Demon's Souls Remake announced (Bluepoint Games x Japan Studio, raytracing supported)

[oldboss]

Pretty much. The weirdness IS Demon's Souls' personality, and I don't think Bluepoint understands that in the slightest. They seem to be trying to make it "serious" from what we've seen so far, and it's certainly making it look pretty on a technical level.

But it feels like a remake being made by people who think the original game was kinda bad and needs to be "fixed".

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Absolutely agree with this and the the post you quoted. I thoroughly enjoyed this unfinished aspect it had to it, an impression I mainly got from its simplistic architecture and rather empty levels, that were, to my surprise, brimming with content to be discovered. I loved that contrast.

Combine that to this ethereal feeling, this thick ever so present haze accompanying you throughout the game, and you get something truly special. It will sound stupid to some, but those are a few reasons why the game is one of my all time favourites. And the low fantasy setting.

Edit: This is not to say I'm not incredibly excited for this.

 

[Sargerus]

I hope they removed the stupid Male Only/Female Only rule for armor sets.

 

[lucablight]

Is Demons souls remake going to be the Dark souls 2 of Souls games?

 

[Otnopolit]

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Yeah, he looks like somebody took a TMNT villain and dipped them in cheeto dust.

Okay it's not that bad, but I think I never got a very good luck at him because he was too busy zipping around destroying me.

Edit: Okay I'm seeing it clearer now, he's got Venom's physique but Johny Blaze's fire.

 

[GameChanger]

Those new screenshots look incredible. I wish they should more gameplay and gave us a release date. I have never played Demon Souls and I love the series so this one is a no brainer. And oh those screenshot look insane. Like jesus this game is going to be gorgeous. The art direction is on point.

 

[MatrixMan.exe]

People need to remember that Demon's Souls atmosphere and art direction was designed around From's experience and technical capabilities at the time.

If it was made post-Dark Souls in say, 2013 instead, it wouldn't have looked the way it did in 2009.

Edit: what Crossing Eden said. This looks like a better realisation of From's concept art than Demons Souls ever was.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Absolutely agree with this and the the post you quoted. I thoroughly enjoyed this unfinished aspect it had to it, an impression I mainly got from its simplistic architecture and rather empty levels, that were, to my surprise, brimming with content to be discovered. I loved that contrast.

Combine that to this ethereal feeling, this thick ever so present haze accompanying you throughout the game, and you get something truly special. It will sound stupid to some, but those are a few reasons why the game is one of my all time favourites.

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Like I said earlier, Latria will be the acid test. At the end of the day, Vanguard Ruins and Boletaria Palace are both standard fantasy castles. There's only so much atmosphere they can exude.

But if they fuck up Latria (and my general guess is they will, because it's TOO esoteric and bizarre, especially the later parts with the giant heart and the blood sea), the whole remake will come apart at the seams.

 

[ThisOne]

We know anything about a release date? This isn't a launch title, right?

 

[Arukado]

.

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I took some quick screenshots as well, using rpcs3.

Edit: Updated with new screenshots. Native resolution (720p) and native aspect ratio (16:9).

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[convo]

What Fractured Mode? Is that their way of talking about performance or "cinematic" mode like Nioh has?
Now that's a thing Fromsoftware were never going to do for their games by themselves, on a pure technical level this will be better than any game Fromsoft will make for another half decade. Art-direction is another story and subjective, Tower Knight doesn't look all that different but the others got a face lift. It will be an amazing looking game and people will probablly be upset about some aspect not feeling the same i am sure. If their goal is to invoke the feeling of first playing DeS then i can get behind that, the shots already look great.

 

[JahIthBer]

I took some quick screenshots as well, using rpcs3 (hence the 21:9 aspect ratio):

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Big fucking leap and that's probably an understatement, im glad they didn't just port this to PS4 at 1080p/60fps.

 

[henhowc]

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anyone who thinks the olds look better needs to schedule an optometrist appointment

 

[Taker34]

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[Akainu]

Man i'm having deja vu. Did i slip into a old ff7 remake thread by mistake?

 

[John Bender]

Bluepoint is doing it again. SOTC was terrific. But the Demon's Souls remake looks beautiful.

Good that it's getting fully remade. The PS3 game looks like shit.

 

[peppersky]

People need to remember that Demon's Souls atmosphere and art direction was designed around From's experience and technical capabilities at the time.

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yeah for real. like this giant blob of magical demon demon mass looks literally nothing like the castle wall it is supposed to be

i mean seriously though how do you fuck this one up so much and then put it into the trailer???

 

[convo]

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I point my finger at this and say it looks damn good.

The real question people should be asking if World Tendency will make its appearance and be explained at all.

 

[NaDannMaGoGo]

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That just really doesn't seem as intimidating and grotesque as From's designs manage to feel.

 

[Manmademan]

Is Demons souls remake going to be the Dark souls 2 of Souls games?

