5. The Story
A thick fog has covered the kingdom of Boletaria. It stretches from the majestic palace at the centre of King Allant XII's rule and has spread far and wide across his land, but it hasn't stopped there. It's beginning to filter out, beyond Boletaria, on the whim of The Old One, and it must be stopped. Many warriors have tried, and many warriors have been lost. That's where you come in. So far so every-other-fantasy-game-ever-made, right? But that's where the comparisons end. You see, Demon's Souls doesn't have much of a story - at least not one that's spelled out to you in cut scenes and the like. Sometimes there are a few NPCs to talk to, and you can garner a little information from the occasional vendor and pre-boss amble, but that's it. What has happened to this once rich land, and what is happening to its rapidly-decaying inhabitants, is up to you to discover from each and every tiny scrap chatter that you happen to catch on your travels. It's a funny way to tell a story, and it isn't the only old-school choice that From Software makes, but it works superbly in the context of the game. This isn't about fictional characters coming over fictional adversity. It's a very real conflict that you have to step up to meet. And trust me: going toe-to-toe with Demon's Souls makes for a saga that no game, no matter how many heartstring-pulling cinematics it has, will ever be able to match.