Demon’s Souls Now Available for PS3

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The Kingdom of Boletaria is now open to you, brave adventurers/PlayStation Blog readers: Demon’s Souls for PlayStation 3 is now available in retailers across North America.

For months leading up to its release, we’ve emphasized the game’s difficulty level, striving in every instance not to misrepresent the game and to ensure that curious gamers are not caught off guard by the challenges that await them. That said, we don’t want anyone to steer clear of the game because of what they’ve heard. If that is not the perfect segue into some starting tips for new heroes, then I don’t know what is.

Demon's Souls burn baby burn

Demon’s General Warning: Fire can be hazardous to your health

*Mild Spoiler Alert*

Your first task in Demon’s Souls, before even jumping into the game world, is to create your character. Demon’s Souls offers 10 different player classes, each with different starting stats and equipment.

Unlike many RPGs, Demon’s Souls does not punish players for choosing something out of line with their play style. Regardless of which class you pick, you’ll be able to eventually do anything another class is more capable of at the start; all it takes is a little extra work. Therefore, if you want to be a spellcaster, archer, or melee fighter, it will make more sense to choose an appropriate class to start, but just because you do so doesn’t mean you won’t be dabbling in other classes’ strengths later on, and you probably won’t be anywhere near as tempted as in other RPGs to keep creating new characters and playing the first bit over and over again in order to make that perfect build. That simply isn’t accomplished at the beginning; it’s done over the course of your epic adventure (as it should be).

I (and most Demon’s Souls players, it seems) would recommend the Royalty class to most newcomers. The Royalty class begins with a Soul Level of 1, which means that the Soul Point requirement for advancing the first few levels is the least, allowing players the most early stat customization options. Moreover, the class begins with a catalyst (wand) and the Soul Arrow spell memorized, making them a long-range spell casting force to be reckoned with. On top of all this, they start with the Fragrant Ring equipped, an item that offers slow but steady Magic Point regeneration. For more class tips, and other helpful info, consult our newly launched wiki.

This description may make the Royalty class sound like a no-brainer (and I’m sure some Demon’s Souls players would argue that is the case), but the beauty of the game is that the class decision at the beginning ultimately makes little difference to the vast majority of the game experience (contrary to most games). Not to suggest that customization doesn’t matter; in fact, it matters a great deal!

Rather, in Demon’s Souls, it is the choices you make on how to advance and evolve your character that are key, delivering a MUCH more satisfying and rewarding role-playing experience than many other entries in the genre. Also, the Royalty class will initially suffer in up-close combat, something to consider if that’s your style (and consideration of what exactly your preferred play style in such a game actually is is crucial to your enjoyment of the game… again, something that other RPGs don’t really take into consideration).

Demon's Souls lookout

My, how many eyes you have…

Don’t worry when you die almost immediately at the end of the tutorial; death is unavoidable by design. You’ll be revived in the Nexus by the Maiden in Black, who will later on be your means for advancing/leveling your character. The first and only region you’ll initially have access to is the Boletarian Palace (1-1). Don’t be alarmed when you begin this area and find a number of bloodstains (indications of other players’ deaths, if you’re connected to PlayStation Network). The game takes a little getting used to, hence some folks meeting early (and repeated, at times) deaths.

Here are a few important tips:

    1. Watch your stamina carefully – Stamina is crucial to melee fighting in Demon’s Souls. There have been very well-received RPGs in gaming history that have allowed players to simply hack away at the attack button, but this is NOT the case in Demon’s Souls. You will only be able to string/combo attack as long as you have stamina (the green bar) left, and when it is depleted, you’ll just stand there and be open to attack unless you move around intelligently and manage your stamina well. Power swings take more stamina (duh), and absorbing a power hit will deplete you as much if not more (and if you’re already low on stamina, will stun you and open you up to attacks).

