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[MMaRsu]

So I finally bought a PS5, was able to buy my cousins at a cheap price because they upgraded to a Pro.
Basically GTA 6 was my reason for buying the console, as I want to play it the day it comes out.

For most Sony games I'm able to just play them on PC, with better quality visuals and framerates than what the PS5 can churn out.
However I did have my sights set on Demon's Souls. I can't remember if I played Dark Souls or Demon's Souls first, but when I did play Demon's Souls on PS3, it was an eye opening experience.

Not only is the game extremely atmospheric, and has an ethereal or ghost/spirit like feel to it. Every scream visceral, from enemies and enviroments.

Booting up the Demon's Souls remake however.. I was very dissapointed from the start. Not only is the intro cinematic worse, it features worse music as well.

ORIGINAL

REMAKE


Not only did they change the menu sounds (why??), basically a lot of sounds are changed or removed, music has been changed/added/removed as well.
What is the purpose of this? Why did they decide this would fit better with the game?

Going into the Tower of Latria, I was expecting to be greeted with extremely loud bells, crickets, and screams from the prisoners. But sadly, the same atmosphere was not present at all.

Check the difference in sounds alone, not even counting enemy designs etc.

ORIGINAL

REMAKE


This is just based on one level, and a few sounds etc that I'm missing, that makes an extreme difference to the general atmosphere.

Tower of Latria in the original is very oppressive, and it makes you scared to continue. In the remake I had none of these feelings.

Then there is the Nexus theme. WHY in gods name did Bluepoint decide, oh we need a new Nexus theme??? The one that was there was ABSOLUTE PERFECTION.

ORIGINAL

REMAKE


In all honesty I can't even say much more because I didn't bother playing more. These struck me so much and pulled me out of the game, dissillusioned about how such a remake came to be.
Why in gods name did they decide these changes were good? Overseen by nobody from FromSoft I assume.

Because they got all the shit wrong. And it makes me really sad, because I was quite looking forward to playing this.

Basically this video rings true to me.


It's not just music, the look and feel of the game is different.

Im NOT saying its a bad game, obviously its not, but the remade parts are having me scratch my head in confusion.

Also NOT saying the game is ugly, or not the best looking PS5 title. I'm talking about art direction and atmosphere,

 

[PauloRoberto]

Interesting..., for almost all the same reasons, for me it's best remake game ever made.

 

[Pedro Motta]

I see nothing wrong with the changes, in facti I think it's better?

Stop being a soyboy and enjoy the game.

 

[Danjin44]

I personally really, REALLY didn’t like remake’s art direction and enemy redesigns.

 

[Schmendrick]

 

[a'la mode]

I like the original very much, and I think it's one of the goats of all time. I prefer the original to the remake. As you say, the original was just oozing with so much atmosphere and even the understated soundtrack was perfect.

With all that said though...

What were you were expecting though? The same game with the same things but with better... something? Of course things were going to be different here and there, since it's at the end of the day a remake, not a remaster.

I still like the original better, but for what the remake is - a modernized reimagining - it's really solid. I enjoyed it. Just enjoy it for what it is, because it's still a good game.

 

[Aion002]

I liked a lot. Obviously it didn't beat the experience that I had playing at launch on the ps3, which is probably one of the most memorable memories I have playing video games.

The smaller changes didn't affect my enjoyment.

However, I got disappointed for another reason, which simply was the lack of new content, Sony could have added at least a new area with new enemies and bosses, some new weapons and stuff, nothing that would change the original game, just add more stuff.

 

[solecon64]

Demon's Souls was the first game I played in the series, and it had a huge impact on me. I am not exaggerating when I say that, for the whole year, I thought about that game daily. Every. Single. Day. my mind would wander off to some little detail from the game.

It was such an incredible experience, amazing atmosphere that I hadn't felt since playing Silent Hill 2. I had a friend, who hadn't played it, and yet could easily tell you everything about it just from my stories of it. It really left and impact on me, and it remained my favourite Souls game until Bloodborne.

I'm not even going to try the remake, seeing the gross changes that they made to it, completely missing the point and stealing the original vision, to be replaced by their media illiterate retarded take on it.

It was honestly insulting how stupid the people making the game turned out to be. And it really feels like this is one of those "you just had to be there" games. Trying it after playing the other games in the series would greatly lessen its impact. Trying the remake would just miss it completely.

