Dark Souls is one of the greatest games released in the past 10 years. Every aspect of the game from the music and sound design, the environments, story and lore, through to the game design are all works of art in their own right – and now it’s coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Here’s everything we know about Dark Souls Remastered, from the Nintendo Switch release date to platform availability and what is different in Dark Souls this time around.
When is the Dark Souls Remastered release date?
The original Dark Souls has been remastered for the PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and it’s now available to buy on all but one platform following a May 25, 2018 release.
However, while Dark Souls Remastered is now available for PS4, Xbox One and PC, the Switch variant has officially been delayed. Bandai Namco initially promised it’d be released in Summer 2018, the firm announced in August that Dark Souls Remastered will be available for Nintendo Switch on 19 October 2018.
You can buy the PS4 and Xbox One variant of Dark Souls Remastered on Amazon for £28.99, while the Switch variant can be pre-ordered from Amazon for slightly more at £31.99. Those on PC can pick the game up for £34.99 from Steam.
Those in the US can head to Amazon and buy the game on PS4 and Xbox One for $39.88.
What improvements will be coming to the game?
The game is known for being extremely challenging which not only adds to its reputation and mystique, but brings back an older theme of gaming. If you want to see the game you have to earn it. You can’t turn the difficulty down, and it won’t be handed to you. Overcome a challenge on your own, and the reward will be that much sweeter.
While the game was originally created by Japanese developer From Software, large parts of the remaster was handled by Polish Developer QLOC.
While remasters that are handed off to third-parties can make fans of the original game uneasy, this rumour is actually very promising. QLOC have an outstanding track record of porting and remastering games with their products often gaining a higher Metacritic score than the originals.
The other bit of good news to be drawn from this rumour, is that if it’s true, From Software aren’t directing all their attention on the remaster which leaves their resources free to focus on their next project – which we are all rather excited to see come to light.
Specifically, though, performance will be getting a significant boost across the board in the remaster.
The original Dark Souls was released at a resolution of 720p and ran at 30 frames per second. This was notorious for dipping in certain areas (mainly Blighttown) but was eventually cleared up. The remastered version will run at 1080p on the PS4 and XB1, upscaled 4K on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, and native 4K on the PC. The game will run at 60FPS across all these platforms.
The Switch will run the game at 30 FPS, and 720p in Handheld and 1080p in TV mode.
The Switch will also feature a Solaire of Astora amiibo figure to be released on the same day. Tapping the amiibo will allow people to use the famous ‘Praise the Sun’ emote right from the start of the game.
The remastered game will come with all the DLC, and will also include up to 6 online players at once.
Improved textures and new lighting and effects will make the game look much closer to Dark Souls 3. This coupled with the improved resolution and frame rate will make for a beautiful, responsive experience.
We’re very excited about this remastering of a modern classic. To find out what we think of the game, take a look at our Dark Souls Remastered hands-on review.