Demon’s Souls isn’t merely one of this year’s best overall games and the grandest RPG experience of the current console generation, it’s also the scariest game you’ll play all year – at least, it’s the scariest game I’ve played this year. Forget survival-horror games, if you want a real scare, pop Demon’s Souls into your PS3 and watch as your pulse quickens, your spine tingles, your hands tremble, your bladder quakes, the hair on your arms stands up on end and your heart begins pounding out of your chest.
As I talked about in my recent review of Atlus USA’s masterful PS3 RPG, Demon’s Souls has a terrifying, suspenseful atmosphere, and for me that’s a major reason why the game is so great. The sense of terror that sweeps over me as I delve into the game’s dreadful, trap-filled dungeons, not knowing what peril awaits me around every corner or when a Black Phantom may invade my adventure, is unlike anything I’ve ever felt in a video game before.
The game’s I’ll-kick-your-ass difficulty further amplifies the fear factor. Fear of the unknown takes hold as you encounter new enemies and bosses unsure of their attack patterns and weaknesses, and the battles are often so suspenseful and heart-pounding you can’t help but exhale a huge sigh of relief once you’ve survived the victor. The perilous level designs are also sure to strike fear into your heart. Even on return visits, the Tower of Latria archstone scares the living daylights out of me, beginning with the initial prison area where the broken guard rails and pitfalls leave you fearful of falling to your death at any moment and carrying into the second area where you are tip-toeing across narrow bridges freaking out as gargoyles swoop down out of the dark sky above.
For today, Atlus, those devious bastards, have gone and made Demon’s Souls even more terrifying, too. The Old One has made its presence known on All Hallow’s Eve, thrusting the World Tendency of the entire Kingdom of Boletaria into a state of pure black. So if you’re feeling brave enough, fellow Demon’s Souls adventurers, come play the game at its devilish best, preferably with a box of tissues nearby to wipe away your tears of failure and a diaper just in case your bladder can’t handle the horrors that await.
If you have any terrifying Demon’s Souls experiences you’d like to share or would like to talk about another scary game you’ve played recently, we’d love to hear your stories in the comments. Happy Halloween!
I share your fear, everything in the game is very Eerie and after 3 years I’m still waiting for a PC version, but it’s important to note that the game was done by From Software in cooperation with SCE, and published by Sony, Atlus merely published it in the USA. Credits to who deserves them.