 

[MMaRsu]

I see nothing wrong with the changes, in facti I think it's better?

Stop being a soyboy and enjoy the game.

How could you say the music changes are better?

From deliberate and lonely feeling, to bombastic and epic.

More isnt always better.

And it has nothing to do with being a 'soyboy'. I would think the game that kickstarted one of the most popular genre's in gaming today, would receive a remake that is worthy of it.
Not just a new lick of paint, but staying true to the original in it's atmosphere.

I doubt there are many here who played both versions, who will tell you the remake has better atmosphere (it doesnt).

And IMO, atmosphere is a KEY INGREDIENT in Souls games.

 

[gtabro]

I just still don’t understand why they removed the river or wind sound in Boletaria 1-1, it added to the atmosphere and now it’s surprisingly quiet there, so I guess I can u destined where this guy is coming from.

On the topic of that dev - whit is the studio even working on?

 

[cireza]

It is worse but it was obvious from the very start. The atmosphere is not there. Demon's Souls remains my favorite From Soft game, and this remaster didn't get it.

 

[lh032]

what a boomer

 

[Glass Prison]

What is the purpose of this? Why did they decide this would fit better with the game?

It's to appeal to a wider audience.

I love the original, but it only grew on me after I played it. I remember watching the original announcement in 2008 and thinking "meh" seeing the bleak art style.

 

[BlackTron]

Here I thought it was just universally loved/praised. Reading this experience kinda makes PS5 abstinence easier.

 

[TrebleShot]

Wow when your this wrong there's not much point in arguing.

So your telling me you prefer low sample rate midi music over a full orchestra.

There's more definition and subtlety in the remake. Stop being salty cos it's not on PC yet.

 

[Dr. Suchong]

I'm not sure whether it was being hampered by the limitations of the Ps3 or a design choice, but I would say I prefer Fromsofts "Less is more" aesthetic over Bluepoint "More is more"
I think Bluepoint have taken artistic licence with Demons souls.
Shadow of the colossus remaster left me cold too.

 

[playXray]

It's a remake. If you want the original, play that.

 

[IAmRei]

They are gorgeus, agree, but not the same level of gritty and grim like before, i had to tweak my tv to play it in my own correct way. I think the colors are too vibrant for me. It lost the dark gritty and grim for me

 

[Lux R7]

It's a remake. If you want the original, play that.

i agree with op and i agree with this post. I personally play the original on pc in 4k with texture mods and that's fantastic.

 

[MMaRsu]

It's to appeal to a wider audience.

I love the original, but it only grew on me after I played it. I remember watching the original announcement in 2008 and thinking "meh" seeing the bleak art style.

What wider audience bro

People who play cod aint playing this

This is for fans of Souls series. And fans of the Souls series seem to not think this remake does a good job of bringing the atmosphere the original did.

The bleak artstyle is exactly part of the charm.

 

[Senua]

There's more definition and subtlety in the remake. Stop being salty cos it's not on PC yet.

I see nothing wrong with the changes, in facti I think it's better?

Stop being a soyboy and enjoy the game.

No need to get mad over a guys opinion. I think some of the stuff he mentioned is valid. This is all very subjective after all!

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Just play Bloodborne for that atmosphere.

Am afraid Sony Japan studio had this quality, whenever they came together with From Soft, there was something special about the atmosphere.

I didn’t like Dark Souls as much cause it felt goofy in comparison.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

Of course it's your opinion, but it does sound like just the music and sounds being different has caused you to drop the game, which I don't understand. I implore you to play through it, because it's absolutely fantastic.

 

[Banjo64]

Demon’s Souls is a masterpiece.

The remake does look pretty, however Bluepoint clearly couldn’t capture the soul of the game.

 

[farmerboy]

I'll see your "but muh atmosphere" and "haha, you call this good, I PLAYED THE ORIGINAL" and raise you 5 fucking sec load times instead of 5 min.

 

[dDoc]

I liked the remake, it brought DS kicking and screaming to us with today's tech standards.

I agree they should have left the original OST as an option. Guess it is due to licensing issues. Still disappointed about that. All in all the game is better for it.

