I recently picked up Dark Souls on the steam sale and have honestly fallen in love. I'm going to be picking up Dark Souls 2 but was curious about Demon's Souls. The game is about 20 bucks on Amazon and the same price on PSN so I was wondering is it worth going back or should I not even bother?

My brother played dark souls first and then went to demon souls and he liked it just as much, sometimes he said it was even better in ways. can't give a lot of details as i havent played much but its definitely hitting the same notes as dark souls and is just as appealing, but it is harder too and much more cryptic and the systems are even less explained.

It is definitely worth going back to.

Absolutely. It is still a master work of level design and the combat that kept you on your toes in Darksouls

Demon's Souls is still a fantastic game. Lots to love and loathe about it, just like Dark Souls. If you really liked DkS I'd say DeS is worth it. You might even like it better, or bits in specific. Just be aware of the differences between the two - namely, estus/bonfires versus grass/archstones and the way the levels are split up via a hub rather than an integrated network.

One of my favorite parts of these games is character building. Demon's Souls is awesome for this. The hub world setup means that you can tackle the different areas in any order, depending on how you want to build your character. If you want a faith-based temple knight, then you should make acquiring holy weapons in the Valley of Defilement your priority. If you're a magician, then head to Tower of Latria and experience what is one of the best horror environments in gaming.

With that said, Dark Souls absolutely did re-use a lot of Demon's Souls' tricks, so some of the impact of those moments is going to be reduced. Probably worth buying, even just to learn which game you prefer.

Sure, some things might be a bit backwards but it's a solid game nonetheless. The tone is slightly different and the world is just as interesting as Dark Souls'. But it does play pretty similarly to Dark Souls, so if you're tired of it maybe you'll want to spend it on something else for now.

I went from Dark to Demon's, and while I won't say it's as good it's still great. It will give you the exact same feeling of exploration, but it won't have the "punch" since you've gotten used to the franchise. It also has some unfortunate design desicions, and overall just has a tad less refinement.

Replaying it recently after the Souls podcast Bonfireside Chat began chronicling each level as they did with Dark Souls. Still as magical and enthralling as when I imported the game in 2009.

Yes

short answer: yes!

long answer: yeeeeeeees!

Yes, because Demon's Souls is the better game

I still find Demon's Souls a bit more challenging than Dark Souls.. so it's still worth buying and going through the game.

Yes It's definitely worth going back. They aren't really 1:1 similar though, I think a lot of the changes in Dark Souls were important to take me all the way into love. But that doesn't make the original less of a cool game.

Yes some of the systems aren't as refined in Demon Souls but the basics are there with the same concept, and to be honest it does feel harder. If your on the fence watch the quick look. It gives you a look of how the start of game is.

I'm curious why you feel that way. I just got into the series (I played about four hours of Demon's Souls because of PS+, then bought Dark Souls on Steam and have played about four hours of it as well), and, after reading about a lot of the systems in Demon's Souls and how they were changed in Dark Souls, I wasn't even interested in playing Demon's Souls anymore (and I'm usually a sucker for playing games in a series in order of release first). Most of the way things changed in Dark Souls seem like the way they should've been in the first place.

From what I've generally seen it's just a matter of innovation. People tend to like the one they played (seriously) first because it's the one that had the whole package for them. When you play the "other one" it lacks some of the impact since you've already figured out the basics and it's starting to become more of the same rather than something new and exciting.

@ajamafalous: Can't speak for donchipotle but I know a lot of people who prefer DeS over DaS for a number of reasons. One being the atmosphere, structure, the Nexus as a hub, the bosses are somewhat more creative (the Old Monk being a great example) as well as some of the subplots. I'm just listing them off but they're generally why people do like the former.

For whatever reason I like the armour designs in Demon's Souls more. I'm not sure which game I like better. I like that things are a bit more clear in Dark Souls (stats are not just symbols etc.), but there's just something more interesting about the atmosphere in Demon's Souls.

The tower level and the Old Monk boss fight alone make it worth it. It's an awesome game. Do not miss it.

I'm increasingly of this opinion as well. I played Demon's first and it holds a special place in my heart. While I appreciate some of the changes in Dark Souls, I still prefer the first. I could talk about ambiance, my preference of the hub world and boss design - but ultimately it's all a matter of taste and what you experience first.

Yes its a good game. A must play id say.

