Dark Souls II Previews and Character Customization Overview
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While most of the previews that have come out for Dark Souls II so far seem to be fairly positive about From Software's action-RPG sequel, a few of them have shown a certain skepticism for some of the changes, like, for example, this recent Eurogamer piece. I have to admit bonfire warping didn't really convince me either when I first heard of it, but now that we know that leveling up is limited to the starting hub, it makes more sense:
It's a measure of the perfect balance of design found in the original Dark Souls that every new feature in the sequel takes away much as it adds, and some of the shifts are more controversial than others. Fast travel between bonfires adds convenience, but at the same time it doesn't insist on the same intimacy with the world that Dark Souls embraced so well. Voice chat is now implemented, though it's opt-in, and the process of finding friends to fight alongside has been smoothed by a system whereby you can align yourself to certain gods within the game. Worship the same deity as your friends, and it's more likely that you'll be summoned side-by-side. A diminishing of the cold-faced distance traditionally kept between players in the Souls series, or a necessary concession to modern audiences? It's all a matter of perspective.
As are introductions such as the Soul Vessel, an item you can take to a certain location somewhere within the world to reset your parameters and re-spec your class. The dead ends of progression are no more, but is the electric sense of being in a world where wrong decisions are duly punished undermined? The health system is rejigged once more, with Estus flasks now joined by life gems that are slow to replenish your lifebar but plentiful in supply. As you die again and again, becoming more and more hollow, your lifebar slims piece by piece, a process mirrored in the appearance of the player, their hair thinning further and their skin rotting more upon each new death. A muddling of Dark's stripped-back approach, or a return to the nuance of Demon's herbs? Right now there's no definite answer either way.
Dark Souls 2's new setting of Drangleic will likely split opinion, too. Set up by some atypically dense exposition by way of a post-tutorial cut-scene, it's a brighter, slightly less bleak world than its predecessor. Perhaps it's a result of prejudice built up through exploring the depths of Lordran, but it's a location that, in the opening hour at least, feels less dense with detail, and less steeped with a mournful sense of foreboding. Majula, a central hub that acts as an analogue of Dark Souls' Firelink Shrine, is a village set upon golden shores where a huddle of traders offer you their wares. Just beyond, The Forest of Fallen Giants - a tangle of felled trees and destroyed stonework interspersed with sun-kissed courtyards - is a less involving backdrop than the Undead Burg, though that's not to say it's a lesser creation.
On the other hand, if you're more in the mood for positive impressions, you might want to check this video from streamer "OroboroTheNinja", who also played the title at the recent Namco Bandai press event.
Finally, there's an article on character customization on Famitsu. It's in Japanese (and the Google translation of it isn't very helpful), but contains a few screenshots of the game showing new options for your character's physical appearance (spotted on RPGFan).
