Dark Souls should need little introduction. Even if you somehow managed to miss out on From Software’s stellar spiritual predecessor, Demon’s Souls, you probably did not escape having your gaming mettle questioned by Dark Souls' “Prepare to Die” marketing campaign over the past few months. Yet, for those who need a refresher, you are welcome to follow me through my novice paces and impressions as catalogued here. In brief, however, Dark Souls is the follow up to 2009’s Demon’s Souls, one of the most unique and compelling games of this console generation. It is a game meant for those of us who like deep, all encompassing pain to precede a reward. It is the videogame equivalent of violent sex. It makes you sweat, it makes you question why you would ever want to experience such a thing, but ultimately, it makes everything else just seem missionary.

Dark Souls is an action RPG whose single most significant gameplay mechanic is death. The premise of the game even begins at this end. You’re avatar is an “undead”, imprisoned and rotting in an asylum where the marked go to die. Freed at the hands of a mysterious benefactor, you are immediately caught in an endless cycle of death and fleeting returns to humanity. Your singular goal is a nebulous promise of resurrection through struggle and the world itself has a similarly vague but compelling mythology. The introductory cinematic alludes to significant heroes and epic battles ending in cataclysm but serves only to paint a plot in broad strokes , choosing instead to let the gamer’s time in the world fill in the colors. A narrative heavy RPG this is not and those who are looking for cinematic rewards to boss fights or new levels should look elsewhere. A multitude of NPCs only hint at back-stories and agendas and it is really up to the player to decide what is going on around them. Instead, the history of the world seeps through its pores like a thick miasma. Decaying battlements, a sunlight-drenched but vacant walled city, an oppressive bog at the base of a primitive stilted town, a lifeless shore at the base of an ancient tree, all suggest ages of history past. From Software opts to show rather than tell and any gamer armed with more than a rudimentary imagination will thank them for it.

Character creation begins with a simple class-based interface but unlike traditional RPGs, it never truly ends. The reason for this is that the initial choice of a sturdy solider, a light-footed thief, a fire wielding pyromancer or even the naked deprived is merely a template for the starting build rather than a definition. All subsequent characters progression is limited only by the player’s guiding hand and a sorcerer can be made to effectively wield a two-handed claymore just as a soldier can immolate his enemies with pyromancy should you desire. As in demon’s souls, the currency gained in combat comes in the form of souls which can be used to level up attributes, weapons and armor, or purchase consumables.

Returning from Demon’s Souls is the agonizing risk-reward dilemma of whether or not to cash in accumulated souls lest you lose them upon death. Death in Dark Souls results in resurrection in undead form. The player has one chance to fight their way back to the bloodstain they left at their demise where they may reclaim lost souls. A second fatal impalement at a black knight’s sword or slip off of a narrow passageway loses those souls forever. Needless to say, a hero who is deep within a level, approaching a boss fight with coffers weighed down with accumulated souls has a considerable amount of anxiety about whether to retreat to level at the nearest campfire, or to forge onwards and risk losing everything.

And yet, though it may at appear to be the case, the beauty of Dark Souls is that all is not lost upon death and in fact the most valuable currency of all can never be taken away: personal experience. With each life lost at the spring of an unseen trap, a crumbling walkway, or the scorching bellows of a dragon’s breath, you learn the secrets of the world much as a sports driver learns the lines of a raceway. Regions that initially resulted in countless deaths are soon navigated flawlessly not so much as a result of leveling, but a better understanding of the environment and its denizens. It is a testament to game design that it is physically possible to beat the game as a minimally leveled character if you are good enough. Leveling provides you with the ability to swing more burdensome weapons or cast more spells, but none of it matters if you cannot predict enemy movements and learn the terrain so well that it becomes an ally rather than an opponent.