Also:

I like the atmosphere and level design in Demon's Souls better as well as the bosses which are on the whole a lot more clever and better designed. There is nothing in Dark Souls, to me, that matches the tension in certain levels in Demon's Souls. I never really felt any sort of tension in Dark Souls. I think Dark Souls is good up until you get the Lord Vessel at which point it can fuck right off.

I'm thinking of finally giving it a shot, having gotten it with PlayStation Plus earlier this year. Still struggling to figure out what build to go for... Any opinions on whether a "tank" build like Vinny's using in Dark Souls is viable in this? Or would a ranged one be better? I'm mainly not entirely confident in my abilities, and looking for maximum cheese potential to compensate...

Coincidentally, I just started (re-)playing Demon's Souls this weekend, after only playing it for a few hours back when it came out. It definitely holds up.

I'm no DeS pro, but everything I've read has said that heavy armor isn't that great, and mobility is generally far more useful (and in my limited personal experience, that definitely seems to hold true). If you want to cheese, you can't go wrong with Royalty. Soul Arrow will get you pretty far in terms of cheesing things out, and remains useful for quite a while. Pick up the Crescent Falchion +1 from 4-1 when you're able, and you should be pretty well-off.

Demon's Souls is pretty good but 1 of the "Worlds" is just absolutely terrible (bosses are all trivial and it just takes forever to go through the second zone), like if Blighttown were 10 times worse that's a good approximation. Worlds 1 and 2 are the main part of the game that is roughly on par with the Dark Souls standard. The majority of bosses in Demon's Souls are quite easy as well. The biggest thing Demon's Souls has going for it is Flamelurker which at the time it was made was one of the best bosses in any Action RPG; but Dark Souls with the DLC has like 5 or 6 bosses on par with Flamelurker.

I still play Demon's Souls now and again, so yeah, I'd say it's worth going back to.

@blacklagoon: I would go for a dex build. You can wield a spear, which gives you some distance from enemies. The winged spear is available in 1-2 (I think) and is really great once upgraded. I also used a lot of arrows in demon's souls. They are far more useful is this game, as the AI is not quite as smart. Light armor is the way to go - I think I used leather armor through the whole game. Rolling is important! I started as a temple knight - royal is also good, but I prefer melee to magic. I will say royal has a pretty easy time in the first world.

Its twenty bucks, buy it put it on a shelf and think about playing. Then go to Backloggery and add it. Never to play. Go find the collectors edition and dont open it. Enjoy the game, Ive played it, its tough.

I would argue Valley of Defilement is a much better area than Blighttown. The atmosphere and environment are wonderfully representative of it's name. The characters you can meet therein are really interesting. The bosses in my opinion are also a lot more creative - of course in terms of Blighttown I don't even know what we consider the bosses for that area since Gaping Dragon is before it and Quelaag is after. Overall Blighttown just seems very incidental when Valley of Defilement certainly follows through with it's intended motif that culminates in that great scene with Lady Astrea.

It's been a while, but I'd also say Flamelurker is probably the most aggressive boss of both titles, and a lot more challenging than Artorias, especially at earlier levels. He doesn't really give you any room to breathe and when you bring his health down the fight only gets a lot more frantic. I faced him with a pure melee character and it was the most difficult fight in the entire game. Even Maneater didn't seem as unnerving - although I got my revenge on those guys with a second character playthrough and a few Firestorm castings.

It is a good game, but I found it to be much more difficult.

I've already argued in other threads how much I prefer Demon's to Dark so I'll just say that it is my game of the generation and I wholeheartedly recommend you play it, even if you've already played Dark. It has a purity of vision unmatched by anything else.

Yes. It's one of the most underappreciated exclusives on PS3. I actually likessome of the world mechanics more is DeS than in DS(WT etc.)

Yes, but it's so much harder than Dark Souls. Never did finish it.

I think tension is the biggest distinguishing factor between the two games. Getting lost inside the claustrophobic wormholes/bugbear maze is horrifying. Hearing Lord Rydell's screams all throughout the Latria prison puts the hairs on the back of my neck on end. There are moments when you first play through Demon's Souls where all you can feel is absolute despair. I feel like Dark Souls replaces those with moments where you think to yourself, "well, where am I supposed to go now?". The feeling is just not the same.

Sure, but set your expectations appropriately low. I love Dark Souls a whole lot but I just can't stand whole levels in Demon's Souls. I imagine it was easier to overlook the glaring problems in Demon's Souls when there was nothing else like it, but now that it's so vastly improved...I dunno, I'd rather just keep replaying Dark Souls. NG+ in Demon's is completely stupid and brings the really cheap enemies to greater light.

