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| Dark Souls II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | FromSoftware |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Games
|
| Director(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Masanori Takeuchi |
| Designer(s) | Naotoshi Zin |
| Programmer(s) | Yoshitaka Suzuki |
| Artist(s) | Keiichiro Ogawa |
| Writer(s) | Toshifumi Nabeshima |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | Dark Souls |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Dark Souls II[a] is a 2014 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware. The second installment of the Dark Souls series, it was published by FromSoftware in Japan and Bandai Namco Games internationally. It is a sequel to 2011's Dark Souls.
The game features completely different characters and locations from the original, although there are some ties in the story and lore. As with Dark Souls, the player character is a human cursed with undeath, who must navigate their way through a fallen kingdom; Dark Souls II takes place in Drangleic, a land of undeath where the protagonist must acquire the powers of its king and his "Throne of Want". The presentation and gameplay remain similar to Dark Souls, with notable differences including further penalty for repeated deaths via a "hollowing" mechanic.
After initial delays, Dark Souls II was released worldwide on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March 2014, with the Windows version released the following month. It was a commercial success and received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its story, atmosphere, world design and visuals, although they were divided on its difficulty and deemed its boss battles and combat mechanics inferior to the original's. It is considered by some to be the black sheep of the "Soulsborne" series, although Miyazaki himself views the game favorably. A trilogy of DLCs was released over the rest of 2014, and an enhanced version, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, featuring the content of the DLCs along with various other upgrades and additions, was released in 2015 on the original softwares as well as on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game would be followed by the next "Soulsborne" entry, 2015's Bloodborne, and a sequel, 2016's Dark Souls III.
- ^ a b c Hillier, Brenna (September 19, 2013). "Dark Souls 2 PS3, Xbox 360 release date set, PC to follow; special editions detailed". VG247. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
- ^ Serrels, Mark (September 19, 2013). "Dark Souls II Has An Australian Release Date (And A New Trailer And A Collector's Edition...)". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ Karmali, Luke (March 6, 2014). "Dark Souls 2 PC Release Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on July 16, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
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