Dark Souls Remastered Review: The Best Way to Praise the Sun

Dark Souls Remastered with its graphical, performance, and gameplay enhancements has easily become the best experience for Dark Souls players new and old who once again get to stare at countless “You Died” screens while exploring Lordran.

Released several years after the original Dark Souls debuted in 2011 and spawned countless imitators and the often-used term “Souls-like,” Dark Souls Remastered captures all the power of the first version and improves upon the areas that it lacked. It might seem obvious to say that it still feels like the classic Dark Souls experience, but that’s why everyone’s returning to Lordran in the first place, isn’t it? To relive the game that indeed came after Demons’ Souls but was nonetheless the vaulting point for many into the Dark Souls series, this time at a stable framerate with a visible, vibrant community surging new life into the classic.

For returning Dark Souls veterans who have multiple playthroughs under their belts and know every nook and cranny and optimal routes to navigate through the game’s hazards, the moment that you start in the Undead Asylum and take control of your Chosen Undead brings a rush of excitement that hasn’t been felt in years. No matter how many times you’ve played through the original, there’s an almost tangible feeling to Dark Souls Remastered that makes it feel as though you’re playing a brand new game even though the choices and outcomes remain the same. The various improvements that include realistic lighting, improved particle effects, and a stable 60 FPS throughout the entire game make Dark Souls Remastered feel more alive than ever. Combat and movement in particular feels especially fluid thanks to the framerate that makes players’ feel totally in control of every action.

While almost all the focus is on the performance and multiplayer improvements, it’s worth pointing out that there are definitely some gameplay changes going on under the hood in Dark Souls Remastered. Some are added for convenience’s sake – when using an item or offering a token to a covenant, you can choose exactly how many you want to use. This means no more popping soul after soul or donating countless Sunlight Medals to a statue.

Some not-quite-confirmed changes have also been made that Bandai Namco hasn’t spoken much on but will be noticeable to those who played the original. There’s been talk of increased aggro ranges for enemies, but one thing that can be said for sure is that the spawns of enemies has also been changed in at least one area.There’s a part of the Depths where several Slime enemies would drop from the ceiling just outside of a bonfire, and assuming you had a decent fire weapon or spell to mow through them quickly, you could rack up on Large and Green Titanite Shards. The video below shows what that looked like before, but now, only three Slimes will drop each time. It’s unclear if this was a change specifically made to lessen farming tactics, but you can still get what you need regardless – it just takes more time.

Some of the most frustrating and unattractive areas in Dark Souls have also been improved beyond belief in the remastered version. There’s the obvious example of Blighttown, the poison-filled hell that prevented so many lost souls from being reclaimed. It was reported before that Blighttown ran at 60 FPS now, an area that would previously plummet to 15 FPS and made a frustrating area controller-throwingly difficult, and we’re happy to report that that claim holds true. You may still not make it through Blighttown unscathed, but it won’t be because of performance issues. Lost Izalith also looks different and will no longer blind players with screaming oranges and reds thanks to the lava that fills the area. The lava’s textures still don’t look fantastic, and the area doesn’t dazzle nearly as much as the game’s beginnings, but it’s at least no longer an eyesore.

Regardless of whether you’re a new player digging through guides to get that Drake Sword or a Dark Souls pro who has your go-to weapon before you even kill the Gargoyles, you’ll never have to do anything alone in Dark Souls Remastered. If you were ever hesitant about paying $40 to play Dark Souls all over again, the explosion of community involvement that came with the game makes it entirely worthwhile. Try and invade an unsuspecting victim and you’ll be in their world within seconds – perhaps being met with more opposition than before now that multiplayer has been expanded to include more players at once – or reverse your hollowing to see the ground turned gold and white with summon signs. Whether you need back up for Ornstein and Smough, want a guide to get you through the Catacombs, or somehow find yourself getting your ass handed to you by Pinwheel, there’ll always be someone to help you with that.

But playing the same game again means that you’re also welcoming it’s past bugs and issues as well. When trying to lure a Black Knight down a spiral staircase so I could relieve him of his Black Knight Greatsword, he clipped into the middle column three times and disappeared until I rested at a bonfire. Trying to jump over a rock left me stuck between two trees with no way out, not even to press start, and left no choice other than force-closing the application only to be met with a “You Died” screen once logging back on. Dark Souls Remastered lets players relive the classic experience again, but not without its hangups.

Limited issues aside, Dark Souls Remastered is truly the best way to play the game at the moment, regardless of your preferred platform. It’s a release that honestly could’ve come at any moment or during any year and it still would’ve been bought by many without a second thought. If you’re new here to Lordran, enjoy your stay and bring plenty of Estus. For returning players, welcome back, and prepare to die.

WWG’s Score: 4.5/5