I probably should've mentioned it in the video, but the exact same wave doesn't exist for the player in the remake. Funny that they kept it for Patches but didn't let the player keep it. The remake added a bunch of new gestures but didn't keep all the old ones, which is not the best way to handle that imo. All gestures are available from the start, there's no way to acquire any in Demon's Souls. I have a Demon's Souls Dissected video about player gestures that goes into way too much detail for the original: ua-cam.com/video/RL_bhc1TI_I/v-deo.html
My teenage son watched a little of this with me the other night, until he realized the exhaustive detail you were going into. He said "it's 2 hours of... this!?!" and I said "No no no... this is part 3." And I laughed as he backed away. Wonderful job.
Aaah... I forgot the youth of today has no more the passion and patience to look tht much into detail for these kinda things unless there's something in for them to earn. Man i feel old and i'm just 27yo, simply because i used to watch lengthy videos like this since a decade ago...
@@iota-09 I would be very reluctant to make any generalizations about upcoming generations, older people said the same kind of stuff about us. And their grandparents said the same things about them. It's never really true, the only constant is that people change as they mature, resulting in a situation where younger people will *always* be seen as less patient, more narcissistic, lazier, etc, by a lot of older people completely independent of any kind of real societal shift. Anytime someone says something like "youth these days...", always be skeptical about whatever statement is being made because it's probably false. This probably just wasn't his thing and likely has other interests that are more binge-able to him. :)
@@illusorywall yeah i'm aware, i was just kinda trying to see it specifically in the lens you mentioned exactly on the purpose yo feel old, aa part of a skit you might say... After all i always liked videos like these even as a teenager, so it was either saying that, or admitting that i'm the one with the nieche tasted and ways of spending my free time😅(which i'm totally fine with btw, that's always been the case for anything i like after all, just wanted to try and play it off the fact that i feel younger than what i really am)
As for the Flamelurker's (and Ed's) eye, many ancient blacksmith would lose vision after staring into hot forges for long periods of time. This led to a practice of covering one eye so they would have one good eye for analyzing grain or temper and one poor eye to watch metal color and gauge its temperature.
same with the explosives in the mines, miners would sometimes say the pockets of explosive gas were pixies playing deadly tricks easy to miss when you're not from a country with an old mining culture
Demon's Soul's boss lore is such an interesting concept. Combined that the Archstones are forged from Tapir heads there is a sense of dreams/nightmares at play. I recall hearing a theory a long time ago that the bosses of the Shrine of Storms are manifestations from myth and legend, but what actually prevents this for the other locations? (Outside of possibly the Valley of Defilement, that can be argued that Astraea is manifesting the Leechmonger and Dirty Colossus as a protective measure, using her own Demon Soul to do so.). In Boletaria the three bosses are transformations associated with their finest warriors. Even the False King represents an idealized image. Could the Flamelurker and by extension, the Dragon God be some sort of manifestation of the Blacksmith Bros and the Miners? Possibly the Dragon God was manifested from the Miner's hopelessness and despair while the Flamelurker was manifested from the Blacksmith Bros. trying to contain the Dragon God.
@HighPriestFuneral couple months late to the party here but Ive got a few theories. The true form of the demons is that of the primeval grubs, their souls are "colorless" because they havent grown enough to assume a form yet. So literally every traditional demon is to some extent an imitation or fusion of the Old Ones eldritch power, and the culture and personality of humans. It gets murky when you add the corruption of humans into demons (like the bosses of boletaria) or the birthed horrors of Latria, but the principle remains the same. I always saw the demons of world 5 to be the ugly reflections of the outside worlds negative perception of the valley, the collective hate and sorrow tossed down into the crevice, along with the unwanted and the grime, allows the demons to assume much more putrid forms. Latria is a land of deep seated spite and torture, so its demons reflect the emotions of the land. Boletaria is about the corruption of chivalry and the existential crisis faced by its monarch (and the subsequent effects on its subjects). World 4 is definitely the demons tapping into old and long faded traditions as you said, but its worth noting that the demons themselves arguably only existed because of the culture they imitate, not the other way around. Dragon god's arena in world 2, for instance is stated to be the site where the miners found a huge cave full of dragon bones, they built the temple to worship the bones out of fear they might come alive (which they did thanks to the demons) so in a way theres always been this struggle between humanity and their demons. Fantastically written game, its just all so lowkey
Correction! I said there was 1 special weapon in every world, but how could I forget the Valley of Defilement housing both the Moonlight Greatsword AND the Istarelle, while Latria has none. I think I had the total number in mind right but got the locations mixed up. Forgive me, Umbasa!
that's why the Valley of Defilement is my favorite location lore wise. Knights Vito and Lizaia descending through the valley trying to find Maiden Astraea and failing their search, or maybe they descended accompanying Astraea, and who knows why they were left behind
Fantastic video, I’ve been looking forward to this for months. There’s really no one else who can provide the sort of insight and even-handed thoughtfulness that you add to these videos. I love how you go into what you think the thought process was for each decision Bluepoint made. I think it goes a long way to show how much care was put into every part of this remake despite the areas where they sometimes miss the mark. Can’t wait to see more.
Thanks so much! I'm happy to finally have this done. No idea when I'll actually start the Latria episode but I'm happy to have this as something I'll continue chipping away at. It's a weird project I've taken on but I love having this outlet for a weird Demon's Souls show n tell of sorts.
" I think it goes a long way to show how much care was put into every part of this remake despite the areas where they sometimes miss the mark." Sometimes? Like, the entire Remake and literally every OST in the remake that is generic garbage that doesn't even compare to the original?
I cannot wait for Tower of Latria. I know this probably won't be one of the best performing series on your channel, but we DeS lovers would truly be grateful if you finish it off
Don't be shy about going full music-nerd for fear of repetition! I know next to nothing about music theory, but the way you discuss tracks is surprisingly digestible and interesting. That being said, if it's just tedious for you to break down each track then that's understandable.
Additionally, in regards to the Primeval Demon redesign, the front of the Primeval Demon in the PS3 version is extremely reminiscent of the Old One in its design, which is completely lost in the remake. Those sloped triangles pointing inwards towards the face was clearly a nod to the Old One's design
A minor correction at 17:39, the rock's hitbox growth is only after the rock hits something, not while it is travelling. Also 1:49:45, I'm not 100% confident, but judging by how later games handle defense I don't believe he would be immune to fire damage. It's just that low fire damage would be decreased enough to no longer even deal 1 damage. Very good stuff so far! It's extremely cool to get this stuff documented properly.
I really love the neutral approach to these comparisons because the remake really is such a mixed bag in my opinion, where some of the expanded details and regard for worldbuilding and spacial consistency totally blow me away, and then in all these random other regards they'll completely miss the mark so hard in ways that aren't even really consistent that all I can think is *'Bluepoint what the hell did you DO'* lol Great to see this series come back after so long, it was absolutely worth the wait
@@Atomy111 Disagree. I think most of the games atmosphere and style got completely lost in translation. The remake is a good game, but it's not Demon's Souls. Nowadays, whenever I want to replay the game, I just fire it up on RPCS3, modded and running at 120fps.
@@Atomy111Agree especially as someone who never played the original I prefer most of the redesigns over the originals. Exception is the fat Officials, they look creepier in the OG
I think this is just the nature of having a large team work on something like this. Especially for a game that really had one man creatively driving the ship in the original and likely had a hand in all of the visuals of the original game. I really love the Blue Point remake but I absolutely think it would've been significantly better if they had Miyazaki, at the very least, advising them. But Miyazaki has mentioned how much he wants nothing to do with Demon's Souls ever again, so I get it.
I was so excited when I saw on twitter that you were working on this series that I thought was abandoned long ago. I have oddly fond memories eating certain meals and being very comfortable while watching the old episodes so I'll make sure to do the same now
Im at 39:47, but as a thought in regards to Bluepoint hating reptile eyes. I realized that if they are being influenced by the Dragon God, they may have pointed out that he doesn't have those kinds of eyes either. Hes got glowing headlight eyes. So the team may have looked into other kinds of lizards who have similar kinds of looks for their eyes, so its still lizard-like, but also evokes the dragon god more? No idea why the took their scales though
@@noamias4897 Eh I am not so sure, even in these compare through videos, we have seen examples of them latching on and expanding small details from the original
Perhaps I was a too negative, the concept art seems to show the miners’ scales much more evidently than their in game models, as Illusory stated. So they probably did have it in mind
The bones being breakable in the flamelurker room is definitely for the boss, I remember distinctly cheesing it the first time around by locking it behind that bone spine and killing it with spells and arrows.
I'm so happy you were so positive about the remake's Flamelurker OST when not comparing it to the original, it's probably my favourite piece in the game, and one of my favourite pieces in the series! I honestly prefer it to most of Elden Ring's OST, mostly because it still has the recognisable melody from the original even if the tone is different. I agree that a lot of the remake tracks are very well composed and when not compared to the original sound great on their own, and it saddens me whenever it's dismissed as "generic". By themselves, the remake's versions of Tower Knight, Flamelurker, Storm King, Maiden Astraea, Penetrator, and Old King Allant all sound amazing. I think the addition of horns and such in the temple part of Flamelurker's arena actually add to the worldbuilding a bit. The temple is a shrine to the Dragon God, so they made the entrance closer resemble a dragon, likely in reverence. There's a small detail in the first part of Tower of Latria in the remake that I like, which (though I haven't yet played the original) I believe may come from the more varied item corpse designs. The corpse where you get the silver bracelets, near the big body ball enemy... thing, is that of a young woman, and the body of a knight is next to her. I reckon the lady was a prisoner, and the knight freed her and was helping her escape, and they died together to the nearby enemy. I look forward to your next entry in this series, however long that may take! I've really enjoyed these videos so far.
