Why it's time for a PS4 Demon's Souls remake
Developed exclusively for PlayStation 3, Demon's Souls is arguably the most overlooked game in the Souls series. It was a revelation in 2009 and also something of a mystery as players took their first uncertain steps into Boletaria. From the gothic palace front to its dragon-besieged bridges, every area was built to create a unique sense of dread. The game's status as being playable on just one console has only added to the game's allure over the years. With Dark Souls getting imminent remaster treatment, Demon's Souls will soon be the only Souls game that isn't playable on PS4. And with online servers having shut down earlier this year - almost a decade on from release - the appeal of a modern-day remaster is undeniable.
There is an argument that Demon's Souls has been surpassed by its multi-platform successors but there's still a lot to praise in the PS3 original. Next to Dark Souls or Bloodborne, the atmosphere of Demon's Souls still carries weight - from the eerie calm of the Nexus hub area, each Archstone gives access to increasingly horrifying areas and enemies. Mechanically, it feels like a successful prototype for later games - a credit to From Software's willingness to experiment. Demon's Souls reprised the horror-fantasy aspect of its own Kings Field series - but it did so with a few major new twists - between its third person targeting system, 3D world navigation, the blood-stain mechanic, and online networking, the DNA of the Souls series was established.
Perhaps Demon's Souls' most distinctive design choice is its use of Havok physics. Like its successors, physics properties play an integral part in hit detection on shields and armour as you navigate each corner - so for example, larger shields logically give more coverage from head-to-toe from oncoming arrows, while a player's angle, height, and position play into the dynamic too. It creates a genuine sense of a physical presence in the world, and the same goes for the environmental details. Whether it's the smashing barrels or sentry blocks, dangling chains, rolling cannonballs, or even the rubber chicken-style ragdoll physics - From Software made use of PS3's Cell processor to fill static environments with more life and movement.
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