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Play Overview
Dark Souls II (2014) is a fighting game with an emphasis on precise timing and extreme difficulty. You navigate through labyrinthine ruins and ancient kingdoms, defeating monsters with your weapons and magic. It pairs immense difficulty with a grand story and fantasy worldbuilding to make for a novel and weighty adventure.
You play a warrior cursed to eternal life who travels to the ruined kingdom of Drangleic in an attempt to save themselves. Once there, you meet a powerful queen and set out on a mythological quest to save the world and your soul.
Play involves moving through each area by defeating enemies. You choose your character from one of eight classes, each with different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. As you progress you slowly level up and choose new skills and improvements to your stats. Combat is intentionally very difficult, requiring you to parry and dodge at just the right time and carefully look for openings to attack. Central to the game is dying to learn how to react in hostile environments and having the resilience and belligerence to repeatedly face the same foes, slowly learning from mistakes.
The result is a game that combines immense challenge with an immense, sprawling narrative and world to create an experience that derives its fun both from the satisfaction of defeating each new enemy and from witnessing the story unfold.
Our examiner, Oli Hawkins, first checked Dark Souls II 22 months ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated 13 days ago.
You play a warrior cursed to eternal life who travels to the ruined kingdom of Drangleic in an attempt to save themselves. Once there, you meet a powerful queen and set out on a mythological quest to save the world and your soul.
Play involves moving through each area by defeating enemies. You choose your character from one of eight classes, each with different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. As you progress you slowly level up and choose new skills and improvements to your stats. Combat is intentionally very difficult, requiring you to parry and dodge at just the right time and carefully look for openings to attack. Central to the game is dying to learn how to react in hostile environments and having the resilience and belligerence to repeatedly face the same foes, slowly learning from mistakes.
The result is a game that combines immense challenge with an immense, sprawling narrative and world to create an experience that derives its fun both from the satisfaction of defeating each new enemy and from witnessing the story unfold.
Our examiner, Oli Hawkins, first checked Dark Souls II 22 months ago. It was re-examined by Ollie Robertson and updated 13 days ago.
Kids not old enough for this yet? There are lots of games similar to Dark Souls II. Here are some similar younger-rated games:
Play Style
This is an Action, Adventure and Fighting game with Narrative, Role-Play and Simulation elements. You can play this by yourself or as a 6-player online game. Although a single-player game, players can leave messages on the ground for each other to help or hinder. You can also summon up to 3 other players to play co-operatively and fight each other competitively for a while using special summoning signs.
You can play this game in the following styles:
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 38 hours and 55 hours to complete. It's a very difficult game, and many players die countless times to every boss, greatly elongating play time. Many people never even finish the game due to its difficulty.
Benefits
This game is good if you want to:
Age Ratings
Content Rating
Users Interact: The game enables players to interact and communicate with each other, so may expose players to language usually associated with older rated games.
Rated for younger players in the US. Rated ESRB TEEN for Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Violence and Blood and Gore. Players traverse dungeon-like settings and battle a variety of fantastical enemies (e.g., ghouls, zombies, skeletons, giant rats) to gain souls. Players use knives, swords, and arrows to defeat enemies. Combat is highlighted by cries of pain and small splashes of blood. Some locations depict instances of blood and gore: a giant snake boss holding its severed head; a giant boss creature composed of hundreds of corpses; dead ogres near a pool of blood; a torture device with streaks of blood. During the course of the game, a boss creature appears partially topless (e.g. hair barely covering breasts). The words "b*!%$@d" and “pr*ck” can be heard in the dialogue.
Skill Level
14+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Still, it's important for parents and guardians to consider the maturity required to process the game content. The game is very hard, requiring excellent reactions and reflexes in addition to determination and persistence in the face of such an overwhelming challenge. You very regularly die and have to start fights again when you do.
Account Rating
- You need PlayStation Plus to play online with PlayStation 3.
- You need be 18-years-old to to subscribe to Xbox Live Gold for online play, but can then configure family accounts for younger players to play online with Xbox One.
- You need be 18-years-old to subscribe to PlayStation Plus for online play, but can create sub-accounts for younger players of 7-years or older to play online with PlayStation 4.
Costs
Dark Souls II usually costs £15.99 to £32.99.
The Scholar of the First Sin is an expanded version with extra content.
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Dark Souls II
There are the following additional costs associated with this game:
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You need a subscription to play online:
- You need Xbox Live Gold to play online with Xbox 360.
- You need to purchase a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online with PlayStation 4.
- You need to purchase a Xbox Live Gold subscription to play online with Xbox One.
The Scholar of the First Sin is an expanded version with extra content.
It's important to set up your accounts and devices appropriately. More information is on our Financial Resources page.
Game Details
Release Date: 11/03/2014, updated in 2015
Out Now: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One
Skill Rating: 14+ year-olds
Players: 1 (6 online)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fighting (Narrative, Role-Play and Simulation)
Accessibility: 19 features
Components: 3D Third-Person
Developer: From Software PR (@FromSoftware_PR)
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Written by parents for parents, the database complements the in-depth discussion about video game addiction, violence, spending and online safety in the Taming Gaming book. We are an editorially independent, free resource without adverts that is supported by partnerships. |
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