[News] Soapbox: Demon's Souls' Difficulty Shouldn't Deter You from Playing PS5's Best Game

[Angel of Death]

I’m pretty average at games. Painfully average. Whenever there’s a leaderboard, I rarely find myself at the top; I rarely find myself at the bottom either. I’m always in the middle. If it’s an online shooter, I’ll never be the MVP, but I’ll find a way to contribute towards my team. In co-op games, I’ll often find myself following the lead of superior players – eager to help out but scared of making a mistake. Heck, even when I’m playing single player campaigns, I usually set the difficulty to Normal. It just feels right for me.Demon’s Souls is obviously one of the more po[CENSORED]r games in the PlayStation 5’s launch lineup, and I know it’s got a lot of people scared. I totally get it. The discourse surrounding this game can be terrifying; you’ve got to “git gud” or go home, and it can be off-putting. Heck, even the marketing campaigns for subsequent titles like Dark Souls put the fear of god into average players like you and I: prepare to die. But what if I don’t want to die? It doesn’t sound like a particularly fun way to relax, does it?My advice: don’t be deterred! I’m not going to lie to you, Demon’s Souls is a difficult game – but it’s not so hard that you can’t enjoy it. Listen, if I can make progress in this game and have a lot of fun in the process, then so can you. Honestly, I find the discussion around FromSoftware’s titles to be misleading: it’s turning people away, and frankly the experience isn’t quite as hard as you’re being led to believe. It just takes a different mentality; invest, and you’ll be richly rewarded. In this particular example, it’s the best PS5 game.

Here are my tips for enjoying Demon’s Souls even if you’re an average gamer like me:The first thing I’d recommend you do is read the resources available to you. Demon’s Souls is over a decade old now, and many of its ambiguous secrets have been blown wide open by fans. There’s nothing to be scared of anymore, you just have to take a little time to digest the information and use it to influence your decisions in the game. Our Demon’s Souls guide is a really great place to start.Take the game slowly, as well. This isn’t the type of title that you can just blitz your way through; that’s a recipe for disaster. If you savour it, though, examine every nook and cranny, then you’ll find yourself making slow and steady progress. The moment you start rushing is the moment you’ll hit a wall.Don’t be afraid to play in co-op. Summoning other players into your game is a big part of the Demon’s Souls experience, and you’ll find a lot of fans are really eager to help you out and show you the ropes. Not everyone is uber-friendly, of course, but you’d be surprised how welcoming the community is at showing you secrets and helping you to beat bosses. It’s a part of the game, so enjoy it.Above all else, just relax. Everyone’s lost souls and everyone’s hit brick walls. The game can lack the direction of more modern releases, but there’s nothing stopping you from setting your own objectives. If your weapon’s not cutting it anymore, then Google one that fits your build and plan a way to acquire it. Do you need to farm some resources? Then find out where best to get them and go there; spend a bit of time stockpiling, and upgrading your level in the process. There’s always something you could be getting on with, so don’t worry if you get stuck – put your time into a different aspect of the title instead, and come back when you're ready.

I’m absolutely loving Demon’s Souls right now, and I think if you’ve been put off by the discussion surrounding it, you definitely could, too! There’s really nothing in this game so impenetrable that an average player can’t overcome it; you just need to have the right mentality going in. Don’t miss out on PS5’s best game because you think you won’t be able to make progress in it; you may end up surprising yourself in the end!