I love Demon's Souls (2009) and the 2020 remake is no different. I played the original game in 2022 right before Elden Ring released as it was the final game in the series I had yet to complete, apparently I did not write a review, so I will do so here.

Demon's Souls is the original souls game and defined the genre as what we know it as today. What makes the game stand out is its incredible atmosphere, it's unique when compared to Dark Souls. The similarities are there being a fantasy setting, but I think DeS has the best in the series. The levels are shorter here and the bosses are pretty weak compared to what you see later in the series, but I think for the first, it does a great job. A unique feature to this game is the world tendency system, which unfortunately is one of the game's only flaws. By defeating bosses and invaders, you gain white tendency, making the world a bit easier to traverse and also including some nice goodies exclusive to that side. However, dying in human form or invading others you gain black tendency which makes the world harder to travel through and also adds in extra enemies and black phantoms, some of which are ridiculously difficult. Luckily it isn't too hard to avoid getting pure black tendency, but it is a cool concept that ultimately didn't work too well. The remake does a fantastic job updating the graphics and especially the sound design, everything sounds like it has weight and looks incredible, still I think the best PS5 game in the visuals department. The remake does take some liberties and it being a more realistic approach it does lose a bit of the atmosphere of the original, however I do not think of the remake as a replacement over the original, more like another option as both play fantastically and will suit those with a preference for both. The remake being a lot newer still has online functionality and I for the most part played my game alone and a friend's game as a phantom. The coop experience does make the game a lot easier, and in some ways I think breaks the AI for some enemies and especially bosses. The music in the remake is also a bit more ambient, and I definitely prefer the original's soundtrack for its more dreamlike sounding melodies (listen to Maiden Astraea's theme for a good comparison). Overall the DeS Remake is a fantastic remake of an excellent game, you have to remember this is still a 2009 game and the remake is incredibly faithful to its mechanics and even glitches so be patient, and you'll have a great time.

The Ringed City is the final piece of Dark Souls content and it excels at tying everything together and keeping with the overall theme of the game, letting go of the past. The Ringed City itself contains some of the hardest hitting, and most brutal enemies in the game, you will die a lot even in lvl 100+ builds. The boss selection is also quite good, with the only stinker being spears of the church (a PVP boss, mileage may vary). Gael is one of the greatest bosses in the entire lineup of games, and will run your flasks dry and keep your anxiety high. Fantastic DLC for a great game, bittersweet to see this is the end, but we know how great a game outside of Dark Souls can be (Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring).