Dark Souls is an incredibly beloved series. It might have a bit of a steep learning curve and require persistence and determination, but many millions of people enjoy it's challenging gameplay and world design.
It is a game that works in three dimensions though, which isn't necessarily for everyone. For those who prefer a 2D side-scrolling system Death's Gambit could well be the game you're looking for, as it offers that Souls experience, in a 2D setting. The pixellated graphics too are fantastic - and there's a grappling hook.
The animation in the game is particularly slick, enemies have interesting attack patterns and require different styles of fighting to take out, mixing up ranged and melee attacks to do the most damage.
There's also a deep and varied loot mechanic, with a number of different items, upgrades and equipment to unlock and find within the various dungeons you'll be exploring.
Although there's no competitive or cooperative elements directly implemented, when you fight bosses it will let you know how many times the average player dies before defeating them. If you can beat it before that many deaths you'll get a small bonus.
The Tundra Lord is the first boss people face off against in the demo and in this demonstration and it has an average of five deaths for the first kill.
Do you think you could beat that?
