Board 8 > I (try) to play Demon's Souls (A Demon's Souls Playthrough Topic)

(+) Yeah! (+)

I suck at video games. That's no big secret. But my sister, in her desire to see me suffer no doubt (and because she's an amazing sister) got me Demon's Souls remastered for Christmas. My eldest daughter bet me I couldn't beat it. What'd we bet? Absolutely nothing! Gambling is wrong and you shouldn't do it. Ever. Can't set a bad example, now can I? But if I say I'm going to do something, well I'll at least try!

Last year I beat Bloodborne. I died 154 times in the process, but I still beat it! Totally counts. This year it's Demon's Souls. (And maybe if I get bored one day before Elden Ring comes out, it'll be Dark Souls Remastered, cause I own that too and never got around to it. Next year will be Elden Ring most likely though, once everyone's played it and it's gone on sale. It looks pretty cool.)

But enough with the backstory and on to the playthrough!

I'll say I'm not going into this totally blind. #1. I played Demon's Souls for PS3 when it first came out. Atlus was one of my favorite publishers and not just for Persona 3 and 4. Snowboard Kids 3 when Atlus?! (And don't say SBK, because that doesn't count). But I never got very far into it and gave up out of frustration. #2. My sister gave me some tips, because she wants to prolong my suffering probably. I mean if I suffer too much, I'll just quit! Those tips include: How to use magic, and which class to take. Also how to parry. I will say one of my problems with video games is that I'm entirely impatient.

So I create my character: Lightning. She has pink hair. I mean Pink hair is pretty awesome. And I pick the Royal Class and take the Ring. I watch the opening cut scene, and get into the tutorial. This wasn't too hard, though once i get to the boss it kills me in one hit.

Death Count: 1

I know you're kind of supposed to die there, but what kind of person would I be if I didn't count that one? Will I surpass the total deaths of bloodborne? Almost certainly. Also I realize that I love my magic and will cherish it forever and ever.

Once in the Nexus, I go to the first area: Gates of Bolteria. Using magic, and some of my crescent grasses, I make my way up the tower. Magic really does make this game much easier because I make it further than I ever did before. All the way to this rolling boulder that nearly knocks me out of the way. Up there, I fight off a knight with a blue face with magic. It tanks a few hits, but it's no match for me! A helpful warning tells me about the barrels up ahead. And whoever wrote that? Yeah, gold star for you! Because the next enemies just kind of kill themselves. I make my way down, cut a chain, then pull a lever and create what is I'm guessing a nice little shortcut. THE FIRST ONE AND NO DEATHS? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?

I do nearly fail to gravity, and scream loud enough that my wife asks me if I'm okay. It only takes a sliver of health though, as I breathe a sigh of relief. And then... it happens. I read a sign saying "Try Lunge". Makes no sense to me. And then someone throws some fire at me, and

Death Count: 2

I make my way back to my souls. The shortcut isn't quite as safe as I'd like, but using magic I manage to make it back. I press forward, and come across a store. At first I don't trust it, and assume it's a trap. But it's actually a store! And I have some souls to spend. I get a message saying back, so i go back and some enemies fall from above. I manage to take them out, but have to heal afterward. I head down rather than up, even though there's an annoying guy who shoots arrows at me. Then a guy comes at me with an ax, my health goes low and

Death Count:

No wait! I survive! I manage to heal up, then snipe a bunch of enemies from afar. I continue onward, and eventually end up saving an NPC called Ostrava of Boletaria. I actually thought he was an enemy at first, but it didn't let me target him with magic so phew! He also gives me a brass telescope. Alas this is not a weapon! I make my way back, kill the archer that was bugging me earlier (as well as another Knight) and then make my way past about six or seven archers! I didn't count. Too busy not dying. Also someone left a message saying "You are dead' but I most certainly wasn't (though it made me weary of crossing the wooden platform)

At a fork in the path, I go left, and find... two giant dragons. Yeah, no. So I go back and go forward! Only to find one dragon, which breathes fire and kills everything. Luckily I manage to roll back down the stairs and stay out of the way. I wait until the dragon flies away, and make it across the bride where I pull a lever and open a gate! I make my way down some stairs, fighting some things with huge shields, but they're no match for magic.

I throw caution to the wind and decide to enter the fog. There, I find Phalanx. And it's surrounded by about a hundred (or at least it feels like it!) of those shield guys. I use my magic to pick them off, but run out of magic. It restores every so often, but I have to keep my health up. But they're pretty easy to avoid. And once I get enough of them dead, I start wailing away at the boss. Eventually all the shield guys are gone, and I just obliterate him. First boss down, on first try! Nice.

I return to the nexus, where I'm greeted by a weird woman. I think that's where I'll call it quits for now. But this is real progress! I'm enjoying this game a lot more now that I know how to use magic and just zap them to death with it.

Let Strength Be Granted, So The World Might Be Mended.

So that the world might be mended...

Oh I didn't see your post went all the way to phalanx.

I actually just started this game myself like a week ago! Magic seems broke cause I died like 20 times already on that first area!

Magic is amazing. When I first played the game when it came out, fighting without it was miserable. I probably died 20 times before giving up because the enemies were too hard. Some enjoy the slog, but I'll take the zip-zap-zam any day of the week!

I've walked *so many* of my friends through this game, and one of them finally got his wings under him enough to go alone on a fresh run. He made a mage and couldn't stop telling me about how OP it was. I think he killed the 1-2 boss in only two or three hits. Ridiculous lol