The Demon's Souls remake has a lot on its plate. For many, the remake of the progenitor to the beloved Dark Souls franchise will be their first time experiencing the realm of Boletaria. As if fans' expectations weren't enough pressure, Demon's Souls will also be one of the first titles players and critics use to judge the new PlayStation 5, and it's one of the only launch titles that isn't also releasing for the PS4.

Fortunately, Demon's Souls' remake rises above expectations, delivering as both a first-party launch title and a successor to the Souls title that started it all. Here's what critics are saying.

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Ian Walker, Kotaku: "Obvious improvements to graphics and immersion aside, the PlayStation 5 remake is probably the best way to play Demon's Souls thanks to a bevy of quality-of-life changes. None are significant enough on their own to be game-changing, but added together, they help resolve a lot of the original's more frustrating aspects. The benefits of 60 frames-per-second gameplay are obvious, but Demon's Souls on PlayStation 5 also includes niceties like fast ladder climbing, the ability to consume multiple souls at once, improved drop rates for rare crafting materials, omnidirectional rolling, unique weapon animations and the transferring of items from inventory to storage anywhere in the world."

Jordan Devore, Destructoid: "This remake is sure to rekindle old arguments about which game deserves to take the crown. Storming the castle with a fire-breathing dragon on my tail, ascending a nightmarish tower with a giant beating heart, slicing the sky to bring down a flying manta ray that fills the screen -- I'm in awe again. Bluepoint Games and FromSoftware are among the best in the business, and we're fortunate to have their strengths coalesce in such a stellar remake. This console generation is less than a week old, but something tells me we're still going to be raving about Demon's Souls when it comes to a close."

Mitchell Saltzman, IGN: "Bluepoint's team had the unenviable task of remaking an 11-year-old game with a cult following and making it look -- and play -- the part of being the very first game developed from the ground up for this current generation of consoles. And that's exactly what they did. Demon's Souls is breathtakingly gorgeous and plays significantly better than it did on the PS3, not only thanks to the graphical power of the PlayStation 5, but because of smart quality-of-life changes and light touches that modernize some frustrating aspects of the original, without ever sacrificing the relentless challenge, puzzle-infused boss battles and style that made it such a landmark game in the first place."

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Michael McWhertor, Polygon: "Demon's Souls has good bones. It was true in 2009...and remains true for Bluepoint Games' remake, released alongside Sony's PlayStation 5 this week. Over those bones is a gorgeous remodeling. Every texture in Demon's Souls has been painstakingly repainted, sometimes to the point of questionable reinterpretation. Every stilted animation appears to have been replaced by three or four new ones, all of them remixed with more lifelike flourishes. Many of the original game's points of aggravation, like long load times and frequent backtracking, have been softened or nearly eliminated. But rarely does Bluepoint muck with the foundation of Demon's Souls, because to do so would be sacrilege."

Tamoor Hussain, Gamespot: "Yes, Demon's Souls is undoubtedly an impressive technical achievement. But what makes it special is how Bluepoint has applied its own creative vision to FromSoftware's original to remake the game not just as it was, but as it was meant to be, realizing its full potential. The result is a title that pays homage to FromSoftware's work, but at the same time stands as brilliant in its own right...Bluepoint has taken some artistic license with FromSoftware's work, for better or worse depending on your perspective. While the body of the game may look vastly different, its soul remains intact."

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Sam Machkovech, ArsTechnica: "And while I'm cautious to put graphics over gameplay, there's really no getting around it: Sony made the right bet with this masterpiece as a console-launch showcase. Super Mario 64 has long stood as the benchmark for a system-selling console exclusive, one that exploits its hardware to incredible effect, and Demon's Souls is the closest we're getting to that lofty mark in 2020 -- a hair better than March's incredible Half-Life: Alyx as a VR system-seller. Crucially, Bluepoint Games' remaster pulls this off while remaining faithful to 11-year-old gameplay, which means the game earns its next-gen stripes entirely through performance and aesthetics. If you own a PS5, you owe it to yourself to experience how beautiful and haunting this game is."

Sayem Ahmed, VG247: "One of Demon's Souls' most captivating and impressive areas is Upper Latria, which has been beautifully (and faithfully) recreated...You'll encounter difficult enemies who might flank you around every corner, while a gigantic beating heart thumps into the vibrations of the PlayStation 5's DualSense controller. If you die, you load back in seconds, thanks to the PS5's blisteringly fast SSD. Needless to say, it makes for a deeply engrossing experience that is on par with, if not better than the original game. The same can be said for certain other areas where Bluepoint has stayed true to the roots and atmosphere of the original game, and even added its own small flourishes which enhance the experience. But, other areas feel less impactful, in part to the visual 'upgrades' that the game has received."

Demon's Souls is developed by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is available now exclusively for PlayStation 5.

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