If anything, the world itself is game’s most imposing enemy. Rather than return to the central nexus and stage-based environment of its predecessor, From software has chosen a more open world structure with its follow up. While certainly nothing of the sheer acreage promised by the impending Skyrim, Dark Souls is nevertheless a vast world of interconnected but distinct environments, from booby-trapped castles to effervescent forests and moonlit ruins. Each locale is deliberately planned to test, burn, and forge the player into something stronger. The way in which the stages interconnect with shortcuts and secret passages is truly remarkable and a shining example of stellar world design. One of the game’s great joys is anxiously wandering with shield raised and healing supplies depleted, suddenly stumbling upon a lift in a lost corner of a darkened ruin and emerging back in the relative safety of the Firelink shrine, the closest approximation of a home the game offers. Indeed, unlike its predecessor, Dark Souls offers no safe haven. Instead, sanctuary comes only at scattered campfires where you may level, repair equipment, and use accumulated humanity to return to human form. In a stroke of inspiration, only at these campfires are the spectral images of other online players more distinct, providing a fleeting reprieve of the oppressive solitude brought on by hostile environments. To rest at a campfire is not without cost, however. To do so rejuvenates your character, but so too does it resurrect nearly all fallen adversaries, the exception being only bosses and some mini-bosses. While initially this seems like a diabolical decision on the part of From Software, it ultimately serves as a launching pad that allows for the grinding, farming, and exploration that is essential to progressing through to the end game.

Dark Souls is very much an open world game in the sense that few games provide so little guidance as to where to go next. While some bred on corridor shooters and linear RPGs may be put off by such an extremely laissez-faire approach to game direction, there is an unparalleled sense of discovery and adventure to be found in nervously walking with shield raised into a great unknown landscape without a flashing arrow stringing you along. With some exceptions, you can tackle any area in whatever order you choose, so long as you are good enough to survive. The second half of the game, in particular, provides complete freedom of progression.

From an audiovisual standpoint, Dark Souls is an artistic triumph if not a technical one. For the most part, the graphics are clean and serviceable. Character models are below what we have come to expect in 2011 but fortunately most are soon covered by elaborate and imaginative armors and robes. While a few regions do border on truly impressive, for the most part, the majority of the game is not going to give Gears of War 3 reason to fret. However, because gameplay rather than presentation is the star here, you will simply not care. Enemy design is creative and bosses are imposing and appropriately hideous (the toothed concavity of the Gaping Dragon’s torso is a highlight) and some environments such as Anor Londo will take your breath away upon first arrival.

More concerning than sub-par character models, however, are several substantial technical hiccups that undeniably impact the overall quality of the game. Blighttown in particular seems to be too much for the game to handle. Frame-rates drop substantially making an already difficult navigation even more perilous. Furthermore, this reviewer did have one instance where a pyromancy cast upon a large enemy dropped the game to 1 FPS and subsequently crashed the system necessitating a reboot. Enemy attacks will occasionally pass through walls and while this is generally kept to a minimum, it can be infuriating to lose a life and hard-earned souls due to a glitch. Sadly, these technical problems are all too frequent and do serve to pull you out of the experience with more frequency than one would like.

Sound design fares slightly better, particularly when appreciated with surround sound. You can hear every chain link of armor rattle with your stride. Swords cut into enemy flesh with a satisfying wet thud, undead mobs groan painfully and bosses scream with rage. The score is minimalist, mostly providing ambient orchestration except during boss battles when ominous themes serve to corral your anxiety and heroism. Overall, however, there are fewer notable tracks than there were in Demon’s Souls. While the melancholy theme of Firelink Shrine welcomes you into its safety, there are no real standouts such as the Maiden Astrea theme in its predecessor.

While some of Demon’s Souls more esoteric concepts (world and character tendency) have been struck from the game, others have taken their place and few are more than superficially explained by either the instruction manual or in-game. Instead they are meant to be experienced, debated, and tested by the collective experience of the online community. The concept of “humanity” as both a character state, a consumable item, and a means to reinforce bonfires is one that takes time to grasp. New are the enigmatic “covenants” that the player may make an oath to. These serve to provide everything from perks in the form of unique spells and items, character appearances and abilities, to a dictum to engage in PvP with other online players. At this early stage, the significance of allegiance to the various covenants is not fully appreciated but is another way the game seeks to unite online players with and against one another.

