Boletaria under the fog, death at every corridor, and a victory that is never handed to you.

The thing that hits first, when the community picks on gut feeling, Demon's Souls climbs ahead of 95% of games, on slightly more votes so a signal that holds. That is high. Really high. But look at the detail, and the picture gains nuance. The feel with a controller and fun stay strong, ahead of more than eight titles in ten. Art and soundtrack land above the middle, on very few votes. Attachment, on the other hand, drops below average, ahead of only four games in ten, on few votes. There is the tension, you love it on instinct and love playing it, yet the intimate attachment stays cooler, likely because this world holds you at arm's length as much as it fascinates you.

Against action-RPGs, Demon's Souls set down a grammar, difficulty as story, the ordeal as reward. Its heirs have since polished the formula, but the original keeps that harshness that splits those who hold on from those who let go.

So who is it for? For you if you love demanding combat, hard-won satisfaction and a hostile world you have to earn. Much less if you want an adventure that wraps you in its arms, here you are met with a raised blade instead.