Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin (Xbox One)

Game description:

Dark Souls II is a 2014 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. The second installment of the Dark Souls series, it was released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by FromSoftware in Japan and Bandai Namco Games internationally. Taking place in the kingdom of Drangleic, the game follows a cursed undead character searching for a cure to their affliction. Dark Souls II was released in March 2014 after some initial delays, with the Windows version being released the following month.

Dark Souls II was a critical and commercial success. A remastered version of the game, titled Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows in April 2015. It contains the original game and its downloadable content with upgraded graphics, expanded online multiplayer capacity, and various other changes. A sequel, Dark Souls III, was released in 2016.

Gameplay:

Dark Souls II is an entry in the Dark Souls series, known for its difficulty, as both bosses and standard enemies have the potential to defeat the player in only a few hits. Bad play is punished severely by most enemies, and opportunities for recovering health are limited. What's more, with each death the player's maximum health is reduced. This process, called hollowing, can continue until the HP bar reaches a set lower limit of 50%. The player's full HP bar is only recovered when they expend a rare item. The game uses a form of joint currency called "souls", which are used as both experience points for leveling up and also as currency for purchasing items from shops. Upon death, the player's entire collection of souls is dropped; the player can recover their dropped souls by returning to the spot where they died, but if they die before picking them up, the souls are permanently lost.

Game review:

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.