Speaking as a seasoned loser of Souls, playing the first two hours of Dark Souls 2doesn't provide the culture shock of the previous two games. Demon's Soulsbellows its cruelty by killing you mercilessly within minutes of starting, whileDark Souls literally sends you round in a circle like some kind of sick joke, but there isn't something in the opening of From's latest action-RPG that screams out "I am what Dark Souls 2 is!" Not that this is a bad thing.
If there is something that defines the opening beyond its genetics, it's a new attention to accessibility. Yet that DNA of slow, torturous exploration remains encouragingly unscathed.