- Rare Demon’s Souls prototype footage shows an early first-person camera option.
- The build also included unused enemies and rough mechanics from before the final PS3 release.
- This prototype footage just how different the Souls-like genre could have been with Demon’s Souls’ initial concepts.
Demon’s Souls is arguably one of the most important games of the last two decades since it pioneered the classic FromSoftware Souls-like gameplay that later led to award-winning titles like Elden Ring and beloved hits like Bloodborne.
However, a recent prototype Demon’s Souls build shows that the game could have been very different had it retained elements from the older builds.
Why it matters: A first-person perspective could have led to a very different future for the franchise, although this may not have necessarily been a bad thing altogether.
Newly surfaced footage from a Japan Studios presentation shows a rare build, where the studio once experimented with a first-person perspective before settling on the third-person action RPG format players know today.
According to Lance McDonald’s findings, the early version included a first-person camera option that made the combat very different from the Souls-likes of today. This, of course, was inspired by the first-person view of FromSoftware’s King’s Field.
Moreover, the prototype helps explain FromSoftware’s philosophy for online game design. The teams described online gameplay as too time-consuming but called offline-only games limiting.
This is how FromSoftware landed on the hybrid gameplay systems that have defined the Souls-like genre’s online elements to this day.
Elsewhere, the footage featured unused enemies, such as a serpent knight. All in all, it showcases exactly how the Souls-like genre came into being from its earliest stages.
Would a first-person Demon’s Souls have worked, or did FromSoftware make the right call by going third-person? Share your opinions on the subject below.
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[News Reporter]
Bawal is an MBBS student by day and a gaming journalist by night. He has been gaming since childhood, growing fond of the creativity and innovation of the industry. His career as a gaming journalist started one year ago, and his journey has allowed him to write reviews, previews, and features for various sites. Bawal has also been cited in reputed websites such as Screenrant, PCGamesN, WCCFTech, GamesRadar, and more.
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