In the original Demon's Souls game, the Nexus featured a broken sixth Archstone that hardcore fans believe contained a new world cut from the original PlayStation 3 release. Lore and speculation grew around it, and with the PlayStation 5 remake, many hoped the area would be restored on the next generation. However, that won't be the case. Creative director Gavin Moore confirmed the news in a new interview with Polygon, also stating that the Demon's Souls remake will not feature any difficulty options. Bluepoint is trying to stay as true as possible to the original experience, but there will be other new content.
Moore says: "There are only five unbroken stones in the Nexus, and that’s the same now, as was in the original. So there’s no new Archstone and there’s no new world." Then, on the topic of difficulty modes, he adds: "It’s true to the original. It’s a fair challenge, in my view. It’s all about learning enemy patterns and learning the environments, knowing in combat when to challenge yourself with that risk and reward combat system, when to go in and attack and when to pull back and defend."
So, there we have it. Demon's Souls on PS5 will stay as faithful to the original as it can, skipping the possibility of a sixth Archstone and difficulty modes. How do you react to this? Were you hoping to see a new world? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source polygon.com]
Comments 63
That's gonna disappoint a lot of people.
That's a shame, but I'm not too bothered considering how drop-dead amazing everything about it looks.
It's s shame, the opportunity was there to restore the cut content. Maybe as DLC later on perhaps.
Bugger. I just know I'm going regret buying this!
... simply perfect. Already preordered and can not wait. Looking forward to meeting the 🐙 with 🔔 again!
one day, someone is going to make one of these games and have enough sense to simply include an easier mode (probably just more bonfires if nothing else). the "git gud" crowd will go nuts, but the game would VASTLY outsell the average numbers Soulsborne games usually do. These games have amazing universes and lore, but a lot of people are intimidated by the difficulty. i love these games, but because i suck i RARELY buy them.
All the souls games have an easy mode, you simply summon help. The assistance given from fellow players tends to make most of the game considerably easier.
@armondo36 this is exactly what i want. Particularly now games are retailing at £70 pounds, the risk is that much greater
I'm massively in two minds. Never played any souls games before so really unsure if it's for me, watching videos just won't give you the right experience. £70 is a massive amount on risk.
I wanna experience the game but I sucks & impatient at gaming.
Please give me easy mode patch XD
The people who complain about the difficulty simply haven't spent enough time playing a souls game. There are multiple ways to make the game 'easy'. If you want to breeze through and miss the whole point of the games look up a guide or wiki and it'll show you how to walk through with little effort.
Eh, there could be a secret world. It’s not like they would own up to it and reveal secrets. Where’s the fun in that?
@Orpheus79V 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
@armondo36 Practise makes perfect. A huge part of the reason the Souls series is beloved is because of the huge sense of accomplishment you get from progressing little by little. If you add an easier difficulty, it defeats the object of the game. They are designed to be tough, but not unfairly so.
The way I see it, if you entered a swimming race and the person next to you used a speedboat, what was the point of all that training? Sure, you'll be damn good at swimming, but that person won with no effort. With Souls, the effort you put in pays dividends and when you win, you earned it.
@EquiinoxGII that's why you wait for a couple of months and get it for a quarter of the initial price.
So it's safe to say that those people out there on the internet who destroy this game in under an hour, will be able to do so again on day 1.
That person is not me.
Directors Cut DLC ahoy!
@Mellkor what?
I'm assuming it still has the world tendancy thing going on then too, if it's true to the original?
Day 1 for me btw (if I can get a PS5 preorder, dagnabbit).
This will go into my sale list.
Don't fancy spending £70 to hit a difficulty brick wall.
I almost find difficult games more palatable if they're not so pricey. I bought Sekiro on release and when a game costs more I almost feel like the game I've paid for is locked out. It's a ludicrous thought of mine I know, but I end up playing the game to get "value for my money" rather than relaxing and absorbing the difficulty. Probably why l adored Nioh so much when I got it for £10.
I also don't want to break my shiny new PS5 controller so soon after launch 😂
Disappointing there is no easier option. Bought Bloodborne and I'm just so bad at it that it loses some of its fun. Dying every minute and waiting 2 minutes to try again becomes tiring very quickly. Such a waste of money. I'll definitely try it again on PS5 but it puts me off buying this game, which is a shame as it looks amazing.
@naruball I think that's going to be the solution tbh. I like the look of it, but that's the safe approach
Sure we all wanted the Giants archstone but this would be silly to ask of Bluepoint. To base a brand new level off an only semi-complete (and mostly empty) castle stage buried in the OG's files with a few enemy types and make a three tier level with bosses and new equipment to match.
A game is only fun if it challenges your imagination on how to beat it. Problem-solving is very important in games. I took like 5 points out of Ghost of Tsushima because it was too damn easy even on the hardest difficulty. Infamous SS also had this issue. I do not find it fun if the game does not ask me to use everything on my arsenal to beat it.
