The Demon's Souls remake may have been a PS5 launch game, but it's still one of the best looking games on the system. Or, frankly, on anything. Demonstrably better than even Elden Ring in terms of effects and fidelity, the reason is simple. The PS3 original is a smaller, shorter, more linear and more confined game than its FromSoft peers, most notably Elden Ring, and unlike that game, it doesn't have to run on various systems. This remake is pure PS5 through and through, and that means it's still a perfect showcase for what the console can do.
But even though the lighting, footprints in mud, textures, particle effects, and resolution are all technically superb, there's more here than just sheer technical prowess. The world of Demon's Souls is absolutely gorgeous from an architectural standpoint. Levels are designed with clever framing of noteworthy enemies, while also doing the opposite in allowing you to be ambushed by enemies hiding behind scenery, occupying cubby holes and leaping out from the shadows. This feeling of constant peril is exacerbated by the foreboding iconography of rusty metal, ruined stonework, and torn, bunched fabric lying on the floor.
