Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin Tech Analysis

Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry has had the chance to analyze the technical make-up of a PlayStation 4 copy of Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin, the altered re-release of Dark Souls II for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, and produced two detailed articles and a number of accompanying videos as a result.

In the first article, Digital Foundry compares the performance and overall fidelity of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game, primarily basing the comparisons on the Forest of the Fallen Giants area. A snippet:

The art design of Dark Souls 2’s world, compromised on last-gen with low-res textures and sub-native alpha, now attacks in full force. Normal map quality is boosted, and new assets are drawn for mountain-sides around the Forest of Fallen Giants area. From effects to shadows to motion blur, the settings are cranked up on every front – making the upgrade from PS3 very stark indeed.

But it’s more than that. Dark Souls 2’s lighting is updated for this new edition, creating a more vivid, high-contrast look than any earlier release. Of course, the world is crisper on PS4 by dint of the 1080p push, but outdoors areas are re-lit, in places brighter as a result, and details now pop out more vividly. Those who recall the footage of Dark Souls 2’s earlier builds, featuring textures, geometry and lighting not used in the end product, will see a similarity in this release’s stronger lighting.

It’s a clear improvement, helping with visibility while emboldening the forest area’s sharp texture details. For interiors, it has the knock-on effect of creating thicker ambient occlusion outlines around each object, though this shading effect is thankfully more subdued outdoors. Both PS3 and 360 produce a duller image in direct comparison, but where dungeon design is concerned, the PS4 relies on the same geometry as the existing last-gen build.

The second article broadens its scope to include comparisons with the original DX9 PC version of the game and a couple of additional areas, Heide’s Tower of Flame and No-Man’s Wharf:

First up, Dark Souls 2’s lighting and shadows get a sizeable overhaul in the upgraded Scholar edition. PS4 textures and geometry are a match for the original PC version at its highest settings in almost every case. However, due to the physically-based setup of the game’s lighting, many of these surfaces appear transformed under the new lighting model. Grander areas like Heide’s Tower of Flame are brighter, and texture details benefit from added contrast – making each divot and crack in nearby rocks pop out.

Added to that, effects like soul trails, exploding bombs, and magic spells all light up the nearby environment on PS4 (while the current PC edition leaves walls unaffected). As a result, it’s difficult to recognise the original texture map unless you look close, but the pixel detail is always the same when put under the magnifying glass. It’s a gorgeously worked effect – one that stamps your impact on the world as you battle through it.

Ambient occlusion is much improved too. As with the last-gen releases, the current PC edition (based on DirectX 9) produces a distracting shimmer beneath grass, with shaded elements rendered at a lower resolution. This is likely a hangover from the curtailed PS3 and 360 editions, but at resolutions of 1080p and above, this sticks out like a sore thumb. A more refined solution is now locked in for Scholar of the First Sin, making each pool of shade blend in smoothly with the surrounding area.

As I imagine a sizable chunk of our readers is composed of PC players, I’m going to take the liberty to embed the PC vs PS4 comparison video they included in the latter article:

It’s worth noting that there’s already a bevy of graphical mods for the PC version of the title, and while I personally find many of them to be too extreme and heavy on the contrast, they might make up for the DX11 improvements in the new PC version for at least some players, especially considering they are free. In addition to that, it’s difficult to say how large a scope the item and enemy placement changes will encompass, and how much the experience will change as a result. At this point, I’m starting to feel like a pricing strategy announcement is long overdue on Bandai Namco and From Software’s part.