    2. Don’t try to get away with more than makes logical sense – That is to say, if you think it would be ill-advised to take on 4-5 foes at once in real life, don’t put yourself in that situation in Demon’s Souls. Rushing ahead foolishly will get a lot of enemy attention. Sound judgment would suggest progressing with a more measured pace, only antagonizing a manageable number of enemies and making your life easier.

    3. Shield if you got’em – If you are a melee fighter, you’d be remiss not to use your shield at every possible opportunity. With most shields, you’ll still take a bit of damage when you absorb a blow using a shield (although the amount varies with shield quality, and some shields negate all damage), but it will be far less than having no shield at all (even faced with fire/magic attacks, a shield can help reduce damage taken).

    4. Pay CLOSE attention to your surroundings (and if you’re playing online, the hints left by others) – The game will rarely warn you if you’re about to make a mistake or head in a path not quite appropriate for your character. It will instead let you make the mistake, die, and hopefully learn from it. That said, the messaging system and bloodstain system built into the game give players connected to PSN an ample supply of hints and warnings for avoiding ambushes, traps, and dangerous foes (for more info, watch our second walkthrough video, which touches on the online features extensively.

Once you get the hang of 1-1 and defeat the area’s boss, Demon’s Souls opens up to you—literally. You’ll be able to access the initial area of all of the five other archstones AND you’ll receive the Blue eye stone, which lets you drop Soul Signs on the ground and, when you’re dead/in soul form, you can be summoned by living players into their games to assist them in their quest.

Demon's Souls strat guide

You could have helpful information like this if you pick up the Deluxe Edition, which is selling rather briskly, and snag yourself the strategy guide, which is not sold separately…

I’ll suggest beginners proceed to 1-2 or 2-1 after completing 1-1, or, at the very least, leave the fifth archstone for a little later. It’s a bit more challenging (relatively speaking) and will be more enjoyable a little later on.

Demon’s Souls is a very hard game to sum up or describe in a short amount of space, as evidenced by this rather lengthy blog entry. As deep and nuanced as the game is, as much as there is to get out of it, players will find the actual game mechanics incredibly simple and intuitive. It’s breaking out of the run-and-gun (or hack-and-slash, rather) mentality of other games that can be a challenge. Once you manage to, though, expect one of the most rewarding, satisfying, time-sucking roleplaying experiences you’ve ever had, complete with beautiful visuals, haunting music, and some of the most immersive stages ever.

We’re really excited to join you in the Kingdom of Boletaria and perhaps fight alongside you as you confront a towering boss (or help you fend off another invading player from your world), but don’t only take our word for it; plenty of critics agree:

9/10, Editor’s Choice Award — “Brutally challenging and utterly engrossing, this innovative role-playing game is one of the year’s best.” — GameSpot

95 — “Gorgeous, thoughtful, and complete unto itself, it’s the second-best title I’ve played this year. Maybe even better.” — Play Magazine

5/5 — “Demon’s Souls is the best game I’ve played all year.” — RPGamer

95 — “Without question, Demon’s Souls is one of 2009’s finest titles, and an amazing, challenging journey without equal.” — GameCritics

94 — “This is a truly exceptional RPG experience that hasn’t been offered by any other game in its genre.” — GameZone

Demon’s Souls is out now for PlayStation 3…see you online!

As a thanks for all your interest and support of Demon’s Souls, we’ve got 10 signed posters (by Mr. Takeshi Kajii, producer) to give out to folks. All you have to do is comment about this blog post and tell us what class you’ll be when you finally get the game (for more info regarding classes, visit the official game site at www.demons-souls.com). We’ll choose 10 winners and send them one of these ultra-rare collectibles!

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255 Comments

32 Author Replies

  • Ok. I cant wait. Im European but Im dont care anymore if Demons Souls is coming to Europe. I just bought the American Deluxe edition. See you online Aram! An Spanish Soldier (or maybe a Royalty Class) salutes you!

  • Still waiting for my pre-ordered copy from Amazon.ca.

    Thanks for the post Aram.

