In the interest of full disclosure I am going to preface this review by admitting that I never played the first Dark Souls, not even a little bit of it. Although there is some regret of never having sampled the previous entry in the series, it has in turn allowed me to approach the sequel as a fresh entity, without any preconceived notions of what to expect. So has From Software’s mercilessly difficult RPG hooked its teeth into me as it has so many others? You bet your ass it has.

Your journey begins as you awake, a cursed being in the strange new realm known as Drangleic. Soon after creating your character, the game has a small, tutorial like area to show you the main mechanics before unleashing you into the mysterious, danger filled world and leaving you to your own devices. There is a story linked to the curse that afflicts your character and the search for a cure, but this by and large plays second fiddle to the wonderful exploration.

Death awaits seemingly around every corner, punishing even the slightest mistake. Enemies range from fairly basic soldiers armed with swords, axes and bows to monstrous, building sized bosses that will take every ounce of your skill and wit to defeat.

Herein lies the brilliance of Dark Souls 2 though. Yes it is unashamedly difficult, but it is never unfair. Each death is a learning experience, teaching you more about an enemies attack pattern or a particular environmental trap. Persistence is the key to success, and strong willed players will learn to overcome and beat the obstacles presented.

The combat boils down to a series of blocks, parries and dodges, attacking when the perfect moment arises. Patience will be rewarded as opposed to running headstrong into every encounter, which will result in swift and cruel death. Players can use various tactics to harvest the souls of their foes though. Sword in one hand and shield in the other is always a classic combination, but it can be rewarding to try other alternatives, such as hanging back and using magic, or going for a more mobile approach and wield swords in each hand. Larger weapons can also be used two handed, trading speed and mobility for extra range and damage.

The land of Drangleic is huge and the locales and enemies are all wonderfully designed and very varied, meaning that there is rarely a sense of repitition. The graphics are somewhat underwhelming compared with the pre-release tech demos but it by no means looks bad. The lighting in particular is a highlight, and it is interesting to see how different the same area can look when approached with and without a torch in hand. Mercifully, it is also highly non-linear. This soon becomes very important when you get stuck on a particular boss that you just can’t best despite trying every tactic in the book. In these instances it can pay huge dividends to retread and seek an alternative path. This will allow you to explore and hopefully locate better items, along with collecting some much needed souls that can be traded for permanent stat boosts in the hub like area of Majula.

From Software has, however, attempted to limit boosting of easier enemies. After a prescribed number of vanquishes, enemies will now cease to respawn, preventing players for endlessly killing them in rewards for souls and items. The game also features a punishing new death mechanic, whereby repeated deaths will actually lower the total health of the player by up to 50%. This can be restored to maximum through the use of a human effigy, however these are painfully hard to come by, particularly early in the game. Although this punishing mechanic seems to slot in nicely with the rest of the game, it can actually act a deterrent from exploration, as players may become fearful of being too harshly punished for wandering off the beaten path.

Although fundamentally a single player experience, the online mechanics can play a large part in proceedings as well. Players can choose to invade others worlds acting as either friend or foe depending on how malicious they are feeling. Aside from this there are also more indirect means by which players can affect others games. Messages can be left in the environment, warning of impending danger or pointing out hidden treasures. Ingeniously, players deaths will also be highlighted in the form of blood stains, that can be interacted with to show how the player came to meet their maker. This is not only frequently hilarious, but can help highlight dangers in the environment. Finally, joining specific covenants can allow you to perform actions such a set traps and enemies spawns in particular areas, meaning that players who come by who aren’t aligned to that clan will feel the full force of your nefarious deeds. These are all worthy additions that encourage, rather than force, the player to interact with other adventurers.

There is no denying that Dark Souls 2 appeals to a certain type of player. Casual gamers who traipse from one set piece to the next, fearful of any sort of strenuous thinking need not apply. The game will knock you down, repeatedly, but as long as you get back to feet every time and learn from your mistakes, you will gradually be rewarded. The euphoric feeling evoked from vanishing a boss that had you stumped for days on end is unlike anything you are likely to enjoy in any other game. Dark Souls 2 is a wonderful game unlike any other on the market and such is deserving of a place in anyones collection. Just, be prepared to die…

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