From Software unveils Dark Souls 2

A sequel to one of the most notoriously difficult games of the generation – Dark Souls – has been announced during the ongoing VGA. The sequel, Dark Souls 2, premiered through a trailer during the VGAs.

Not much is known about the game other than the platforms it will be released for. According to Eurogamer, Namco Bandai has announced that Dark Souls 2 is coming to the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC. The development is being handled by From Software once again, with series creator Hidetaka Miyazaki at the helm along with director Tomohiro Shibuya, known for working on the Monster Hunter series.

“Dark Souls 2 will offer loyal fans exactly the kind of demanding challenges and never-ending struggle that became the hallmark of this whole series,” said the publisher.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

Now getting a sequel

Earlier this year, From Software had ported Dark Souls to the PC in the form of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition. The game was originally meant to be a console exclusive, but was ported over to the PC because of a massive online petition that requested Namco Bandai for a PC version of the game. But, due to the fact that FROM Software isn’t very experienced with developing games for the PC, the PC version of the game is plagued with problems of shoddy porting, such as the use of the much hated Games for Windows LIVE online service, along with textures that are extremely low in resolution. The PC version is worth buying purely because the Prepare to Die edition gives PC players new bosses to fight, along with the fact that the PC version fares better in terms of frame rate where the console versions had trouble keeping up, such as Blighttown.

Dark Souls is the sequel to the PlayStation 3-exclusive RPG, Demon’s Souls. The game is a notoriously difficult one, wherein players can’t rush through a stage. Players are required to stop, observe and then assess the situation before moving on to avoid being brutally destroyed by a fifty feet tall Minotaur. Both the Souls games have severe punishment for death, such as resetting all the monsters in the world, including the ones you have killed, as you respawn. The games reward careful players and whenever the player gets damaged, it’s almost always the player’s own fault.

Both the Souls games have interesting multiplayer modes as well. The games don’t follow the traditional matchmaking or lobby systems that most other games with multiplayer use. Instead, if your system is connected to the Internet while you’re playing, you are always online. Other players can see you fight monsters and die. And if they choose to, they can also join your world to help you out in killing a particularly tough enemy, or they can even choose to kill you. There is no inherent voice or text chat in the game except for the messaging system, where players can leave messages for other players on the ground, such as warnings against foes up ahead, or requests for aid.