Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition Review

Posted By Yousif A. about 8 months, 2 weeks ago

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition Review

When Dark Souls came out on console, I had the task of reviewing it. I ended up scoring the game a 7, citing several reasons why not everyone is going to get behind the title. While Blistered Thumbs and I consider a 7 a high score, a large amount of people did not. Some got angry. Others said words that, if said in person, they probably would regret at a later date. So when Austin asked me to review the PC version, I prepared myself not to die, but to get barraged with dissent once again.

So imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying Dark Souls more than I did the first time out. The sheer concept of finding those opening hours tricky now seemed like a ridiculous notion. I was past the Bell Tower gargoyles well within 4 hours and only came to a halt when facing the boss of the undercity. I may not have thought Dark Souls was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I always accepted that the game could become addictive and suddenly I was hooked.

This reaction to Dark Souls on PC was even more surprising considering the quality of the PC version. That is to say, there is a distinct lack of it.

When console ports come to PC it is always a worry, but with almost a year since the original release of Dark Souls, it wasn’t unreasonable to hope that this new “Prepare to Die” edition would be optimized for PCs. From Software obviously decided reason was for losers and PC users can enjoy the game in 1024×720, without HD textures, and required Windows Live support. Additionally the keyboard and mouse configuration was so confusing that rather than attempt to remap the catastrophe that was the key bindings, I plugged in my trusty Xbox controller.

So there I was, playing the game in a poor resolution, signed into Windows live, playing on an Xbox controller… with the 360 version of the game sitting behind me. The irony was not lost on me.

Hey, weren't you in the Dragon’s Dogma tutorial?

Thankfully, a lovely man on the interwebs has created a small file for Dark Souls which fixes the locked resolution and can be found here. It’s no HD texture pack and the game will still look several years old, with the original version of the game hardly being the peak of graphical quality, but it will alleviate some of the disappointment.

Now, I have to say despite these few issues Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition does run better than the console version in some regards. The draw distance has definitely been increased and (at least on my PC) the loading times have decreased considerably. However, most importantly of all, the frame rate for Dark Souls didn’t even consider dipping below 30fps, which is quite the improvement on the constantly jerky console release.

Considering all the problems with the PC release of Dark Souls, my enjoyment of the title may make little sense. However, anyone who has played the game can tell you the reason. Accomplishment is a rare feeling in Dark Souls, but when it does rear its head, it is a pure gaming high. It punishes mistakes, therefore the tension is always high. Facing a boss gives you no escape from this tension, so the relief and joy that washes over you on completion is something else, only matched by the pure frustration and disappointment that accompanies failure.

Nothing is more frustrating in Dark Souls than an invasion. When another player steps into your world with the express intention of killing you, your concentration and focus is shattered. Dark Souls players know with careful steps and knowledge of an area, any player can overcome the foes ahead. When that foe is a player, all bets are off. Survival of the fittest becomes survival of the least petrified. Invasion helps knock the tension up to 11, but the feeling of elation upon victory is so much sweeter than a pre-programmed opponent.

Like kicking a grizzly bear in the nuts, this is not going to end well.

Dark Souls is still not for everyone. I personally know only a small minority of my friends would actually enjoy it. The controls are hardly perfect, the combat system feels clunky, the targeting system leaves something to be desired, and I still feel players can be subjected to unfair death at times. Above all this, Dark Souls is a hard game. You will have to grind XP to succeed and even then failure is a distinct possibility if you lose concentration. Worse is the fact that all that experience earned can be lost permanently through repeated mistakes. Not everyone is going to go for that kind of punishment.

However, some of you may be coming back for a second helping of pain, or perhaps reading this to discover what awaits console players when the DLC hit later this year. Well, if you thought that the DLC would contain new areas, probably contain new enemies and bosses, inevitably kicking your ass and making you cry like a little girl all over again, “that” would be a great guess.

Prepare to Die is ridiculously apt when it comes to describing the abilities of the new opponents presented to you in this game. If it wasn’t for the lovely save file that was provided with the review copy (skipping to the new content) I probably would still be slogging through the hordes of foes found in the additional areas. While I do often berate Dark Souls for being an ugly game, the art direction and animation is always superb, and this new content is no different. The Artorias Knight and the enemies around him are probably my favorite looking creatures in Dark Souls, full stop.

How long the content will take you is completely down to your approach and skill level. The developers say around 20-40 hours, but honestly I feel that statistic is off. I know some superstars at the game that would probably fly through, while others wallow in the despair that is the 4 new bosses for what would feel like an eternity. There is one section that everyone will breeze through though, and that’s the new PvP arena, which not only has horrific matchmaking, but ultimately falls flat. The joy of fighting another human being is not the combat itself, but the risk versus reward system the game has for invasion. I expect this area of the game to be lifeless very quickly.

Capcom try and make up for the Dante re-design by unveiling their reboot of Okami.

Disappointingly, most of the new areas are comprised of assets from elsewhere in the game. There is very little new here in terms of aesthetic. Several of the new enemies and bosses also borrow animations and design from previous models, and I am pretty sure there is at least one in there that steals from a foe in Demons Souls! Failing to provide new backgrounds and animation doesn’t spoil the content of the Artorias of the Abyss, which for the most part is great, but much like the PC options, feels like very little effort was put in to please the hordes of fans that have got behind the series.

Ultimately, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is a great game treated to a poor PC port. If this is due to budgetary limitation or From Software’s inexperience with the PC platform, we’ll never know. What I do know is that despite the flaws, the game is well worth playing. Not only will it keep you playing for quite some time, but even when you have settled into the game and think you have it under control, another player invades your world and turns everything you know upside down. Someone once told me that they don’t consider Dark Souls an adventure game, they think it’s a survival horror. I’m starting to agree with them!

So, which version do I suggest you buy? Any is my honest answer. While the PC version may not be up the standard of most PC releases, it still has everything the console version has. In a few months the additional content will be available to all, so the PC version has nothing to brag about there. While I do think the modding community may keep going with Dark Souls, eventually releasing an HD texture pack, the game should only be reviewed as what it is right now. Therefore, I once again open myself up to the hordes of Dark Souls fans and score this version exactly the same as I did the console version.

This game was provided by the publisher on PC for review purposes. The game was played for around 30 hours and was not completed. The new content was played through and took the reviewer around 15 hours to complete. The reviewer also invaded and was invaded lots of time, which he did not experience before reviewing the console version. The game also requires a connection to Games for Windows Live at all times, even if you own a copy on Steam.

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