popular genre label.
As the originator of the Dark Souls series, Dark Souls 1 has excellent map design, unique gameplay mechanics, a rich worldview and plot background, a unique narrative, immersive immersion, and a variety of colorful ARPG elements. Although there are some minor flaws, the overall finish is very high, and the game system design is very mature, even today's perspective, it is still an excellent masterpiece.
Since then, the Dark Souls saga has officially begun.

~ DIFFICULTY ~
🔲 My grandma could play it
🔲 Easy
🔲 Normal
✅ Hard
🔲 A challenge to be reckoned


~ GRAPHICS ~
🔲 MS Paint
🔲 Bad
🔲 Meh
🔲 Normal
🔲 Very Good
🔲 An original artistic direction
✅ Beautiful
🔲 Masterpiece


~ STORY ~
🔲 This game has no story
🔲 Some lore
🔲 It's there for people who want it
🔲 Well written
✅ Leading to more in-depth researches/thoughts
🔲 A model to get inspired by


~ LENGTH ~
🔲 0 (No story)
🔲 Short
🔲 Average
🔲 Long
✅ To infinity and beyond


~ MUSIC ~
🔲 Just filling noises/No music
🔲 Trivial and uneventful
🔲 Good and/or fitting the game's artistic dispositions
🔲 Memorable
✅ Transcending whispers of a forgotten world


~ INTEREST ~
🔲 I would rather watch paint dry
🔲 Hard to enjoy
🔲 Repetitive and/or uninspired
🔲 A good moment
🔲 Sticking out of the pack
✅ You will remember it long after


~ REPLAYABILITY ~
🔲 A one-time experience
🔲 Only for achievements
🔲 If you wait a few months/years (or with mods)
🔲 Definitely
✅ Infinitely replayable (or almost)


~ REQUIREMENTS ~
🔲 You can run it on a microwave
✅ Low
🔲 Average
🔲 High end
🔲 NASA computer

This game is something, that everybody has to experience at least once. Its a true masterpiece.
Once you press that "new game" button, there is no coming back. At first it may seem strange and hard, and you'll ask yourself: "Are these suffering really worth it?" and the answer is definetely yes. Once you past that stage, the game will suck you in for HOURS.

Dark souls 1 is an everlasting classic, arguably the most atmospheric souls born EVER.

One of the best games ever made, I rate it 100/10. I believe every gamer should play through this game at least once. It's that good.

The world, level design, textures, models, characters, dialogue, storytelling, lighting, sound, animations, sky boxes, all master class. Absolute insanity art like that can even be conceived and run near flawlessly.
The enemy attack patterns, animation locks, unfair one hits and complete bs hit boxes make this game infuriating to play. Comparison with the more modern titles, this game leans more to artificially hard and waiting for good rng, rather than mastering the enemies moves. I can see why boss run backs didn't stick around.

this game really likes to try finger but hole but man does it feel good

This game holds a special place in my heart. While the concluding chapters may not quite match the brilliance of the earlier segments, the downloadable content more than compensates with some of the most remarkable bosses in the franchise. If I were to choose but a single game to indulge in for eternity, this would undoubtedly be my selection.

Hard at first but becomes easy when you understand how everything works. I watched Chappelle's show while grinding achievements. Now anytime I hear Dave Chappelle's voice it's linked to warping between bonfires and running to locations. An unforgettable game that I will probably never play again.

My favorite Dark Souls, i really like the difficulty and how you feel small in the world. Iconic music and the bosses are well made. Please give the dlc a chance, you can't miss Artorias. Whether you get it on sale or not this is a game you should at least try once.

Old – still gold?

A classic which still holds really well by 2025, even though it was released almost two decades ago. If you’ve never played it but played newer From Software games and now try to decide whether you should try this one or not – my answer would be ‘definitely’. It’s a great experience, the game has its own atmosphere different from other DS’s, and you will learn where FS took off from. I never stumbled upon any bugs, errors or running problems either on PS or PC, Remastered really made it a smooth game even though it’s old.

