Soulsborne: 10 Biggest Differences Between Demon’s Souls And Elden Ring

by Bryant Keaney on September 18, 2025

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Developed by FromSoftware, this year's Elden Ring was __ released to critical acclaim and made its mark as one of the biggest landmark video games to date. From a mechanical standpoint, game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and the rest of the development team at FromSoft have come a long way since 2009's Demon's Souls on the PlayStation 3.

Both games are still worthwhile experiences in 2022, especially with Bluepoint's modernized remake of Demon's Souls . But from the world design to character progression, there are notable differences between the two that newcomers especially should know going in.

Elden Ring's More Fluid Combat

It's one of the more apparent differences, as combat in the original Demon's Souls was FromSoftware's first effort in how its Souls -like games would play. Elden Ring is certainly an evolution of that 13 years later, as it blends elements of Dark Souls III and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice 's more fluid and faster-paced combat -- as well as some of the latter's acrobatics.

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The original PS3 version of Demon's Souls will likely feel clunky by today's standards for newcomers, but Bluepoint Games' remake is still a great modernization of the game's classic methodical combat style.

World/Level Design

As far as obvious changes go, the world and level design in both games are vastly different in scope. Demon's Souls is a much tighter experience comparatively, while Elden Ring blows up the developer's Souls -like conventions onto an open-world canvas. They're both engaging approaches in their own rights, as Demon's Souls ' intricately contained levels are satisfying to venture through and easier to digest for those that might be overwhelmed by open worlds.

Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.eldeninfo.xyz/">elden ring beginner Guide</a> Ring might go down as one of the highest-tier open-world gaming experiences . Its open world is rich with something and somewhere meaningful to discover in every direction, detailed dungeons, and an exhilarating sense of verticality thanks to its above and underground locales.

Overworld Traversal

As anyone would expect from an open-world game, Elden Ring 's traversal is a major change to how players navigate the world of Boletaria in Demon's Souls . The latter uses its checkpoints and hub word to travel between a level and its areas, while Elden Ring is one large, seamless sandbox.

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However, with that comes new mechanics for the developer in how moment-to-moment traversal works. As simple as it sounds, having a dedicated jump button in Elden Ring greatly expands the element of exploration and verticality in an open world, as well as having a mount capable of double jumping while venturing through The Lands Between.

Character Class/Build Customization

While Elden Ring still retains that vintage brand of FromSoftware difficulty, part of its new layer of accessibility lies in its more streamlined role-playing mechanics. Choosing a class is more so a general template, as players can get incredibly creative with the kinds of hybrid builds they can create from them.

Demon's Souls offers multiple approaches to how players can tackle classes and combat as well, but Elden Ring expectedly deepened this aspect of the game. Given the latter's particular acclaim, it likely won't be long before Elden Ring goes down as one of the best modern fantasy RPGs for many fans.

Healing Mechanics

It's been alleviated some in the PS5 remake, but the methods for healing in Demon's Souls is one difference that some fans are thankful has evolved in the games released since. It didn't feature the rechargeable healing flasks introduced as Estus in Dark Souls , rather, they were Moon Grass items that had to be found or bought.

In Elden Ring , the former method was retained by having a rechargeable and upgradeable Flask of Crimson Tears. Upgrades involve adding charges as well as how much health each use restores for the player.

Use Of Checkpoints

Given the scales of each of these games' respective worlds, the checkpoint systems function differently. They're almost non-existent in Demon's Souls , so players will get sent as far back as the beginning of the level if they're not careful. It's an exciting challenge to an extent, as it emphasizes the tense atmosphere and encourages players to explore the environment to unlock hidden shortcuts.

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<a href="https://www.eldeninfo.xyz/">Elden Ring DLC</a> Ring is much more forgiving in this sense, with The Lands Between pretty generously offering a myriad of Sites of Grace. Of course, that's partly required if the Souls -like formula is to fill out a vast open-world game.

Demon's Souls (PS5) Dedicated Current-Gen Graphics

Outside of gameplay mechanics, the visuals are noticeably different between the two thanks to Bluepoint's Demon's Souls remake for the PS5. It proved to be a stunning visual upgrade in terms of sheer graphical fidelity, with the game's crisp 4K resolution and excruciatingly detailed characters and environments combining for an excellent early showcase of what the PS5 is capable of.

However, art direction is at least just as important in creating breathtaking visuals for a game, and Elden Ring is still a great-looking game thanks to the creative use of style, lighting, and environmental design.

Summons

While the summon and multiplayer components aren't prerequisites to FromSoftware's Souls-like experiences, they've always been a rewarding supplemental feature. In Demon's Souls , including the remake, players can summon up to two player Phantoms.

And in limited cases, NPCs will join the player in certain boss fights. This mechanic was fairly restricted in this game but was more emphasized by the time Elden Ring was __ released. In addition to summoning signs and online play, Elden Ring featured the Spirit Ash system to call upon NPC companions.

Boss Fight Complexity

It's not a knock on the older Demon's Souls -- and its remake by extension -- as by normal mainstream standards, all of FromSoftware's Souls-like games are tough in their own ways. However, it becomes apparent coming back from Elden Ring -- or even Bloodborne and Sekiro -- that boss encounters in Demon's Souls are simpler by design.

Features boss fight "phases" didn't reach their complexities until Bloodborne onward, as Elden Ring featured a wealth of unique bosses with elaborate attack animations and patterns on top of phases.

Playtimes

It comes with the territory of being an older and more tightly-scoped game, but something that players of both games will notice is that Demon's Souls is a noticeably shorter experience. It ultimately comes down to preference, but players looking for something concise will likely appreciate the fact that Demon's Souls can be beaten -- depending on the player's pacing -- in 20-30 hours.

In contrast for players looking for a more expansive experience, Elden Ring will almost certainly take first-time players anywhere from 50-70 hours, depending on their pacing and how much they want to uncover in the game's world.

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