Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a video game developed by From Software. The game was initially published in 2011 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games. It was later re-released on PC in 2012, then remastered in 2018, releasing to PC, latest-generation consoles, and the Nintendo Switch.

The game was previously developed under the codename Project Dark and is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls.^[2] It also uses an updated variant of the aforementioned game's engine.

Dark Souls was released in Japan for the PlayStation 3 on September 22, 2011, in North America for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 4, 2011 and in Europe on October 7, 2011.

Gameplay[]

Dark Souls focuses on dungeon exploring and the tension and fear that arise when players encounter enemies in this setting. The game is a spiritual successor to Demon's Souls, which in turn is considered a spiritual successor to the King's Field games. The game takes place in an open world environment and uses a third-person perspective. The player battles using various weapons and strategies to survive in a dark fantasy world. Online features allow players to share the play experience without need for direct communication.

With respect to Demon's Souls, there are more weapons, spells, and new classes. Before release, it was also said to be "significantly harder", with more enemies and more difficult encounters. It includes leaving messages to other players, seeing others' deaths, and player versus player (as well as a new co-op system); similar to the online functions in Demon's Souls. The items the player uses in these games are significantly different.

Prepare to Die Edition[]

Main article: Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is the PC release, as well as the PS3 and Xbox 360 re-release, of Dark Souls.

The game was released on August 24th, 2012 for PC and in October 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360 and includes the Artorias of the Abyss expansion which introduced new bosses, weapons and locations. The Artorias of the Abyss DLC is also available as a separate download for Xbox 360 and PS3 owners.

Minimum system requirements[]

OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or newer
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 GHz+ or AMD Phenom II X2 545 3.0 GHz+
RAM: 2 GB
HDD: 4 GB
VGA: GeForce 9800 GTX+ or ATI Radeon HD 4870+
DX: 9.0c
Sound: Direct Sound Compatible

Dark Souls Remastered[]

In a surprise Nintendo Direct conference on January 11, 2018, it was announced that Dark Souls would be remastered and ported to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The remaster released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on May 24 and 25, 2018. ^[3]

The Nintendo Switch release was originally planned for May 25 as well, but was delayed to summer 2018.^[4] On August 14, 2018, it was announced that the Switch version would be releasing on October 19, 2018.^[5]

The remaster includes the Artorias of the Abyss expansion and improved graphics, lighting, shading, and sound effects, running at 60 frames per second on both consoles and PC.^[6] The multiplayer component received dedicated servers for all four platforms, with up to 6 players. ^[7]

The game has a retail price of $39.99 USD, but launched alongside a 50% discount for owners of the original Dark Souls on PC. As of October 2021 this offer was discontinued. ^[8] ^[9]

Minimum system requirements[]

OS: Windows 7 64-bit, Service Pack 1
CPU: Intel Core I5-2300 2.8 GHz / AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz
RAM: 6 GB
GPU: GeForce GTX 460, 1 GB / Radeon HD 6870, 1 GB
DX: 11
STORAGE: 8 GB
SOUND CARD: DirectX 11 sound device

Recommended system requirements[]

OS: Windows 10 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2 GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.2 GHz
RAM: 8 GB
GPU: GeForce GTX 660, 2 GB / Radeon HD 7870, 2 GB
DX: 11
STORAGE: 8 GB
SOUND CARD: DirectX 11 sound device

Reception[]

Dark Souls received critical acclaim, earning an 89 on Metacritic. IGN gave the game a 9/10,^[10] whilst GameSpot gave the game a 9.5/10.^[11]

David Houghton from Gamesradar rated it as the “greatest game of all time”, in an article about his top 100 games.^[12]

Edge magazine named Dark Souls the best game of the seventh generation of game consoles. In September 2015, Dark Souls topped the magazine's special issue "The 100 Greatest Videogames".^[13]

Sequels and other media[]

The success of Dark Souls soon spawned two sequels, with Dark Souls II released in 2014 (and Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin in 2015), and Dark Souls III released in 2016. An abundance of merchandise such as books and figures were also created under the brand. More notably, a Dark Souls comic series published by Titan Comics began publication in 2016, with several other comics subsequently being released in later years.

Dark Souls™: The Board Game (2017) is a combat-centric miniatures game for 1-4 players. From tabletop gaming publisher, Steamforged Games, Dark Souls™: The Board Game emulates the video game in its challenging difficulty and has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. Now (2022) two new core sets for Dark Souls™: The Board Game have been released, each visiting iconic locations from the video game - Tomb of Giants & The Painted World of Ariamis.