However, if you’re a fan of newer FS games only, there are some things that have to be mentioned about DS1 in specifics that make playing it a MUCH different experience than let’s say DS3:

1) The gameplay feels much clunkier and less polished. When I replayed DS1 years later, I noticed the huge difference in how my character rolls for example. When I have a target on an enemy, sometimes my character freezes for a couple of seconds when I need to roll sideways, or they roll back/forth instead. In some bosses’ fights such inconvenience can literally cost you a life, like Artorias fight on NG+ (which I ended up winning not targeting A. at all).

2) Not only the gameplay is slower, but the pacing is slower in general. When I’m playing as a light-armored character in DS3 (or in Bloodborne as default), I’m a literal Flash. I’m quick, dexterous and can run miles within a minute. When I’m playing literally naked in DS1, I feel like I’m running underwater. And considering that sometimes I have to run incredibly long distances just to get to a certain bosses’ arena (Bed of Chaos, Gwyn), it feels like a chore just because how long it is. When I hit even light weapons, it feels much slower than anywhere before, while my enemies hit way faster almost in all cases. It’s not really an issue, but you’ll certainly have to get used to it and literally re-train yourself if you’ve never played DS1 before.

3) Speaking of running. You’ll have to go through roughly 40% of the game to get the ability to warp between the bonfires (only certain ones though, not all of them). And even though the game has a huge number of great shortcuts (and better level-design in general which makes all the areas connected), you’ll really feel playing it tiring after some period of time due to constant underwater running required. I can literally play any other FS games for hours and not get tired, but with DS1, I often finish my daily sessions within one or two hours just because how drowsy I get while being in the need of covering long distances at slow tempo.

4) Adding to the point above: while going for the platinum in my re-walkthrough on PC (which requires fully finishing the game 2.5 times), it really turned into a snoozefest for me lol. As I played in on PS years ago, going for the plat was really easy as I could remember. So if you play the game for the first time, you’ll be really interested to explore and engaged in it. But when you know the game too well already? Man, replaying it really puts me to sleep. And even though it’s an objectively great game, I like it the less from all the other FS projects. I know DS3 better than my parents too, I put around 400 hours into it and I still would play it again over DS1 which I gave about 100 hours only.

To sum it all up: DS1 is an old game, and playing it won’t feel as free and smooth as the newer FS projects. It will require much more time and dedication from you, and certain aspects of it will have to click with you before you’ll start to enjoy it (or, well, at least tolerate it). In any case, it still is and will always be worth playing even after years later.

Sick game, awesome interconnection between each area at the first half. very interesting story and lore. with really cool characters and bosses. 100% will recommend it 8.4/ 10 (souls veteran here BTW)

A glorified Re"Master" that's basically a 60FPS, 1080p texture pack mod of the original
Still contains most of the bugs and problems, but at least it still has online mode

My first souls after Elden Ring, and it was amazing, the bosses were all really fun (except Bed Of Chaos, Fuck Bed Of Chaos), the interconnected world was so fun to explore, the game did feel slightly more clunky to play than Elden Ring but thats expected considering how much older the game is.

And the final boss's music was incredible, my favourite boss music in the whole series.

The world is interconnected with limited fast travel and tons of shortcuts, really making journeys feel real. Superheavy armour and great weapons turn you into an unstoppable killdozer, something that really just isn't possible in other fromsoft games. Fat rolling is ok, the enemies are as clunky as you, and spacing is your best advantage in combat. This is the best fromsoft game i've ever played.

this game has no right to be this good, its relatively short, alot of the bosses are bullshiz and the ending portion is a bit rushed but i cant put it down, the combat is addictive, the characters are all so endearing. i could talk to each npc for hours because theyre full of so much personality. and despite this being the "hard game" i never really found myself getting mad because the game would either make it very clear it was MY fault i died. or the death was so comical i couldnt help but laugh when i died, is this game for everyone? no probably not but id still say its worth trying, and remember, be careful out there, dont get yourself killed. neither of us want to see you go hollow!

One of my favorite games of all time. The themes, the atmosphere, everything. It all blends so well together. Even the little things, like how the game is mostly silent, give the music so much more impact when it plays. The game really deprives you of a lot, but it's still fair, which, in all honesty, makes it so much more rewarding when you conquer a challenge.

