One of Sony's nine first party PS3 surprises from the Tokyo Game Show appears to have been let out of the bag a bit early. Famitsu got the first word in its latest issue on Demon's Souls.

Players start off this action-RPG with a "dark fantasy" theme by creating their very own character, setting name, gender, hair style and other areas. They then set off on a journey deep into the heart of Voletaria, a kingdom of warriors that was destroyed with the appearance of beasts and demons.

While described as an action-RPG, Demon's Souls appears to be heavy on the action component. Players face off against huge beasts, some many dozen times the size of their character, making use of a variety of weapons. Depending on your weapon of choice, the feel of the action will change accordingly. Even individual weapons will offer play style changes depending on if used with one or both hands.

Demon's Souls is being directed by From's Hidetaka Miyazaki, who served as director on Armored Core 4, and produced by Sony's Takeshi Kaji. The two shared a few insights with Famitsu into the game's creation.

Kaji explained that he's personally a big fan of From's games, in particular the King's Field series. The project started when he ended up visiting From's offices and asked if they might consider making a sequel. They ended up deciding to work on a project of some form together.

The two made particular note of the level of freedom the game offers players. Outside of creating their character, players are also pretty much free to approach the game as they please. There's only a limited purpose to the game. Even if a character asks you to save the world, you can ignore them and still progress.

Demon's Souls is set for a 2009 Japanese release. A playable version will be on display at TGS.

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