@armondo36 C'mon get better. I was stuck on Isshin in Sekiro for a long time and kept getting pissed but more and more I learned his moves and started deflecting correctly and broke his posture easily without kuro's charm.
Possibly an unpopular opinion but I'm glad there is no option....means I have no other choice but to face the challenge head on without being tempted with easy mode 😂
@Nepp67 "git gud" amirite? listen, as i said, i enjoy these games. that isn't my point. my point is that the company that makes a game like this that also offers an easier mode will find a very large audience of interested customers. i know almos as many people who are curious but won't try them (or in many cases, don't have the time to play the same levels 10 times each) as i do people willing to grind the games down bit by bit. some developer will realize that BOTH audiences can be served.
Music to my ears bluepoint thanks
@armondo36 maybe they don’t want to serve both audiences. Dumbing it down would be a terrible idea.
Missed opportunity
@Crimson_Ridley and that option should be there for people who like playing that way. most other games let people who just want to enjoy the lore or the story do so. i do think Soulsbornes games should be hard, i like them even if i don't finish them, they're very compelling. but someone (mark my words) will make one, simply OFFER THE OPTION of lower difficulty or more frequent bonfires, and make a ton of money. Jedi Fallen Order was a step in that direction, actually.
I bought demons souls on my ps3 and i hated it as much as it obviously hated me..i had this real love/hate thing going where the more i loved it the more it grew to hate me..eventually after pulling out what hair i had left and inventing some incredible new swear words i beat the game..never platinumed it and now i am looking forwards to suffering that insanity all over again..
@armondo36 So what the developers want doesn't matter then? FromSoftware has been making games of this style for 10 years now, from Demon's Souls to Sekiro. And not ONE of those games has offered difficulty options. I can't imagine Fromsoft would be too pleased if Bluepoint went ahead and added an easy mode to their original breakout title.
There are plenty of other games that offer difficulty options, Demon's Souls just happens to not be one of them. Not every game needs to adhere to the same rules
Lost opportunity there with the sixth stone...
But its also good to know the will keep the original difficulty
@armondo36 Again get good, it's very clear Fromsoft doesn't give a damn about casual players or gaining a larger audience. Either practice or find a different game to play, it is that simple.
I agree game looks incredible but the difficulty will put me off. I love a game with a challenge but when you die over and over, it becomes a chore and not fun. Also when games are ridiculously tough going, playing the game through again is very remote to me.
@armondo36 - Make a pyro build, they break Souls games. As for more bonfires go and play Souls 3, they're everywhere. Play Souls 3 as a pyro to remove all difficulty completely.
@Mikey856
Elitist
@armondo36
Absolutely correct. I am one of many who will never touch a Souls game because monster difficulty really turns me off. I don't have a hundred hours to master every uber-hard game because `work' and `life'. So these designers blow off millions to appeal to elitist snobs like half the people commenting on this page. I guess they think it makes financial sense given that they keep doing it. But I think it's really dumb. Give Nightmare mode for the challenge junkies and saner modes for most of the gaming community.
@Crimson_Ridley
Your argument would make sense, if you were competing with a speed-boat to win...something. You are each playing your own game. That's like saying your college athletic achievements mean nothing because you are comparing yourself to a pro. This is a SINGLE PLAYER game; there is no competition. And if you are fretting over some leader-board somewhere, then make separate boards for each difficulty or else don't let people post ranks if they played on easy. This is why Souls elitists are so sad. At the end of the day they just never want to hear some kid say `I beat Souls' who they imagine did it on easy. Like that affects YOUR game. Really sad attitude.
@SailorNemesis that's all i'm saying. i don't really have 100 hours to play anything anymore. i'm still playing dragon quest 11 because i have an hour here and there. i'm about halfway through Sekiro for the same reason. i don't even think the moment-to-moment gameplay needs to be easier. Just a mode where there are more bonfires would be fine lol
@Tchunga what the developers want ...is money. all i'm saying is that there are tons of companies who try to make a soulslike, and they usually don't sell very well. someone is going to say, "well let's have different difficulty levels", and their game probably will do well.
Don't get me started on limited saves. You should be able to save anywhere anytime, just like pc gaming. No excuse for limited saving especially since most gamers are working adults now
@SailorNemesis it’s not monster difficulty 😂😂😂 it’s a challenge. Try it sometime instead of playing easy games bro
I’ve got kids, a wife n job and my time is extremely limited still managed to platinum bloodborne in around 1 n 1/2 month.
@SailorNemesis well it’s simple isn’t it, don’t play it. Stick to games with save points around every corner. I take it you weren’t around In the 80s n 90s? When games had no saves whatsoever
@Axelay71 don’t let it put you off pal. When you die again and again to the same boss but then you learn his move set and Kane him you’ll be so satisfied
Games were structured very differently in the 80s and 90s. Most adults don't have 3-4 hours a day to play a game. If you find saves make a game to easy then don't save. Or start over very time you die. But most of us want or need the convenience of save on demand.
