Prepare to die… again. Dark Souls II releases today

Bandai Namco’s latest volume of grueling combat has officially hit retail.

“Possessing both technical and esthetic improvements over its predecessor, DARK SOULS II represents the pinnacle of FromSoftware’s development prowess on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 systems,” says Chris Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “No other game combines the technical craft of videogame development with the delivery of true emotional highs and lows quite like the DARK SOULS franchise. Players must prepare themselves for a truly unique gaming experience and go beyond death once they enter the world of DARK SOULS II.”

Dark Souls’ runaway popularity continues almost in spite of its inherent difficulty. Sure the game is nail-bitingly hard (though some would argue that), but there’s such a massive payoff when you actually complete a task and take out an enemy that that difficulty is almost like a stairway to heaven… metaphorically speaking.

Strange categorizations aside, Dark Souls II is finally here to completely absorb your week, weekend, and any free tie that might exist in between. Publisher Bandai Namco describes the game as a “journey through a devastated world where every step can turn into a struggle for survival”, and if history is any indication, then Dark Souls II is going to be every bit of that.

You can grab a copy of Dark Souls II right now for the PS3 or Xbox 360. A PC version is on the way as well and should be available on April 25th.