So, I actually think the blades facing inwards on the dog's "masks" made more sense, as they're seemingly firmly bolted/forged on: it would provide a slicing funnel towards the mouth, instead of now a very... Ineffective? piercing method.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned when it comes to those various redesigns is this game's role as a tech demo for the PlayStation 5. I suspect this is the primary reason the fat officials were reworked, because the frozen rictus mask face just didn't look as good from a graphical perspective. I also think it's interesting to note that they changed the way that one quest works. In the remake you need the entire fat official outfit, while in the original you only needed the headpiece. This implies that the mask like face was a defining attribute
This is my theory, too. I'm not like a lot of Demon's Souls fans where I actually loved the remake. I don't think it "replaces" the original, so much as it actually enables newer players to be able to experience a (pretty damn good) replicated version of what started it all. But a lot of the original designs, while brilliant in their own right, don't showcase the graphical fidelity that the PS5 brings. Demon's Souls Remake was a launch title for the PS5. Sony owns that IP. It only makes sense they wanted BluePoint to make things as graphically impressive as they could. Things like the Fat Official, Primevil Demon, Flamelurker etc objectively look better in the remake from a graphical standpoint. That may have been Sony's demand. Then again, as I said, I'm one of those "weirdos" that loved the remake despite also having played the original, and I'm heretical in saying I wouldn't mind if BluePoint took a crack at Bloodborne, my favorite game in FromSoft's repertoire and my favorite game period.
It is interesting the emphasis the remake places on minecarts and related infrastructure. This, to me, makes thematic sense with the grander presentation of Boletaria in the remake. The improved mining infrastructure helps validate the wealth/scope we see.
The flamelurker boss arena changes are disappointing. Considering the added burrower set/lore, I find it odd they made everything so alien and embellished. This was supposed to be a temple to worship/contain a god. The original design funnily is more in line with this, imo. Perhaps if there was more added lore to characterize the burrowers as being alien or highly advanced it would make sense. All we have is the dragon bone smasher and armor afaik which frankly accomplishes the opposite - they are relatively primitive or basic in style.
So glad you're continuing to work on this series no matter how long the wait between episodes. Demon's Souls is one of my favorite games of all time, so the chance to see the game discussed with such a keen eye for detail is much appreciated.
The OG primeval demon looks a lot like, if not identical to a rat-tailed maggot. Perhaps this was one of the earliest iterations of "what looks like a paranormal event is in reality the decay product of a parasyte infestation" that is now pretty common in Miyazaki's work.
I think there are probably two other possibilities for the purpose of the Monument at the start of the area. 1.)It's a Monument commemorating the end of the First Scourge. It's right next to the Archstone after all. It's age would also explain its state of disrepair. 2.)It's a Monument to the conquest of Stonefang's burrowers by an ancestor of King Allant. The history of Stonefang Tunnel is the implication of the subjugation of the kingdom by the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. At the time of the First Scourge, the residents of Stonefang Tunnel were called burrowers and were ruled by a Burrower King who resembled them. They dug deep into the Earth and carved out a vast Tunnel City underground. Some time between the First and Second Scourge they stopped being ruled by a Burrower King and were now called _Excavators._ They ceased exploring the depths of the underground and began mining for ore instead in tattered clothing. Several of the Northern Kingdom's weapons like the Knight Sword and Shield say they are made from Stonefang ore. That all seems to imply the Burrowers' King was overthrown by the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria and they were made to mine ore and forge weapons for their army.
I think a lot of the art direction disagreements are because sometimes Bluepoint seems to miss the VIBE of things, which is , unfortunately, all to common when it comes to Souls ("Prepare to die" was a funny tagline but it hurt the series so much in the long run) Flamelurker being turned into "generic fire demon, oh, so spooky" is not something that happened in isolation and I think the soundtrack changes are very indicative of this. Souls games are surprisingly meditative. There's an introspective melancholy to things, a lot of the places, bosses and characters are tragic. Someone like the Flamelurker can look a bit sad and goofy because.... yeah, things are just kinda sad Instead they hyperfocused a bit on the whole epic action feel. Every time I hear the new and old soundtrack side by side I seem to prefer the old stuff but I really loved that final bit of the new Dragon God themes. THAT is the feel: No triumph, no glory.... something unique and majestic is about to be put down, and you're the one who's going to do it. It was terrible but the world will be less with it gone, and you're doing it anyway But I agree.there's lots to love about the remake's ideas. I, for one, loved the overgrown hallway in 1-1 and I'm with you. I'd like to see them having a crack at another title.... but I'd like to see them GET the feeling. If they ever move to DaS1, that game is "oops, all tragedy" so... here's hoping they look at Ceaseless Discharge and just feel REALLY BAD about having to put him in the way of players again
I was going to say more about the third phase dragon god music, but it got left on the cutting room floor. I definitely liked how the final phase wound up and I was going to say that a similar phase, even more stripped down than the earlier music, would've been great in the original!
Funny that! I just bought the trilogy edition or whatever it is called for the ps4 and in the back of the box for the entire series it says : Prepare to die. So they still use it
@@svennevs5740 I feel that from a marketing standpoint they kinda HAVE to at this point. It's THE tagline the series got associated with so, that's what's going to be recognisable. Demon's Souls became a cult hit and it was famous for being unforgiving, so to leverage that kind of cult status and preexisting fanbase, they leaned into this aspect. Makes sense, was cute but what it did to the game and associated fandom was create this image that Dark Souls is kin with "rage games" such as I Wanna Be The Guy and whatnot. A large and insufferable part of Souls' fanbase seem to be very focused on this idea of the game as a sadistic challenge of manhood or w/e and that spirals out in lots of different toxic attitudes. If you take a step back, though, the games themselves constantly reinforce otherwise (i.e: The games themselves have a diametrically opposed opinion on summoning than what these people will often hold) It's kind of a sad reality we have no choice but to live with now
@@VileLasagna Man I'm so glad you responded. That mindset has been particularly bothersome to me, I swear the souls community is fixated on the series being about true suffering only. Like the despair the games give is the only valid way to experience the series or you are a weakling. Man it's so refreshing to hear it from someone else. Ah yesh and the tagline thing I agree with that too.
@@svennevs5740 It's weird because the games themselves keep ever increasingly louder screaming otherwise. The games present oppressively unfair worlds and they absolutely expect you to be unfair back to said worlds. They always make sure you have a bunch of exploitable mechanics to take the hammer of your choice to the knees of whatever bullshit they throw at you They also always focus a lot on companionship, on being on a solitary journey but only overcoming your challenges because you're not really alone after all. It's the summons, it's the signs, it's the convenants, the spirit ashes who we're told sometimes become actual friends with your character... These games are about overcoming pain and despair, not relishing in it. They're a quest for hope. Every character in them that treats the world like a chessboard they can rule over invariably turns out to be a garbage loser who just makes things worse for everyone starting from themselves.... I swear to Shabriri, these people.....
29:10 I watched a walkthrough today for the Remake that advises to wear the Providential Ring to increase the chance for a colorless demon soul when killing those demons. I understand now that the creator of that video was wrong, and I didn’t know he was using information from the PS3 version to form that advice. What a video, illusory wall. This is fantastic stuff.
as someone who really loves the remake regardless of the aesthetic changes......im so excited this series is still going. i have tons of respect for the original DeS, but am still blown away by the level of detail in the remake. to this day it is still the most gorgeous game available on the ps5. i long for a future release where we can keep this new level of detail without removing so much of the originals intentions and themes...
I continue to be impressed and surprised by your level of analysis but more importantly how thorough you are. Small details like showing the games side-by-side, all the way to in depth discussions over how the levels/world fit together logically. As someone who has only played some of the original, and instead watched it mainly, I didn’t mind most of the design changes you and others have problems with, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate how well you break them down. The changes with the Primeval Demons and Fat Officials I don’t mind when I play the remake, but the lack of scales and changes to the eyes on the miners is totally correct. I just hope fans don’t completely alienate themselves to this remake because it still is so good and deserves praise. Thank you for showing both sides and for being fair 100% of the time. In a world of internet lies and milking content for views, IllusoryWall still proves to make quality videos that focus on games and not BS. Umbasa and Vereor Nox bro. In my opinion: YOU are the real chosen undead IllusoryWall
thank you so much for this series, I love every video. As someone with a huge passion for character design I really appreciate your monster comparisons. It's frustrating that the Bluepoint artists are clearly so talented and yet so many redesigns miss the mark. When I first saw the Flamelurker before release, my biggest problem was how much it just looked like a Diablo demon, and seeing Diablo literally in the references in the remake's concept art was so vindicating. I agree with your point about Bluepoint avoiding the "weird" aspects of the original designs. The weird bits are the parts everyone remembers, it's what makes Demon's Souls so unique and cool!
1:05:56 I really like that they added names for each area, it helps create distinction! I feel like the other games could have used that. Also in the ps3 version I think it had a mini lore for each section which I really like and think it should have been in the future games.
The way I feel about the Remake (and the way that you seem to generally feel as well) is that Bluepoint is good at expanding on environment designs and making gameplay tweaks but consistently struggle with character/enemy designs and remastering the music. While they sometimes over-embellish the architecture, they still produce striking environments with thoughtful interpretations of how the original spaces were meant to function not just on their own but in relation to each other They don’t change the gameplay much, making mostly subtle changes to droprates or hitboxes when they feel unfair. But when it comes to adapting enemies they lose the unique character of the original. I had already heard it suggested that Bluepoint’s redesigns were influenced by more typical western fantasy, but that idea was really cemented for me when a friend was showing me characters from Warhammer. Nurgle in particular, with grotesque rolls of skin and discolored boils, immediately reminded me of Bluepoint’s Vanguard/Fat Officials/Adjudicator. Similarly, the music of the Remake is intent on producing epic orchestrations that are much more expected in a medieval fantasy setting. In the Noclip Documentary it was stated that Sony wanted Bluepoint to remake Demon’s Souls given how they handled Shadow of the Colossus, another game with very Japanese storytelling. But increasingly I find that weird, because once you notice how Bluepoint prefers to draw from western influences and more traditional fantasy tropes it becomes hard to ignore.