 

[Josemayuste]

As soon as Demon's Souls was confirmed as a PS5 release game I preordered both a PS5 and Demon's Souls. I enjoyed the game A LOT, later, I discovered that there were people that didn't like remake's direction, music, gameplay, some change here or there. My reaction was:

And I moved on.

 

[intheinbetween]

Western remake, as simply as that. I prefer the original DeS over the remake too

 

[PeteBull]

Im NOT saying its a bad game, obviously its not, but the remade parts are having me scratch my head in confusion.

Im not saying all ur criticism isnt valid, but lemme say it this way, if only we had all remakes done just as good as demons souls remake, 99,99% of us would be happy campers.
So tldr: with all the faults/nitpicking, its still easily in top1% remakes ever done
Back in 2018 DF made a vid, about possible demons souls remake, ofc even tho they gave suble hints they couldnt make it too obvious, but im sure they already had info leaked to them over 2 years before official reveal trailer:


On the pr0 it runs in dynamic 1548p-4k 60 mode, with pssr, such a great game, avaiable at launch nonetheless

 

[MMaRsu]

As soon as Demon's Souls was confirmed as a PS5 release game I preordered both a PS5 and Demon's Souls. I enjoyed the game A LOT, later, I discovered that there were people that didn't like remake's direction, music, gameplay, some change here or there. My reaction was:

And I moved on.

Guess you didnt really play the OG that much?

Missing sound effects and music was instantly noticable, even though I haven't played the OG in over 10 years.

 

[MMaRsu]

Of course it's your opinion, but it does sound like just the music and sounds being different has caused you to drop the game, which I don't understand. I implore you to play through it, because it's absolutely fantastic.

Well im not dropping the game, Im def gonna finish it for sure.

But yeah I don't like that those things I remember vividly from the OG are not here

 

[Punished Miku]

The music is a gigantic downgrade. No way to sugar coat it really. The original DS OST was by far the best OST ever in a From game. They've never put out another OST even close really.

Other than that, I really enjoyed DS Remake. One of the few bright spots I even had owning a PS5 since 2021.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Not reading all that shit but let me guess

SOUL VS SOULLESS meme?

 

[Pedro Motta]

The music is a gigantic downgrade. No way to sugar coat it really. The original DS OST was by far the best OST ever in a From game. They've never put out another OST even close really.

Other than that, I really enjoyed DS Remake. One of the few bright spots I even had owning a PS5 since 2021.

I mean opinions are opinions, but damn.



This is an instant classic, Bloodborne level production.

You really think this is a downgrade? The original OST for the storm king fight looks like a SNES Zelda tune.

 

[Punished Miku]

I mean opinions are opinions, but damn.



This is an instant classic, Bloodborne level production.

You really think this is a downgrade? The original OST for the storm king fight looks like a SNES Zelda tune.

Sound quality is better in the new one obviously. But there really is just something special that catches my ear with the original. It captures the feeling of inventiveness and rule breaking that was present across all aspects of that game in every other area. It was unusual at the time to have a game with so much eerie silence and only music creeping in on bosses for the most part. The strings in the intro hold so much tension and emotion for me. Flamelurker in the original sounds like the kind of sweeping melancholic melody you'd hear from Basil Poledorous in Conan. There was one other one I can't recall off the top of my head that was unusually minimalist and it really, really stood out on that boss fight. The new one erased a lot of those extremely subtle nuances and replaced it with a more standardized orchestral OST, which is pretty much what we've gotten from Dark Souls 1 onward. The original Demon's Souls published by Atlus came with the OST, and I listened to it literally thousands of times, and loved it.

I'm at work and can't play the track you posted now but I'll check it out later. It's a topic I feel passionately about and could point out track by track why I was such a fan of the original. I think everyone knows it would be weird to take a game like Demon's Souls that is so influential and so specific, and to do something like alter bosses, alter level design, alter power ups. No one would be okay with that. But apparently no one realizes that the OST was just as specific as everything else. I get re-recording it, but they basically rewrote it.

 

[Foxt3r]

The music is a gigantic downgrade. No way to sugar coat it really. The original DS OST was by far the best OST ever in a From game. They've never put out another OST even close really.

Other than that, I really enjoyed DS Remake. One of the few bright spots I even had owning a PS5 since 2021.

Agree, but I think some Bloodborne tracks get very close.

 

[Punished Miku]

Agree, but I think some Bloodborne tracks get very close.

I'll check it out later!

