Dark Souls 2 is not due to be launched on PS3, PC and Xbox 360 until March 2014 but today Namco Bandai's released a fact sheet for the title which has been obtained by Electronic Threatre and notes that the game will maintain the series' "renowned" difficulty.
Described as an "unique, old-school action RPG experience" Namco Bandai comments that the game "brings the franchise's renowned difficulty & gripping innovation to both single and multiplayer experiences."
According to the fact sheet Dark Souls 2 allows players to engage "against intense gameplay in a vast world powered by an all new engine that leaps graphics, sound & FX forward like never before."
In the game players will be confronted by "a labyrinth of monsters and bosses" that "could only come from the imagination of FromSoftware."
Darks Souls 2 will also offer a broader, more intricate, array of customisation option for weapons and armour so that they can be tailored to player style.
Speaking to GameInformer director Yui Tanimura addressed concerns over the game's "accesibility" saying that Dark Souls 2 will not be easier.
"The reason why we used the word accesible was not to say that the games is going to be easier by any means. We're maintaining the difficulty and we think the challenges are required.
"What we meant was, there are certain aspects of the game where it didn't really have a direct connection to the sense of satisfaction of overcoming [the challenges]. There were things that were a little bit time consuming or a little bit tedious that we wanted to streamline. In terms of accessibility, what we meant was a more streamlined experience to deliver the more pure essence of Dark Souls."
Tanimura also reiterated his previous comments that the game is not currently planned for PS4 or Xbox One.