Prepare to die indeed. There is a lot more than meets the eye in this game, let's dig in..

User Rating: 8.5 | Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition PC
Graphics:

6.0 out of 10. With no DSFIX

8.5 out of 10. With DSFIX

Now here is a disappointing fact. The guys ported it because it was requested by almost everybody that even saw it on consoles, so they ported it while admitting "they didn't know what they were doing". It showed, it was a horrible port. A little while later DSFIX came out and unlocked the PC graphics potential over the game and some other things like FPS which were locked at really low frame-rates. It's a must have for PC users.

Graphics with DSFIX are fine, great even. The game has beautiful aesthetic and design. The various locations are so fantastic that I'm really thankful DSFIX came out. There is, for instance, a sand island inside of a huge tree with dragons inside. It's magical, if you're into that stuff obviously.

Sound:

9.5 out of 10.

Wow, just wow. The songs that you hear through the journey are amazing, ranging from epic choirs to mysterious lullabies. The music fits perfectly into that world.

Storyline:

8.0 out of 10.

The story itself is a 9 if not higher, but it's really hidden in the details, be if inside item descriptions or some few NPCs. I find awesome that the game doesn't throw pages and pages of story upon you but just let's you play and if you are curious enough, you can start gathering the clues to what happened.


Gameplay:

8.0 out of 10.

This game excels here. Being an adventure RPG, there is lots of character customization possible. There is even hidden customization. There is customization of the customization. It has a lot of re-playability because of that, it's terribly deep.

The combat is fair. You will almost never go running hacking and slashing like a badass so it stays fair even when you tip the scale in your favour through levelling. There are lots of enemies and lots of strategies to beat each one of them. But enemies aren't the only thing you will be up against, there are also traps and they are deadly, so beware. If that is not enough, there are also a LOT of bosses, great variety in that aspect and some of them are a frustrating challenge with a glorious gratifying reward for enduring the trial.

Many people seem to think that it's a trial and error game, but it just isn't. "I wanna be the guy" is a trial and error game. This one is a difficult and punishing game that doesn't allow you to hold the run button and slash your way to victory. I assure you if you play like if you were at 1 HP and in a dangerous place with everything to lose, you will do just fine. You will probably die, sure, but it won't be cheap.


Regarding the multiplayer aspect of the game, it's to me revolutionary. That alone makes the game totally worth it. Check on Youtube how it works since it's pretty complex to explain and it's much better just to watch it in action. I'll just tell you this, you can get invaded by other players, adding to the challenge. You can also summon other players that are in the same area (but in their own game) to help you defend against such threats and even defeat bosses. You can do a lot of stuff, and it's awesome. Easily the best aspect of the game. The bad aspect of the multiplayer is not the idea, it's the execution since it doesn't work too well connection-wise. (this is addressed in Dark Souls 2).

BRING A CONTROLLER.

Conclusion:

Well, it's a game that should be worthy of a 10 score. It just has some problems. The graphics shouldn't require an external patch, and multiplayer should work better. Leaving that aside, it's a 10.

So if you enjoy a challenge, adventure RPGs and magical worlds, you probably already played it. If not, why don't you give it a try? Maybe it could change your mind.