I would argue they, at times, messed up the artistic direction of the setting as well. Boletaria’s castle design was changed from a Norman-esque design to a more Victorian(?) one. This sorta disrupts the environmental storytelling going on, since Stonefang still kept a mostly Norman design. The whole thing going on there is that the miners are still mining for the Boletarians, even in Demonhood. It’s why you can find a few Fat Ministers there. They’re there to keep the workers working. The Stonefang Tunnel could’ve very well been a Boletarian outpost before the scourge hit, maybe reflecting the influence they have over Stonefang as a whole. Hell, the Demon scourge hasn’t been happening long enough for plants to start growing out the pavement and up the walls in Boletaria, but Bluepoint put them there. They still remade a very pretty game, but I don’t trust them too much to handle anything I love.
I can't wait for the final boletaria levels to be dissected/compared. Always felt like such a cool place that no other souls game could get the same feeling. It's not as great as Anor Londo, but also not so dark as Drangleic Castle. The idea of walking through a ruined kingdom in broad daylight is so cool and there must be so many interesting secrets there. Good job as always!
16:09 That's absolutely a plain old draw distance bug. Love the videos, keep up the great work. Your hypothesized reasoning behind all of the changes feels well-thought-out.
Absolutely loved the segment on the Armoured Spider's theme. The zoom in with the original soundtrack is hilarious. I don't know if you meant it this way, but for me it also highlights how characterful and distinctive the OST is. The newer soundtrack has its moments, but it has way less impact when the listener switches between the two. Awesome video.
Just finished the ps3 version for the first time and must say im enthralled by this series, im a big fan of all your work and cant wait for more of this!!
What the hell I just finished watching part 2 today, eager to watch the rest I checked your channel and found out that part 2 was uploaded over a year ago and no other ones were uploaded. I was devastated... Saddened by that fact I subscribed to await part 3, and what do you know? Literally 5 hours after I subscribed part 3 is uploaded! Cant wait to continue watching this amazing series!
Bro, your work is incredible. When you pulled out the keyboard to visualize, my jaw dropped, that's attention to detail and wonderful presentation I seriously haven't experienced nearly enough. Thank you for you work, it's genuinely top tier, absolutely incredible.
Thank you so much! My technical knowledge of music theory is actually quite limited. I'm a "dumb drummer" in a lot of ways; I can transcribe rhythms pretty comfortably but ask me to analyze a chord progression and I'm immediately on the struggle bus. 😅 But I think I have just enough of a passing familiarity with some basic concepts to do some analysis that other musicians might agree with (hopefully).
Gotta say, I am absolutely jubilant everytime I see you post a Demons' compare-through. I've never had a ps3 (or pc to emulate) nor was I able to get a ps5, but I got into the Souls on xb/ps4, just before the remake came out, so living out my deep desire for Demons' Souls through online content became so easy. But I don't want it to take up the time and effort you give so much of to make it, especially if you'd rather be making other videos. I just wanted to say that your stuff is great, and I'll love whatever you post, and I think I'm speaking for a decent amount of people when I say that. ✌️
I was really looking forward to this next episode of the compare through. And I have to offer a ton of praise for the way Illusory Wall goes through these videos. He explains things in such an easy to understand way that someone with little to no information on game design, like me, has no trouble following. Amazing video and truly interesting getting the technical breakdown for each element of the original and remake.
My guess is the dog blades are bent outward in that direction in the OG so that as the dog runs next to an enemy it would slice into the side of their leg. So just in the act of running through a tight group, it could wound many soldiers quickly. Anyone who has fallen to their knees might get cut in the arm, face, or neck. It’s not about stabbing them while they are biting them, the bite is bad enough on its own. The blades being so close to the mouth and angled inward in the remake might actually make it harder for the dogs to bite.
I think when playing the new demon souls, I didnt pay enough attention to the negative changes, was blinded by the pretty lighting, its good that people are critical of where they missed the mark, I hope any new remasters can learn from this
Elden Ring was great, but knowing this series was gonna be on hiatus because of its release was a real downer. glad to see it back, I live for this sort of content!
This is without compare, one of the best and most thoughtful breakdowns of what makes not only the remake good, but the original great, thats on youtube. I hope you continue down the path and see this through because ive been enraptured all day going through the 3 that are out.
I like that they made the stamina regen item a yellow potion. The same way in DaS1 the grass grants your stamina regen, they added an estus flask to DeSR that gives you the same effect.
Oh at 1:31:15 the torch thing is in all of From's souls-style games. Rather its just light sources, where lit torches (or lanterns or whatever makes sense for the spot) is the path to progression. While I'm not sure of specific examples from across all the titles off the top of my head, DS3 has a lot of lit and unlit torches/lanterns showing the right and wrong(? unintended) paths. A clear version is in the Road of Sacrifices since its a more "open" area.
Oh totally! When working on this video, I said to myself that I NEED to finally figure out how to not get lost down there. And I remembered how torches were helpful in other games of theirs and was stoked to find that it worked here too. edit: I think the first time I understood this was from some discourse regarding navigating Blighttown way back in the day. Someone suggested following the torches to help find the way out and I realized how that really did help with marking useful ladders.
Bloodborne does something similar with the Forbidden Woods; the "main" path is lit by fires and torches, but it does eventually open up and let the player figure the rest out once you hit the snake area. There's still torches held by snake-men, though. Also, the good stuff is fittingly away from the torches. A Hunter Tool, three runes, two armour sets, and a ton of consumables and upgrade materials are off the "main" path, if you're willing to stray from the certainty of fire and light.
I adore Ps3 Demon's Souls! And I think Bluepoint could have done a better job in the art direction, it's hard to surpass Miyazaki after all. Thank you very much for this great video!
Oh god, I'm so happy that you released another episode, this are some of my favorite videos ever and I watched and rewatched the previous eps like a hundred times, thank you for posting another one.❤
This series is fantastic, I can't wait to get another one in 6-12 months. :P It'd be great to see this level of focus and analysis applied to other From games. I think Bloodborne in particular would be so fascinating through this lens, particularly because it represented a big step up in terms of how much level art From put in their maps, there's just so much more detail to talk about compared to DeS or DaS.
Stonefang having a higher map number could also mean that the original intent might have been for Stonefang to be the final and "hardest" world, even if most of the development work was done earlier. After all, you do end the world by slaying a "Dragon *God*", which seems like it would be pretty climactic. And having the final, hardest archstone take you back to the boss that killed you in the tutorial could have been seen as bringing the game full circle. Stonefang being a rich source of upgrade materials could also be a clue that it was originally intended to be played later in the game. But maybe, sine the design of the Dragon God boss fight was scaled back to the pseudo-stealth encounter, and Flamelurker was made to unlock advanced weapon upgrades, they decided that it wasn't as climactic as they wanted it to be, and needed to be available earlier in the game. Also, they may have realized that Valley of Defilement and Maiden Astrea worked better as a climax, considering what Maiden Astrea says about the nature of demon souls. So they maybe scaled down the difficulty of Stonefang as a whole in order to move it to be viable to defeat earlier in the game.
I must say, I really don't like the fire lizard redesigns, which you didn't take issue with. Maybe that's the biologist in me, but the originals were gekkos, which is why they could just hang on the walls vertically. Regular lizards can't do that. The remake just gives them claws?? Like, why? Same with the Tardigrades not being tardigrades anymore. It just shows a lack of understanding what the design is and the originals was already not ambiguous or very creative, just taking animals that make sense and putting a spin on them.
I take the designs of the original as canon. They’re infinitely better suited to the atmosphere and story of DeS. I find Bluepoint’s approach of redesigning perfect bits of world building arrogant and disrespectful. Bluepoint clearly has amazing and creative artists but making new designs is not what do when remaking a classic that’s praised for its designs already, especially when FS have some of the if not the best art in gaming. I hope those artists get to make their own amazing stuff from scratch in the future
Having never played the remake, I didn't know how badly they messed up the bearbugs. I think the original's adorable little tardigrade feet being changed into Standard Video Game Arthropod Monster Spikes might rival the fat official's crop top as the single worst choice Bluepoint made.
I feel like widely the most critical thing to say about the design choices of blue point was them focusing on the “demon” part of the titles name and then coming from a very western demonic idea rather than the originals almost alien design. The Western fantasy through Miyazaki/Japanese lens is where the appeal for the original game comes from imo
Your videos are such a great entertainment and give so much insight that I really can’t thank you enough for the effort you put into them. Thank very much man, I’ll patiently wait for the next one.
I had just beat Demon Souls on emulator about a week ago and I'm glad I played the original before getting a chance of playing the PS5 version first. One of the biggest "a ha" moments people who play later souls games first that I got was finding out that swords have different tables for slash and thrust attacks through the significant defense disparity the minors had. I saw you did a lot more damage to them with slash attacks in the remake, probably about 4 times as much, and if that were the case in the version I played I would've probably kept slashing at them and never learned that feature. I really like hearing your grievances towards the game as it shows how thoughtful the original is down to the tiniest detail, but Bluepoint are exceptionally well with environmental design, and I hope they would make their own original title someday. In regards to the end of the video, I personally think the remake should've never happened if it was going to be a PS5 exclusive, it should be accessible to as many people as possible given it's legacy.
I always interpreted the "flame" patches on OG flamelurker to be points where fire erupted out of his body and torn it all asunder, sort of like a volcanic vein but still very organic in nature. this kind of also ties into the vents you see erupting from his back which combined with the fleshy tones he sports, swollen or encrusted eye and exposed spine, creates an image of a burn victim whose skin can never stop fueling the fire that's afflicting them. needless to say even after the face redesign the remake doesn't have that same intrigue to me now that he's (mostly) all volcanic rock. I feel like those strange design decisions of the original being sanded off makes things so much less striking, which incidentally I feel like is a trend for the remake as a whole. If they did get a crack at bloodborne I can only hope no longer having the excuse that the game is low res (not that it really was for DeS) will make them stay a lot closer to the original.
