Demon's Souls follow-up detailed - Report

Demon's Souls typified the meaning of dark horse in 2009. After Atlus imported the From Software-developed action role-playing game to the US, it sold more than 250,000 units and won GameSpot's Game of the Year. At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, Namco Bandai said that it had secured the rights to publish the game's successor, which is due on the PlayStation 3 in Japan later this year and both Sony's system and the Xbox 360 internationally.

Today, Andria Sang reports that Famitsu will have the first details on what gamers can expect from the Demon's Souls follow-up, confirming also that the game will be titled Dark Souls. The website also gleaned a handful of details concerning Dark Souls from a variety of sources that are said to have gained advanced access to the Famitsu article.

Notably, the sources indicate that Dark Souls will be substantially more difficult than Demon's Souls, itself a game that was widely considered to be extremely challenging. As such, the game will share Demon's Souls' emphasis on trial-and-error gameplay, as well as its use of standard action role-playing game gameplay.

Dark Souls will reportedly feature a number of differences from Demon's Souls, however. Namely, the game will not share a storyline or world with Demon's Souls. Players also won't have the option to select a class when they create their character; instead, characters will develop skills as they go.

Dark Souls will also feature a large element of exploration, whereby gamers will be afforded large, open areas to explore. From Software has also ditched the shrine area in favor of having all of the game's zones connected to one another. As such, the game will reportedly begin in a large home base, with gamers encountering smaller encampments as they progress.

Lastly, Andria Sang reports that Dark Souls will return with a number of cooperative and competitive online gameplay features. Players will again be able to draft others into their world when they need assistance, and a messaging system like Demon's Souls will also be available.