As promised, From Software revealed the first in-game footage from Dark Souls 2 today. They confirm that, as usual, players are going to die a whole lot.
Dark Souls and predecessor Demon's Souls distinguished themselves with a high difficulty level. Players can die in a matter of seconds from booby traps or enemy attacks. If they die, they drop all of their souls (the in-game currency) and all the monsters respawn. Dark Souls 2 maintains those features, along with the bonfire rest points from Dark Souls.
The combat of Dark Souls 2 looks to be quite similar to Dark Souls. There are some small changes on display, though. Environmental damage seems to be more pronounced, with pillars and walls crumbling in the course of battle. Players can now carry torches to light up dark areas, but have to drop them in order to hold an off-hand item such as a shield.
The art direction hasn't changed dramatically either. This is still very much a dark fantasy game. The hero and enemies closely resemble the concept art from December.
Dark Souls 2 is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. No release window has been announced yet, but From Software has indicated that the game probably won't arrive this year.