  • I am super excited about this game! The one issue I’m having is the simple fact that this is coming out in such an un-budget friendly month! Why must October be soo filled with fantastic titles such as Demon’s Souls. I’m sorry, but I have to wait a bit before I can have my mind blown by this title.

  • For all the people concerned about difficulty, this game is tough but never unfair. As Aram has said, it’s all about getting out of the button mashing mindset, so give it a chance. I consider it by far the best game of this generation, and my level 132 Soldier agrees!

  • I’m going to take the sage-like advice and start as the Royalty class. I appreciate the heads-up. I’ve played a ton of RPG’s but have to admit that the stories on difficulty were making me a little nervous. lol. On my way to pick it up now. Thanks for the post!

  • I called my local stores, they said “it doesnt come out till the 9th, but even still, we wont be carrying it.”

    Shame, i wont be able to play it!

  • I picked this up already as I read all the reviews and previews saying how immaculate it is. And let me tell you it completely lives up to the reputation but once you open up the 4 archstones this game gets HARD! I decided to enter the Valley of Defilement for my first choice. I can barely pass the first area where you cross a bridge and there’s 6 guys waiting on the “far” side (eventhough it’s like a 10 foot bridge) I barely go past that part when another guy killed me. I left to the Nexus in frustration to pick another Archstone and then forgot I had to go back to get my Souls from dying. Well… apparently those souls disappear FOREVER if you leave to the Nexus w/o getting them first. So the WHOLE ENTIRE first area where you kill the Phalanx and everything I lost all those souls… some 14000 souls LOST. FOREVER. This kind of drove me bat [DELETED] crazy and since I am already WAY behind in terms of progression I might have to put this down for the night before I pull my hair out. It’s a phenomenal game but take it slow and easy or risk losing all your progress.. It auto-saves too so I couldn’t go back to an earlier save… So weak..

  • I was anticipating playing it today but unfortunately, my EBGames in Toronto didn’t receive my deluxe pre-order yet.

    This has me worried like when BlazBlue didn’t arrive in Canada till like a month later and stores received less special editions then they were able to fulfill. We were instead given regular editions instead.

    Also, has me a little worried since the deluxe is now removed off Gamestop.

    I hope this is not the case. Anyone else in Canada get their pre-orders yet? Deluxe or Regular?

  • Aram, I just want to personally (over the internet) thank you and your team. I have never seen anyone reply to more comments on the blog than the team responsible for Demon’s Souls, and I think that everyone from PSBlog, both commenters and employees, should give you one huge thanks for participating so much and interacting with the community so well!

    Thanks guys!

  • Finally a game that can be called a challenge. I’ve been waiting for a gem like this for years now. Tired of the hand holding other games are reduced to.

    I’ll take brutally hard over insanely easy any day. I’ll be starting as a Knight just to make the hard game that small bit harder. Since range seems to have an edge from what I’ve read. :)

  • That was a very helpful post, it’s nice to know that you’re not stuck with a class throughout the whole game. I always hated that in MMO.
    I’m going to start as a magician since they magician tend to have the upper hand at higher levels.

    I’m also happy Atlus created their own Wiki to help us. I can’t wait for my Demon’s Souls DE to arrive from Amazon.

    P.S. Your unboxing video made me pulled the trigger on DE. You should do more with future Atlus’s games. ;)

  • i really not finding this game very hard

  • Will Scotty be available for the How-To’s on the clear aluminum?

  • Thief is definetly going to be my starting class. i just love the fact that i’ll be able to sneak around taking out foes quietly and assassin like.

  • I’m uncertain which class I’ll be playing as, but Royalty does sound like a good first option. I’m also interested in the Hunter and Thief classes.

    My copy from Amazon shipped yesterday so hopefully I should be playing by the end of the week.

    Thanks for the Blog update! :)

  • This sounds like a welcome return to the glory days of unforgiving, yet ultimately rewarding, 8- and 16-bit games. It seems like they accomplished this without relying on frustrating or cheap game mechanics, but by building a substantial amount of innovation into the game, allowing for exploration and learning (by trial and error as well as from other players). I think future RPG games will be emulating the online features of Demon’s Souls for years to come, and that can only be a good thing for gamers!

