So, when the first trailer dropped I was not loving the prospect of this remaster. From what I could tell, it wasn't going to be much of an improvement and whatever changes that did exist might be downgrades, such as the lighting. I feared the worst.
And twenty minutes ago I just platinumed Dark Souls Remastered (PS4 regular).
If it wasn't clear, I'm actually very pleased with the remaster. It's not perfect, but my only complaint at this point is that in a few specific areas the lighting definitely misses out on the atmosphere of the original [places like the Fair Lady's bonfire area, the painted world, the part of undead parish on the outside with the balder knights and bridge, etc]. But the lighting is actually not a disaster like I was expecting, and about 90-95% of the charm of the original is preserved in my opinion. Beyond that, the 60fps or whatever other tweaks to the combat occasionally make the game a little too smooth for my liking, but for the most part it feels pretty faithful.
I love that Blighttown doesn't feel like it's going to crash any second, as it did a few times on my PS3 [the only times I remember my PS3 ever actually crashing]. I appreciate the quality of life upgrades like multi-use of items. The graphics improvements, while in some cases small, really make a difference to me in key locations. I've always loved the look of Darkroot Garden, and the slight upgrade was just enough to improve the things I didn't like about it, like the glowing flowers that were just a little too paper cut-out-looking when you get close. I'm near-sighted and my glasses don't give me perfect vision, so having a bit more clarity and definition all over is really nice for me.
I can't speak to version differences, but after two and half game cycles on my PS4 (non-pro), I've not noticed any real bugs or glitches. Very happy with the performance.
As for the game itself, I've had a good run. Rushed to platinum the game so I wouldn't have to think of trophies ever again. Really only the rare weapons trophy is a pain. And boy was it a pain, but it's all behind me now! The Bed of Chaos? Beat her on my first try, possibly for the first time ever out of all of my lifetime playthroughs (probably at least 7). NG+ Bed of Chaos wasn't so lucky though. I think it took at least 8 if not 12 tries. I can't tell if the smoothness of the remaster has made the game easier to me (dodge-roll timing seemed a lot easier than I remember it ever being), and/or my experience has just made me a better player, but most bosses seemed easier to me. Artorias and Manus were 1st-try wins, as were most other bosses I've historically struggled with. Kalameet's tail cut was a pain, but once I got it, the battle itself only took 2 tries. Balder Side Sword+15 with Sunlight Blade made things aggressively easy when I got them in the second half of new game plus.
Overall, glad to eat a little crow on the remaster.
