Credit: FromSoftware
"Only, in the ancient legends it is stated, that one day an undead shall be chosen to leave the undead asylum, in pilgrimage, to the land of ancient lords, Lordran."
Naturally, my first thought upon waking this morning was "Praise the sun!" A Dark Souls remaster that I can play in 60 frames-per-second on PS4 and Xbox One and in 4K resolution on my PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. A remaster that I can play on PC without having to use DSFix to make it even remotely playable. A remaster I can play on the go because it's also coming to the Nintendo Switch...
Some really cool stuff about the remaster that goes beyond HD textures and a higher frame-rate:
The password matchmaking system from Dark Souls III is being implemented in the Dark Souls remaster.
This time around up to six players can be in the same online instance at once, either in PvE or PvP, up from 4 players.
Better still, for the first time the game will use dedicated servers rather than peer-to-peer, which should make summoning and invading far smoother.
Here are the resolutions for the various platforms the game is releasing on:
Xbox One (1080p, 60 fps)
PlayStation 4 (1080p, 60 fps)
Xbox One X (Upscaled 4K, 60 fps)
PlayStation 4 Pro (Upscaled 4K, 60 fps)
PC (Native 4K, all textures 2K unconverted, 60 fps)
Nintendo Switch (TV mode: 1080p, 30 fps; Handheld mode: 720p 30 fps)
Also check out the new Dark Souls Trilogy boxed set here.
Credit: FromSoftware
Scattered thoughts:
60 frames-per-second on PC, Xbox One and PS4 is fantastic news, but I do hope they fix the various issues that 60 fps causes currently when using a modded version of the game. It can make certain jumps virtually impossible and cause various other glitches. Recall, Dark Souls II had a weapon durability issue caused by 60 fps and that had to be patched later. Mostly, though, this is fantastic news.
Blighttown may not be such a blight on the game now, praise the sun! I always liked that level, but good lord the frame-rate was bad.
Since this is just a remaster, I doubt there will be much done to fix the game's second half. Areas like Lost Izalith will still be a blight on the game, making everything past Anor Londo something of a slog. (Well not everything, but I often quit my Dark Souls replays after Anor Londo and the DLC.)
I'm honestly not sure I'd want this half of the game fixed for a remaster, though. If it had been a full remake that might be another question entirely, but there's something to be said for staying true to the original. New players will have to just suffer alongside veterans and 'git gud' as the saying goes.
Also, I'm really not sure how this will work on the Switch, at least when you're on the go. Think about it: You can't pause Dark Souls. If you're playing on a bus and have to get up at your stop in the middle of a fight, well, you'll just have to miss your stop. Or die.
Speaking of which...how many people are going to throw their Switch out of frustration? Many people, I suspect.
New players: Definitely choose the Pendant as your starting item. You'll thank me later.
A part of me wishes we'd seen more of the game in action in this trailer, but knowing Bandai Namco and how its marketing department works we'll probably get five more trailers for the game before its release on May 25th of this year.
This is making me want to play the game again but I won't simply because now I need to wait for the remaster.
Maybe I'll play Demon's Souls instead. The last time I played that game I made it through the first four bosses without dying once. I doubt that's a trick I'll be able to repeat.
Demon's Souls Remaster Next, Please
Credit: FromSoftware
Perhaps the only thing more exciting than a remaster of Dark Souls for modern consoles would be a remaster of Demon's Souls, From Software's first game in the 'Soulsborne' series.
Then again, Demon's Souls would be confined to the PlayStation 4, while the Dark Souls remaster is coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. That's always been the advantage of the Dark Souls series over its predecessor.
Of course, Demon's Souls is truly in a league of its own. I can't say it's the best game in the series but I do think it's the most unique and special, in part because it was the first though there are other reasons.
Certainly the later games made progress in many ways and ditched aspects of Demon's Souls that didn't work, but none of them---not even Bloodborne---capture the magic of Demon's Souls. The levels are sprawling and bereft of any check-points save at the beginning and after the boss fight. Shortcuts actually matter in Demon's Souls, and the game is strong from start to finish (give or take a boss fight or two and the usual issues this series has with swamps) and isn't bogged down by a rushed second half like Dark Souls. It has some of the best level design (Boleteria Palace is a triumph of modern game design; the Prison of Hope remains one of the creepiest levels ever made) and some of the best boss fights in the series (Maiden Astrea, Maneater, etc.)
I will say this: A remaster of Dark Souls makes me more hopeful than ever that a remaster of Demon's Souls is on the way. That was one of the first things that crossed my mind this morning when I woke up to the surprise news.
So I'm pretty excited about all of this obviously. Dark Souls remains one of my favorite games of all time, and ranks neck and neck with Demon's Souls and Bloodborne as my favorite in the series. I can't wait for May 25th.
Check out my video game predictions for 2018 here, and see the big list of 2018 video game releases here.
Bandai Namco has confirmed that Dark Souls Remastered is being released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on May 25. This is in addition to the Nintendo Switch version of Dark Souls Remastered revealed during the surprise Direct event. According to a press release, Dark Souls Remastered is being developed by From Software, the studio behind the original trilogy, instead of being outsourced to a third-party studio.
"Experience the rich world of Dark Souls in upscaled 4K resolution with 60FPS when playing on a PlayStation 4 Pro system, Xbox One X, and PC," reads the press release. "Also, 1080p resolution with 30FPS is available when playing the game on Nintendo Switch with its TV mode."
"From their first timid steps to absolute mastery, players will build their characters by strategically adapting to daunting foes, exploring haunting locations, and amassing a large collection of weapons, armour and magic spells to utilise for a truly unique playstyle."
Dark Souls Remastered will also support "up to six players" for online multiplayer. A Dark Souls Trilogy box has been announced for PlayStation 4 in Japan. It features Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin, Dark Souls 3: The Fire Fades Edition. Additionally, it will have soundtracks for each of the games, knight and bonfire bookends, an encyclopedia, and a special art set. As of yet this has not been announced for other regions.
At this point, developer From Software's Dark Souls doesn't need much explaining. It's a beloved, influential game that is critically acclaimed and has a fanbase as passionate about it today as they were when it originally launched in. These people have been calling out for a remaster of the game, especially considering that the original version had a number of glaring technical faults.
In GameSpot's original Dark Souls review Kevin VanOrd awarded it a 9.5/10, describing it as "riveting."
"Dark Souls requires intense focus," he said. "This isn't a lighthearted romp in a bright and colorful fantasy world; it's a methodical journey into the frightening unknown. And that's what makes it so riveting. Some games try to scare you with bump-in-the-night shocks and far-off howls, but Dark Souls doesn't require such predictable methods of terror. Its terrors emanate from its very core, each step bringing you closer to another inevitable death.
"How amazing that such a terrible place could be so inviting. The game's world is so memorable, and its action so thrilling, that it might invade your thoughts even when you aren't playing, silently urging you to escape the real world and return to this far more treacherous one. Dark Souls doesn't just surpass other dungeon crawlers; it skewers them with a razor-sharp halberd and leaves behind their soulless corpses."
