Namco Bandai has another batch of Dark Souls screenshots doing the rounds, and the new PlayStation 3 captures are a reminder that From Software is still very much in the business of making dread look beautiful. The images are the latest in a steady stream of media for the game, which the publisher has been releasing piece by piece since the debut trailer arrived at the start of February.
If you have followed the game so far, you know the visual language by now. Every batch has leaned on the same ingredients that made the debut trailer so memorable: gloomy, decaying environments, knights buried under layers of detailed armor, and creatures designed to make you think twice before rounding the next corner. Coverage of the first trailer and screens in February noted how closely the look recalls Demon’s Souls, and nothing in the newest shots changes that impression.
From Software Returns To Demon’s Souls Territory
That is no accident. Dark Souls is From Software’s spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls, the punishing 2009 PS3 action RPG that built a devoted following on the back of its brutal difficulty and unusual online features. Atlus handled that game in North America, but this time Namco Bandai is publishing in the West. According to RPGFan’s look at earlier media, From Software will publish the game itself in Japan on PS3 only, while Western players are getting both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.
The new game wants to keep the tension of its predecessor while changing the structure around it. Rather than splitting the adventure into separate stages reached from a central hub, Dark Souls is built as one seamless world with very little loading. Namco Bandai has also detailed a new checkpoint system called the Beacon Fire, which restores your health, marks the spot where you return after death, and serves as a gathering point where players can share the experience.
Beacon Fires And Ghostly Visitors Ahead Of Launch
That restart function could raise eyebrows among Demon’s Souls veterans who prized the old game’s unforgiving structure. Namco Bandai’s pitch so far still promises a dark and difficult adventure, though, so nobody should expect an easy ride, and From Software’s track record suggests every death will be a lesson.
The debut trailer also appeared to show the ghostly player forms that were a hallmark of Demon’s Souls, a strong hint that the series’ distinctive approach to online play is making the jump too. The Beacon Fire’s billing as a place where players gather points the same way, although there is plenty still to learn about how it will all fit together.
Dark Souls is slated to launch worldwide in the 2011 holiday season, and Namco Bandai Europe has confirmed that the game is coming to Europe this year as well. No firm date has been announced yet, so for now these screens remain the best way to get a feel for what From Software is building. Expect plenty more as the year goes on.