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Dark Souls 2 is the Dark Souls 2 of Souls games.

This is a first party flagship title designed to show off what the PS5 can do. There is no way Sony is letting this out of the door half baked.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

That just really doesn't seem as intimidating and grotesque as From's designs manage to feel.

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It looks like they hired a junior monster designer from the Diablo series and had him just port a Diablo 3 character model into the game.

Vanguard was fun because he was kind of doofy and yet still a threat. By the time you face him in the Shrine of Storms he's essentially a joke enemy.

 

[Manmademan]

That just really doesn't seem as intimidating and grotesque as From's designs manage to feel.

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This vanguard is LIGHT YEARS better than the one in DeS, come on now.

 

[CenturionNami]

yeah for real. like this giant blob of magical demon demon mass looks literally nothing like the castle wall it is supposed to be

i mean seriously though how do you fuck this one up so much and then put it into the trailer???

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Now your just making stuff up.

 

[Joule]

Budget, technology, and manpower limitations played a major part in how the original looked tbh. Demon's Souls, outside of the CG intro, is absolutely not a game where I would argue that the end result is exactly what the game developers had in mind. Especially when we talk about the glitches and performance. A lot of the assets looked downright ugly, the lighting technology at the time was very poor, textures were very low res compared to the ornate and super detailed concept art, etc.

we're not talking about a SOTC situation where the original had a distinct atmosphere that was in some way lost in translation due to added detail, with the original holding up well. We're talking about a game hampered by various factors that only vaguely resembles the incredibly detailed concept art that led to the end result. This is the world of demon's souls as envisioned from From. Lighting, geometry, foliage, all WAY more complex than what we got in the final product.

and now i'm seeing that concept art actually brought to life. I really can't complain. 🤷‍♂️

And then it begs the question. If the new one resembles the intention more than the actual game did, is that really an issue?

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Good post. I never even thought about a remake and looking at the original concept art for how to approach it

 

[oldboss]

Like I said earlier, Latria will be the acid test. At the end of the day, Vanguard Ruins and Boletaria Palace are both standard fantasy castles. There's only so much atmosphere they can exude.

But if they fuck up Latria (and my general guess is they will, because it's TOO esoteric and bizarre, especially the later parts with the giant heart and the blood sea), the whole remake will come apart at the seams.

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I have to admit I'm a bit anxious about what will become of Latria(and Yurt :p), moreso than the other worlds. I'll keep my expectations in check for now, but I'll try to remain optimistic.

 

[Manmademan]

I point my finger at this and say it looks damn good.

The real question people should be asking if World Tendency will make its appearance and be explained at all.

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World tendency AND character tendency.

Almost nobody but super fans paid much attention to that second one.

 

[Skyebaron]

only people that can hate on these gorgeous shots are purists who washed their eyes with bleach

 

[PlanetSmasher]

World tendency AND character tendency.

Almost nobody but super fans paid much attention to that second one.

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It still amazes me that I was able to pull off ANY Pure Tendency events in the original HK release of the game before we all figured out suiciding off the highest point in the Nexus as human form was the best way to preserve tendency.

 

[dude]

anyone who thinks the olds look better needs to schedule an optometrist appointment

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Because what? Fidelity is the end all be all of a game's look? The designs, colors and atmosphere in the old one appear to be better, and that's the most important part of the art for me.
EDIT: Not necessarily in these specific shots, but in general. Obviously we'll all have to take a better look at the game before we can know for sure how good it looks.

And then it begs the question. If the new one resembles the intention more than the actual game did, is that really an issue?

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IMO, yes. Intentions are well and good, but the work is the end project - With all the limitations, issues and the good things as well from the development process. If you remake the work, I think you need to respect what the work was, and not what it was trying to be. That's exactly Star Wars adding a bunch of CGI bullshit because that what Lucas originally would have done if he had the tools.

 

[peppersky]

Now your just making stuff up.

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what am i making up? they took an incredibly atmospheric scene and turned it into an absolute shadow of its former self for absolutely no reason. it has literally none of the atmosphere

 

[NaDannMaGoGo]

This vanguard is LIGHT YEARS better than the one in DeS, come on now.

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I was honestly just speaking on the design by itself, not even how it compares to the original (haven't played DeS myself and, while I have seen the dude before, I think, I didn't know what this new one was).

It looks very high fidelity and, yes, looking up the original, that one was certainly a bit more goofy of a design, too. But again, by itself, even with the higher fidelity and all, it doesn't invoke much of a special tone from me at all. The Diablo 3 comparisons are quite apt, imo, and I was reminded of the DS3 Butcher myself. Just the kind of impression it gives me.

 

[Lost Knight]

Does From Soft have anything to do with, like, at all? Not even as a consultant?

 

[Manmademan]

It still amazes me that I was able to pull off ANY Pure Tendency events in the original HK release of the game before we all figured out suiciding off the highest point in the Nexus as human form was the best way to preserve tendency.

