Demon's Souls gets new trailer, details on Fractured Mode, photo mode and more

Demon's Souls Remake new trailer
(Image credit: Sony)

Demon's Souls has received a new gameplay trailer, showcasing bosses like the Flamelurker and Armored Spider. The clip also gives us our first look at the Stonefang Tunnels and Tower of Latria.

Additionally, a GameSpot interview with Creative Director Gavin Moore reveals further details on Fractured Mode, how players can reallocate their abilities, changes to World Tendency, and new filters that shift the visual style of the game. Polygon also spoke with Moore, who provided the publication with details on the game's exciting photo mode.

Demon's Souls new gameplay trailer

The second Demon's Souls gameplay trailer was revealed today, which reveals far more than it needed to. The trailer begins with our first look at Stonefang Tunnel, which is a maze-like mine that possesses the Armored Spider boss at the end of it.

Unlike the previous gameplay trailer, this more accurately represents how the final product will likely play. In the first trailer, we saw a player one-shotting everything to then utilize poorly orchestrated evades and blocks and get demolished by the Vanguard. Here, the player is dodging fireballs and enemy attacks with expertise.

The trailer then continues throughout the mines, demonstrating the claustrophobic nightmare that is battling Scale Miners. Then the player proceeds to deal with the Rock Worms, which are an absolute pain to fight. Afterward, the player goes to fight Flamelurker. This trailer gives us a first look at everything we can expect from the second Archstone. 

Afterward, we get a montage of many areas of the game, including the Tower of Latria, Shrine of Storms (and also the Storm King boss fight) and one tiny portion of an area that could potentially be the Valley of Defilement. Honestly, with the new graphics, it's pretty difficult to tell.

However, even for a remake, it was probably unnecessary to showcase so many of the game's bosses. Considering Demon's Souls has not been played by many of those investing in a PS5, it's unwise to give so much away. And even for someone like me, who has already played the game, I would've loved to see these changes while playing rather than through a trailer montage. 

One thing I do know is that I am avoiding any future trailers until November 12.

Demon's Souls photo mode, Fractured Mode and in-game filters

In the aforementioned GameSpot interview, Moore revealed that "you can pick the filter that you would like to play within the game." There is a "black and white" filter, but most importantly, there's a filter that resembles the look of the original 2009 Demon's Souls. I'm impressed by Moore's self-awareness regarding the original feeling of Demon's Souls, as he describes this filter as "driving a little bit more fear into the game," which is very accurate.

Demon's Souls new trailer

(Image credit: Sony)

The Demon's Souls remake looks visually phenomenal, but it doesn't seem as scary as the original did. I'm excited to try out this new filter and see how accurately it captures the atmosphere of the original game.

Furthermore, we got a very vague description of what Fractured Mode actually is. Moore describes it as "a mirror mode." Essentially, this will "reverse the map." What this actually means in terms of gameplay is unknown as of yet, but it should be an exciting way to replay Demon's Souls.

The Demon's Souls remake is also updating the character creator, allowing for you to "store" and "change your character in the Nexus." This likely means the game will possess systems that allow the reallocation of spent levels, and perhaps we'll be able to change our body type and facial features freely.

As revealed by a Polygon interview, Demon's Souls is receiving a photo mode. This is exciting, especially considering how gorgeous the game is. Moore says this will pause the game and allow for the player to capture their perfect shots. However, if the player is online or being invaded, it will warn them that they'll be kicked out of the mode.

Momo Tabari
Contributing Writer

Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Momo finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Momo is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.