Bluepoint's remake of Demon's Souls took center stage in driving the sales of the PS5 by being the only true next-gen exclusive for the console at launch. The game overhauls many different facets of gameplay, but makes sure to remain faithful to the original release. Which is precisely why it has received both critical and commercial acclaim.
However, many more subtle changes between the original and remake can fly past many gamers' radars, changes which may or may not be essential to the experience. That being said, it'd be particularly interesting to compare both the Demon's Souls releases in an effort to find out all the changes between them.
Radical Changes To Demon's Souls
Undoubtedly, the biggest change comes in the form of visual design. The remade kingdom of Boletaria has a great sense of scale as well as attention to microdetail, and it does so while remaining faithful to the original's art direction. In addition to this, the PS5's SSD helps a great deal in the loading times. Players are expected to die a lot in the game, so it's always great to be back in the fight in a couple of seconds. Players of the original release would also remember the inconsistent framerates, which are replaced by a high fidelity mode running at 30 FPS, or a smoother 60 FPS with some sacrifices in the visuals.
On the topic of smaller changes to the gameplay, all items have a carry weight. Unlike the original, players can only carry a set amount of items in the remake. This helps quite a bit with the health potions spamming found in the original, which does make the remake a bit harder than the original.
Smaller Changes
In addition to a lot of bigger changes, Bluepoint also opted for a bunch of smaller changes which can go unnoticed by players who haven't tried the original. The biggest change comes in the form of fixes to glitches found in the original, such as the Flamelurker glitch, which made defeating that difficult boss a lot easier in the original. The remake also adds a whole host of new weapon animations, but the frame data (attack speed) remain the same as the original. This makes sure there are some visual differences and upgrades without tampering with the original's delicate mechanics and game balance.
Players of the original would remember the four-direction rolling, which has been replaced by omnidirectional rolling that makes dodging some attacks a lot easier. The remake also makes excellent use of the PS5's DualSense haptic feedback which translates the actions of the players such as rolling, blocking, and striking into vibrations. This does help a lot in making the player have some tangible sense of attachment to the world. Not only that, but haptic feedback can also assist with dodge timing and reactions.
Quality of life changes such as an added photo mode, as well as a modernized multiplayer mode are great additions, ones that would be greatly appreciated by series veterans. On the theme of series veterans, Bluepoint has also added a new mode called the Fractured Mode, which flips the game's world and is a great touch for players already familiar with Boletaria's nooks and crannies.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.