Difficulty:

Very Hard

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Immersive"

I really enjoyed this game a lot. Darksouls may actually be one of the better games I've ever played when taken as a whole (in terms of time spent, sheer enjoyment, and feeling of achievement). I played on the PC with an Xbox360 controller, a few mods, the DSfix, and SweetFX (so the GFX ended up being pretty impressive).

Some of the things I liked: The complexity continued to build to from zone to zone. The immersion I experienced surpassed even that of the Elder Scrolls games in many respects. The combat, while sometimes clunky, was challenging and fun in equal measure. The sense of discovery and exploration was some of the best utilized in any game I have played to date (Elder Scrolls games may receive a slight edge). The armor, items, skills, and magic were impactful and made leveling feel worthwhile. The multiplayer was interesting and added a sense of tension to an already tense experience (had some great pvp battles and some people even help me when I was stuck).

Downside: The game is difficult... very difficult. There is rarely any indication on what to do or where to go, but this can be part of the game's charm (no map, mini-map, or quest log. I had to use the darksouls wiki a few times to get my bearings and get item descriptionslocations). The game can be frustrating (Boss mobs, mini boss fights) and make you rage quit (again, somewhat part of the charm and can make you feel like you achieved something when you finally succeed). The controls can seem imprecise when you least need them to be (rare jumping moments, combat evasion, etc). A host of little issues you have to work around exist but also make the game challenging and fun so tend to be forgiven.

Darksouls is a great game. It is perhaps one of the best games in the RPG genre. Be warned though, it may take significant commitment of time and determination to fully appreciate its depth.