One of the best things about the Demon’s Souls remake is that every weapon now has unique animations. And not only does attacking look different on PlayStation 5, but so does backstabbing and riposting after a parry. This small change has encouraged me to try out new equipment, but, as in real life, nothing so far has beaten the satisfaction of punching demons to death with my bare hands.
After beating Demon’s Souls and making sure my review was ready, I did what any normal person would do and immediately started a new game with a new character. Meet Tyb, an androgynous barbarian with a penchant for pummeling enemies first and asking questions much, much later (if at all).
What they lack in grace they make up for in sheer power; I plan to pump up the strength stat and ignore pretty much everything else for as long as possible.
I haven’t gotten much further than the opening level, but I’m already incredibly happy with my decision to approach combat barehanded. Just look at this brutal riposte:
And rather than nonsensically shoving your fist through enemies as in the original, the remake’s unarmed backstabs unleash a flurry of devastating blows. Work the kidneys, Tyb!
While this adds a layer of glorious, crunchy brutality to the already pretty metal Demon’s Souls, I’m actually having a difficult time with bare-knuckle boxing, even against low-level dreglings and knights. The range of your fists is deceptively short and (so far) they lack the power of a sword or axe, but I’ll admit I’m also being a little greedy after coming off my first playthrough.
My initial goal is to rush the unique fist weapon Hands of God in the Tunnel City to possibly alleviate these issues. I just hope I can get through early bosses like Phalanx and Armor Spider without too much trouble. I believe in you, Tyb.