Ngl, og flamelurker, aside from the gore, was intimidating simply by presence, moveset, power... A bit like champion g. In ds3 is initially a seemingly lame boss due to his familiar looks, but quickly turns to be as intimidating as Godfrey himself when you get to phase 2 simply due to a change in moveset and ai. Which is all to say that changing the design to "appear more intimidating" is kinda pointless.
@@iota-09 ah yes, delicate... I just don't like nagging devs given permission to change things yet being nagged for changing things Maybe I'm just cringe
Tbh, as a musician and demon souls virgin, I never really understood the criticism for the Demon Soul's Remake Music until I saw this video. I originally interpreted the OG Demon Soul's soundtrack as attempting to reach the Maximalist Style found in the later Dark Souls Series but falling short due to either budget or management reasons, but the Phillip Glass comparison really illuminated my error in understanding, and also speaks to a broader artistic change in the Remake. Specifically for the music, I think a lot of the Boss theme changes can be attributed to a change from using a Minimalistic composition style to a much more Maximalist Style like that found in the other Souls Games, most likely from a misguided attempt to 'bring Demon Souls in line with its younger counterparts.' Fantastic video and I hope to see more in the future!
I’m normally not a fan of the hour + video breakdowns, but this one was everything I could ask for. I do really appreciate that you’re not afraid to point out the numerous faults in the remake, but also celebrate the choices that the haters just don’t bring up. I’m really looking forward to more of these!
I got so sad when this video was ending! Your videos are so PERFECTLY paced and well made. Your writing an narration are superb. There's nothing else like it. It sucks me in.
The original concept art shows the Dragon God chained like divine intervention is keeping him pinned down. I think BP should've explored that concept and changed the fight by making the player maneuver the environment (falling rocks from the DG's flailing) and the DG's occasional fire breath and have a gimmick weapon that extends with a beam of light like the serpent hunter. Cause it's just lame how the actual fight goes down and I just cannot suspend disbelief that we got a fair chance against the Dragon God without something impeding him. It's also weird that there are no earthquakes and roars throughout the level with him being there and all.
One of my biggest issues with the redesigns is that it took the "elegance" away from the some of the originals, biggest example is the Fat Official. I think of this quote from a designer with critiques from Miyazaki "I remember when I was drawing the Undead Dragon, I submitted a design draft that depicted a dragon swarming with maggots and other gross things. Miyazaki handed it back to me saying "This isn't dignified. Don't rely on the gross factor to portray an undead dragon. Can't you instead try to convey the deep sorrow of a magnificent beast doomed to a slow and possibly endless descent into ruin?"" Less gross out, more "elegance".
The remake's soundtrack also misses the mark to me. The minimalist, staccato, austere nature of the original soundtrack is so key to selling the mood of that world. I feel like they could have recreated that masterfully with modern production, but they over orchestrated and over produced the soundtrack to death, trying to make it grandiose in a way that doesn't gel with the overall grim, august DeS vibe.
To my ear, orchestral music with unintelligible choir lyrics is awfully bland by nature. It takes something pretty special to stand out. John Williams was a master of squeezing memorable sound out of an orchestra. Unfortunately, Bluepoint's music winds up sounding a lot like From's. I do appreciate that a lot of effort goes into these, especially after hearing an unrelated composer discuss what he could hear in it. This kind of generic, orchestral music still seems like the "safe" yet forgettable option. No one hates listening to it, but no one fires up the soundtrack for fun, either. There are some haunting and really interesting tracks in the King's Field series and Demon's Souls, and I just am not invested in any of the music from Dark Souls 1 onward. (Of course, "no one" is figurative. I'm sure someone does. I definitely do not.)
I really enjoy the original Flamelurker theme as well due to the narrative ambiguity as well. In the remake it simply signifies a monster, wheras there is a deeper sense of mourning which I think adds depth to its character. I think DS1’s soundtrack is in large part total garbage for the same reason, where any musical nuance is stripped out and the bosses are treated by the music as terrifying beasts rather than things with their own story.
Demon's Souls very much had a soundtrack that both reinforced the feeling of hollowness and dread at play in a world literally unraveling at the seems as all soul is drawn from it, and made the game stand out from all other games before or since. You'll never mistake Demon's Souls pieces for anything else.
Despite the fair criticisms about the remake's soundtrack, it's ridiculous to also say that the tracks don't have character. I played the remake first but every theme felt appropriate and telling of each boss's character and their place in the story. Even in instances where the remake music was far worse as a piece than in the original, like in Fool's Idol, I actually felt that the church like tone fit her place in the lore moreso than the Silent Hill tinge the superior original track had.
For Flamelurker's OG OST they basically changed the entire thesis of the original tune. It's the Beast of powerful percussion and horns vs. very frail sounding strings representing the Hero. The Beast is introduced first and as it rages the strings still play, but extremely faintly in the background, the Hero is terrified. It's a David vs. Goliath scenario. Periodically the strings will get brave and rise to attack, but then quickly slink away once again into the background. In the Remake OST by contrast, the strings are introduced first (after a neutral 30 sec intro) and they attack from a place of power backed by a choir. The Beast rages for about 30 seconds at the 1/3rd mark of the song (the part you mentioned you liked that was very Bloodborney), but after that its back to the Heroic strings being large and in charge. Their fight will be epic, but its definitely not an uphill battle like in the original OST, the Heroic strings will certainly prevail. If the remake wanted to align more with the vibe of the OG tune, it could have started with the same 30 second organ and choir intro, but cut out the first introduction of the strings that elevates the Hero (which is the next 40 seconds of the song). Then transition instead into the introduction of the Beast raging at 1:42:37 and the rest of the song plays as normal. This is the Flamelurker's OST after all, not "The Hero's" OST, the Flamelurker should be the focus.
When Sony decides to port the Remake to PC, the modding community will have a field day with this game... Sure, from a technical standpoint it looks amazing, but they completely missed the mark with the art style and music... I cannot wait to insert the OG OST and sound FX into the remake, as well as creating new textures for the enemies that are more faithful to the original game...
As someone who is mostly illiterate when it comes to the formalities of music theory and its terminology, I appreciate the amount of detail you go into with breaking down the musical structure of Demon's Souls' tracks (and exactly why the remake ultimately missed the mark on recapturing the tone it had, even when the music is good in a vacuum), and I don't mind you taking every opportunity to talk about it. I feel like you straight up unlocked part of my brain with that comparison between Kida's DeS tracks and Philip Glass.
Oh I really love that you're comparing every aspect of the levels. I haven't played the remake so I've been wondering about every change. Really looking forward on the video for Valley of Defilement.
The information and data the community has gathered recently is amazing. I'm also glad there are creators like you to share it. Watching and listening to these videos inspired me to delve into Demon's Souls modding/data mining and it's been so fun combing through the files and maps. I can't say how much this content is appreciated!
Bro I'm just so happy you continued this series. I loved demons souls on ps3 and played the remake for many hours as well. Seeing a more "objective" view on it is amazing. Thank you for all this work. Makes me realize how relevant these games really are. Never stop please :) ❤
how do you get the waving gesture patches does? because i recall being disappointed that it wasn't available to the player
I probably should've mentioned it in the video, but the exact same wave doesn't exist for the player in the remake. Funny that they kept it for Patches but didn't let the player keep it. The remake added a bunch of new gestures but didn't keep all the old ones, which is not the best way to handle that imo.
All gestures are available from the start, there's no way to acquire any in Demon's Souls. I have a Demon's Souls Dissected video about player gestures that goes into way too much detail for the original:
ua-cam.com/video/RL_bhc1TI_I/v-deo.html
My teenage son watched a little of this with me the other night, until he realized the exhaustive detail you were going into. He said "it's 2 hours of... this!?!" and I said "No no no... this is part 3." And I laughed as he backed away. Wonderful job.
haha, that's great. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey look it's the famous Milwaukee icon, Rich Evans friend.
Aaah... I forgot the youth of today has no more the passion and patience to look tht much into detail for these kinda things unless there's something in for them to earn.
Man i feel old and i'm just 27yo, simply because i used to watch lengthy videos like this since a decade ago...
@@iota-09 I would be very reluctant to make any generalizations about upcoming generations, older people said the same kind of stuff about us. And their grandparents said the same things about them. It's never really true, the only constant is that people change as they mature, resulting in a situation where younger people will *always* be seen as less patient, more narcissistic, lazier, etc, by a lot of older people completely independent of any kind of real societal shift. Anytime someone says something like "youth these days...", always be skeptical about whatever statement is being made because it's probably false.
This probably just wasn't his thing and likely has other interests that are more binge-able to him. :)
@@illusorywall yeah i'm aware, i was just kinda trying to see it specifically in the lens you mentioned exactly on the purpose yo feel old, aa part of a skit you might say... After all i always liked videos like these even as a teenager, so it was either saying that, or admitting that i'm the one with the nieche tasted and ways of spending my free time😅(which i'm totally fine with btw, that's always been the case for anything i like after all, just wanted to try and play it off the fact that i feel younger than what i really am)
As for the Flamelurker's (and Ed's) eye, many ancient blacksmith would lose vision after staring into hot forges for long periods of time. This led to a practice of covering one eye so they would have one good eye for analyzing grain or temper and one poor eye to watch metal color and gauge its temperature.
wow mindblown
same with the explosives in the mines, miners would sometimes say the pockets of explosive gas were pixies playing deadly tricks
easy to miss when you're not from a country with an old mining culture
Man, near IR is a bitch
waited almost 2 years for this.... WORTH IT !!!
