DEMON’S SOULS

Bluepoint’s remake of From Software’s classic action RPG takes us back to Boletaria in fine style

Developer Bluepoint has become the go-to studio for remaking cherished games of yesteryear. After perfectly updating Shadow Of The Colossus for PS4 the developer could do no wrong. But bringing back Demon’s Souls, the forbear to Dark Souls and Bloodborne, one of the greatest cult games of the PS3 era, is a literal double-edged sword.

As a launch game Demon’s Souls needs to showcase what PS5 can do, which means pushing the audio and visual experience as far as it can go. But you don’t want to ruin the rhythm of this white-knuckle duel to the death. You want this remade action RPG to make full use of the fast-loading SSD, for example, but you don’t want the pace spoiled. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have worried.

DYING TO PLAY

The SSD is used to improve the ease of life of a game designed around a die-repeat-die loop. Moving from the Nexus to starting a level is instant: touch an Archstone, your route into the game’s gothic fantasy world, and you’re transported to a nextgen recreation of Boletaria’s famous bridge. But the SSD isn’t breaking the legendary atmosphere; when you travel down in a lift towards a boss encounter or after surviving a harrowing run against an enemy that previously had you beaten, the elevator takes the same amount of time to run its course. Bluepoint could have shortened these moments between bouts of combat but they were placed into the game originally for gameplay and mood as much as to break up the loading time. Designed to enable you to catch your breath, rearm, check your inventory, and prepare for what’s to come, speeding them up would break Demon’s Souls.

The same level of restraint has been brought to bear on the weapons and combat. Remaking the game in 4K to run at

60fps has meant not simply recreating the textures, but also redoing all of the animation. The balance comes from including more nuance and detail, more lifelike motion, without affecting the pace and timing of attacks fans will have spent years honing on PS3.

The developer spent months in the mocap studio recording new animation to make sure the running, parries, and thrusts hit the same timing notes as the original game while looking fresh in 4K. We see this in action as Bluepoint demos Stonefang, one of five worlds. These murky mines are home to unnatural denizens who work hard to extract dragon bones and create unholy weapons on lava-fuelled forges. Moves flow into one another beautifully and there’s a solidity to the game the PS3 original never mustered. Enemies are highlighted by the glow from the fiery scenery, and cast shadows and reflections offer a subtle realism. There’s heft to attacks too; as one enemy laboriously swings a pickaxe it feels heavy. (Mental note: roll from danger.)

Where PS5’s strength has helped is in increasing the flow and variety of each weapon’s attacks. The console’s CPU power and memory has been harnessed to ensure every weapon, whether that’s a spear, polearm, or broadsword, animates differently. But crucially, the timing and tempo of using them remains identical to the original game. In-game we see that a single-handed sword is fast and responsive. By contrast, launching an overhead attack we can feel the power gathering in the swing as it arcs above our head, pauses momentarily, and crashes down onto our victim. Equally the methodical swing of the doublehanded broadsword feels weighty and damaging while retaining the pace and momentum of the original game.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

From the outset Bluepoint Games wanted to make full use of the DualSense controller, and in doing so has added a new lease on life

“AS A LAUNCH GAME DEMON’S SOULS NEEDS TO SHOWCASE WHAT PS5 CAN DO.”