Dark Souls

Game review by Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media
Dark Souls Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Bloody RPG gives new meaning to hardcore game difficulty.

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2011
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 21 reviews

Kids say

age 12+

Based on 27 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Dark Souls is a violent and bloody action role-playing game that is designed to be extremely difficult, even for veteran gamers. Players use melee weapons and magic in their fight against human and fantasy creatures. Blood flies through the air and stains the ground, and one female enemy nearly reveals her exposed bosoms, which are covered only by hair. Even if the player is of an age to safely experience this game’s mature themes, they may not be prepared for its punishing level of challenge, which guarantees hundreds of player character deaths and frequent loss of progress. This is not a game for beginners. Parents should note that players can play cooperatively or antagonistically in each other’s worlds, but that communication is limited to basic body gestures and pre-formed messages that players can scrawl on the floor. Open communication is not allowed.

Community Reviews

Smlfan
Smlfan Adult
December 2, 2021
age 14+

Masterpiece but hard AF

Violence is really mild. Should be given a T rating rather than an M rating. Thier is one boss that is a topless woman but her nipples are coverd by her hair. Thier are half naked male enemes that are frequently seen throughout the map but thier really ugly and unnatractive. Both male and female characters can be striped to loin cloth

This title has:

Too much sex
kingsnake
kingsnake Adult
November 18, 2021
age 15+

why cant some other Dark souls game be rated T

So what I think in my own words is that they need to make a dark souls 4 or just remake other dark souls game but still the same stuff in it rated T and just put blood in the cutscene but mild blood as long as there isn't any nudity then they should be fine now ya'll are probably thinking not every game that's rated M for mature have nudity in it well yeah I know but still they should at least add where you can turn blood on from hard blood to mild blood to no blood so that's what i'm thinking but don't get me wrong though in my opinion ds2 sotFS in long Dark souls 2 scholar of the first sin was actually my second best dark souls series because it has a more serous play through again this is my opinion not everybody's and if you are still reading thank you but as I was saying like they should just make some dark souls game like let's say for example blood born had way to much blood in it really so they need to make or remake that one and make it teen where blood is off at first but you can turn blood on so again this is my opinion so this is what I think they should do about dark some dark souls game because to me dark souls is my second most favorite game in the world the first is MORTAL KOMBAT yeah ok i'm done.

This title has:

Great messages
Easy to play/use
See all 21 parent reviews

What’s It About?

DARK SOULS, a spiritual successor to 2009’s Demon’s Souls, is an action role-playing game that sees players exploring a demon-infested land of the undead in an attempt to retrieve their lost souls. Its realistic melee combat is bloody and gory, and requires players to make clever use of scarce artifacts that can restore health or allow players to engage ghostly specters. Other collectible items allow players to travel online between game worlds to help -- or face off against -- other human-controlled characters. Regardless of whether you journey alone or with other players, the experience is persistently, unforgivingly difficult. This game was designed to put the skill and tenacity of the most hardcore gamers to the test, guaranteeing frequent player character death accompanied by a loss of nearly all progress. Not only is it not designed for children and beginner gamers, it’s not intended for adults or veteran players unwilling to suffer one abject defeat after another.

Is It Any Good?

Games have slowly but surely been getting easier and easier. Tutorials, onscreen instructions, frequent save points, regenerating health, forgiving enemies -- these elements have gradually become the norm in most games over the last two decades. And Dark Souls has none of them. You must discover how to do everything on your own. You lose virtually all of your progress whenever you die. Health regeneration is highly limited. And, most importantly, your enemies tend to be of the fiendishly, cruelly difficult variety. Every encounter is a nail-biting slice of combat that could easily leave you dead, with all of the character-growing souls you have harvested lost -- unless you can work your way back to the place you died without dying along the way.

It’s not a bad game, and it’s not bad game design. This is exactly the experience Dark Souls’ makers intended. They’re after a segment of gamers who, in this age of player-success-served-up-on-a-platter, pine for challenge. It’s bliss for those who happen to be in this group. If you’re not among them, best skip this one lest you saddle yourself with the expense of replacing the TV into which you are bound to throw your controller.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about video game difficulty. Why do you play games? Simply to have fun? To experience a story? To challenge yourself? If a game is too hard, does it cease to be entertaining? Or do you feel a greater sense of satisfaction once you’ve achieved your goal?

  • Families can also discuss violence in games. Does video game violence ever make you uneasy? Can ultra-realistic games prove unsettling?

Game Details

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