The Dark Souls II review: may god have mercy on your soul

For those of you fortunate enough to never have heard of Dark Souls, turn and flee while you still have the chance. Dark Souls II is the the latest iteration of Atlus’s Souls series, which began with Demon’s Souls back in 2009, and it carries the flag of tradition well.

Reminds me of winter in Scotland.

The premise of all three games is somewhat similar: an immortal adventurer journeys through a decaying world filled with monstrous enemies. In Dark Souls II, there’s a pretty epic intro that hints at a rich backstory including a wife and child. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really come into the actual game and by the end you’ll have probably have forgotten there ever was a plot. Which is a pity, because I would love to see how they accommodated my female character in that unescapably male role. The game instead focuses on the actual adventures of this cursed warrior.

(See: So, about that Dark Souls II review…)

Soul destroying

Souls are the lifeblood of Dark Souls II. They pay for new equipment, upgrades, and most stat improvements. Losing souls is a really, really big deal. And as fast as you collect them, you will lose them. You will lose them many, many times over.

Must save my souls!

According to my long suffering neighbor, it’s possible to estimate how many souls I lost by the volume of my frustrated scream. Dark Souls II and headphones are not a good idea.
As mentioned, the game is insanely difficult. And any and all enemies are a risk in Dark Souls II; they all hold the potential to kill you and they will do so. Many, many times.

Death is no laughing matter in this game, because each trip to the pearly gates reduces your total amount of health. Lose too often, and you will find yourself stuck at 50% health. And trust me when I tell you that this is not enough. You can up your health, known as regaining your humanity, by using a human effigy, but these are one of the rarest and most valuable items in the game.

Yeah this guy is definitely cursed.

To make matters worse when you die, you have but a single chance to collect your dropped souls. If you die again those souls are gone. Forever.

Dark Souls II has kept its traditional bonfire checkpoints, which need to be lit to use. Every area has several bonfires but the distance between them is great, and often requires beating a boss. This means that if you die before the next bonfire, you need to get to the place of your death without dying again. This is especially difficult if you are dying whilst fighting a boss. I have lost count of the times I have died moments before touching that precious green glow.