If there were ANY doubts that Dark Souls II would “go casual” among the pack of journalist-types who attended Namco Bandai’s Global Gamers Day last week here in NYC, those were squashed VERY flat by the mighty throwing of one VERY large axe by an enemy during a demonstration of the game. While the team at FromSoftware’s main design goal is to make the game more “accessible” to players, to the producers that word (which means “casual” to some gamers) meant accessibility ONLY in terms of making sure the game’s pacing put players into even MORE dangerous situations much faster than in Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls. Fetch-questing for NPCs has been minimized and backtracking through enemy infested areas is out (although you CAN choose to explore anywhere you like), replaced by a refined warp system and areas where surviving enemies and the insanely deadly environments will become your primary challenges.

The demonstration showed off some major improvements starting with an all-new graphics engine that looked quite incredible for a work in progress. The armored knight in the demo was buffed up for the occasion so the team could make short work of enemies in order to get through sections quickly, but this didn’t mean there wasn’t trouble, as the poor guy playing the build died a few times thanks to some fast enemies getting stabby or a well-thrown axe knocking that knight off a precarious perch. Combat moves for player characters is now motion captured, so there’s going to be an even more solid sense of realism in battles. Well, at least you’ll die a lot more realistically…

Lighting also gets a boost, as torches come into play as usable items. Darkness is still part of the game’s levels, but now you can light up a torch and carry it around instead of relying on the game to give you lighting options as part of the maps. Of course, you need to realistically swap in your weapon or shield if you run into any wee or wide beasties out to do you in, so there’s a balance between seeing what’s ahead and dealing with it (or them) once you’re spotted. I’m hoping the team add the ability to drop torches like flares or ignite flammable substances to temporarily brighten the creepier caves, as fighting in the dark is definitely not something I liked doing in that Prepare to Die expansion.

Environments will also present an added challenge, as they’re going to be a LOT more interactive and dangerous than in the other games. We got to see an excellent example of this in one level where a massive dragon skeleton came to life and charged at the hero, who dodged out of the way as the skeleton crashed through a wall, creating a passage to a new part of the map. Everyone in the room was expecting a boss battle, but the map here was an interesting one that focused on building a complete sense of dread. Initially, no enemies appeared in this section, but between the gloomy setting, traps and build-up generated tension, by the time a door was eventually reach with a rather large monster behind it, you could feel everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief.

That ‘relief” didn’t last, however. The big brute was trapped behind that thick door with only a barred window in that door the only way to get its attention. A crossbow bolt fired through the bars riled the beast up and when he smashed THROUGH the door (taking out part of the wall in the process) and came after the knight, we all jumped in our seats a little. For a big thing, that creature was fast and packed a special attack where if one doesn’t dodge fast enough, you’ll end up crushed under the creature when it lands on you. Two attempts later and it was downed, but again, the demo was played using a powerful hero and that monster certainly won’t go down in a mere four or five swings in the final game.

There’s a bigger emphasis on player freedom here, but the team wants players to know that the game will be even more challenging for those who want to do some roaming around outside of where the story takes them. Mid-level bosses will make appearances in some areas and of course, expect to be walking with that shield held up when you head into any new area, as we all know what happens when you’re unprepared in this game world. As for online play, it’s now entirely server-based, meaning things should run a lot more smoothly, gestures from the last game carry over here (and some will attract monsters to you if used at the wrong moments) and anything else will be revealed as development progresses.

The final thing we were shown was a video of assorted death scenes, all of them hilarious examples of players not paying attention to their surroundings and/or trying to rush through areas that demanded more attention. From getting run over by a super-fast chariot (a mid-level boss), to getting knocked about and off a dangerous wooden bridge by some flying dragons, death is going to be the new hobby for some players out there. That said, veteran Souls fans have nothing to worry about at ALL. Accessibility in Dark Souls II merely means more choices in how you deal with what the game throws at you, not adding in an “easy” mode or making the gameplay more like a hack & slash.

King’s Field fans will also be pleased because the game truly carries on the spirit of those original PlayStation and PS2 games perfectly (so yeah, it’s time form some of you old farts to upgrade and buy a PS3). The game is still in development, so that “December 31, 2013” date you see if you click on the pre-order link on the official site will get an update once From has more to show off and Namco Bandai nails down just when they’ll be completed. PS3, 360 and PC owners should start Preparing to BUY now, as I’m predicting this will be one surefire smash when it finally does launch…