Game reviews: Dark Souls

Incredibly intrusive, brutally difficult and emotionally draining are just some of the phrases you might hear used to describe Dark Souls; the crushing role-playing game by Japan’s From Software.

Dark Souls

£44.99, PS3/Xbox 360

Like its spiritual predecessor Demon’s Souls, this is a title that you fail at again, and again, and again. You might start to wonder why anyone would want to bother with it, but there is real genius underneath the challenge.

The aim is to search a perilous fantasy land for two bells. Once rung, you will remove an undead curse from your character and become human again. That’s the only thing you have to do, but the world is massive and enemies uncompromising, so it’s harder than it sounds.

Success demands patience and incredible discipline. If you raise your shield at the wrong time, swing your sword too slowly, or forget to heal before running blindly into a new area, chances are you will be killed.

But rest assured, you won’t make that same mistake again, and over time you will memorise enemy attack patterns and trap placements until finally, you overcome a section. The feeling of succeeding in Dark Souls is a rare thing, as you genuinely do earn each small victory.

Once you gain more souls and spend them on beefing up your character over many trying hours, it’s likely you’ll become addicted and just maybe, you will have found your new favourite game.