One of the more interesting remasters to make its way to current-gen platforms, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin rejigs, remixes and reinvigorates the original DSII. Like Resident Evil’s director’s cut, or Zelda’s Master Quest, this is less of a fully-fledged remake and more of an experimental cover version; instead of simply repackaging the game for new consoles, the sadists at From Software have taken this opportunity to revamp enemy placements, chuck in a few new npcs, and rebalance the game. Whether or not you view Scholar of the First Sin as the definitive version of the game will largely depend on how you react to these changes, but with almost three dozen hours of game time under our belts, we can safely say this is now our preferred way to play this excellent RPG.
The first thing returning players will notice are the subtle (and, in some cases, not so subtle) nips and tucks made to enemy configurations, and item locations. A quick visit to The Forest of Fallen Giants will be enough for most seasoned Souls vets to realise From Software aren’t messing around. Whereas this area was populated with mobs of shambling undead soldiers originally, players are now greeted by an ogre, happily waddling through the churning waters and making quick work of anyone foolhardy enough to cross its path.
Indeed, the early areas of the game seem more like a warning than a welcoming, introducing tougher enemies, and in greater numbers, a lot earlier than in the vanilla version. It’s a good way of putting the fear back into those Souls players who feel like they have seen it all, and will certainly test the resolve of anyone new to the series. Of course, all these changes risk making the difficulty curve too steep, and early on the game can indeed feel more frustrating than fun. Luckily, From hasn’t just concentrated on making the game more brutal, but more balanced, as well. Certain areas --Sinner’s Rise and Earthen Peak, in particular-- feel like much less of a chore than before, and on the whole, SotFS is a smoother, more satisfying experience.
Sadly, not much has been done to spice up the boss battles, which still feel oddly lacking when compared to those found in the first game. Having sliced our way through every boss in the kingdom of Drangleic, we’re sad to report that not a one matches the grisly splendour of Gaping Dragon, or the epic one-one-one showdown against Artorias the Abysswalker. That’s not to say every boss battle is a write-off --Smelter Demon, the Ruin Sentinels, and Duke’s Dear Freja, being our pick of the ugly bunch-- but the focus in Dark Souls II is on quantity, not quality, and this remastered edition does little, if anything, to change that. Murmurs from the ‘net suggest that some of the game’s better bosses are tucked away in the game’s three generous DLC areas, which could well be the case, but we’ve yet to dip our toes into downloadable waters.
Still, while they may not be any more fun to fight, thanks to the bump in resolution up to 1080p on both Xbox One and PS4, these gruesome guardians do look better than ever before. Players used to the PC version won’t notice much of a difference, but for anyone who slogged through the murky, chug-prone world of Drangleic on PS3 and 360, the change is night and day. No one will mistake SotFS for a current gen title, but the added pixel density, sharpened texture work, and revamped lighting all paint a much prettier picture.
The PS4 and Xbox One’s additional horsepower have also allowed From Software to unshackle Dark Souls II’s frame rate, bumping the game from 30 to 60 frames per second. According to Digital Foundry, the Xbox One version of the game fares a little worse than its PS4 counterpart in its attempts to maintain a constant 60fps. Still, despite the odd hiccup, both versions of the game are considerably more responsive than their last gen forebears, and the game feels much smoother, and enjoyable to play, as a result.
For all its faults, Dark Souls II was still a fierce, fantastic game, and SotFS polishes this rough gem to a blinding shine. The remixed enemy and item placements will delight and despair returning players, while first time visitors can rest easy in the knowledge that they’re getting the best version of the game. What’s more, this generously appointed package also includes three weighty DLC expansions, meaning there’s plenty of content to keep you coming back.
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