By nature, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are very similar games. Made by the same developer, the iconic and genre defining Dark Souls is actually a spiritual successor to this title, so it's no surprise that the two share some things in common. Players that are familiar with the Souls franchise likely don't have too much learning to do before diving into Bluepoint Games' remake, as things like stats, controls, enemies, and even certain level design elements are all shared between the two games. Nowhere in the game does this revelation hit harder than in one of the earlier levels, the Gates of Boletaria.
Demon's Souls features a non-linear story, but players are required to go to the Gates of Boletaria first. This level isn't easy by any means, but by the Souls franchise's standards it's not terribly difficult. Players will explore and fight their way through the level until they come across a piece of loot that they can't quite reach. It's blocked behind some wooden planks that regular attacks can't break. It's only after the player continues on in the level and passes over the top of the item that they'll realize how to open it: a giant boulder.
Giant Boulder Trope
Now giant boulders certainly aren't unique to the Souls franchise. Most people probably think of Indiana Jones or something similar. The difference there is that in those movies, the boulder tends to drop down suddenly and takes a while to pick up speed. Indy is able to start running away from the boulder and a cool type of chase scene ensues. By contrast, the boulder in Demon's Souls appears out of nowhere and quickly barrels into the player. Those with quick reflexes might have time to dodge out of the way, but the majority of players are going to get rolled flat and sustain a heavy bit of damage.
Aside from being really cheeky, this interaction normally wouldn't provoke much thought. The player triggered a trap and they faced the consequences for it, but it goes deeper than that. Those that turn around after recovering from the blow will realize that the boulder burst open the wooden planks blocking that item from before, allowing players to jump down and grab it. The item isn't a powerful Demon's Souls weapon or anything like that, but it still feels oddly rewarding to grab it. If this whole interaction feels familiar to players, then they've probably played the first Dark Souls as well.
Dark Souls Tutorial Boulder
Dark Souls tutorials are infamous for being deadly. The game doesn't typically hold anything back, even throwing players in a room with an Asylum Demon when all they've got to defend themselves is a broken straight sword. After escaping from or dying to said Asylum Demon, players will find themselves back in the room before it in need of another way around. There's a convenient staircase leading up to the other side of the room, and it seems to be the only path forward. On the way over, however, players will notice a dying knight on the other side of a wall through some bars.
Walking up the stairs ends up being a bad idea, as a similarly large boulder comes tumbling down and crashes into the player. As a sort of consolation, it also breaks a hole open in the wall, allowing players to speak to the knight, learn of the prophecy, and get their Estus Flasks so they can heal. This classic trick is repeated in Demon's Souls, and Dark Souls fans no doubt had unpleasant flashbacks after experiencing this moment yet again. One would think players would be ready for this kind of thing, but the sad truth is that most aren't.
Whose Boulder Is It Anyway?
In truth, the title is a little misleading. As previously mentioned, Dark Souls acted as the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls when the game first released on PS3. Though this remake is likely many fans' first time experiencing Demon's Souls, there are also many that had played through the whole game before Dark Souls ever existed. For these players, the boulder was probably less of a surprise, and the Dark Souls tutorial boulder would have sparked the same feelings as others are feeling right now.
With that in mind, it seems more accurate to say that Dark Souls pulls an old Demon's Souls trick, but it holds true that most players are more familiar with Dark Souls. Regardless, it's a fun (albeit painful) moment that proves that the franchise is connected by more than just title, style, and difficulty.
Boulder Souls
Though Demon's Souls may have coined the idea, Dark Souls certainly ran as far as it could with it. Players will remember their time in one of Dark Souls' most infamous levels, Sen's Fortress, navigating a maze of tiny bridges, swinging spike blades, and other traps. This fortress had an entire mechanism devoted to sending boulders hurdling towards the player, and it was even run by a giant on top of the structure. It remains to be seen whether Demon's Souls will feature anything like that, but it seems like a purely Dark Souls thing to do.
Perhaps the reason why so many players are caught off guard by the boulder in the Gates of Boletaria is because Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 didn't really use this trope in the same way. It's been a while for most fans since they've played the original Dark Souls or Demon's Souls, and even those that have played them recently are probably expecting the remake to play like the newer games in the franchise. Regardless, this certainly works to set the tone of Demon's Souls, and informs players that they need to always be on their toes. Things will get even harder from here on out, but it wouldn't be a Souls game if it was easy.
Demon's Souls is available now exclusively for PS5.