Gold Rush
10-13-2009, 04:10 PM
Game's Website (http://www.demons-souls.com/home.html)
Wikipedia entry (summary) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon%27s_Souls)
Wiki entry (detailed) (http://www.demons-souls.com/wiki/)
So this is my review and initial reaction to playing Demon's Soul for the PS3.
Atlus in known for its quirky Asian-RPG games, but this is not made by Atlus (only distributed by them). It comes from FROM Software and this should be no surprise as they are the same ones that made Kings Field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Field_(series)) for the Playstation 2. In fact, it is hailed as a "spiritual successor" than an all-out sequel. It is set in a different world. Having enjoyed the first Kings Field (since the game was one of the few that came shortly after the PS2's release) and being away from the series, I thought to try this.
The game is an "behind your avatar/3D" adventure. I will say, I do like the movement better, but there is a sadistic element at work here that seems to fit into the "dark fantasy" (colored by Asian perception). It is easy to die in this game, especially initially, but that can be a good thing for one's game...or bad, depending on your goal. Your character and character actions can change the world (area) that you are now trapped in (the Kingdom of Boletaria). If you manage to change the world to "White" by dying not too often and killing the right people, then certain NPCs and quests are made available, "Black World Tendency" does the same thing. Also, certain things are made more rare if your actions make it so, such as frightening Crystal Lizards away (these are required for certain raw materials and are the only things that drop them).
There is a degree of suspense and problem solving. If you peek behind corners before stepping out or analyze situations, you can escape many things that may do you harm (look around with the camera).
The strange thing is that while there are not many people within the Kingdom (either "living" or as "Souls"), gold is not a requirement. One kills NPCs for souls and this is the currency of the land. Not only do you use it to buy equipment and upgrade weapons, one uses it to increase their level (although you don't level up until you kill a boss in the first area and I don't mean the Tutorial).
The game also has this weird element of being multi-player in an off-beat sort of way. You can invite people into your game (up to two others) or have a person "invade" your game (for the purpose of killing you or potentially ruining your run at a "White World Tendency/White WT). This requires playing hooked up and online (of course), but one CAn play this game offline. You can even read messages left by other players that may help you in the coming area or hurt you: You can rate these messages to give the sender a benefit. Also, the number of bloodstains before certain areas indicate how "hard" an area may be and you can "read" these bloodstains by touching them; this replays how that person died in an area.
By inviting people into your game, you actually invite their "Souls". See, when you "dying" in this game is subjective; you actually become a glowy soul version and have less attack power and HP than your living self. There are ways in-game to "revive" yourself, but this does not stop your adventure (you are transported to the Nexus and can go back where you came from). Now, if you want a relatively easier way to revive yourself, you need to drop a blue stone in an area that others can summon you. You then wait and get summoned into their game where you help them beat an enemy, particularly a boss. Afterwards, you get "revived" to full strength again. The other way is to drop a Black stone and invade another's game. You can kill the enemies (and NPCs) of their world (being a jerk) and/or hunt the player down. You are stronger in this dark phantom form. The other player can summon other players to help defeat you. At least this is how it should work. I haven't yet played online for certain reasons. I assume, the game's cross-server is not too crowded yet, but the main website said the initial week was. It may be hard to find people, especially as time goes on in this game's life.
Mind you, the game can be uncompromising, especially when you first start out (in the first world). It can be hard and frustrating. It is nice to have a guidebook for $10 more (included in the special edition) but Wiki (and gamefaqs and other sites) can answer many of your questions.
As for tips/cheats :
1) There is supposed to be a sort of cheat that was fixed (for the American version) but supposedly, a few folks have pulled it off; I haven't tried it. It basically requires to save files of two different characters, suiciding both, and collecting the souls of the other character (it appears that they are left in your game world). One can rack up souls this way. Again, not sure if this works in the European/American versions.
2) The guide says you can carry over things (stats most likely) from a saved completed game to another. It also suggests to play "White" first, since it is hard to stay white. Second playthrough involves tougher monsters. (Possibly seperate playthroughs if you want Black and White Trophy completions?). The guide also suggests it is best to play offline if you are going for "White" (or collecting Crystal Lizards), since other players can upset your game balance.