Thats what we were waiting for
Thats what its all about
i didn’t realize how long it had been until reading this comment
I hope we do not have to wait for another couple years for the next one.
honestly ? i wouldn't mind. this type of video takes a lot of time to make and it's always top quality. so i'm ready to wait !@@acedias12
Word brother
To point out another connection between the Flamelurker and the Blacksmith: you need the Flamelurker's soul to be able to forge boss weapons
Demon's Soul's boss lore is such an interesting concept. Combined that the Archstones are forged from Tapir heads there is a sense of dreams/nightmares at play. I recall hearing a theory a long time ago that the bosses of the Shrine of Storms are manifestations from myth and legend, but what actually prevents this for the other locations? (Outside of possibly the Valley of Defilement, that can be argued that Astraea is manifesting the Leechmonger and Dirty Colossus as a protective measure, using her own Demon Soul to do so.).
In Boletaria the three bosses are transformations associated with their finest warriors. Even the False King represents an idealized image.
Could the Flamelurker and by extension, the Dragon God be some sort of manifestation of the Blacksmith Bros and the Miners? Possibly the Dragon God was manifested from the Miner's hopelessness and despair while the Flamelurker was manifested from the Blacksmith Bros. trying to contain the Dragon God.
@HighPriestFuneral couple months late to the party here but Ive got a few theories. The true form of the demons is that of the primeval grubs, their souls are "colorless" because they havent grown enough to assume a form yet. So literally every traditional demon is to some extent an imitation or fusion of the Old Ones eldritch power, and the culture and personality of humans. It gets murky when you add the corruption of humans into demons (like the bosses of boletaria) or the birthed horrors of Latria, but the principle remains the same. I always saw the demons of world 5 to be the ugly reflections of the outside worlds negative perception of the valley, the collective hate and sorrow tossed down into the crevice, along with the unwanted and the grime, allows the demons to assume much more putrid forms. Latria is a land of deep seated spite and torture, so its demons reflect the emotions of the land. Boletaria is about the corruption of chivalry and the existential crisis faced by its monarch (and the subsequent effects on its subjects). World 4 is definitely the demons tapping into old and long faded traditions as you said, but its worth noting that the demons themselves arguably only existed because of the culture they imitate, not the other way around. Dragon god's arena in world 2, for instance is stated to be the site where the miners found a huge cave full of dragon bones, they built the temple to worship the bones out of fear they might come alive (which they did thanks to the demons) so in a way theres always been this struggle between humanity and their demons. Fantastically written game, its just all so lowkey
Oh wow, no one ever knew that
Remake Scirvir: has northerner accent and doesn't stutter
Illusory wall: This man can no longer be trusted
Correction! I said there was 1 special weapon in every world, but how could I forget the Valley of Defilement housing both the Moonlight Greatsword AND the Istarelle, while Latria has none. I think I had the total number in mind right but got the locations mixed up. Forgive me, Umbasa!
I forgive you, Umbasa :D
that's why the Valley of Defilement is my favorite location lore wise. Knights Vito and Lizaia descending through the valley trying to find Maiden Astraea and failing their search, or maybe they descended accompanying Astraea, and who knows why they were left behind
@@felipeends Concordo, Felipe! E tb curto muito Evangelion, até publiquei umas músicas em órgão de igreja :)
the estoc is pretty special to me
Doesn’t Latria have the Rune Sword and Shield?
Fantastic video, I’ve been looking forward to this for months. There’s really no one else who can provide the sort of insight and even-handed thoughtfulness that you add to these videos. I love how you go into what you think the thought process was for each decision Bluepoint made. I think it goes a long way to show how much care was put into every part of this remake despite the areas where they sometimes miss the mark. Can’t wait to see more.
I struggle to even imagine how much time goes into these comparisons, considering the length of the video and the amount of research.
Thanks so much! I'm happy to finally have this done. No idea when I'll actually start the Latria episode but I'm happy to have this as something I'll continue chipping away at. It's a weird project I've taken on but I love having this outlet for a weird Demon's Souls show n tell of sorts.
Good to see you still supporting the old games pineapple! 😊❤
My favorite youtuber penisapple 😍😍
" I think it goes a long way to show how much care was put into every part of this remake despite the areas where they sometimes miss the mark."
Sometimes?
Like, the entire Remake and literally every OST in the remake that is generic garbage that doesn't even compare to the original?
I cannot wait for Tower of Latria. I know this probably won't be one of the best performing series on your channel, but we DeS lovers would truly be grateful if you finish it off
funfact: the Japanese name in the game files for the fire lizards literally translates to "magma gecko"
Don't be shy about going full music-nerd for fear of repetition! I know next to nothing about music theory, but the way you discuss tracks is surprisingly digestible and interesting.
That being said, if it's just tedious for you to break down each track then that's understandable.
Additionally, in regards to the Primeval Demon redesign, the front of the Primeval Demon in the PS3 version is extremely reminiscent of the Old One in its design, which is completely lost in the remake. Those sloped triangles pointing inwards towards the face was clearly a nod to the Old One's design
A minor correction at 17:39, the rock's hitbox growth is only after the rock hits something, not while it is travelling.
Also 1:49:45, I'm not 100% confident, but judging by how later games handle defense I don't believe he would be immune to fire damage. It's just that low fire damage would be decreased enough to no longer even deal 1 damage.
Very good stuff so far! It's extremely cool to get this stuff documented properly.
I really love the neutral approach to these comparisons because the remake really is such a mixed bag in my opinion, where some of the expanded details and regard for worldbuilding and spacial consistency totally blow me away, and then in all these random other regards they'll completely miss the mark so hard in ways that aren't even really consistent that all I can think is *'Bluepoint what the hell did you DO'* lol
Great to see this series come back after so long, it was absolutely worth the wait
I agree, that's a good way to sum it up.
Lets be honest though BP did alot more good than bad
@@Atomy111 Disagree. I think most of the games atmosphere and style got completely lost in translation. The remake is a good game, but it's not Demon's Souls.
Nowadays, whenever I want to replay the game, I just fire it up on RPCS3, modded and running at 120fps.
@@Atomy111Agree especially as someone who never played the original I prefer most of the redesigns over the originals.
Exception is the fat Officials, they look creepier in the OG
I think this is just the nature of having a large team work on something like this. Especially for a game that really had one man creatively driving the ship in the original and likely had a hand in all of the visuals of the original game.
I really love the Blue Point remake but I absolutely think it would've been significantly better if they had Miyazaki, at the very least, advising them. But Miyazaki has mentioned how much he wants nothing to do with Demon's Souls ever again, so I get it.
I was so excited when I saw on twitter that you were working on this series that I thought was abandoned long ago. I have oddly fond memories eating certain meals and being very comfortable while watching the old episodes so I'll make sure to do the same now
Surprised by how in depth the musical analysis was, didn't expect you to have this level of music theory knowledge!
Im at 39:47, but as a thought in regards to Bluepoint hating reptile eyes. I realized that if they are being influenced by the Dragon God, they may have pointed out that he doesn't have those kinds of eyes either. Hes got glowing headlight eyes.
So the team may have looked into other kinds of lizards who have similar kinds of looks for their eyes, so its still lizard-like, but also evokes the dragon god more?
No idea why the took their scales though
I think you’re giving them too much credit, they probably never considered the connection between miners and dragon god
@@noamias4897 Eh I am not so sure, even in these compare through videos, we have seen examples of them latching on and expanding small details from the original
@@noamias4897They did put Dragon God symbolism on the blacksmiths' gloves and the Flamelurker arena, so they probably did intend it like that.
Perhaps I was a too negative, the concept art seems to show the miners’ scales much more evidently than their in game models, as Illusory stated. So they probably did have it in mind
@@noamias4897 i think it's an issue of the textures not making the scales pop enough so they sort of blend into the skin
The bones being breakable in the flamelurker room is definitely for the boss, I remember distinctly cheesing it the first time around by locking it behind that bone spine and killing it with spells and arrows.
I'm so happy you were so positive about the remake's Flamelurker OST when not comparing it to the original, it's probably my favourite piece in the game, and one of my favourite pieces in the series! I honestly prefer it to most of Elden Ring's OST, mostly because it still has the recognisable melody from the original even if the tone is different. I agree that a lot of the remake tracks are very well composed and when not compared to the original sound great on their own, and it saddens me whenever it's dismissed as "generic". By themselves, the remake's versions of Tower Knight, Flamelurker, Storm King, Maiden Astraea, Penetrator, and Old King Allant all sound amazing.
I think the addition of horns and such in the temple part of Flamelurker's arena actually add to the worldbuilding a bit. The temple is a shrine to the Dragon God, so they made the entrance closer resemble a dragon, likely in reverence.
There's a small detail in the first part of Tower of Latria in the remake that I like, which (though I haven't yet played the original) I believe may come from the more varied item corpse designs. The corpse where you get the silver bracelets, near the big body ball enemy... thing, is that of a young woman, and the body of a knight is next to her. I reckon the lady was a prisoner, and the knight freed her and was helping her escape, and they died together to the nearby enemy.
I look forward to your next entry in this series, however long that may take! I've really enjoyed these videos so far.
So, I actually think the blades facing inwards on the dog's "masks" made more sense, as they're seemingly firmly bolted/forged on: it would provide a slicing funnel towards the mouth, instead of now a very... Ineffective? piercing method.
The items floating in the air in stonefang is hilarious, I didn't realize that!
One thing I haven't seen mentioned when it comes to those various redesigns is this game's role as a tech demo for the PlayStation 5.
I suspect this is the primary reason the fat officials were reworked, because the frozen rictus mask face just didn't look as good from a graphical perspective.
I also think it's interesting to note that they changed the way that one quest works. In the remake you need the entire fat official outfit, while in the original you only needed the headpiece. This implies that the mask like face was a defining attribute
This is my theory, too. I'm not like a lot of Demon's Souls fans where I actually loved the remake. I don't think it "replaces" the original, so much as it actually enables newer players to be able to experience a (pretty damn good) replicated version of what started it all. But a lot of the original designs, while brilliant in their own right, don't showcase the graphical fidelity that the PS5 brings.
Demon's Souls Remake was a launch title for the PS5. Sony owns that IP. It only makes sense they wanted BluePoint to make things as graphically impressive as they could. Things like the Fat Official, Primevil Demon, Flamelurker etc objectively look better in the remake from a graphical standpoint. That may have been Sony's demand.
