Dark Souls 2 gameplay reveal!

Prepare to Die, Again

Do you like blisteringly hard bosses? Are you a masochist? Well, good news ladies and germs, Dark Souls 2 has a gameplay video out. Released at 12PM PST, the brief video had a surprising amount of content, as well as two devs explaining their hopes and intentions for game. I was a little disappointed no bosses were shown, but there is always the future.

The video started off showcasing the familiar layout of Demon and Dark Souls. The Player Character was wearing the armor shown in the trailer, seen here. Wielding an axe and shield, the brave knight wandered through a dreary looking fortification. Soldiers attacked here and there, some sneaky enough to play dead. And then, he picked up a torch to light his way, showing off a new feature for the souls titles. Too bad it didn’t help him get splatted attempting to back stab what looked like an armored tortoise demon.

Bonfires still make a comeback, although it looks like Estus Flasks are gone. Replaced with the Demon Souls healing item system, called Heal Drop Stones. Enemy types were still varied, and well detailed. From the aforementioned turtle demon, to giant wyverns flying through the air, the monsters and environments looked great. And the amount of detail put into the player’s armor and animations were refreshing.

It looks like Namco Bandai and From Software are following the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” strategy regarding gameplay. However, it was stated they want to work on various enemy reactions, and graphical performance. This is shown in a few key parts. From when the tortoise demon fends off being back stabbed by body slamming the player, to the new falling animation. My personal favorite has got to be that enemies will now be able to cause more havoc on the environment around them, it being stated they will try to bust through walls on occasion.

Here’s hoping for more video soon, especially of the boss fights. I loved Demon and Dark Souls’ bosses. Ranging from huge mega monsters, to people sized skilled adversaries, they were challenging and numerous. Got a favorite boss? Mine is Tower Knight from Demon’s Souls, hands down. Share yours in the comments!