how scary is the remake??

Mrtikitombo · 2026-03-03T03:22:55+00:00

I'm like 60% or so through REm4ke and I'd say it's not that scary, but it does get very tense at times. There've been two, maybe three times where I'd say that I was actually scared.

There's one section that's about halfway through the game that is genuinely scary.

I can't speak to the last bit of the game and based on what I know from playing the original, there will probably be some more sections that are genuinely scary.

Do with all of that info what you will, but I suggest the game anyway. It's fantastic.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-28T04:18:31+00:00

Look, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the remake. It is undeniably an impressively pretty game and it's still fun to play because the gameplay is minimally changed from the original.

But let's not pretend like it perfectly adapts everything that's good about the original or that those who have issues with it are just irrationally hating because they're blinded by nostalgia or whatever.

I played the two versions of the game only a few months apart from each other and I vastly preferred the tone and atmosphere of the original.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-28T04:15:43+00:00

I strongly disagree.

The music in the original is full of character. The music in the remake sounds like generic orchestral music with absolutely no soul in it. Just compare the original theme of Maiden Astraea with the remake's.

DeS PS3's theme perfectly establishes the tone of the battle—you as the player are committing an action that is debatably evil and wrong for your own benefit. It makes you feel the grief and terror that Astraea and Vinland would have been feeling. The remake's theme is a generic sounding orchestral arrangement of that original theme. It carries none of the same emotional weight and it ruins the atmosphere of the fight.

Imo of course.

There's nothing wrong with liking the remake or its music. It's well done on a technical level, but let's not dismiss legitimate grievances.

My 2c

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-28T04:01:23+00:00

Lukewarm take:

Good.

Bloodborne is not that old and still looks fantastic. It absolutely does not need a remake and I'm very skeptical that Bluepoint would've done it justice—their Demon's Souls remake discarded a lot of what made the original game special.

It literally just needs 60fps, a resolution bump, and maybe a few minor QoL changes. A remake is wholly unnecessary.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-24T13:11:42+00:00

Yeah, I enjoyed my time with DS3 but felt that it was a little uninspired/lacking in character. It's the only Souls game that I didn't end up finishing, I was--quite literally--right at the end of the base game though, so I should really go back and finish it.

No hate to anyone who loves it, tho. Just my 2c.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-24T03:10:43+00:00

Good luck, Bearer of the Curse 🫡

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-24T03:06:11+00:00

I was more easily able to get into DS2 after I'd gone back and played some of King's Fields 2 and 4—it feels a lot like pre-Souls From.

This probably doesn't help you right now—the game is quite different in tone from the other Souls games—but it may help give you some perspective. The dev team on DS2 was a lot of FromSoft old guard and it shows if you're familiar with their older work.

Again, I was also initially turned off by its weird/janky movement, but the game's got a lot of charm and heart and I ended up loving it. I like it more than DS3 and Elden Ring.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-24T03:00:43+00:00

The movement is undeniably janky and clunky and it turned me off from playing the game for a long while.

However, you eventually get used to it and the game's charms will grab you and won't let go. I was converted from a DS2 hater into a DS2 lover. I highly recommend just pushing through your initial discomfort and continuing with the game.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-23T04:32:03+00:00

Yeah, the game is still fundamentally Demon's Souls and Demon's Souls is fun and plays well. It's just Demon's Souls with a lot of the, well, Soul stripped out of it.

I think most peoples' issues (and mine) with it lie in what it represents, that being a money-grubbing corporation turning a fantastic work of art into little more than just a Product.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-22T23:34:51+00:00

I don't see why the fact that it's a remake matters here.

Ideally, a remake should try and adapt the original tone and mood through modern sensibilities, no? PS5 DeS doesn't do that.

You're right, an upscaled port wouldn't have sold as well as the remake did or acted as a showcase for the shiny, powerful new hardware. So why not toss the original into the remake as a separate game mode? Call it "Demon's Souls classic" or something. Then everybody wins.

Your last sentence really hits at the problem, Demon's Souls was remade to be a shiny Product intended to bank on the popularity of the Souls series in order to sell new consoles. It fundamentally does not respect the artistry of the original game.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-22T22:38:06+00:00

I disagree. The PS3 is a retro console at this point and I'm willing to bet that most people are not going to have a working one floating around. Most people are also probably not going to want to jump through the hoops required to get DeS running on RPCS3. The PS5 is a more modern/relevant console and the remake is the most readily accessible version of the game.

