Recently uncovered footage has provided an unusually early look at Demon’s Souls, revealing that FromSoftware’s landmark action RPG looked substantially different before the studio settled on the formula that would eventually define the Souls series. The discovered footages comes from prototype that was presented at the Tokyo GameShare IV industry event in May 2007. making it the earliest known footage of the game. The prototype appears to feature both first- and third-person camera perspectives, giving players the ability to experience the game from a viewpoint that was not included in the final product. The use of the third-person camera shown in the footage also appears to be different from the one used in the final version of the game.
More interesting that the first-person mode revealed by the footage is the uncovered version of the game’s early combat. For example, the prototype does not appear to have a lock-on system, one of the defining features of other action RPGs and later FromSoftware games. This small difference demonstrates just how much experimentation was taking place during development, the game lacking a mechanic that is now considered fundamental to the Souls formula. The prototype footage also contains elements that never made it into the final game. For example, the footage includes an alligator enemy that the player can fight, somewhat of an unexpected enemy considering the game would eventually be known for its oppressive medieval fantasy environments and more monstrous enemies. The footage also includes an area that was removed from the game’s tutorial, though remnants can reportedly still be found within the final game’s geometry. The prototype also depicts an earlier version of the Demon God encounter, with the encounter reportedly operating more like a conventional boss battle during this stage of development rather than a scripted sequence.
These discoveries, when taken together, offer an interesting look at Demon’s Souls before its identity had truly solidified into its final form. The finished game would become the foundation for Dark Souls and the entire Soulslike genre of games, but this early footage shows that many of the characteristics now associated with the genre were the result of experimentation. Therefore, this discovery is significant not only because Demon’s Souls almost had a first-person mode, but because it provides a glimpse into the creative process that produced one of modern gaming’s most influential combat and level-design philosophies.