Then again, as I said, I'm one of those "weirdos" that loved the remake despite also having played the original, and I'm heretical in saying I wouldn't mind if BluePoint took a crack at Bloodborne, my favorite game in FromSoft's repertoire and my favorite game period.
@@NokoFaceArt style > graphical fidelity. Any day of the week. But you want them to ruin Bloodborne as well so what would you know.
ITS BACK! Holy fuck, I have been excited as hell for this compare through to continue and I am so glad it has returned! Keep up the amazing work IW!
It is interesting the emphasis the remake places on minecarts and related infrastructure. This, to me, makes thematic sense with the grander presentation of Boletaria in the remake. The improved mining infrastructure helps validate the wealth/scope we see.
The flamelurker boss arena changes are disappointing. Considering the added burrower set/lore, I find it odd they made everything so alien and embellished. This was supposed to be a temple to worship/contain a god. The original design funnily is more in line with this, imo. Perhaps if there was more added lore to characterize the burrowers as being alien or highly advanced it would make sense. All we have is the dragon bone smasher and armor afaik which frankly accomplishes the opposite - they are relatively primitive or basic in style.
So glad you're continuing to work on this series no matter how long the wait between episodes. Demon's Souls is one of my favorite games of all time, so the chance to see the game discussed with such a keen eye for detail is much appreciated.
I’m just nodding my head to the music analysis.Yes, yes he’s right about that.
Is it a common theory that Big M = Mario?
It is now.
@@illusorywall I CANNOT be the first person to think of this, what the fuck
Miyazaki
His weapons would need to be the Godboots.
The OG primeval demon looks a lot like, if not identical to a rat-tailed maggot. Perhaps this was one of the earliest iterations of "what looks like a paranormal event is in reality the decay product of a parasyte infestation" that is now pretty common in Miyazaki's work.
Thanks! Can't wait for the next Compare-Through for Demon's Souls! :D
I think there are probably two other possibilities for the purpose of the Monument at the start of the area.
1.)It's a Monument commemorating the end of the First Scourge. It's right next to the Archstone after all. It's age would also explain its state of disrepair.
2.)It's a Monument to the conquest of Stonefang's burrowers by an ancestor of King Allant. The history of Stonefang Tunnel is the implication of the subjugation of the kingdom by the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria. At the time of the First Scourge, the residents of Stonefang Tunnel were called burrowers and were ruled by a Burrower King who resembled them. They dug deep into the Earth and carved out a vast Tunnel City underground. Some time between the First and Second Scourge they stopped being ruled by a Burrower King and were now called _Excavators._ They ceased exploring the depths of the underground and began mining for ore instead in tattered clothing. Several of the Northern Kingdom's weapons like the Knight Sword and Shield say they are made from Stonefang ore. That all seems to imply the Burrowers' King was overthrown by the Northern Kingdom of Boletaria and they were made to mine ore and forge weapons for their army.
Kinda mindblowing that the geography in this game is sometimes impossible. Wow, they sure hide it in an extremely impressive way though
I think a lot of the art direction disagreements are because sometimes Bluepoint seems to miss the VIBE of things, which is , unfortunately, all to common when it comes to Souls ("Prepare to die" was a funny tagline but it hurt the series so much in the long run)
Flamelurker being turned into "generic fire demon, oh, so spooky" is not something that happened in isolation and I think the soundtrack changes are very indicative of this. Souls games are surprisingly meditative. There's an introspective melancholy to things, a lot of the places, bosses and characters are tragic. Someone like the Flamelurker can look a bit sad and goofy because.... yeah, things are just kinda sad
Instead they hyperfocused a bit on the whole epic action feel. Every time I hear the new and old soundtrack side by side I seem to prefer the old stuff but I really loved that final bit of the new Dragon God themes. THAT is the feel: No triumph, no glory.... something unique and majestic is about to be put down, and you're the one who's going to do it. It was terrible but the world will be less with it gone, and you're doing it anyway
But I agree.there's lots to love about the remake's ideas. I, for one, loved the overgrown hallway in 1-1 and I'm with you. I'd like to see them having a crack at another title.... but I'd like to see them GET the feeling. If they ever move to DaS1, that game is "oops, all tragedy" so... here's hoping they look at Ceaseless Discharge and just feel REALLY BAD about having to put him in the way of players again
I was going to say more about the third phase dragon god music, but it got left on the cutting room floor. I definitely liked how the final phase wound up and I was going to say that a similar phase, even more stripped down than the earlier music, would've been great in the original!
Funny that! I just bought the trilogy edition or whatever it is called for the ps4 and in the back of the box for the entire series it says : Prepare to die. So they still use it
@@svennevs5740 I feel that from a marketing standpoint they kinda HAVE to at this point. It's THE tagline the series got associated with so, that's what's going to be recognisable. Demon's Souls became a cult hit and it was famous for being unforgiving, so to leverage that kind of cult status and preexisting fanbase, they leaned into this aspect. Makes sense, was cute but what it did to the game and associated fandom was create this image that Dark Souls is kin with "rage games" such as I Wanna Be The Guy and whatnot.
A large and insufferable part of Souls' fanbase seem to be very focused on this idea of the game as a sadistic challenge of manhood or w/e and that spirals out in lots of different toxic attitudes. If you take a step back, though, the games themselves constantly reinforce otherwise (i.e: The games themselves have a diametrically opposed opinion on summoning than what these people will often hold)
It's kind of a sad reality we have no choice but to live with now
@@VileLasagna Man I'm so glad you responded. That mindset has been particularly bothersome to me, I swear the souls community is fixated on the series being about true suffering only. Like the despair the games give is the only valid way to experience the series or you are a weakling. Man it's so refreshing to hear it from someone else. Ah yesh and the tagline thing I agree with that too.
@@svennevs5740 It's weird because the games themselves keep ever increasingly louder screaming otherwise. The games present oppressively unfair worlds and they absolutely expect you to be unfair back to said worlds. They always make sure you have a bunch of exploitable mechanics to take the hammer of your choice to the knees of whatever bullshit they throw at you
They also always focus a lot on companionship, on being on a solitary journey but only overcoming your challenges because you're not really alone after all. It's the summons, it's the signs, it's the convenants, the spirit ashes who we're told sometimes become actual friends with your character...
These games are about overcoming pain and despair, not relishing in it. They're a quest for hope. Every character in them that treats the world like a chessboard they can rule over invariably turns out to be a garbage loser who just makes things worse for everyone starting from themselves....
I swear to Shabriri, these people.....
29:10 I watched a walkthrough today for the Remake that advises to wear the Providential Ring to increase the chance for a colorless demon soul when killing those demons. I understand now that the creator of that video was wrong, and I didn’t know he was using information from the PS3 version to form that advice.
What a video, illusory wall. This is fantastic stuff.
as someone who really loves the remake regardless of the aesthetic changes......im so excited this series is still going. i have tons of respect for the original DeS, but am still blown away by the level of detail in the remake. to this day it is still the most gorgeous game available on the ps5. i long for a future release where we can keep this new level of detail without removing so much of the originals intentions and themes...
Agreed about it being the most beautiful game on ps5, I keep expecting new games to eclipse it but they just never have!
I continue to be impressed and surprised by your level of analysis but more importantly how thorough you are. Small details like showing the games side-by-side, all the way to in depth discussions over how the levels/world fit together logically.
As someone who has only played some of the original, and instead watched it mainly, I didn’t mind most of the design changes you and others have problems with, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate how well you break them down. The changes with the Primeval Demons and Fat Officials I don’t mind when I play the remake, but the lack of scales and changes to the eyes on the miners is totally correct. I just hope fans don’t completely alienate themselves to this remake because it still is so good and deserves praise.
Thank you for showing both sides and for being fair 100% of the time. In a world of internet lies and milking content for views, IllusoryWall still proves to make quality videos that focus on games and not BS.
Umbasa and Vereor Nox bro. In my opinion: YOU are the real chosen undead IllusoryWall
thank you so much for this series, I love every video. As someone with a huge passion for character design I really appreciate your monster comparisons. It's frustrating that the Bluepoint artists are clearly so talented and yet so many redesigns miss the mark. When I first saw the Flamelurker before release, my biggest problem was how much it just looked like a Diablo demon, and seeing Diablo literally in the references in the remake's concept art was so vindicating. I agree with your point about Bluepoint avoiding the "weird" aspects of the original designs. The weird bits are the parts everyone remembers, it's what makes Demon's Souls so unique and cool!
1:05:56 I really like that they added names for each area, it helps create distinction! I feel like the other games could have used that. Also in the ps3 version I think it had a mini lore for each section which I really like and think it should have been in the future games.
The way I feel about the Remake (and the way that you seem to generally feel as well) is that Bluepoint is good at expanding on environment designs and making gameplay tweaks but consistently struggle with character/enemy designs and remastering the music.
While they sometimes over-embellish the architecture, they still produce striking environments with thoughtful interpretations of how the original spaces were meant to function not just on their own but in relation to each other
They don’t change the gameplay much, making mostly subtle changes to droprates or hitboxes when they feel unfair.
But when it comes to adapting enemies they lose the unique character of the original. I had already heard it suggested that Bluepoint’s redesigns were influenced by more typical western fantasy, but that idea was really cemented for me when a friend was showing me characters from Warhammer. Nurgle in particular, with grotesque rolls of skin and discolored boils, immediately reminded me of Bluepoint’s Vanguard/Fat Officials/Adjudicator.
Similarly, the music of the Remake is intent on producing epic orchestrations that are much more expected in a medieval fantasy setting.
In the Noclip Documentary it was stated that Sony wanted Bluepoint to remake Demon’s Souls given how they handled Shadow of the Colossus, another game with very Japanese storytelling.
But increasingly I find that weird, because once you notice how Bluepoint prefers to draw from western influences and more traditional fantasy tropes it becomes hard to ignore.