3) The game has no save feature (where you can actively save it yourself), however, it does auto-save at certain points. While it can be time consuming, I find it best that when you are killed by a monster/NPC and before the "You are Dead." message is gone, for one to TURN OFF the PS3. (I have a brand of PS3 Fan/cooler that places the on/off toggle on the FRONT of my PS3). That way, your death is not registered for White WT and you continue from a spot not too far away from your previous failure (the game seems to auto-save frequently enough). "Old School" solutions at their finest! :)
4) About the Tutorial. At the "end", there is a big demon to defeat. You walk into a circular room and it closes behind you, so you are committed. Don't sweat it if you die here and can't defeat him. For defeating him, you get 2 or 3 strong healing herbs and a minor item; it IS possible to defeat him with a lot of rolling and glancing shots. If you do manage it, you go get the items, go to the next area where a dragon shows up and toasts you with no escape. From many folks, there is no way to defeat this dragon; you are meant to "die" and go to the Nexus.
5) Whenever you exit an area (that you have not killed the boss) and go back to the Nexus (through the open portal...or by dying and not turning off your PS3) the enemies re-pop. In this way, you can "farm" enemies for souls and item drops. It can be a lng farm, especially the first area.
6) In the first area, there is a better way to farm. There are these knights/heavily armored NPCs; their "faces" have lights/eyes inside. The first two you see are "blue eyes" but the one you are looking for has a red glow in his face plate (or "red eyes" although it seems he has a red sort of mouth that is also static). He is at the end of an open-air corridor on the castle's battlements; he charges you and you see him well before he does. He is very tough to kill by yourself at your level (you don't level up until after you kill the first boss). BUT you can lure him to his death in one of two ways. There is a winding staircase that you eventually open up close to the area you entered through, along the catsle's main door that you cannot enter. There are two barrels that explode on the stairs. If you can keep these barrels intact (because they are tempting to use on other enemies you encounter on these stairs initially) and lure the "Red Eyes Knight" to them, it will kill him. Conversely, a fall from this staircase WON'T kill him, but will wound him (according to guide). If this happens, there is an area that you passed with your first crossbow wielding NPC and 2-3 others who attack you that contains a large, square hole in the ground with swirling energy that you can lure him to (if you fall into this, it is insta-death). You won't get his items, but you will get his souls, which seem to number close to 2,000 if the guide is correct. It seems you can farm him, too from my previous tip.
Wikipedia entry (summary) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon%27s_Souls)
Wiki entry (detailed) (http://www.demons-souls.com/wiki/)
So this is my review and initial reaction to playing Demon's Soul for the PS3.
Atlus in known for its quirky Asian-RPG games, but this is not made by Atlus (only distributed by them). It comes from FROM Software and this should be no surprise as they are the same ones that made Kings Field (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Field_(series)) for the Playstation 2. In fact, it is hailed as a "spiritual successor" than an all-out sequel. It is set in a different world. Having enjoyed the first Kings Field (since the game was one of the few that came shortly after the PS2's release) and being away from the series, I thought to try this.
The game is an "behind your avatar/3D" adventure. I will say, I do like the movement better, but there is a sadistic element at work here that seems to fit into the "dark fantasy" (colored by Asian perception). It is easy to die in this game, especially initially, but that can be a good thing for one's game...or bad, depending on your goal. Your character and character actions can change the world (area) that you are now trapped in (the Kingdom of Boletaria). If you manage to change the world to "White" by dying not too often and killing the right people, then certain NPCs and quests are made available, "Black World Tendency" does the same thing. Also, certain things are made more rare if your actions make it so, such as frightening Crystal Lizards away (these are required for certain raw materials and are the only things that drop them).
There is a degree of suspense and problem solving. If you peek behind corners before stepping out or analyze situations, you can escape many things that may do you harm (look around with the camera).
The strange thing is that while there are not many people within the Kingdom (either "living" or as "Souls"), gold is not a requirement. One kills NPCs for souls and this is the currency of the land. Not only do you use it to buy equipment and upgrade weapons, one uses it to increase their level (although you don't level up until you kill a boss in the first area and I don't mean the Tutorial).
The game also has this weird element of being multi-player in an off-beat sort of way. You can invite people into your game (up to two others) or have a person "invade" your game (for the purpose of killing you or potentially ruining your run at a "White World Tendency/White WT). This requires playing hooked up and online (of course), but one CAn play this game offline. You can even read messages left by other players that may help you in the coming area or hurt you: You can rate these messages to give the sender a benefit. Also, the number of bloodstains before certain areas indicate how "hard" an area may be and you can "read" these bloodstains by touching them; this replays how that person died in an area.