 

[Gaiff]

I mean opinions are opinions, but damn.



This is an instant classic, Bloodborne level production.

You really think this is a downgrade? The original OST for the storm king fight looks like a SNES Zelda tune.

I like the OST, but it doesn’t even fit the atmosphere, which they changed. You’re fighting a giant manta ray and its offspring, not some super epic and intense boss. The original had you fight that thing in a rather moody sky and the music was a lot lore tame and atmospheric. This theme I feel is wasted on such a shit boss lol.

Should have given it to Penetrator or something. At least, he got a new theme and stopped sharing one with Tower Knight.

 

[Pejo]

Agree OP. Atmosphere and art style got ruined in the name of high res assets and image quality. The art style butchering I would say is almost as bad as the atmosphere butchering. I wish half of Bluepoint's technical team (and the game engine) would have collabed with Fromsoft for the art/atmosphere/immersion, and maybe finished the last archstone. It could have been the greatest game of all time.

That said, I enjoyed my time with it, and it's still one of the most impressive visual spectacles on PS5 that I've played. The zeitgeist at launch to find the secret key for the secret door was a lot of fun too, but you had to get lucky enough to score a launch PS5 to be there. Overall I don't hate it, but it's an inferior game to the OG in all ways but technical visuals.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

This is the classic Western Michael Bay understanding of art. More explosions! Louder! Shinier! It gotta be better!

Nope, it isn't. They don't fucking understand what made the original so great.

IMO, it's still good, but the musical butchering is criminal, and the atmosphere is heavily downgraded. This proves why From is From and everyone else is just a wannabe.

Thank god they haven't touched Bloodborne.

 

[Metnut]

Try reading OPs post in the voice of Comic Book Guy. Was the only way I could get through it.

 

[GermanZepp]

The vibe of the game is another. Some designs while cool and 'better looking overall' are 'inferior' or different in a wrong way. Is a well known and discussed topic. The music was the most noticeable for me, right from the start..

 

[Zug]

Demon's Souls atmosphere was phenomenal, and I remember being disappointed with Dark Souls in this regard when it came out. Only Bloodborne recaptured it somehow.
Demon's Souls remake artists just lacked the necessary taste and talent, they went the generic fantasy route, when the original tried something different that clicked for a lot of us who played it originally.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

I really enjoyed playing the game but yeah it did seem like the game was stripped of personality. They did the same thing with Shadow of Colossus, they don't deserve the praise.

 

[Kamina]

Your opinion is disappointing.

I was one of the original few who imported the Asia version back in Spring 2009, and i rebought the game when it was released in the west. I quite understand why some of you prefer certain graphical elements (like the Fat Officials) or specific music pieces, but you actively choose to disdain the radical increase in quality of all other aspects.
The Remake is great to me and i could only imagine it better if they decided to reinstate the 6th arch-stone (yes i know not everyone may agree with me here either).

Anyway, “This is harsh, evaluate me”.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Haven't played the OG but yeah something seemed off with the character/enemy designs compared to other From games. Flame lurker looks like a diablo reject now, as does the Vanguard demon compared to their OG designs.

 

[Miles708]

You can prefer the remake to the original only if you lack taste

 

[Cakeboxer]

Music was ok, but they missed to capture the creepy atmosphere and enemy design of the original.

For example the Mind Flayer:



vs

 

[Northeastmonk]

I love it. I guess if you want to nitpick. I’m surprised because the game flows just fine for me. I think it’s just the power of the PS5.

RE4VR for instance. It looks acceptable if you played the GameCube/PS2/PC version. You can probably complain about the graphics until the cows come home, especially if you only appreciate graphics. I feel like I’m in the world and everything is sorta flattened like a Windows 95 screensaver. I also feel it come alive due to my own ability to savor everything around me. This could be a bad example, but my point is. The game comes alive based upon my own experience with the PS3 version, so the upgrades were very appealing. Even if it didn’t comb over every nook and cranny.

 

[Gaiff]

Music was ok, but they missed to capture the creepy atmosphere and enemy design of the original.

For example the Mind Flayer:

Not a fair comparison. What makes it creepy above is the lighting. The remake’s prison is a lot darker than the screenshot you posted and the Mindflayer there are quite a bit scarier within the environment they’re featured in. That washed out and low-quality screenshot destroys the atmosphere.