It’s been asked before, in the philosophy of games debate that rages on amongst critics, if players should ever die in a well made game. It’s a strange statement, that’s to be sure, since few could actually name a title where they haven’t seen a “Game Over” or “You Are Dead” screen, and the games that do incorporate some sense of immortality are usually lambasted for it (the recent Prince of Persia comes to mind). However, it’s still worth thinking about, because if good games immerse the player, than there is nothing more immersion-breaking than character death.

In other words, it seems like the median of the two schools of thought – one thinking that death is overdone and one thinking that it’s necessary – is to have the fear of death, but hope that gamers never actually experience their mortality. Games like Shadow of the Colossus do a fantastic job balancing this concept, creating an experience that can be difficult, with the possibility of the player dying, without resorting to one-shot kills, or trial-and-error game design.

No matter which side of the "death in games" argument you’re on, Demon’s Souls does it wrong.