
Dark Souls II confidently hits its marks as a quality Action/RPG title.
89
Verdict
88%
Steam
90
IGDB
Verdict score based on confidence-adjusted Steam reviews?
Very Positive Steam reviews (88% positive)
Critically acclaimed (90/100 critic average)
Rich open world to explore
Engaging multiplayer/co-op experience
Steep difficulty curve may not appeal to casual players
Dark Souls II is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, released in March 2014. Set in the kingdom of Drangleic, players control the Bearer of the Curse, seeking to cure their undead curse. The game features challenging combat, deep lore, and a dark, atmospheric world. It introduces new mechanics like dual-wielding and a flexible character progression system, with improved multiplayer options for cooperative and PvP play. The online servers were shut down on March 31st, 2024.

Runs well on modern hardware.
Last updated 11h ago
A lot of people seem to be saying that this version is much better than Scholar of the First Sin. After playing both, I can say that the differences between the two aren't really substantial enough to warrant those claims. I think Scholar definitely makes a few changes that are pretty negative, such as to Heide's Tower of Flame and Aldia's Keep, but the rest of the changes are either very minor improvements, very minor downgrades, or sidegrades. Some of the enemy placement changes Scholar makes sort of feel a bit missed in this version. Like, a lot of the enemy placement in the OG game is just like "we put 7 of one guy in this room". Scholar of the First Sin removes like 3 of the 7 guys, and replaces them with one or two different guys. It feels substantially more inspired in Scholar for the most part. Probably the biggest advantage of Scholar of the First Sin, though, is that it adds an easy-to-access bonfire ascetic farming method that is absent from this version of the game. Being able to access unlimited bonfire ascetics basically makes every other item you'd ever care to farm for available in unlimited quantities. I'd say my final verdict is that the original version is probably better for your first playthrough, but if you're ever replaying the game, Scholar is superior. If you were only buying one version, I'd probably go for Scholar. Either way, I'm glad both versions exist, and I'm also glad that Multiplayer still functions in both versions. It was fun to experience the differences myself, and I have no regrets purchasing this on sale. I'd definitely pay for a "Scholar of the First Sin" treatment for DS3, but we'll probably never get that.
Having achieved 100% completion in this game, I loved it from start to finish. It was the first Soul-like game I played when I was 14; I absolutely loved it and was captivated by it. I don't hate a single thing about it. Every time I played, it felt like being at home—with a fireplace, a bed, a kitchen, and family. A heartfelt 10/10.
[h2]DARK SOULS™ II[/h2] [h2]Vote [b][url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/236430/DARK_SOULS_II/]86[/url][/b] ✅[/h2] I have to say that in terms of fun, this game is incredible. It's slightly below the first game in terms of game design. In particular, some areas don't have the wow factor that the first game has. Many areas seem huge, but they're actually just small rooms with two fire pits and nothing more. However, aesthetically and artistically, they remain at the same level. The gameplay is fun and never boring. The pace is always fast in every area. The bosses aren't as iconic, but there are still a lot of them, and that's also the game's strong point: the constant changes in pace and so many different areas. https://store.steampowered.com/app/236430/DARK_SOULS_II/
Reviews sourced from Steam. All reviews belong to their respective authors.
Data sourced from RAWG, Steam, IGDB, CheapShark, Wikipedia, HLTB, and GX Corner. Sources: rawg, steam, igdb.
All game titles, trademarks, and copyrights belong to their respective owners.