    The main site’s a little light on class details, but I usually play magic-user classes, so will probably start with Magician, seeing as how there will likely be a glut of Royalty newbies after reading this blog entry!

  • Keep the PS3 games coming atlus! This is great! Will buy this when money is a little bit better.

  • If your game wasn’t 69.99 I would totally buy it. But thats like $80 after taxes :(

    Can’t justify the purchase. Not at those prices.

    Don’t worry its not just you guys its everyone in Canada. Except Uncharted 2 for some reason which is going to be a day one purchase for that fact alone.

  • Can’t wait! just got it right now! thank you Mr. Mailman =P

  • Hi, i will be an Archer. Can’t wait for my collector edition to come! Thank you for making this game!

  • Aram Jabbari, I went ahead and canceled my preorder at GameStop (put it towards Uncharted 2 which I’ll be picking up next week anyway). I ended up ordering the Deluxe Edition online, so hopefully that works out. Sorry for the trouble, but I really hope I get it now. :D

    • Glad to hear you\’re not already in your car driving to our offices with pitchfork in hand :)

      As of just a few minutes ago, one major online retailer still had the pre-order bonus listed on their order page, and as long as you see that when you order, it\’s a good bet you\’ll still get the extras.

      Hope you enjoy the game!

  • After some of the videos I’ve seen in the past couple of days, about this game, I’m seriously thinking about getting it.

  • ARRRRGHGGGGHHHHHH!!!! I’ve been waiting so long for this game!!!! it looks so awesome and I pre-ordered the deluxe edition with all the extra goodies but when I went to EB Games they said there was a shipping delay for all of Canada! What is all that about?! I really hope it’ll be in tomorrow :(

  • This game doesn’t mess around and it’s so fun for that. Very much worth the $60 something dollars.

    Also

    Pfft I didn’t get a pre-order bonus, then again I didn’t get it just for the art book. Good work guys. Here’s hoping it becomes a franchise.

  • Hey This goes to Atlus and Sony I really recommend you guys advertise this game seriously you need to advertise all your games but especially this one! Now I expect to see some commercial soon you should even mixed with the Sony commercial like Uncharted 2! Most people are blind about this game and don’t even know it exists, well that’s my advice I hope you at least look into it after all advertisement=Sales!

  • Really hyped for this. Leveling design has a huge impact on whether or not an RPG will stand out, and this one looks promising. Gonna start out with a powerhouse Magician on this.

  • yea, if you dont ask the gamestop employee, “what about the pre order bonus” then you have very high chances of NOT getting them. GameStop sucks, hard.

  • Im definitely going for the Royalty class, it fits my style of gameplay, cant wait for this one its been a while since I see a game with such rewarding challenge.

  • This may be a bad place to mention, but is MGS4 ever going to get trophy support?
    Also, I’ll be playing as a Theif class once I get this game.

  • i have the game in my hands right now! Been waiting months for this…time to kiss the real world goodbye for a few weeks.

  • Such a sweet game… If ony my PS3 works :(

  • Amazon just shipped my order! Deluxe edition will be mine in just a few days.

  • Extremely excited to play this one. Looking forward to a good challenge.

  • I’m thinking the Wanderer class. I can’t wait to get this!

  • Picked up my preorder at Gamestop. No art book; no soundtrack. The store’s employees said “they didn’t get any.”

    Now you say, “management of pre-orders and the fulfillment of pre-order bonuses is something we have zero control over. We provide enough…units, and from that point onward we have no involvement on the process.”

    Evidently, enough units were not provided after all. Moreover, your July 29 Blog post announcing the preorder items failed to mention that you are not empowered to deliver on the very promise you made. Smells fraudulent to me. Anyway, I will give Gamestop a couple of days to fix this, else I will return the game and maybe get it later pre-owned. Thanks.

