I strongly recommend this game for fans of player action games, rpgs, and dark fantasy. I also recommend it to those interested in game design and story telling, as this game does both brilliantly and examining it can offer much.

However, this game is not for everyone. The gameplay is difficult, slow, and the atmosphere can be very lonely or oppressive. There is very little guidance and the story itself is obscure or hidden. These can be selling points for one player and a deal breaker for another. The quality of the game and its design is worth appreciating, but no one is obligated to play a good game that they don't enjoy, and they are certainly not obligated to enjoy it. The game is beautiful, but a player's priority should always be their enjoyment or desire to play.

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This game is a shining example of good game design, though it has flaws. Everything from the mechanics, to setting, to the plot, to the atmosphere, ect, work with each other and make up for their faults. I'll list a few examples.

The surfaces throughout the environments are very low-poly, BUT the thoughtful texturing and general artistic and architectural design not only hide the polygons, but make them look good even all these years later.

There is very little direction to guide the player, which can be very frustrating for new players, BUT the game rewards exploration and going through areas mutliple times, and the areas are cleverly connected to make backtracking less arduous.

The gameplay, particularly the combat, is generally unforgiving and repeating areas can tire some players out, BUT continuing to push on hones the player's skill at the game and necessarily increases the player character's ability to fight and survive. Pushing onward through a seemingly hopeless or pointless quest is integral to the story of the game, enhanced by both the presence and absence of NPCs one encounters.

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Here are some general notes or tips for new or potential players, without spoilers:

- There are areas of the game that are unfinished. I didn't notice on my first playthrough, but several spots are clearly lacking, possibly due to time or monetary budgeting.

- The surface geometry for certain platforms is dangerously unclear, so be extremely cautious when crossing a thin platform or bridge.

- The PvP of this game is unfortunately worth avoiding. Glitches, lag, hackers, and incredibly unbalanced PvP builds make the PvP a terrible experience. While the terror of this game's PvP is partly intentional (creating a more hostile/lonely atmosphere; invaders are important to the plot; etc.) there are so many issues that the entirety of the PvP feels like an afterthought. However, with a good connection and an even better opponent, the gameplay offers the possibility of a fun PvP experience. For those interested in the PvP aspect of the gameplay, I strongly recommend the second game, which has much more thought and care put into its online play.

- There are online tools for players that want to easily plan out character "builds". Unlike this game's equally wonderful sequel, there are no "re-spec" items, so it can be helpful to plan a character out first before spending many hours building them. For a first playthrough, one might want to figure out the system themselves, but run the risk of making the game unenjoyably difficult due to unfortunate stat allocation. However, it is also possible one might make the majority of the game much easier by stumbling upon an uncredibly powerful build, which might detract from the overall experience for some. If, as a new player. one wants to "wing it", it is recommended to invest points in health, endurance, and only one of the following: strength, dexterity, intelligence, faith; alternatively, invest in both strength and dexterity equally.

- This game has an intentionally oppressive and lonely atmosphere. If the atmosphere begins to negatively affect you, beyond what is clearly intended, make sure to take breaks from playing and don't force yourself to play when upset. The same is true for any game.

- Paradoxically, the same things that can make a player upset or frustrated are also things that made this game special to them. This note is directed more towards those interested in game design and story telling. There are thoughtfully constructed and compelling stories about this game helping some people through tough times. For those interested, I recommend looking into reviews or videos about Dark Souls and how it relates to depression.


UPDATE: I find it exceptionally disheartening that this game is no longer for sale. While I have both sentimental and objective reasons for prefering this version, I still must suggest considering the Remastered edition. It is unfortunate that many players new to the game will not get to experience this version, but I believe there is plenty of good in the Remastered and is worth a look for any interested in the game.