@armondo36 What are you basing that information off of? Both Nioh 1 and 2 sold incredibly well, as did Code Vein and Jedi Fallen Order (although I attribute that one to it being Star Wars, not because it's a Souls-like) These kinds of games appeal to a very specific core audience and I believe the developers know that. They clearly sell very well or else they wouldn't keep getting made. You add in stuff like an easy mode, waypoints or progress trackers and all of a sudden it's not even the same game anymore. It's just another generic 3rd person action game. As I said before these games appeal to a very specific core audience and compromising that for people who aren't even fans of the genre in the first place just makes no sense
@Mikey856
Cheers mate I really need to give it a go, again someone told me you can only die so many times then you lose everything. Is this true.
@Tchunga
`Brutal difficulty' is not a genre. Adding easier modes takes nothing away from challenge junkies except their elitism. No reason not to add options and broaden your audience. Unless you just admit to being an elitist and say you want to keep other people out of 'your' game. That is the only way your argument makes sense.
@SailorNemesis Yes, it is a genre. The sense of accomplishment you get from these games is the entire point. Look, I'm by no means an "elite" gamer. I suck at games. So if I can make it through these games then anyone can. It just takes some persistence and little bit of patience. So when I tell you If you take out the difficulty you essentially remove the main appeal of the game, I'm telling you the truth. The fact that you can't lower the difficulty at any point forces you to improve as a player, if you had that option it would defeat the purpose. You don't think having the option effects anyone else, but it does. It really does
@SailorNemesis I disagree that adding options doesn't take anything away from the game. Often people cry of "elitism" but this isn't the case, most of the souls audience just want people to give the game a go as it was intended. We want people to experience the same thing we do. It sounds silly but challenge is core to the game design and giving options will lead to many people "giving up" too early and not seeing the game for what it is.
I'll be honest I do understand the other side of this discussion but weighing up the pros and cons, I think these games are best without difficulty options.
Ps. Summon people into your world for ez mode 😉
@Axelay71 yeah if you die your collected xp will stay where you last died or on bloodborne there’s a chance the enemy that killed you will be holding it, and you need to get back and collect it before dying again or you lose whatever you dropped
. I’ve lost tons of xp mate il be honest. But trust me, find an area where you can cope with the enemies and grind grind grind them levels up. It just makes it so much easier. Don’t get me wrong you will get frustrated sometimes but the elation coming from the fact you thought you’d never do it and you did is well worth it. I’m a big trophy hunter myself & I like to 100% every game, so bloodborne was a big risk for me, but after 10 hours I was hooked pure and simple.
If anyone would like to check my trophy list so you know I’m not ***** it’s moanie_mahoney85
I appreciate the civil answer but strongly disagree. Wanting everyone to experience the same thing you do is selfish. We each have our own preferences. There is no reason not to allow different people to enjoy a game their own way. And for many adult gamers it is not viable to sink a 100 hours into learning the timing of each encounter. For many of us we can only play an hour at a time and we need more save points and less struggle. It would certainly give them better sales. I just cannot see any healthy reason for forcing everyone who wants to play a game to play it 'your way "
@Mikey856
Thanks for the advice mate:)
@SailorNemesis I am an adult I have a family and not much time but I do it anyway. I put my family and life before gaming.
@SailorNemesis It's not selfish at all. Its the way the game is intended to be played. Don't blame us, blame the developers. If you still don't get it then that's on you
@Mikey856
It's good you can. Many others cannot. I think the company would make more money if they changed their policy but I guess they feel the elitists would abandon them if they did so they don't. Not sure if their marketing is right or not, I only regret it a little as there are plenty of games with sane difficulty and save systems for me to play.
@SailorNemesis yes it’s clearly a conscious developer decision not to go after the money I’d say
@SailorNemesis you play alot of FFXIV don't you? You sound like all the casual players that get upset and buy content when they can't beat it... There are elite gamers get over it? They make ELITE Xbox controllers... Some people love a good challenge... And some people just complain that they can't do it and give up...
I never played one of those games until dark souls 3.. I played a couple hours.. died a few times and then became a god.. now I've platinumed all the games... I don't feel better than others.. or cool, I just simply like the challenge.. from soft made these games clearly for a specific audience.. and the whole I want to experience the lore thing... Watch a vaati video.. chances are you're going to have alot of questions and realise... This is barely a story game.. it's a make your own lore game.. stop your whining and find a new game... Plenty of them have great story and lore and cater to casuals like yourself... Leave people alone and stop name calling because you aren't good at video games
@Joshracine
The adults are talking here. It's pretty clear you are a 12 year old who needs to go back to ranting with your fellow squeekers. The way I clearly know you are a child (or possibly a man-baby) is your juvenile self promotion. I was especially amused by
"I played a couple hours.. died a few times and then became a god.." Yes, i'm sure you mastered this highly challenging game in a few hours. Not to mention any non-professional player who describes themselves as a `god' is clearly a squeeker. Go back to catching Pokemon along with the other kiddie games your mummy and daddy bought for you.
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