From being the first game to kick off the Souls franchise all the way to being the hottest new remake of the year, Demon’s Souls has had a long and demanding reign as the OG. Maintaining its reputation for being one of the most difficult games in the genre, rarely does a person make it through with their sanity.
From Bosses that take up hours of effort down to the general skeletons and guards that slow down the journey, players have to stay on their toes at all times. This is demonstrated through the abundance of memes that come from the community, highlighting the frustrations and comedic value of the struggle all who pick up the controller go through.
10 Rough Beginnings
In a series so widely known for it’s difficult combat, Demon’s Souls couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make the first boss the player meets a real challenge. So much so that players aren’t even supposed to make it through the fight, giving them back their souls when they awaken from defeat.
The Vanguard Demon is not only hard to kill with the beginner gear that’s available but it also intimidates with it’s hideous appearance and massive size. Not granting any time to dip the players toes into the water, it will have to be a swift dive into the deep end for this fight.
9 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
For years it was said that offering a pause option in these gruelling battles would be a big mistake, offering those that couldn’t handle the heat a way to cool off without leaving the kitchen. This left anyone who had a minor distraction with a high chance of having to start over.
This became such an issue that players eventually started quitting out of a battle as a form of pausing, restoring the enemies health while regaining their previous position on the field. Just another reason in a long list that forces the player to accept extreme circumstances.
8 Surprise Attack
Most who have come into contact with the Mind Flayers, especially when they had little to no idea they were coming, will remember what that felt like. With most building a melee intensive character, there’s nothing to prepare the player for the magical onslaught that awaits.
Volleying paralyzing spells at the player until the character is stopped dead in their tracks, it can almost seem like a set up on the first go. Blocking will serve little use, most shield at this level don’t have the magical defences to withstand the jailers, turning it into a real learning moment.
7 Relentless Pressure
By no means would any one game claim to be the originator of the rage quit, but Demon’s Souls was definitely the game to take that term and run with it. From the jump it made a name for itself for being notoriously difficult in a way that most hadn’t experienced before.
This becomes apparent as the player gets deeper into the game and start making some serious progress in their souls currency. Many gamers probably owe their very first controller throw to a misstep in one of the many boss fights, resulting in all that work slipping down the drain.
6 You Just Can’t Win
For the uninitiated players in the Souls series, beating a boss like the Vanguard Demon in the first section of the game would usually be rewarded with great riches. However, veterans will know better, with the character being sent to an even larger boss that definitely can’t be beaten.
While this may seem unfair, most long time fans have grown a slightly masochistic skin to these types of plays. A boss introduction like the Dragon God’s is a prize in itself, roaring in all of it’s terrifying glory before smashing the character into oblivion.
5 Required Reading
While this tip might seem a little condescending, suggesting that one button’s all that’s needed to make it through. However, it’s more like a helpful hint, helping the amateurs out there to crawl through the beginning stages without losing help.
The block button is a mandatory mechanic instead of an option, mainly for players who haven’t elevated to dodging the damage all together. Bosses in Demon’s Souls don’t mess around and getting distracted for even a few moments could result in a grizzly and frustrating death.
4 Colossal Bosses
A meme that shows the Dragon God in full frame, demonstrating just what kind of enemies are coming up should players pick up their sword. There’s not much use for a shield in this fight so mobility should be the key tactic.
Avoid, avoid, avoid when that big boy goes into attack mode, causing pillars to crumble and just about any hope of winning. It’s the players to job to look past all that and find the few weak spots available, a lesson that’s true for every boss in the game.
3 Attention Magnet
There’s a certain percentage of gamers that will try the game and decide the grind simple isn’t worth it, those that stay will be hooked until they overcome the hardest challenges Demon’s Souls has to throw at them.
It’s never advisable to forget responsibilities but when the challenges are this difficult then the rush after beating them is equally intense. Through all the dreary landscape and immersive story, the thing that keeps players coming back is that sweet sense of accomplishment.
2 Wasted Effort
One of the biggest let downs in the game is the dreaded death screen, a quick reminder that a mistake was made. Beyond that, seeing all the souls that were gathered now returned to zero is an even more demoralizing experience.
While at the beginning of the game it can be a big shock, just as the player starts to settle in the amount of souls will quickly increase. Soon enough characters will be walking around with an amount of souls that would have shocked the player before, making it all the worse when that number hits zero.
1 The Winning Struggle
Changing up tactics is usually something that’s rewarded, thinking outside the box and figuring out a way to win. The problem in Demon’s Souls is all the innovation will be used to get to a point where the player isn’t getting completely destroyed.
In most cases it’s best to stick to the path that’s working, any deviation comes with a major risk. The patterns that the best bosses follow is so tightly put together that there won’t be many ways to find a way in, rushing the process only opens up the chance of failure.
NEXT: Every Single Dark Souls 3 Boss (In Order)
