Incredible Dark Souls mod gives the beloved classic a pixel art ‘demaster,’ and I’m in love
Forget high-res textures. We’re going retro.
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What you need to know
When theBloodborne PSX"demake" of the critically acclaimed PlayStation exclusive released in early 2022, it was an instant hit. Fans were enamored by its old-school PS1-era graphics and retro versions of the Bloodborne’s music and sound effects — and now, something similar has released for Dark Souls, another of FromSoftware’s beloved action RPGs.
That project is Pixel Souls Demastered, an extensive mod for the PC version of Dark Souls: Remastered that gives every in-game texture, visual effect, icon, and font a pixel art-style appearance, while also reducing the fidelity of every character and equipment model and lowering the quality of all audio. The result is an delightfully nostalgic reimagining of Lordran that offers a glimpse at what the original Dark Souls might have looked and sounded like if it released a few console generations earlier. You can watch theofficial trailerfor the project below.
While the mod is out and fully playable now, creator @Greatgramcrackr has plans to expand on it in the future. Another version with a “more restricted color palette” is on the way, and @Greatgramcrackr is interested in adding 8-bit remixes ofDark Soulsmusic tracks in updates, too (remixes for the Firelink Shrine and Gwyn, Lord of Cinder themes are already included, thanks to contributions from YouTuberillusory wall).
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If there’s enough interest in the mod, @Greatgramcrackr says they’ll even consider making something similar for other FromSoftware games likeElden RingorSekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Should this happen, a poll will be held so that fans can vote which game they’d like to see demastered next. Make sure youfollow @Greatgramcrackr on X (formerly Twitter)for updates — they also have aKofi page, should you wish to donate.
You can download the mod on thePixel Souls Demastered Nexus Mods page. Make sure you read through the installation instructions carefully, and note that while the moddoeswork with multiplayer, @Greatgramcrackr warns that you’ll likely get banned if you try to play online with it. Connect to FromSoftware’s servers at your own risk.
Dark Souls: Remastereditself is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. While you’ll need the PC version in order to enjoy this mod specifically, it’s a landmark action RPG that gamers on every platform should play.
Dark Souls: Remastered
Experience the legendary ARPG that put FromSoftware on the map, now with modern optimizations, password multiplayer support, high-res visuals, and more. If you get the PC version of the game, you can then use Pixel Souls Demastered to downgrade everything to a pixel art style for a distinct retro feel!
See at:Steam (GMG)|Amazon (Xbox)
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Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
