Regular PlayStation Blog readers will be well aware of what a huge fan I am of From Software’s two phenomenal Souls action RPGs, so it is with great pleasure that I can announce that Demon’s Souls, the first game in the series, will be available as a digital download on PlayStation Store from tomorrow, priced at £15.99/€19.99.

Not only that, but as way of celebration, Artorias of the Abyss – Dark Souls’ recent DLC expansion – is on sale at a 38% discount (£6.49/€7.99, down from £9.99/€12.99). I can heartily recommend both purchases.

We had hoped to coax the games’ enigmatic creator Hidetaka Miyazaki onto the Blog to personally introduce Demon’s Souls to the uninitiated. While that wasn’t possible, Miyazaki-san was however kind enough to answer a few of my questions about the game. Read on…

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Hi everyone. Later today, From Software and Namco Bandai Games welcomes you back to the deadly world of Lordran. Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about Dark Souls, but more precisely about Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss, the new downloadable content pack released today on PlayStation Network.

This new content has been designed to satisfy the never-ending hunger for adventure and exploration of those players who haven’t yet lost their mind after countless deaths in the original game. It perfectly integrates the existing storyline and lets you unveil some mysteries about the lost kingdom of Oolacile and the (in)glorious past of Artorias, one of the four champions of Gwyn, the lord of Cinder.

As you can expect, the new maps are filled with terrible bosses and original fearsome monsters as well as tons of those deadly traps that have you bellowing “Noooooo” at the screen (and possibly tossing your controller in its general direction).

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“All the monsters I design, from Demon’s Souls to Dark Souls, are beautiful to me no matter how gruesome their appearance.” Dark Souls Director Hidetaka Miyazaki shared this bit of insight with me earlier this year in a PlayStation.Blog interview and the quote has bounced through my brain for more than six months. Since then, I’ve been wanting to get a closer look at the game’s stunning creature designs, all of which are plucked from the further reaches of Miyazaki’s fevered imagination.

Luckily, today’s the day. For the viewing pleasure of PlayStation.Blog readers, From Software and Namco Bandai have collected a host of rare concept artwork accompanied by design notes from Miyazaki himself. Miyazaki also wanted to pass along a greeting just for PlayStation.Blog readers: “I am hoping all of you experience meaningful deaths many times in the game. I know that the game is challenging, but I want you to keep trying to overcome any difficulty you face in the game. And please feel a great sense of achievement when overcoming a difficulty!”

Read on for the full gallery. If you do pick up Dark Souls, keep us updated with your character build, equipment, and winning strategies. I have a hunch we’ll be needing all the help we can get…

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