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The tendency systems (both of them) were crazy obtuse. DeS PS5 absolutely has to address those in a more transparent manner if they're still present in the game.

 

[John Bender]

Budget, technology, and manpower limitations played a major part in how the original looked tbh. Demon's Souls, outside of the CG intro, is absolutely not a game where I would argue that the end result is exactly what the game developers had in mind. Especially when we talk about the glitches and performance. A lot of the assets looked downright ugly, the lighting technology at the time was very poor, textures were very low res compared to the ornate and super detailed concept art, etc.

we're not talking about a SOTC situation where the original had a distinct atmosphere that was in some way lost in translation due to added detail, with the original holding up well. We're talking about a game hampered by various factors that only vaguely resembles the incredibly detailed concept art that led to the end result. This is the world of demon's souls as envisioned from From. Lighting, geometry, foliage, all WAY more complex than what we got in the final product.

and now i'm seeing that concept art actually brought to life. I really can't complain. 🤷‍♂️

And then it begs the question. If the new one resembles the intention more than the actual game did, is that really an issue?

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Good one. And I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Alienhated]

So i guess we're going to have the same "an external team noticeably changed the artstyle and i don't like it" vs "but graphics are good and they crammed details everywhere so it means it's better and the original developer would've made the same choices anyway" SOTC arguments all over again.

 

[Crushed]

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I think these two kind of sum up what I was nitpicking earlier. They have similar-ish moods, but they look like they come from a completely different time period and country. The second one in particular you could have told me was Dark Souls III: Remastered and I would have believed you.

 

[Manmademan]

Does From Soft have anything to do with, like, at all? Not even as a consultant?

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No, they're not involved. They're more than busy with projects of their own, of which Elden Ring is just one of several.

 

[Solo]

Ye have a heart of gold

Tower of Latria about to be lit all over again

 

[Deleted member 679]

I actually never liked Latria that much, to me the real test is the Nexus. That is the most special area by far.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

The tendency systems (both of them) were crazy obtuse. DeS PS5 absolutely has to address those in a more transparent manner if they're still present in the game.

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They have to be present in as close to the original form as possible, albeit better explained. If Bluepoint thinks they can just cut shit, they don't deserve this job.

Most of the game's unique content is locked behind Tendency Events. You can't just erase it.

 

[convo]

Crossing my fingers for no gender-locked armour.

 

[finalflame]

Because what? Fidelity is the end all be all of a game's look? The designs, colors and atmosphere in the old one appear to be better, and that's the most important part of the art for me.
EDIT: Not necessarily in these specific shots, but in general. Obviously we'll all have to take a better look at the game before we can know for sure how good it looks.

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no

 

[StayMe7o]

You'll still have your original game. The remake and original can coexist and I'm going to happily enjoy it in 4K

 

[Megawarrior]

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug indeed,the original is a blurry mess with flat textures everywhere,if this Remake runs flawless will they say they miss the terrible frame rate and all the junk ? This Remake will be so much better than the original

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I could barely make out exactly what I was seeing in the environments back then. Game was so blurry too. Dark Souls was like a huge wow moment because it actually looked 200 times better in comparison.

 

[Crossing Eden]

That just really doesn't seem as intimidating and grotesque as From's designs manage to feel.

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[Jssom]

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But..But...Muh art style.

Amazing work by Bluepoint and Japan Studios.

 

[2Blackcats]

That just really doesn't seem as intimidating and grotesque as From's designs manage to feel.

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The original looks hilariously bad. It's the context in which you see it that makes it intimidating and grotesque.

It's too early to tell how much they nailed the feeling of playing the original but I'm crazy impressed so far.

It's going to be impossible to please everyone though. Adding this much detail is always going to clash with however folks had imagined that detail would look like.

 

[Euler007]

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug indeed,the original is a blurry mess with flat textures everywhere,if this Remake runs flawless will they say they miss the terrible frame rate and all the junk ? This Remake will be so much better than the original

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Exactly. I just finished watching a DeS Let's Play and I thought the game appeared really fun but looked like crap. People are comparing it to what it looks like in their head. Can people really say that the PS3 gargoyles and flamelurker looks better?

 

[dude]

no

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That's like, you're opinion man.

I feel like I'm at the Diablo 3 announcement all over again, to be honest.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

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Vanguard is kinda supposed to look a little dorky. So is the Adjudicator.

Exactly. I just finished watching a DeS Let's Play and I thought the game appeared really fun but looked like crap. People are comparing it to what it looks like in their head. Can people really say that the PS3 gargoyles and flamelurker looks better?

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Yes. Flamelurker ABSOLUTELY looks better on PS3. The resolution holds him back but the DESIGN is better. PS5 Flamelurker is just a generic fucking Balrog. No creativity whatsoever in that design.

 

[Solo]

Lmao at saying an 11 year old game looks better