From Software, the developers behind the Dark Souls series and the most recent title Dark Souls II has issued a response to the press regarding the game's visual disparity between its reveal demos and its retail release. From Software issued their response to MCV, and it might end up upsetting some people.
"Throughout the game development process, a game is constantly being balanced not only in game playability, but also in the realm of resource management,” From told MCV.
“A developer is always challenged with creating the most rewarding gaming experience while delivering continuity in graphical quality, gameplay dynamics, and balance within the game. The final version of Dark Souls II displays the culmination of this delicate balance and we’re very proud of the positive media and fan reception for the game.”
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Essentially, From Software is excusing the graphical disparities that have upset many people by stating that the game naturally had to have had its elements balanced out. While this does indeed make sense, can it really be considered justifiable to demonstrate your game with material that doesn't represent the final product? That's the concern that gamers and critics alike share: is it OK for a game to be sold on elements that it does not actually have? In this case, those elements would be better lighting and visuals throughout. Overall, the response ignores the misleading promotion of the game.
The developer's response did not mention anything about the PC version of the game, which is expected to look better and possibly contain some of the graphical elements displayed in early demos.
Based on the response, I'm not expecting the PC version to be significantly better looking as those demos were, but we'll have to wait and see. Dark Souls II on PC arrives April 25.
