This Dark Souls Next-Gen Remaster Is Dividing Gamers

Later this year sees Dark Souls celebrate its 15th anniversary, but despite its age, it is still regarded as one of the best video games of all time, and the beginning entry in a franchise which would soon revolutionize the gaming sphere. Developed by FromSoftware, Dark Souls launched in 2011, and took players to the fantasy world of Lordran, where they would live out the life of a Cursed Undead who must begin a pilgrimage to discover the fate of their very kind. With punishing boss battles synonymous with the series, memorable characters, and a stunning example of world-building, Dark Souls is remembered fondly, but this recent next-gen remaster has left fans feeling divided.

This Dark Souls RTX Remaster Isn’t For Everyone

Despite Dark Souls almost being 15-years old, there is no denying that it still maintains the charm that we all know and remember. Not only that, but with FromSoftware itself releasing a remastered version back in 2018, you could argue that Dark Souls has already received its next-gen remaster. However, with technology advancing at a rapid pace in recent years, there is a way to push games from the mid 2000s to their limit, and that is what gabdeg over on YouTube has done.

Using RTX, a GPU technology which enables real-time ray tracing, they have managed to push Dark Souls to its graphical limits and the result is quite astonishing. In a video shared on their channel, you can see them make regular adjustments throughout their playthrough, showing the difference in light, shade, and, of course, ray tracing. “Done with the Vibe Reverse Engineering toolset by E-Man, with contributions by Kim, based on xoxor4d’s CodeBase for Remix Compatiblity Mods. Sky implementation by CR. It wouldn’t have been possible without these great folks and their hard work!” The video description reads.

By playing around with the light, Dark Souls looks vastly different, but it is not a change that is being appreciated by all fans who took to the comments to share their thoughts. “Anor Londo looks really good, but I honestly think the flat textures end up kind of ruining pretty much everything else,” one comment read. Another agreed, adding, “Definitely has potential. My main criticism, though, is how smoothed over the textures look. I wish they looked a little better and more like the originals, and please don’t change how bonfires look, they’re too iconic.”

Is Dark Souls Ever Coming Back?

Dark Souls enemy with lightning staff from DS3

It is worth mentioning that this “RTX test” is still a work-in-progress, and so the unofficial Dark Souls next-gen remaster may look completely different when it is finished. However, seeing projects such as this just leads to one question: will Dark Souls ever return? It has been a decade since the latest entry, Dark Souls 3, was announced, and FromSoftware is yet to reveal if Dark Souls 4 will ever see the light of day. However, with the studio recently turning its attention to magnum opus Elden Ring, the continuation of Dark Souls seems even more unlikely. Nevertheless, fans are still hopeful, and with mods regularly keeping us busy until that day finally comes, it is always worth keeping that (bon)fire lit.