Dark Souls Remastered Review
Our Verdict
Dark Souls Remastered preserves one of gaming's most important achievements — the genre-defining world design and combat philosophy remain extraordinary over a decade later.
Combat: Deliberate and Mastery-Based
Dark Souls' combat rewards reading enemy animations and responding correctly. Stamina management (avoiding over-commitment), equip load (maintaining medium roll), and positioning (not getting surrounded) are the three pillars of survival. The build system creates vastly different experiences: a Strength build swinging a Great Sword versus a Dexterity build wielding a Balder Side Sword versus a Pyromancy build requires completely different positioning and spacing. Boss fights are design landmarks: Ornstein and Smough remains one of gaming's greatest challenges.
Gameplay and World
Lordran's world design is the game's defining achievement. The revelation that the Undead Parish bell tower overlooks Firelink Shrine — showing you where you came from — is a moment of geographic clarity that no open-world map can replicate. Every shortcut discovered feels earned. The Artorias DLC adds four bosses that are each exceptional — particularly Manus, Father of the Abyss, whose dark sorcery and speed create an encounter unlike anything in the base game.
Story
Delivered entirely through item descriptions, NPC dialogue, and environmental design. Lordran's history of the Lords and the Age of Fire is one of gaming's most fully realized mythologies for those willing to piece it together. The Undead Curse lore and the implications of the Chosen Undead prophecy reward repeated readings.
Verdict
Essential. Dark Souls Remastered is one of gaming's most important games and still one of its best.
Pros & Cons
- Lordran's world design remains gaming's greatest interconnected achievement
- Build variety creates dramatically different playthroughs
- Artorias DLC included — the finest FromSoftware DLC ever made
- 60fps remaster preserves the original while improving presentation
- Price (especially on sale) makes it gaming's best value entry into the Souls series
- Blighttown and Tomb of the Giants remain frustrating by design
- Multiplayer systems are dated compared to later Souls entries
- Graphically the most dated Souls game — the remaster helps but shows its age
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