That being said, there are cool things about it that are worth seeing, so go for it. Also, I felt like Dark Souls was more foreboding and scary but other people seem to think the opposite? I dunno. The prison was pretty neat.

Do it! I've been playing it recently and the servers are still full of people who will invade you. Personally, I like the idea of tackling singular levels rather than going from bonfire to bonfire, especially when my playtime is limited. I can take the game in bite-sized chunks instead of trying to wrestle down huge, sprawling areas. If you think you'll have some trouble, though, do yourself a favor and start with the royal class. Having a ranged ability early-on in the game makes it far less terrifying. That being said, I've not encountered any bosses or enemies that killed me from cheapness- I deserved every death. The frame-rate does take a dive in a few areas, but it's not too bad and it doesn't last very long either. On the whole, it's a great game that is often overshadowed by Dark Souls, but one that does a lot of things super well. Play it!

Dark Souls in no way invalidates Demon's Souls

They're very similar, just know that you're going to be getting a more traditional world and level based game instead of the Metroid-like nature of Dark Souls.

So, I played Demon's Souls around the time it came out and gave up at the Tower Knight. Fast foward to 2013, and I fall in love with Dark Souls; it's tied with Metroid Prime as my favourite game ever right now.

I went back to Demon's Souls, and was able to finish it in around 18 hours. I think the only people who say DeS is harder than DaS are the ones who finished DeS first; I had very few issues playing with a halberd and (part-time) shield. The only parts I remember giving me trouble were the dude on the stairs up to the Maneater (fuck that guy) and the cliffs where you face Gold Skeletons and Storm Beasts. Once you know how the Souls games play, even new challenges aren't too much to handle. The learning curve is the hardest part, once you know how to play then it's not so bad.

Still a fantastic game though, play it! I'm probably gonna go back and do a low-level playthrough for challenge. Doing the same with Dark Souls right now, and it's awesome. Still a ton of people playing Demon's Souls, I even had a player to fight for the Old Monk!

I came back to Demon's Souls and am currently finishing up a new run after 2 runs through Dark Souls. Both are really fresh in my memory. They are about equal quality IMO. Both are masterpieces, but they do have strengths over one another. I know this thread is a little old but some quick thoughts if it helps:

- Demon's Souls has better atmosphere and art IMO. The much darker imagery makes it feel like I'm in a painting at times. It doesn't seem to have near as much lore but still is very interesting. World seems much more cohesive to me. The connected world of Dark Souls is definitely awesome, but felt a little odd at times with the transitions. Better music at times as well.

- Darks Souls really fine tuned a lot of things for the better like Estus Flasks vs Healing Grass. The ability to save up tons of healing items in DeS breaks the challenge a little and when you do run out, hunting/purchasing more is a little bit of a grind. Same with the MP items. Game systems can be more easily abused. In fact, you can cheese the game much more from my experience. Playing it straight up, it's probably a little bit more of a challenge though.

- Demons Souls has harder levels but easier bosses IMO. None of the bosses should be much trouble after Dark Souls. A few of the levels are absolutely huge and produce a tension that I didn't get in Dark Souls. Imagine Blighttown with no bonfires. There are shortcuts for sure, but getting to them can be a much bigger challenge than just getting to a bonfire in Dark Souls. Some regular enemies just seem tuned to be more aggressive/ruthless as well.

- Demons Souls puts the player in tougher situations at times. In Dark Souls, I often feel like I have a chance to get out of bad situations but you have to more careful in Demon's Souls because the environments can be way more unforgiving if you're not paying attention. There is no poise in Demon's Souls so groups can really mess you up.

- Demon's Souls feel a lot shorter. It may actually be half the size of Dark Souls overall (about 15 normal levels of varying sizes ). I mentioned some of the levels being much bigger, but the tradeoff is that there are a lot less of them. Second half of game goes pretty fast compared to the first half as well. Not a bad thing IMO, espescially if you just want to get the experience of going through the game.

Despite obsessing over Dark Souls and playing through it multiple times, I never finished Demon's Souls. I just started back up with it a few days ago. It definitely feels less refined, but it still feels really good and I agree the art is fantastic. I miss the open world aspect of Dark Souls, mainly because I think Dark has one of the coolest open world maps out there.

I think I'm 5 bosses into Demon's, just upgraded to a Moon Spear and bought Soul Ray. I'm excited to actually finish it this time.