DARK SOULS II: SCHOLAR OF THE FIRST SIN REVIEW

Dark Souls II is a smart, massive, and incredibly rewarding sequel. It’s crammed with deep systems, tense encounters, and enough clever multiplayer and New Game Plus elements to make me want to restart the second I saw the end credits. Not all of the tweaks and additions worked out for the best, but with such great enemies and levels to fight and explore, Dark Souls II made 60 hours of pain and agony so much fun they flew by in a heartbeat.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin does more than wrap up the original game and its DLC for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It’s taken everything that worked so well in the original version: the intriguing world, fantastic combat, and rewarding challenge, and noticeably improved them with a handful of much-appreciated adjustments and additions.

Coming from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, the most notable enhancement comes from the 1080p, 60-frames-per-second visual upgrade. It’s even a little bit nicer looking than the original PC version. Seeing Majula, Dark Souls II's mysterious and somber hub, at dusk for the first time is even more spectacular thanks to sharper textures, more detailed character models, and gorgeous lighting effects that fill the world of Drangleic. Many of Dark Souls II’s dungeons are bathed in darkness, forcing you to keep a torch on you at all times, and the illumination created by these crackling fires looks fantastic.

Don’t let that distract you, though, because Scholar of the First Sin takes what was already a difficult game and makes it even tougher. Powerful new enemies are now strutting around in early environments, making this the least-forgiving version of Dark Souls 2 yet. For example, the single knight that guarded a platform in Heide’s Tower of Flame has now been replaced by a fire-breathing dragon.

Enemy placement has also been reshuffled, so even though I’ve spent upwards of 100 hours in the world of Dark Souls II, this experience felt fresh and unfamiliar. Be warned, though: While I appreciated this new challenge, it seems like Scholar of the First Sin might be a tough entry point for newcomers to the Souls series.

The final great addition is the Crown Trilogy DLC, which is now included from the start. Crown of the Sunken King delivers one of the most interesting dungeons the series has ever seen. Twisting paths, smart puzzles, and tons of interactive environments make it a joy to play through. Likewise, Crown of the Ivory King culminates with a massive, exciting battle that unfolds with a scope larger than any boss fight in the series.

THE VERDICT

Over a year after its initial release, Dark Souls II still manages to impress. The visual enhancements make Scholar of the First Sin feel right at home on a new-gen system, while the additional enemies and reshuffled placement deliver a powerful dose of that special kind of torture that Souls fans clamour for. With the included DLC, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin is an even better version of one of our favorite games of 2014, but maybe a bit tougher to get into. Trust me though: it’s worth it.