DARK SOULS 2 ( PS3 )
Is playing a hard game good for you? Well I can tell you that it depends on you. What it is for me? Yeah it’s worth it and especially when it comes to Dark Souls 2. This game is centered in the Kingdom of Drangleic a place where only the great warriors can survive and even then you are not entirely sure of that. You will face countless monsters, dark spirits and giants that can and maybe will break your spirit apart. The thing with this game is having the required patience, pretty much like when you are going to play a game of Chess or something similar that requires focus and time to master it and win eventually.
You take the command of a man or woman that is cursed (pretty much like being sent to Hell or Hades in a God of War game). You will then choose a type of character such as warrior, cleric, adventurer, bandit etc. and even deprived what means you start as a pretty normal person. You may choose your play style but be warned that if you pick one then you will need to deal with its strengths and weakness until you figure out the way the game works. The game is a type of RPG but like no other. You will die a lot if you are not careful and that can and will cost you a lot. Sure you can pick up the souls (the game’s currency and level system) you lost when you died but what if you die again? Well you will lose them forever and will have to start getting more souls again. Your health will reduced when you die until it reaches its 50 % and the only way of you getting it back to 100% is by using a Human Effigy or by playing for a while with another player and help him get past a boss or a number of enemies and then when the time is up you will regain your Humanity. Keep in mind that without humanity you will not be able to summon anyone of any NPC and trust me when I say that you want to have them with you a lot of times.
How is the weapons system? Well weapons break and it all depends on its stats. Like always some weapons are stronger than others but not because a weapon has a higher damage output is better. You will need sometimes to relay on a good shield and a feather weight weapon to beat some parts. This is all tied to your play style. For example: A melee character can have a hard time using magic effectively because he may not have the right amount of level in the magic department. You see, you need to be careful about what you upgrade, when you upgrade and when you level up and how you level up.
The game has a great fast travel system in my honest opinion. This is very handy and can save your life at given times. Your “base” is called Majula, type of cliff place that is both beautiful and very important to level up, upgrades and talk to the NPC or even if you want to take a rest then go to this place and you will be safe. From there you can access the other places of the game and then the challenges will begin.
The controls of this game are easy to remember and to master. They are responsive and you even have a lock on system to make things a little bit easier or harder because it depends on the situation. You can run but be wary that you will drain your stamina and will lose time that can mean life or death in Dark Souls 2. When you fight keep your eye on the enemies and the other eye on your stamina and health. Trust me that it is critical that you do. The aiming system of the game is maybe not the best one but you will learn how to use it more quickly and with fewer deaths.
The summoning system is a life saver but it can also mess things up. You see when someone enters your world to help you; things can get a little bit harder because it depends on the skills of the other player and yours. When you face a boss together (up to 3 persons) you will need to work as a team work or you could die what means the session’s ends and you lose your humanity. Yeah I know bad right? It is very fun to play with others but keep in mind that the summoning is not forever so when that person and you finish a boss area then he will be gone and you will be alone. The system is easy to use given that you only need to watch the floor and press OK so that the other player enters your world. A bad thing with that is that you need to wait for the other player to enter and sometimes it takes a while but is very handy.
I don’t have to tell you how difficult the game is because I have been pretty much explaining that to you since the start. The game is fun but without patience then it may not be for you.
The game is amazing. It can give you tons of hours of fun and when you beat it I’m sure you will want to try the New Game Plus mode. You will face more enemies and they will be harder and more powerful than before so be prepared to face the true challenge. It is not the perfect game but I’m sure it’s a great amazing game that you play if you are up for a challenge. I’m not trying to sell it but I haven’t play a game that has hooked me up like this since a long time. Have patience, learn from your mistakes and the most important part, enjoy the game.
I give this game a 9/10
Great gameplay
Good graphics
A great challenge for RPG lovers
Very high replay value
easy controls to master
Fast Travel system is very good and useful
Great enemies
No lip movement when NPC talk.
It takes time for someone to join your session regularly.
Its difficulty is not for everyone.
