From Software masterfully deals with action RPG conventions as well as progresses the genre itself.
Demon's Souls is From Software's demonstration of their mastery of the action RPG genre. Players initially choose their physical appearance and beginning combat class, but that can easily change as any class can wear any equipment so long as they have the statistic requirements (which are chosen in an open ended fashion). Melee combat goes beyond mere hack n' slash to include various offensive and defensive strategies that are equally viable means of progession if developed properly. Magic is a powerful medium to short range option that, in addition to staple attacks and buffs, allows for trickier spell usage like distractions that you might expect a scholarly type to implement in a fantasy setting. Distance weapons are both long range and accurate. Even a smaller touch like how difficult spells are to aim outside of targeting range are not blemishes so much as they are gameplay reinforcement of the limits of each attack type. Characters must choose their equipment wisely if they intend to conquer a level because strategy and planning are just as important as skill and technique.
Level design is orchestrated as if by the hand of an accomplished maestro. Where the main goal in level design for current generation games is often that of depicting the subject of the level, From Software has gone more for thematic depth and articulance. For instance, your travel up the social strata in Boletaria Palace is guided by a path that literally slopes up and your journey up to the Shrine of Storms is followed by a sharp drop into the crypts below. Levels often proceed at a cautious pace where every corner may hide a new horror, but they are kept from growing stale by variety from challenges that require speed to overcome which adds intensity in the stark contrast of the transitions.
Perhaps the biggest feature of Demon's Souls is its unique online component. Other players can be seen all the time in the form of various types of phantoms. Neutral white phantoms run by for fleeting moments but remain distant figures. Bloodstains can be touched to make red phantoms appear to reenact another player's last moments as a grim and hauntingly vague warning of the dangers ahead. Blue phantoms serve as cooperative help while black phantoms are malicious players looking to kill you and steal your body. On top of it all, players can leave hints at any location for other players to read which has proven to be a remarkably well embraced feature that will warn other player of potential dangers rather than devolve into the mess that so often spills when game developers allow players anonymous interaction (like children screeching into mics or players losing the social barriers that prevent them from spouting racial slurs). The overall system allows for an engaging and new form of online content that keeps a bleak tone that is consistent with the tone of the game.
The player's action are effected by a morality system that is clearly making a judgement with ratings like "Pure White" and "Pure Black" yet subtle in its implementation. If you kill a human being (yourself included), you wont be scourned by their weepy children or any flimsy wagging finger like that. Instead, the world will toughen up on you. Slaying powerful demons or black phantoms will make the world look upon you more kindly. This isnt to say that evil players will be surrounded by perpetual night and good players get sunshine and rainbows, but smaller things like the HP of enemies or even yourself come into play. Its a refreshing change from the usual halo and devil horns system.
Its odd to have not yet mentioned much about the story of a RPG beyond an initial setup, but it really is a proportional part to the rest of the elements of the game. Its not told through endless cutscenes or books of dialogue but by the environment that the player progresses through. Ive alluded to this in the level design, but there are numerous other cues that give information to the player in a natural and interactive way. Youll see the insanity of the captives in the Prison of Hope level by their scratching on walls with their fingernails, quivering in corners, and murderous rage but you will also see why as you discover various torture devices covered in blood that leads to piles of corpses thrown to the rats and simply take in the bleak atmosphere. Even overarching motifs on the cyclical nature of life and death unfold before the player in the form of gameplay mechanics that grow and grow over the course of the game. You arent told much directly, but the environments speak so much louder than words ever could. Sound design is excellent to match the environments. Rather than having every level contain music, the silence is broken by ambient sounds like the cawing of crows or low rumbling of machinery. Boss fights are given gravitas by the minimalist compositions of Shunsuke Kida.
Its difficult to write a review that is thorough as well as not merely a list of features for Demon's Souls and do the game justice because every element fits together so well that you cannot write about it all at once. It is a game of disparate yet congruous parts. It is both solitary and communal. It is both bleak and affirming. It is a game that should not be missed by anyone.