Dark Souls II Reviews

Dark Souls II is ranked in the 98th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Mar 21, 2014

While the difficulty may serve to push some gamers away, Dark Souls 2 manages to be both the most accessible title in the series and a formidable challenge for returning veterans and is without a doubt an experience that should not be missed despite the allure of next-generation consoles.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
91 / 100
Apr 24, 2014

More accessible, challenging, and rewarding than its predecessor, this is the Dark Souls sequel PC gamers deserve.

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9.8 / 10.0
Apr 24, 2014

An epic adventure from start to finish packed with wondrous environments, imaginative and terrifying foes, and the continual adrenaline-apprehension rush of passing through each fog gate. These aspects make this title a must-play.

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Kotaku
Top Critic
Yes
Mar 11, 2014

A stellar, challenging experience that borrows from its predecessors while making significant and complicated design changes.

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4.5 / 5.0
Apr 24, 2014

If you decided to wait for the PC version of Dark Souls II before jumping in, you've made the right decision. It's not leaps and bounds better than its console counterpart, but the graphical enhancements aid the immersion.

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Mar 14, 2014

You'll keep coming back to "Dark Souls II," and should you triumph, your victory is one that will stay with you.

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Unscored
Apr 30, 2014

For those willing to invest time into the New Game +, into the covenants and the raiding of other players' worlds, there's far more to uncover than I'll probably ever see. As I said at the beginning, Dark Souls II is a very good game. These have been some of the reasons why as well as some of the reasons why I don't think it's quite as great a game as I'd hoped it would be.

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10 / 10.0
Apr 25, 2014

If you had issues with Dark Souls II on console then Dark Souls II PC will not fix them. If you were hoping that this would be the gorgeous next-gen Souls experience we were shown in that first video then, well, it isn't. But if you were holding out to find out just how the PC version of Dark Souls II performs then know, with full confidence, that it is far and away the superior version, and that's without the need to download any sort of fan-made patch. The cycle of death and success has never felt this good.

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9.5 / 10.0
Mar 11, 2014

Overall Dark Souls II is one of the best games I have ever played. I have never before laughed at my own stupidity, cried out with frustration and jumped because of random beastly creatures hidden in the dark of the night.

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IGN Italy
Top Critic
9.3 / 10.0
Apr 25, 2014

A truly unique experience, but it's not for everybody. You have to be aware of the words you're gonna read more than any others on your screen: "You're Dead".

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9 / 10
May 1, 2014

A carefully considered sequel that avoids upsetting existing fans and offers an olive branch to newcomers – but although the PC version is the best it's by a slimmer margin than many would've hoped.

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Apr 24, 2014

Dark Souls 2 is From Software's "something for everyone" version of the popular role playing series. Prepare to Die, a little less.

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Unscored
May 22, 2018
Dark Souls II - But Anyway, Back To Dark Souls II (Jimpressions) video thumbnail
ZTGD
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
May 6, 2014

It's a testament to the series brand as a whole to make an otherwise solid title feel disappointing, but I've come to expect more and I hope they find the right path through the dark in the next sequel.

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TechnoBuffalo
TechnoBuffalo Team
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Mar 20, 2014

If Dark Souls II can't even bother to let me experiment, practice, and enjoy at my own leisure, why should I bother with it?

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9 / 10.0
May 12, 2014

Dark Souls II lives up to the series' reputation for being unrelentingly difficult- but it's worth digging in your heels and spending a lot of time with it. The PC port is just as good, if not better than it's console counterpart, but you're going to want to use a gamepad. Using a keyboard is possible, and there's even a few mods out there to make it more functional and ergonomic, but it's still clunky and unintuitive compared to using a controller.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 24, 2014

This is a kind of experience that is not necessarily designed to appeal to a broad swath of people, but its pitch perfect execution and strict adherence to its draconian design principles earn it a place in the pantheon of great games.

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8.7 / 10.0
Apr 26, 2014

From Software this time has almost ticked it off, and the PC community can breathe a half sigh of relief. Dark Souls 2 will certainly not win awards for graphic quality, especially in the eyes of personal computer players, but the most advanced effects, high frame rate and higher resolutions embellish the Drangleic lands in a sensitive way.

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Mar 18, 2014

The game is as across-the-board demanding as its predecessors, functioning on an ever more grandiose scale, dishing out excruciating beatdowns like Thin Mints at a Girl Scouts cookies sale.

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5 / 5.0
Apr 29, 2014

Dark Souls II is an absolute feast of a game, and it will be a long, long time before I'm sated by it.

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