The unique multiplayer pioneered by Demon’s Souls returns in an evolved form. While Dark Souls can be approached as a single player experience, to go online provides one of the most unique and rewarding unions of single and multiplayer gameplay available on any system. Some of the more passive examples are the brief glimpses of other players that fade in and out of your world. To touch another’s bloodstain is to see the last few seconds leading to their demise and, in many cases, learn from them. Messages can be left warning others of impending bosses, enemy weaknesses, hidden walkways or traps. Campfires reinforced by others online can provide benefit to you and certain miracles can resonate when cast by more than one player on a server. When in human form, the player may summon the assistance of up to two cooperative phantoms to assist in both navigating a level or in the game’s brutally difficult boss battles (those without access to online play may instead summon helpful NPC characters to assist). In human state however, you may also be invaded by a malevolent black phantoms, other players whose goal is to gain souls and humanity or strengthen their covenant by killing you. Conversely, when in undead form, you may offer yourself to assist another for souls and humanity as a white phantom. Take note, however, that play with real-life friends is nearly impossible to coordinate, so those looking to engage in online coop with their buddies should look elsewhere. The struggle of Dark Souls is meant to be shared by countless faceless strangers in transient cooperation. On the whole, at this time early in the game’s lifespan, the emphasis seems to be more in favor of altruistic cooperative play rather than competitive invasions. Certainly there are cohorts of aggressive black phantoms about, particularly those who owe allegiance to the Darkwraith, Gravelord and Forest covenants, but the general online vibe is supportive. It remains to be seen whether this shifts to more and more malevolent invasions as the game ages and the single player campaign is increasingly put aside in favor of competitive PvP.

Finally, the game’s much cited difficulty should be addressed. Dark Souls is indeed hard. It is not a game that will allow you to see its brief ending cinematic without upwards of 60 hours (at bare minimum) of exploring, leveling, grinding and dying. And yet, it is worth mentioning that Dark Souls is almost never unfair. Enemies gang up on you, curses remove half of your health, walkways crumble under your foot, but everything is surmountable if you put in the time and effort to get better. There is only a single example that comes to mind where a frustrating challenge involving two archer knights on a narrow walk-way borders on poor and malicious game design. In fact, while the individual stages, enemies and bosses are objectively more difficult than those found in Demon’s Souls, the campfire system by which you may buckle down and level, in many cases outside a bosses doorstep, makes the game seem slightly more forgiving in the end. The bottom line is that great challenge begets great reward and few other games live, and die, by this mantra more so than Dark Souls.

Dark Souls is certainly not for everybody. It tells a minimalist and abstract tale, and glossy production takes a backseat to fiendishly demanding gameplay. Extended sessions induce stress and anxiety that some may not find compatible with their idea of what an escapist videogame should offer. For those who are willing to put in the commitment, however, Dark Souls is one of the most complete and rewarding packages available despite a few technical shortcomings. If you grew up with the brutally difficult games of 8-bit yore or think that nothing is worth having that is not hard fought for, Dark Souls will be one of the most rewarding mistresses who will ever dominate you, leaving you sweaty and broken but begging for more. If, on the other hand, you prefer your sex easy and missionary, you may be better served getting off elsewhere. .

Fun Factor: Pure gameplay without many frills. An extremely satisfying single player campaign augmented by the most unique use of coop and competitive multiplayer around.

Difficulty: Considerable but surmountable. Always challenging, nearly always fair.

On the Negative Side: Excellent art and sound design marred by occasional but potentially game-breaking frame rate and clipping issues.

Length: With a 60-80 hour first play-through, an infinite cycle of new game + with increasing challenge each time, and an inexhaustible possibility for online PvP and co-op, this game will surely be played for years to come, much like its predecessor.