Dark Souls 2 is the latest game in the now venerable Souls franchise, which itself is a spiritual successor to the less known King's Field and Shadow Tower series. The second Dark Souls game is a triumph on many aspects, successfully transcending the stiffness of the first game, but losing some of its heart and soul in the process.
The moment you press start on the title screen, you are greeted by a choir singing "Morte et dabo", which is latin for "the gift of death". These first few words will come as foreboding to the whole game itself; Dark Souls 2 features a change of direction, and with it a shift of focus as well.
Much like Dark Souls, you find yourself as a lone, hopeless Undead; a being shackled by destiny and the maddening cycle of fate. Roaming across the derelict world in search of salvation, the cursed undead faces fabled heroes of legend, ancient monstrosities and uncovers the forbidden secrets of the world.
Scale is the key improvement here; Dark Souls 2 is a bigger, grander game than its predecessor, featuring a plethora of unique territories, spanning from the signature ruined cities and forts, dark forests, poisonous swamps, desolate crypts and divine domains, to the new mountainous, desert and deep mine regions.
But with more variety the world feels less interconnected, less intimate. Some connected areas have little relevance or correlation and often just serve as a bridge for progression. It's also worth noting that in the prior game everything you saw in the horizon could be explored; Dark Souls 2 merely emulates the same design, this time using optical illusions rather than corporeal areas. The world design pales compared to the older games, but it is good on it's own nonetheless.
The gameplay has seen a couple of tweaks and expansions. The tweaks to the lock-on and movement in general makes enemies deadlier than ever and less susceptible to backstabs and ripostes. More powerful weapons are now harder to acquire, while the starting lightweight weapons now have significantly lower durability and require a more restrained, situational use.
The controls are tighter, even though some of the combat finesses from the first game are blatantly absent here in attempt to increase difficulty and awareness. The rolling system is somewhat reworked, now being affected by particular new stats rather than just carry load. These changes come as fresh and present a different challenge to the one we're already acquainted with.
Sound design remains brilliant and still is one of the most immersive elements of the game. Music rarely accompanies the gameplay and is usually exclusive to boss battles. Later on, it can lead to some very powerful, revelatory moments
However, the main theme this time around is death and persistence, and it looms large over every gameplay, level and storytelling element. Gone is dreary, ominous atmosphere that graced the Souls games and those before it. The feeling of a seamless world isn't present, and there is no environmental storytelling. Instead, the focus is on the player character, which doesn't really work in such an ambiguous game. There is an overabundance of characters; they feel uninspired and rarely have an arc, and honestly only ruin the all-encompassing feeling of a dying land.
That shift of focus is the most glaring issue, and has brought down Dark Souls 2 from great to good for me. It feels somewhat alien compared to the older games, and it's blatantly obvious how different the direction is. However, It is still a good, highly immersive game, and still remains audacious compared to the safe, formulaic games that dominate the market. Beyond my criticisms, there is still love and care that went into the making of Dark Souls 2, which is always a huge plus.
If you're a long-time fan of the series you should definitely give this game a go, even though in the end you might reflect on things that were and could have been. For everyone else, this is a must play and a chance to experience the merciless yet beautiful world of Drangleic.