Elden Ring is far from perfect, and Demon’s Souls helped me see why

digitaltrends.com:

Prior to 2022, I was what you might call a “Dark Souls hater.” I just couldn’t find the fun in acclaimed FromSoftware games like Bloodborne, which left me raging without giving me the sense of reward die-hard fans feel when they slay a tough boss. So, it came as a shock when I fell in love with Elden Ring earlier this year. Its open-world structure cracked the subgenre wide open for me, allowing me to better understand the appeal.

I figured the buck stopped there when it came to my ability to enjoy FromSoftware games. The game’s lack of a linear structure solved a lot of problems I had with the genre, so I wasn’t itching to start the less-forgiving Dark Souls series anytime soon. But when I subscribed to the PS Plus Extra tier and gained access to 2020’s Demon’s Souls remake, I figured there was no harm in giving the series another shot. Maybe my love of Elden Ring would make me appreciate the granddaddy of Souls games, even if I didn’t end up liking it.

My plan worked a little too well. After a four-day binge, I wound up loving Demon’s Souls — so much that it made me more unexpectedly critical of Elden Ring. While I love the latter, Demon’s Souls makes me yearn for a more compact, less esoteric FromSoftware experience.

Coming off of the 100-plus hour Elden Ring, Demon’s Souls is much easier to swallow by comparison. The action-RPG features five more linear zones to explore and can be completed in under 20 hours. When I started my playthrough, I figured I’d poke at it until I got frustrated and quit, just as I did with Bloodborne. Instead, I completed the entire game in 17 hours with barely any struggle beyond the second boss.

I hesitate to call Demon’s Souls easy, because even the easiest Souls game is still harder than