Dark Souls

THE BUZZ: Fans know From Software’s Demon’s Souls as one of the most challenging, compelling RPGs of this generation, but due to its minimalist approach and intense difficulty, not everyone saw it as a slam-dunk with gamers.

“We were surprised by how successful the game was in North America.” said Namco Bandai Production Department Chief Kei Hirono. “At the same time, for Dark Souls, by having that feedback from fans, we’re trying to create a better game.”

And while the pressure is definitely on as Namco Bandai and From Software craft their “spiritual successor,” Hirono says the team isn’t going to change their rage-inducing ways. “For the development team, there might have been thoughts about making the game easier. However, the main concept was to give players that sense of accomplishment, and to achieve that goal, we had to make the game even more difficult, to present even more of a sense of achievement.”

EGM’S TAKE: While giving the people more of what they clearly like is typically the smart play, enhancing “the hook” in Dark Souls is a lot like poking a dragon with a dagger. The thing is, that anger-inducing stroke is exactly what the fans adore about From Software’s dungeon crawler, and our early play-throughs show a sequel that will definitely give them all the love they can handle.

Check out the full interview in the latest issue of EGMi: The Digital Magazine to hear more thoughts from Hirono and From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki on upping this ante in this deadly sequel.

Source: EGMi: The Digital Magazine