Gluttons for punishment rejoice! Hardcore title Demon's Souls is getting a sequel, or at the very least, a soul-crushingly difficult spiritual successor. Dark Souls is being developed by From Software, the same company that created the original Demon's Souls. It appears that the world will be a single sprawling area, instead of using a "hub" as in the previous title. Characters will not be shoehorned into a class upon creation, allowing for gamers to explore different play styles. It appears that the messaging system and co-op style of Demon's Souls will be intact, while the story from this game is unrelated to the previous entry. How many players will be supported is still unknown.
Kotaku.com says the developers are continuing the theme; "learn from one's mistakes and take delight in discovery." Translation: "You are going to die. A lot. And like it. Or hate it. We don't care. The point is, you'll be dead." Man, my English to English translation is impeccable, if I do say so myself.
Demons Souls was a hardcore favorite on the PlayStation 3 that a many gamers still haven't heard of. Dark Souls will continue in the same vein, except now it's no longer a Sony exclusive. It's coming to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 later this year. Namco Bandai will be taking the publishing reigns from Atlus for the U.S. release, so expect this title to get more exposure than its predecessor. For those of you who can't wait, we have some great screenshots and concept art in the gallery below.