Old Artorias turned out to be kind of a jerk.
Dark Souls, as you may know, is one of my all time favorite games so, even though I’d already played through the Prepare to Die Edition on the PC (even after putting way too many hours in on the Xbox 360 version), I still had to go and grab the Artorias of the Abyss DLC when it finally hit the console versions of the game. The Artorias of the Abyss DLC adds new content to what is already a huge game, but is it enough to pull seasoned players out of retirement?
What You Get
The Artorias of the Abyss adds new, high level, areas to the world of Dark Souls. These new areas are set aside from the rest of the world and are meant to be played as their own, self-contained adventure, complete with new bosses, new treasure and new story pieces that reveal more about the famed Knight Artorias and the land of Oolacile.
The new areas follow the same themes that made the original game so great; large explorable areas contrasted with claustrophobic hallways filled with enemies, tough bosses and plenty of secret treasures and areas. If you liked what the game had to offer in its original form, you’re going to love exploring these new areas on a quest to defeat all of their enemies, and find all of their new loot.
The Artorias of the Abyss DLC also introduces a new, dedicated Player Vs Player arena that can be accessed after defeating the second boss. Players who prefer invading other player’s worlds can still do so, but the Gazebo of Stoicism offers new four player free-for-all, and two-on-two team matches. If you want more info on the new content you can read our Prepare to Die Edition review, as it goes more in depth the new features.
Verdict
Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer on your third New Game+, or a deadly PvP raider, every fan of Dark Souls should get the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. Experienced players will likely clear the new areas in around 6-8 hours and the PvP options are endless. Now, let’s just hope From Software are hard at work on a new Souls game, while we’re busy with this.
Release Date: October 23rd, 2012
Price: $14.99