I would argue they, at times, messed up the artistic direction of the setting as well. Boletaria’s castle design was changed from a Norman-esque design to a more Victorian(?) one. This sorta disrupts the environmental storytelling going on, since Stonefang still kept a mostly Norman design. The whole thing going on there is that the miners are still mining for the Boletarians, even in Demonhood. It’s why you can find a few Fat Ministers there. They’re there to keep the workers working. The Stonefang Tunnel could’ve very well been a Boletarian outpost before the scourge hit, maybe reflecting the influence they have over Stonefang as a whole.
Hell, the Demon scourge hasn’t been happening long enough for plants to start growing out the pavement and up the walls in Boletaria, but Bluepoint put them there.
They still remade a very pretty game, but I don’t trust them too much to handle anything I love.
my fav youtube series. i rewatch the boletaria videos every few months. again and again 😊 great job with this one too bro
I can't wait for the final boletaria levels to be dissected/compared. Always felt like such a cool place that no other souls game could get the same feeling. It's not as great as Anor Londo, but also not so dark as Drangleic Castle. The idea of walking through a ruined kingdom in broad daylight is so cool and there must be so many interesting secrets there. Good job as always!
You are the greatest UA-camr of all time. Thank you for these excellent, brilliantly researched videos.
oh my god. I can't believe it is back. It is unbelievable how happy this makes me. Almost like a sequel to a very special movie lmao
Please keep making these. Do not give up. My heart wouldn't be able to take it.
Great to see this series return. Always fun to listen to you geek out about the design choices of these games.
Also like the Ratatoskr shoutout.
The Rata shoutout was a welcomed surprise.
16:09 That's absolutely a plain old draw distance bug.
Love the videos, keep up the great work. Your hypothesized reasoning behind all of the changes feels well-thought-out.
Absolutely loved the segment on the Armoured Spider's theme. The zoom in with the original soundtrack is hilarious.
I don't know if you meant it this way, but for me it also highlights how characterful and distinctive the OST is. The newer soundtrack has its moments, but it has way less impact when the listener switches between the two. Awesome video.
Just finished the ps3 version for the first time and must say im enthralled by this series, im a big fan of all your work and cant wait for more of this!!
My favorite movie series, Illusory Wall!
Thanks again for all of your summoning help!
Always glad to help in any way!
What the hell I just finished watching part 2 today, eager to watch the rest I checked your channel and found out that part 2 was uploaded over a year ago and no other ones were uploaded. I was devastated...
Saddened by that fact I subscribed to await part 3, and what do you know?
Literally 5 hours after I subscribed part 3 is uploaded!
Cant wait to continue watching this amazing series!
Bro, your work is incredible. When you pulled out the keyboard to visualize, my jaw dropped, that's attention to detail and wonderful presentation I seriously haven't experienced nearly enough.
Thank you for you work, it's genuinely top tier, absolutely incredible.
I’m a composer, and just about lost my mind when you started doing MUSIC THEORY IN MY DEMONS SOULS ❤
Thank you so much! My technical knowledge of music theory is actually quite limited. I'm a "dumb drummer" in a lot of ways; I can transcribe rhythms pretty comfortably but ask me to analyze a chord progression and I'm immediately on the struggle bus. 😅 But I think I have just enough of a passing familiarity with some basic concepts to do some analysis that other musicians might agree with (hopefully).
Gotta say, I am absolutely jubilant everytime I see you post a Demons' compare-through. I've never had a ps3 (or pc to emulate) nor was I able to get a ps5, but I got into the Souls on xb/ps4, just before the remake came out, so living out my deep desire for Demons' Souls through online content became so easy. But I don't want it to take up the time and effort you give so much of to make it, especially if you'd rather be making other videos. I just wanted to say that your stuff is great, and I'll love whatever you post, and I think I'm speaking for a decent amount of people when I say that. ✌️
I was really looking forward to this next episode of the compare through. And I have to offer a ton of praise for the way Illusory Wall goes through these videos. He explains things in such an easy to understand way that someone with little to no information on game design, like me, has no trouble following. Amazing video and truly interesting getting the technical breakdown for each element of the original and remake.
My guess is the dog blades are bent outward in that direction in the OG so that as the dog runs next to an enemy it would slice into the side of their leg. So just in the act of running through a tight group, it could wound many soldiers quickly. Anyone who has fallen to their knees might get cut in the arm, face, or neck.
It’s not about stabbing them while they are biting them, the bite is bad enough on its own. The blades being so close to the mouth and angled inward in the remake might actually make it harder for the dogs to bite.
I think when playing the new demon souls, I didnt pay enough attention to the negative changes, was blinded by the pretty lighting, its good that people are critical of where they missed the mark, I hope any new remasters can learn from this
Pretty much how it is for most people, it's pretty so the negatives are overlooked subconsciously (or to some consciously).
Imagine a Bloodborne remake from Bluepoint and they do the same mistakes, people would RIOT.
@@Tacticaviator7 what you speak of there is the true eldritch horror.
The wait was worth it. Incredible video, the amount of work that’s been put into this is staggering
Please keep these coming along!!!
They are super good and highlight the brilliance of OG Demons souls
I thought you had abandoned this series! I’m so glad you didn’t, i really love the compare through.
Elden Ring was great, but knowing this series was gonna be on hiatus because of its release was a real downer. glad to see it back, I live for this sort of content!
This is without compare, one of the best and most thoughtful breakdowns of what makes not only the remake good, but the original great, thats on youtube. I hope you continue down the path and see this through because ive been enraptured all day going through the 3 that are out.
These videos are greatly appreciated, love your work
I absolutely love the atmosphere of stonefang. Thank you for making such a great video and a great series.
I like that they made the stamina regen item a yellow potion. The same way in DaS1 the grass grants your stamina regen, they added an estus flask to DeSR that gives you the same effect.
Oh at 1:31:15 the torch thing is in all of From's souls-style games. Rather its just light sources, where lit torches (or lanterns or whatever makes sense for the spot) is the path to progression. While I'm not sure of specific examples from across all the titles off the top of my head, DS3 has a lot of lit and unlit torches/lanterns showing the right and wrong(? unintended) paths. A clear version is in the Road of Sacrifices since its a more "open" area.
Oh totally! When working on this video, I said to myself that I NEED to finally figure out how to not get lost down there. And I remembered how torches were helpful in other games of theirs and was stoked to find that it worked here too.
edit: I think the first time I understood this was from some discourse regarding navigating Blighttown way back in the day. Someone suggested following the torches to help find the way out and I realized how that really did help with marking useful ladders.
Bloodborne does something similar with the Forbidden Woods; the "main" path is lit by fires and torches, but it does eventually open up and let the player figure the rest out once you hit the snake area. There's still torches held by snake-men, though.
Also, the good stuff is fittingly away from the torches. A Hunter Tool, three runes, two armour sets, and a ton of consumables and upgrade materials are off the "main" path, if you're willing to stray from the certainty of fire and light.
For DS1, the glowing flowers in Darkroot and the torches in Blighttown
I adore Ps3 Demon's Souls! And I think Bluepoint could have done a better job in the art direction, it's hard to surpass Miyazaki after all.
Thank you very much for this great video!
I'm really happy to see this series back, and I can't wait for the Latria episode.
Oh god, I'm so happy that you released another episode, this are some of my favorite videos ever and I watched and rewatched the previous eps like a hundred times, thank you for posting another one.❤
This series is fantastic, I can't wait to get another one in 6-12 months. :P
It'd be great to see this level of focus and analysis applied to other From games. I think Bloodborne in particular would be so fascinating through this lens, particularly because it represented a big step up in terms of how much level art From put in their maps, there's just so much more detail to talk about compared to DeS or DaS.
Stonefang having a higher map number could also mean that the original intent might have been for Stonefang to be the final and "hardest" world, even if most of the development work was done earlier. After all, you do end the world by slaying a "Dragon *God*", which seems like it would be pretty climactic. And having the final, hardest archstone take you back to the boss that killed you in the tutorial could have been seen as bringing the game full circle. Stonefang being a rich source of upgrade materials could also be a clue that it was originally intended to be played later in the game.
But maybe, sine the design of the Dragon God boss fight was scaled back to the pseudo-stealth encounter, and Flamelurker was made to unlock advanced weapon upgrades, they decided that it wasn't as climactic as they wanted it to be, and needed to be available earlier in the game. Also, they may have realized that Valley of Defilement and Maiden Astrea worked better as a climax, considering what Maiden Astrea says about the nature of demon souls. So they maybe scaled down the difficulty of Stonefang as a whole in order to move it to be viable to defeat earlier in the game.
Thrilled to see you continuing this series!
Those silly horns fading out in the original Armor Spider theme are so funny to me
I cannot wait for Latria compare-through!
The perfect video to grind out greystone chunks to!
I must say, I really don't like the fire lizard redesigns, which you didn't take issue with. Maybe that's the biologist in me, but the originals were gekkos, which is why they could just hang on the walls vertically. Regular lizards can't do that. The remake just gives them claws?? Like, why? Same with the Tardigrades not being tardigrades anymore. It just shows a lack of understanding what the design is and the originals was already not ambiguous or very creative, just taking animals that make sense and putting a spin on them.
I take the designs of the original as canon. They’re infinitely better suited to the atmosphere and story of DeS. I find Bluepoint’s approach of redesigning perfect bits of world building arrogant and disrespectful. Bluepoint clearly has amazing and creative artists but making new designs is not what do when remaking a classic that’s praised for its designs already, especially when FS have some of the if not the best art in gaming.
I hope those artists get to make their own amazing stuff from scratch in the future
Having never played the remake, I didn't know how badly they messed up the bearbugs. I think the original's adorable little tardigrade feet being changed into Standard Video Game Arthropod Monster Spikes might rival the fat official's crop top as the single worst choice Bluepoint made.
