Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss Reviews

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Written by Eric Schwarz on October 30th, 2012

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It's fair to say the single-player side of Artorias of the Abyss may not offer quite as much mileage as other RPG add-ons. However, that's more than made up for in its intensity of focus, with difficulty that scales according to which New Game+ mode you might be undertaking. All in all, it's a tightly wound adventure well worth setting aside time for, backed up by a multiplayer angle that will have greater staying power.

Although it's a bit obtuse to require so much of your players to access a pricey add-on, Artorias delivers in spades with pretty much everything you'd expect from it. It adds a ton to the game's story, and offers so much depth to your experience with the game especially given that the bosses are more formidable in New Game+.

If you're a Dark Souls fan, you need to buy this right away. If you're a casual fan who sounds like they're frustrated by the mere premise of accessing this content, you should probably back away now.

In Short: The definitive version of one of the best video games of the last 10 years, as well as a perfect example of downloadable content done right.

Pros: Superb melee combat that values timing and tactics over button mashing. Huge game world filled with treasures. Superb art design and some excellent new enemies.

Cons: Actually finding the main chunk of extra content is pretty convoluted. The balance between difficultly and unfairness is not perfect.

Whether you're a seasoned adventurer on your third New Game+, or a deadly PvP raider, every fan of Dark Souls should get the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. Experienced players will likely clear the new areas in around 6-8 hours and the PvP options are endless. Now, let's just hope From Software are hard at work on a new Souls game, while we're busy with this.

If it's loot and levelling you're after, between four bosses lie grinding opportunities in scissor-handed scarecrows tending to the Royal Woods, or Oolacile Township's demented puppets. Corpses drop powerful new dark magic, chests bear armour fit for warriors and wanderers, and merchants peddle fresh consumables like giant's arrows and reinvigorating mushrooms.

Kill them for more attire (Chester's grinning mask and top hat combo looks like Slash meets an Anonymous protestor), but beware - they don't come back. Few things do. Artorias of the Abyss, however, successfully revitalizes your initial wonder through Dark Souls' world, and for that it's worth every Microsoft Point.

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