Anyone out there playing this game?
I've been really busy with work lately, so I've only logged a handful of hours with it, and I am still definitely learning the mechanics, but now beginning to make slow and steady progress.
For anyone not in the know, this game is mind-numbingly, gut-wrenchingly, ass-bleedingly hard, but bloody beautiful--visually, tonally, and in terms of the sense of achievement you get from finally figuring out an attack pattern or defensive strategy that allows you to progress beyond the most recent obstacle standing in your way.
Since the idea of cooperative camaraderie is part of the experience (and since there is no ability to voice chat or set up play sessions with friends), I thought it might be nice to be able to talk, vent, or brag about our experiences in a thread here.
Anyway, it's pretty sweet. Having not played Demon Souls, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I will say that it reminds me of the complexity and difficulty of a Rogue-like game, but with modern production values. Really seriously awesome. And I love the lonely, bleak tone and the ambiguous story that forces you to sort of come to your own conclusions as you explore. If I had to compare it to something, I'd say it's kind of like Rogue meets Shadows of the Colossus (but with better graphics.)
Oh also, let us know your character build, too. Love me some nerdy RPG talk.
I started out as a Wanderer and am slowly but surely working on a character build focused around a sword & shield/bow combo. High dexterity, endurance, and to a lesser extent, strength, have been the focus of my leveling so far.