Impressions: Dark Souls Remastered

The same game, with a new coat of paint

So, you decided to dive back into Dark Souls, eh? The world of the undead, where you prepare yourself to die over, and over, and over again. What the hell is wrong with you?

Dark Souls originally released in 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and while a masterpiece at the time, the game wasn't without it's faults. Glitchy bugs would knock you out of the map, cheap enemies were destined to slaughter you numerous times without fail, and poor frame rate  lacking of consistency in the ever daunting Blighttown were all frustrations that simply became a necessary evil in order to enjoy the game.

Frame rate issues aside, all of these frustrations remain.

That being said, there's obviously a lot to love about this game, even in the year 2018. It's Dark Souls - the game that literally every video game since has been compared to, numerous times. It's a staple in the gaming industry, and rightfully so.

It's challenging, but it's mostly fair. You can set up your character to cater to any build you want (magic, pyromancy, tank, or maybe a little bit of everything). I personally prefer to get a great sword and maul my way through the game, but that's just my style. There's really no 'wrong' way to play Dark Souls, unless you're a dirty, pathetic, lifeless shell of a corpse hacker.

Full disclosure, my evaluations are based on playing Dark Souls: Remastered on a base PS4 Slim model. Whereas I can play with peace of mind, PC gamers are being riddled with hackers infiltrating their worlds and ruining their adventures before they even begin. Hackers are cheating the systems coding, altering spells and causing users to suffer from curse, egghead, weapon breaking, and other awful experiences early in the game (as well as causing innocent users to be banned). It's distasteful, it's annoying, and frankly it's immature as all get out.

Still, the at it's core,  it's an utter delight. The fresh coat of paint is a welcomed addition to the game, and the enhanced 60fps really does make the experience feel smooth. I did notice a couple awkward areas where the game would stutter to no end (close to the Firelink if you are hopping around the top of the ruins, and in an elevator in New Londo), but on the whole, the experience is greatly improved. Even the dreaded Blighttown is no match for these new renovations.

Unfortunately however, the same bugs of old remain. The game can be glitchy at times, and even downright unfair. I have found myself able to do a double back stab with enemies numerous times, an issue that was actually fixed in the previous version. It would seem that the teams who worked on the 'Remastered' edition missed a couple of basic fixes and adjustments that were made in the previous game, and that's...well, sad.

Aside from lacking any original content however, this is one of the better ways to play Dark Souls. Some have argued that this release was meant to cater to the younger generation players who missed out. Others have reiterated that this is merely an 'HD port' rather than a Remaster. I'm merely content being able to play the game again, and on my Nintendo Switch of all devices, too!

...oh wait.