By inviting people into your game, you actually invite their "Souls". See, when you "dying" in this game is subjective; you actually become a glowy soul version and have less attack power and HP than your living self. There are ways in-game to "revive" yourself, but this does not stop your adventure (you are transported to the Nexus and can go back where you came from). Now, if you want a relatively easier way to revive yourself, you need to drop a blue stone in an area that others can summon you. You then wait and get summoned into their game where you help them beat an enemy, particularly a boss. Afterwards, you get "revived" to full strength again. The other way is to drop a Black stone and invade another's game. You can kill the enemies (and NPCs) of their world (being a jerk) and/or hunt the player down. You are stronger in this dark phantom form. The other player can summon other players to help defeat you. At least this is how it should work. I haven't yet played online for certain reasons. I assume, the game's cross-server is not too crowded yet, but the main website said the initial week was. It may be hard to find people, especially as time goes on in this game's life.
Mind you, the game can be uncompromising, especially when you first start out (in the first world). It can be hard and frustrating. It is nice to have a guidebook for $10 more (included in the special edition) but Wiki (and gamefaqs and other sites) can answer many of your questions.
As for tips/cheats :
1) There is supposed to be a sort of cheat that was fixed (for the American version) but supposedly, a few folks have pulled it off; I haven't tried it. It basically requires to save files of two different characters, suiciding both, and collecting the souls of the other character (it appears that they are left in your game world). One can rack up souls this way. Again, not sure if this works in the European/American versions.
2) The guide says you can carry over things (stats most likely) from a saved completed game to another. It also suggests to play "White" first, since it is hard to stay white. Second playthrough involves tougher monsters. (Possibly seperate playthroughs if you want Black and White Trophy completions?). The guide also suggests it is best to play offline if you are going for "White" (or collecting Crystal Lizards), since other players can upset your game balance.
3) The game has no save feature (where you can actively save it yourself), however, it does auto-save at certain points. While it can be time consuming, I find it best that when you are killed by a monster/NPC and before the "You are Dead." message is gone, for one to TURN OFF the PS3. (I have a brand of PS3 Fan/cooler that places the on/off toggle on the FRONT of my PS3). That way, your death is not registered for White WT and you continue from a spot not too far away from your previous failure (the game seems to auto-save frequently enough). "Old School" solutions at their finest! :)
4) About the Tutorial. At the "end", there is a big demon to defeat. You walk into a circular room and it closes behind you, so you are committed. Don't sweat it if you die here and can't defeat him. For defeating him, you get 2 or 3 strong healing herbs and a minor item; it IS possible to defeat him with a lot of rolling and glancing shots. If you do manage it, you go get the items, go to the next area where a dragon shows up and toasts you with no escape. From many folks, there is no way to defeat this dragon; you are meant to "die" and go to the Nexus.
5) Whenever you exit an area (that you have not killed the boss) and go back to the Nexus (through the open portal...or by dying and not turning off your PS3) the enemies re-pop. In this way, you can "farm" enemies for souls and item drops. It can be a lng farm, especially the first area.
6) In the first area, there is a better way to farm. There are these knights/heavily armored NPCs; their "faces" have lights/eyes inside. The first two you see are "blue eyes" but the one you are looking for has a red glow in his face plate (or "red eyes" although it seems he has a red sort of mouth that is also static). He is at the end of an open-air corridor on the castle's battlements; he charges you and you see him well before he does. He is very tough to kill by yourself at your level (you don't level up until after you kill the first boss). BUT you can lure him to his death in one of two ways. There is a winding staircase that you eventually open up close to the area you entered through, along the catsle's main door that you cannot enter. There are two barrels that explode on the stairs. If you can keep these barrels intact (because they are tempting to use on other enemies you encounter on these stairs initially) and lure the "Red Eyes Knight" to them, it will kill him. Conversely, a fall from this staircase WON'T kill him, but will wound him (according to guide). If this happens, there is an area that you passed with your first crossbow wielding NPC and 2-3 others who attack you that contains a large, square hole in the ground with swirling energy that you can lure him to (if you fall into this, it is insta-death). You won't get his items, but you will get his souls, which seem to number close to 2,000 if the guide is correct. It seems you can farm him, too from my previous tip.