If you played Demon’s Souls on the PS3, you might have admired the game’s clever level design, rewarding gameplay, and innovative multiplayer. You also developed a deep appreciation for tower shields.

Like a really good habanero sauce, developer From Software’s dungeon crawler was as punishing as it was addictive, so it’s great that we’ll be getting more Souls straight from the source this year – although it won’t technically be a real sequel.  Since Sony owns the rights to Demon’s Souls, From Software and publisher Namco Bandai will be releasing Dark Souls as a spiritual successor to 2009’s PS3 exclusive. Here’s the first trailer, which premiered at a Namco Bandai press event in San Francisco earlier today:

Welp, that’s Demon’s Souls for sure, right down to the implausibly-armored monsters and co-op ghosts. Early word suggests that Dark Souls will also carry over the messaging system that lets you communicate with other logged-in demon hunters via notes scrawled on the floor. 360 owners needn’t feel left out this time around, since this game won’t be a console exclusive. Expect it in stores during the Holiday 2011 Game Ragnarok.

Dark Souls is refreshingly free from the tyranny of apostrophes. Reflect on this in the comments section below.

Source: Joystiq