Dark Souls II promises more death in 'Despair' trailer

Fans of the notoriously difficult Dark Souls and its spiritual predecessor, 2009’s PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls, will be giddy with masochistic delight to know that the new trailer for Dark Souls II is out.

 

 

Entitled “Despair”, the trailer shows off the sequel’s superbly improved graphics as the camera follows a grim-looking knight in his lonesome journey through flame-blasted ruins, palatial hallways, a forest of barren trees, and dingy subterranean tunnels. The trailer then gives a glimpse of a giant flaming chariot and the skeletal remains of a dragon draped over a forbidding staircase. Finally, viewers are treated to a scenic view of a castle swathed in the shadows of a beautiful sunset. Between the knight and the castle is a rickety bridge guarded by a horde of drakes soaring through the sky.

 

Very artfully done!

 

Many fans have expressed concern over the decision of Hidetaka Miyazaki – director of both Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls – to step down and hand over the reigns to Tomohiro Shibuya and Yui Tanimura. The good news is that Miyazaki has not forsaken the franchise; he will remain as the team’s supervisor, according to Edge Online.

 

The new directors and the art team have also managed to retain the series’ dismal atmosphere. Gloom and doom abound in the new game, as darkness bathes almost every corner of interior settings, while outdoors, an ever-present mist clings to dead trees and crumbling walls, choking sunlight that barely touches the ground.

 

Gameplay-wise, Dark Souls II appears to stick to the formula that made its predecessors so successful: simple and intuitive controls that compel the mastery of sword and shield; challenging enemies from lumbering giants to smaller, quicker monsters; and areas chockful of traps and other hazards.

 

More can be seen in IGN’s recently-released 12-minute Dark Souls II gameplay reveal video:

 

 

Lastly, here is an animated GIF, borrowed from Kotaku, that quite succinctly sums up what has been revealed so far about Dark Souls II, and the whole Dark Souls experience altogether:

 

 

— TJD, GMA News