5 Reasons Why Dark Souls 2 Is Becoming 2014's Most Anticipated Early Release

4. It Looks Glorious

Although done in a Western style, the influences of this Japanese studio, From Software, can€™t be ignored. The blend of Western aesthetic, influenced by medieval armour styles and in no small part by Lord of the Rings, but created by Japanese hand and artistic direction creates a unique look and feel to the locations and characters. The level design created tall, winding areas to explore, rather than relying on sprawling locations, making for novel and interesting environments ranging from lava filled, demon infested chasms, through pitch black tombs and right up to the beautiful and sun drenched city of the gods. Whilst Dark Souls II isn€™t on the next gen technology it is still a step up from its predecessor, running on a new engine, the graphics are improved, with much smoother movement and animation. The combat from the first game worked very well, with a variety of tactics available but to really succeed a mastery of dodging, parrying, blocking and most importantly the timing of all the above is advisable, but ultimately many styles of play can be rewarded. Dark Souls II has maintained this flexibility of option whilst making the combat more fluid and less halting, adding to both functionality and aesthetic.