Taking shots of Demon's Souls was unlike screenshotting any other game on Vertical Gaming Photography. This is the remake of one of my favourite titles ever, if not THE favourite. In 2009, when I imported an English copy from Hong Kong, it was a complete shock. It was so obscure, so hard, so old-school and yet so ground-breaking, fascinating and constantly surprising. Going back to Boletaria more than 10 years later on a new generation hardware was something unique and personal. On the other hand, as Demon's Souls is all but player-friendly, it is all the more resistant to my shooting style. No recognizable main character, no dramatic facial expressions, NPCs spending most of their time sitting in the Nexus, only bossfights to showcase vivid colors. Above all, no strategic saves allowed and death looming each time you attempt memorable poses. Yet, knowing and loving the game so much already, I was determined to translate its core themes and moods into my trademark iconic photography. Struggle, dispair, bravery, frustration, resilience, helplessness, disproportioned battles, purging the filth, advancing through adversities, physical end emotional dead ends, desecrated places and, of course, Death. In the end, it all came together in a 14 shots gallery, significantly smaller than my recent works, and closer in size and spirit to what I did with Shadow of the Colossus.
Of the 14 shots making up this gallery, 4 required some minor aftertouches. MASS DESTRUCTION and FIREWALL's perspective was perfected to achieve perpendicular lines. HERE BE DRAGONS was added a little contrast and saturation. MOON PRESENCE required a second exposition for the moon, otherwise over-exposed to ensure clarity to the rest. Demon's Souls (2020) is a PS5 exclusive, so all pictures were taken on this platform in Cinematics Mode (native 4K).
No Post-Production (ingame Photo Mode only): VISIBLE WALL, PER ASPERA, PEEK-AXE-BOO, LEECH BREACH, ONWARD, NERD HELPLESSNESS, BEYOND REPAIR, LAVA AFFAIR, INHUMAN FLAG, ARMORED LORE
Minor Post-Production: HERE BE DRAGONS (contrast and saturation adjustment), MOON PRESENCE (double exposition), MASS DESTRUCTION (perspective correction), FIREWALL (perspective correction)