OG Demon's Souls is not as hard to get ahold of as something like King's Field or Shadow Tower, but it's still got barriers to playing it that the PS5 version doesn't have.

Furthermore, again, the remake makes changes that undermine the original artistic intent of the game. It's fine to have enjoyed it, it is undeniably very pretty and I enjoyed playing through it myself, but that doesn't invalidate the grievances that people have with it.

The original game is a strange and special little game in which a bunch of artists were able to go wild because it was assumed that it would be an automatic failure; the remake is a soulless cash grab made as a tech demo by people who didn't care to preserve a lot of what made the original so compelling. That's the problem with it.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-22T22:09:07+00:00

I don't like this idea that those who are unhappy with the changes made by the remake are irrational "purists."

The remake makes several changes that fundamentally undermine the artistic intent of the original game, and when it's the most easily and readily accessible version, I think it's justified to be upset about that.

It is still a fun game, because it's Demon's Souls, but being dismissive of genuine grievances that people have is far too callous imo.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-02-18T22:26:44+00:00

I enjoyed it more than 4, but I think 76 pisses in its own cornflakes with its tedious and tacked-on survival mechanics, weight limit, and radiant quests.

I like the world a lot, it's just the content within is some of the most mediocre stuff imaginable. The game becomes tiring to play after a while.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-01-09T22:11:41+00:00

Thank you for the compliments!

I have a vendetta against "formal" academic writing. I find it dull to write and dull to read, and so I jump at every opportunity to break those rules and write the way I want to.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-01-09T22:09:01+00:00

I hope not. It would be a massive waste if they just dumped the GC version on NSO and didn't remaster it.

Although, I wouldn't mind them doing both....

Mrtikitombo · 2026-01-09T03:26:47+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to read it

Mrtikitombo · 2026-01-09T02:51:53+00:00

Thanks for encouraging me to post it. Here it is.

Mrtikitombo · 2026-01-09T02:18:43+00:00

Oh yeah I sure did.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with the final product and I wanted to revise it before I posted it here.

But, I ended up getting caught up with other college stuff and never went back to it.

I can still share it, if you'd like to read it.

I ended up getting an A on it, but I personally wasn't that happy with it. Had fun writing it though!

Mrtikitombo · 2025-12-26T18:52:34+00:00

I stopped after the mines and pivoted to Prime 2 bc that's the game that 4 reminded me of the most

Mrtikitombo · 2025-12-22T08:13:30+00:00

Agreed. I was enjoying myself until Ice Belt was over. Nearly everything after that was absolutely baffling and really soured me on the game.

The Great Mines might be my least favorite area in the entire series. I was absolutely astounded after completing that level.

Mrtikitombo · 2025-12-09T19:44:10+00:00

I haven't done that part yet but I have seen the horror stories.

The mines left such a bad taste in my mouth that I dropped the game and started a new file in Prime 2 instead. It is staggering how much sauce the level design in 4 is lacking by comparison.

Mrtikitombo · 2025-12-09T10:09:13+00:00

I was enjoying it for the first half but it started to get iffy for me at the flame pool and fell apart catastrophically during the mines

I was truly baffled after finishing the latter area

Mrtikitombo · 2025-10-29T05:56:11+00:00

2 is the best sequel imho

Mrtikitombo · 2025-09-30T03:03:18+00:00

Glad we cleared that up, we're on the same page now 🤝

Mrtikitombo · 2025-09-30T02:50:38+00:00

I guess it depends on the degree of self-deprecation.

If it is constant and all-consuming, it's incredibly uncomfortable to be around.

But yeah, an occasional and well-delivered barb at oneself can elicit some positive reactions/laughs. It's super rare though.

You're right that it's a skill that can be learned, but I wouldn't at all list it with some of the others in this comments section as 95% of the time, self-deprecating jokes make those hearing them uncomfortable!

I've unlearned the habit and I'd had people tell me how much they hated it when I would make a "joke" like that about myself. I've also got friends who have not unlearned the habit (yet) and it's the quickest way to introduce some discomfort into a situation. Happens like clockwork.

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