    • Sponge-worthy,

      We apologize for your negative experience and strongly suggest you pursue the matter with the store in question.

  • I am not going to buy this due to me wanting other games but i will gamefly it eventually. :) Love how you can invade worlds!

  • Hmmm… after reading this insightful posting… I am thinking that the royalty class will def. be the best place to start. I’m not one of those people that hate the thought of this game being tough, so it’s not because of that, it’s mainly because it’ll be my first time going through it (which I JUST got it, can’t wait to play it!) and I will need as much of an upperhand as possible, from the sound of it, haha. But after my first play through, I might look at trying a knight or temple knight… I mean c’mon… who hasn’t ever dreamt of being a knight?!

    Anyways, on a side note (since I put in my posting for the autograph :P ) I just want to say great work to everyone at ATLUS who helped make this game… with Uncharted and all those games coming out, I hadn’t heard about this game, but I took one look at it and fell in love with it… it takes a really big game to do that to me. Congrats on creating a great game!

  • You know I would be very happy, but no, that crappy store isn’t getting the shipment until tomorrow, and I refuse to buy from a large retailer, I prefer helping the small local shop…

  • I imported the game back in april and found it to be too hard and frustating to be fun. I don’t understand all the hype about this games unless you are in for a really hard and frustating game.

    Just my opinion. Just wanna warn those people who think this game is just hard like Ninja gaiden for exemple, because its not, its just the hardest game i play since like 10 yeats.

  • If there is anyone reading this that has not purchased a PS3 you need to go get one NOW! Demon’s Soul’s is insane! Yes,it can be difficult, but it is one hell of a rewarding ride! I have played for a few hours now and can honestly say that this is a must own RPG for the PS3. This is definitely some awesome ammo for the PS3 war chest!

  • I was hoping for even the smallest demo to be released and push me over the edge, but the stellar reviews and this fine post might’ve just done the job.

  • Mage here!

  • Oh, and I’m leaning towards Wanderer :)

  • hopefully it shows up tomorrow, no later than Thursday. Can’t wait.

  • I love you Aram, I love you Atlus. In all seriousness I can’t wait to play this game, I’ve got my Deluxe Edition shipping from Amazon, but unfortunately I won’t be able to pop this game into my PS3 until Monday because I’ll be preoccupied with SAT related things for this week, but Demon’s Souls is probably my most anticipated game, beating out games like Uncharted 2(which I am looking forward to of course) because it’s probably something I’ve never experienced before. So thanks Aram for all the commenting as well as thank you to Atlus and From Software for doing there part in getting this hopefully amazing game in my hands.

  • The game is not difficult. The thing is most of you are spoiled gamers of the “save and checkpoint era”. If you were like me (ahem, impossible ’cause I’m like a God next to you, thanks) and you enjoyed playing your action games in “hard” mode on the first playthrough (instead of “teddy bear mode difficulty” as most of you choose to) then you would agree this games is nothing near hard. Many games were HARD back in the 80s and early 90s. Ninja Gaiden’s Master Ninja mode or God of War 2’s Titan mode is HARD. You want HARD in Demon’s Souls? Make all the worlds pure black in NEW GAME+ and play with a thief (daggers, small shield, light clothes, no magic) and then see what happens.

  • I can’t wait! Got this game preordered (Deluxe) on play-asia and just waiting for the shipment.

  • Great job on the effort to bring this awesome game to everyone else who didn’t play/import the earlier editions of Demon’s Souls. And I agree that this game is not difficult, challenging would be the more appropriate word to describe it.

    Also, I’ll be working my way up the Soul Levels as a Barbarian. Time to go Conan on some demon’s a**es!

  • Yeah Baby… Amzon just shipped my game!!
    Gothic was the Game opened me to the beautiful world of RPG….. i was waiting sooooooo long to get such refreshing experience again…. Demon’s Souls will do it… I am sooo Pumped !!!

  • cant wait for this game..gonna get it tomorrow when my gamespot gets there copys in…THANKS ATLUS!!! for bringing the game to the states.

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