The way the areas connect so well is honestly astonishing. The moment I knew I'd be hooked on this game was when I unlocked the shortcut from the Undead Parish back to Firelink Shrine after a long grind to the top Bell of Awakening. Just the sheer feeling of familiarity, which not a lot of games provide, was really soothing. I've really come to appreciate this type of level design. It really reminds me of games like some of the Resident Evil titles or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, though I think they very much perfected the formula in this game.

Though getting 100% completion was a bit of a grind, it wasn’t all that bad, and I honestly enjoyed it.

This is a game I will revisit from time to time. It's honestly not too far off to compare it to the ever-recurring "Minecraft phase", since its replayability is very high.

All in all, the game is perfect in my eyes. It's not for everyone, it is a bit difficult. However, it is very rewarding, and the gameplay is excellent. In my opinion, it is a must-play.

The only downsides I can think of are some of the most horrendous run-backs I've experienced in a game. Got used to them after some time though and didn't really mind them too much.

(This review is probably my biggest Yap Session yet mb)


Plin Plin Plon / 10

\[T]/

TLDR: Dark Souls will always have a place of nostalgia for me, but that being said, the clunky combat is starting to show its age when you have the superior fluidity of Elden Ring. Great version for the performance enhancements.

PROS:

➕Legendary game world design

NEUTRALS:

🔹Tying humanity to PVP is annoying
🔹Dark vibe of hopelessness
🔹Ornstein and Smough is my worst DS boss ever and they can DIAF

CONS:

➖Combat is VERY rough when coming from newer games like Elden Ring
➖Audio issues - occasional monster move won’t have sound (silent dragon breath)
➖I hate “Double keybound” movesets, like having kick bound to light attack makes me accidentally kick all the time. Jump button on run/roll is just a fun slot machine on what my character will do.
➖Narrative sucks

Content (Game world/Narrative/Length) – [8/10]

Absolutely love the game world setup and how everything is intertwined so well.

Gameplay (Mechanics/Difficulty) – [5/10]

While peak at the time of release, games like Elden Ring have really shown the age of OG Dark Souls combat.

Graphics (Quality/Performance) – [5/10]

60FPS consistent. This version is probably the best the game is ever going to look.
Tons of issues with mobs/corpses falling through the environment.
i9-13900KF | RTX 4090 | 64GB RAM | 1440p @ 240hz | Windows 11 installed on SSD

Audio – [5/10]

Definitely some audio issues, but overall, still decent.

Replay Factor (Longevity) – [5/10]

Average replayability - NG+ allows you to enhance/expand your build and replay again, but no ability in game to try a different build.

Final Verdict – [6/10]

This is my 4th run through of DS1. I’ve completed DS2, DS3, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, all at least once. So when I returned to the original, I was not prepared for how…..clunky and just plain awful feeling it was. While true that it does run nice at a consistent 60fps, and the graphics, while still pretty bad, have some noticeable enhancements like reflections on the environment, DS1 is definitely starting to show how old it is.

After about the first 10 hours, the DS bug bit me again. I was thoroughly enjoying it, and I think that’s a great testament to the classic feeling of DS and how it forever changed the gaming landscape after its release. The “Souls-like” genre began here (You could argue Demon’s Souls….but Dark Souls kinda exploded the popularity).

So what makes it so fun? I think it comes down to the challenge, the builds, and the personal growth that you experience. I remember when I first played DS1 and kept dying to every boss and even normal enemies like black knights. This playthrough I sped pretty quickly to Anor Londo only getting stuck at O&S (the bastards). It’s this growth that makes the game so worthwhile - to see your skill improve as you conquer challenges.

So overall, yes, I recommend DS Remastered. It’s still a good game with some nice under-the-hood performance tweaks, but damn is this gameplay getting old. I think that Elden Ring is the overall better experience, so while I would recommend this to experience the origins of DS, It’s becoming an ever tough sell due to its age and general clunky gameplay. It's important when you play this to put yourself in the year 2011 as the more you forget about FromSoft's newer and more refined gameplay, the better time you'll probably have.

Recommend? [Y/N]

Yes

You can find my curator page here: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Synik_GR