I feel like widely the most critical thing to say about the design choices of blue point was them focusing on the “demon” part of the titles name and then coming from a very western demonic idea rather than the originals almost alien design. The Western fantasy through Miyazaki/Japanese lens is where the appeal for the original game comes from imo
Your videos are such a great entertainment and give so much insight that I really can’t thank you enough for the effort you put into them. Thank very much man, I’ll patiently wait for the next one.
I had just beat Demon Souls on emulator about a week ago and I'm glad I played the original before getting a chance of playing the PS5 version first. One of the biggest "a ha" moments people who play later souls games first that I got was finding out that swords have different tables for slash and thrust attacks through the significant defense disparity the minors had. I saw you did a lot more damage to them with slash attacks in the remake, probably about 4 times as much, and if that were the case in the version I played I would've probably kept slashing at them and never learned that feature. I really like hearing your grievances towards the game as it shows how thoughtful the original is down to the tiniest detail, but Bluepoint are exceptionally well with environmental design, and I hope they would make their own original title someday. In regards to the end of the video, I personally think the remake should've never happened if it was going to be a PS5 exclusive, it should be accessible to as many people as possible given it's legacy.
I always interpreted the "flame" patches on OG flamelurker to be points where fire erupted out of his body and torn it all asunder, sort of like a volcanic vein but still very organic in nature. this kind of also ties into the vents you see erupting from his back which combined with the fleshy tones he sports, swollen or encrusted eye and exposed spine, creates an image of a burn victim whose skin can never stop fueling the fire that's afflicting them.
needless to say even after the face redesign the remake doesn't have that same intrigue to me now that he's (mostly) all volcanic rock. I feel like those strange design decisions of the original being sanded off makes things so much less striking, which incidentally I feel like is a trend for the remake as a whole. If they did get a crack at bloodborne I can only hope no longer having the excuse that the game is low res (not that it really was for DeS) will make them stay a lot closer to the original.
Oh ffs
Ngl, og flamelurker, aside from the gore, was intimidating simply by presence, moveset, power... A bit like champion g. In ds3 is initially a seemingly lame boss due to his familiar looks, but quickly turns to be as intimidating as Godfrey himself when you get to phase 2 simply due to a change in moveset and ai.
Which is all to say that changing the design to "appear more intimidating" is kinda pointless.
@@iota-09 another individual harassing BluePoint for making creative decisions with their game
@@relton66 your definition of "harassing" seems rather... Delicate.
@@iota-09 ah yes, delicate...
I just don't like nagging devs given permission to change things yet being nagged for changing things
Maybe I'm just cringe
I was watching part 2 just yesterday and he decides to make my whole week with part 3 out of nowhere
These are definitely my favorite videos you make by far!
Tbh, as a musician and demon souls virgin, I never really understood the criticism for the Demon Soul's Remake Music until I saw this video. I originally interpreted the OG Demon Soul's soundtrack as attempting to reach the Maximalist Style found in the later Dark Souls Series but falling short due to either budget or management reasons, but the Phillip Glass comparison really illuminated my error in understanding, and also speaks to a broader artistic change in the Remake. Specifically for the music, I think a lot of the Boss theme changes can be attributed to a change from using a Minimalistic composition style to a much more Maximalist Style like that found in the other Souls Games, most likely from a misguided attempt to 'bring Demon Souls in line with its younger counterparts.' Fantastic video and I hope to see more in the future!
Don’t stop this series!
I’m normally not a fan of the hour + video breakdowns, but this one was everything I could ask for. I do really appreciate that you’re not afraid to point out the numerous faults in the remake, but also celebrate the choices that the haters just don’t bring up. I’m really looking forward to more of these!
ILLUSORY WALL MAN!!!!
FINISH THE COMPARE-THROUGH AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!
RAAAAAAAAGH!!!!
I'll never get tired of the "Kratos: My life is yours" memes 😂
I got so sad when this video was ending! Your videos are so PERFECTLY paced and well made. Your writing an narration are superb. There's nothing else like it. It sucks me in.
The original concept art shows the Dragon God chained like divine intervention is keeping him pinned down. I think BP should've explored that concept and changed the fight by making the player maneuver the environment (falling rocks from the DG's flailing) and the DG's occasional fire breath and have a gimmick weapon that extends with a beam of light like the serpent hunter. Cause it's just lame how the actual fight goes down and I just cannot suspend disbelief that we got a fair chance against the Dragon God without something impeding him. It's also weird that there are no earthquakes and roars throughout the level with him being there and all.
This is an incredible analysis. More channels spewing out 'analysis' videos that are hours long should look to you as a role model.
One of my biggest issues with the redesigns is that it took the "elegance" away from the some of the originals, biggest example is the Fat Official. I think of this quote from a designer with critiques from Miyazaki
"I remember when I was drawing the Undead Dragon, I submitted a design draft that depicted a dragon swarming with maggots and other gross things. Miyazaki handed it back to me saying "This isn't dignified. Don't rely on the gross factor to portray an undead dragon. Can't you instead try to convey the deep sorrow of a magnificent beast doomed to a slow and possibly endless descent into ruin?""
Less gross out, more "elegance".
The remake's soundtrack also misses the mark to me. The minimalist, staccato, austere nature of the original soundtrack is so key to selling the mood of that world. I feel like they could have recreated that masterfully with modern production, but they over orchestrated and over produced the soundtrack to death, trying to make it grandiose in a way that doesn't gel with the overall grim, august DeS vibe.
To my ear, orchestral music with unintelligible choir lyrics is awfully bland by nature. It takes something pretty special to stand out. John Williams was a master of squeezing memorable sound out of an orchestra. Unfortunately, Bluepoint's music winds up sounding a lot like From's. I do appreciate that a lot of effort goes into these, especially after hearing an unrelated composer discuss what he could hear in it. This kind of generic, orchestral music still seems like the "safe" yet forgettable option. No one hates listening to it, but no one fires up the soundtrack for fun, either.
There are some haunting and really interesting tracks in the King's Field series and Demon's Souls, and I just am not invested in any of the music from Dark Souls 1 onward.
(Of course, "no one" is figurative. I'm sure someone does. I definitely do not.)
I really enjoy the original Flamelurker theme as well due to the narrative ambiguity as well. In the remake it simply signifies a monster, wheras there is a deeper sense of mourning which I think adds depth to its character. I think DS1’s soundtrack is in large part total garbage for the same reason, where any musical nuance is stripped out and the bosses are treated by the music as terrifying beasts rather than things with their own story.
Demon's Souls very much had a soundtrack that both reinforced the feeling of hollowness and dread at play in a world literally unraveling at the seems as all soul is drawn from it, and made the game stand out from all other games before or since. You'll never mistake Demon's Souls pieces for anything else.
Despite the fair criticisms about the remake's soundtrack, it's ridiculous to also say that the tracks don't have character. I played the remake first but every theme felt appropriate and telling of each boss's character and their place in the story.
Even in instances where the remake music was far worse as a piece than in the original, like in Fool's Idol, I actually felt that the church like tone fit her place in the lore moreso than the Silent Hill tinge the superior original track had.
Its the main theme in particular that kills me.
For Flamelurker's OG OST they basically changed the entire thesis of the original tune. It's the Beast of powerful percussion and horns vs. very frail sounding strings representing the Hero. The Beast is introduced first and as it rages the strings still play, but extremely faintly in the background, the Hero is terrified. It's a David vs. Goliath scenario. Periodically the strings will get brave and rise to attack, but then quickly slink away once again into the background.
In the Remake OST by contrast, the strings are introduced first (after a neutral 30 sec intro) and they attack from a place of power backed by a choir. The Beast rages for about 30 seconds at the 1/3rd mark of the song (the part you mentioned you liked that was very Bloodborney), but after that its back to the Heroic strings being large and in charge. Their fight will be epic, but its definitely not an uphill battle like in the original OST, the Heroic strings will certainly prevail.
If the remake wanted to align more with the vibe of the OG tune, it could have started with the same 30 second organ and choir intro, but cut out the first introduction of the strings that elevates the Hero (which is the next 40 seconds of the song). Then transition instead into the introduction of the Beast raging at 1:42:37 and the rest of the song plays as normal. This is the Flamelurker's OST after all, not "The Hero's" OST, the Flamelurker should be the focus.
I was just thinking like a week ago. I hope we get another compare through! I was hoping the series wasn't dead! Great video as always
When Sony decides to port the Remake to PC, the modding community will have a field day with this game... Sure, from a technical standpoint it looks amazing, but they completely missed the mark with the art style and music...
I cannot wait to insert the OG OST and sound FX into the remake, as well as creating new textures for the enemies that are more faithful to the original game...
I love this series, I’m so glad to see you continue it!
As someone who is mostly illiterate when it comes to the formalities of music theory and its terminology, I appreciate the amount of detail you go into with breaking down the musical structure of Demon's Souls' tracks (and exactly why the remake ultimately missed the mark on recapturing the tone it had, even when the music is good in a vacuum), and I don't mind you taking every opportunity to talk about it. I feel like you straight up unlocked part of my brain with that comparison between Kida's DeS tracks and Philip Glass.
Oh I really love that you're comparing every aspect of the levels. I haven't played the remake so I've been wondering about every change. Really looking forward on the video for Valley of Defilement.
On its own that new flamelurker track does go hard.
The information and data the community has gathered recently is amazing. I'm also glad there are creators like you to share it. Watching and listening to these videos inspired me to delve into Demon's Souls modding/data mining and it's been so fun combing through the files and maps. I can't say how much this content is appreciated!
I appreciate your insights and detailed analysis. I really enjoyed the video, thank you!
the new spider boss looks adorable which i don't think is a good change
look at that muppet mouth open and close, what a goober
Ok but to be perfectly fair, if you can call a souls boss a muppet and a goober that's more likely to INCREASE its likeability. 😅
Bro I'm just so happy you continued this series. I loved demons souls on ps3 and played the remake for many hours as well. Seeing a more "objective" view on it is amazing. Thank you for all this work. Makes me realize how relevant these games really are. Never stop please :) ❤