Although quite unforgiving and challenging to average gamers, this game should be on the wish lists of hardcore gamers!
Having said that, anyone who just Loves a good action game in itself will be amazed by just the sheer brawn of versatility and gameplay style. Most action gamers just duck their heads when they hear the acronym "RPG", but this game will draw many players into improving their stats without even realizing it was an "RPG" game in the first place. At first glance, you will immediately be drawn into the character customization, but will be dismayed if you have not the patience to spend at least 20 minutes creating him/her how you want them to look. And when you choose a class, fear not, for it does not 'bind' you to a chain, making you feel more or less useful than your counterparts, since you are able to shape your characters. The broad ways in which you can shape the character are unbelievable, but should be considered early, as your 'soul level' gets harder to increase. For example, I started off as Hunter, which has low Faith [miracle power] and Magic to begin with. Hunters benefit a lot from high dexterity due to bow strength, but not all enemies are weak against pierce attacks, which forces you to start using other weapons that do different types of damage. Some weapons are heavier and require more strength, and some magical weapons require more Magic or Intelligence to wield.
As far as combat goes, you will start to notice that the AI is pretty smart for an action RPG. They all use a variety of different weapons from crossbows to longswords, and from Magic to Huge clubs that will send you flying if you do not have a decent shield and Stamina. Interesting enough, enemies also use tactics, such as defending a certain area, or luring you to a nice spot near the edge of the cliff, just to send you flying off. Enemies can do lots of damage, but thankfully that with every stat you increase, your defense increases as well. So if you choose to be a flat-out pure mage, you can do lots of damage, and sustain a good deal of damage. The good news is that it doesnt matter what armor you wear to cast spells, although you would eventually have to invest in Strength and Endurance to wear them.
Most of your time spent playing, especially the first time through, will be getting used to the unique areas that you will do battle. As frequent as death comes, it is usually the player who tends to believe in him/herself to take an extra step....Off the cliff or run into an ambush without taking caution of the sounds and signs nearby. While there are sometimes plenty of hints [and in multiplayer, players can put messages on the ground to warn players and/or lead them to their deaths].
The variety of weapons in this game ample, and you can upgrade each one to your liking [ie. poisonous dagger, sharp dagger to make foes bleed, or simply have one imbued with magic]. Would you like to wield a dagger in your left hand for slashing and parrying while wielding a huge deadly hammer in your right hand to finish your foe? Would you like to hold a wand [catalyst] to cast magic and a shield in the other hand to protect yourself? Or do you want to go samurai style and use a katana with both hands? These kinds of options are all up to the player to decide how to handle their situations.
Last but not least, multi-player. I find the multi player somewhat unique. Players can leave their soul signs [while in soul form] for other players to touch and join their parties. This can be very useful because not only will you not be alone falling to your death, you can team up against nasty players who will want to invade your world and kill you. Always a funny sight because everything is quite random, and they do not know how many people they will meet before they fall. Also, when players die, they leave bloodstains for others to see exactly how that character died, which can also be useful when venturing in an unknown area. While you can only see the ghost of them moving around and 'slashing the air' or 'falling off the cliff', you can best believe that they probably just saved you of wondering whats that noise behind those vases!
All in all, Demon's Souls is a lengthy game that will keep you playing for hours and hours finding ways to survive your playthroughs, and if you are max level and have all trophies, you can strive to be a top player in the games 'leaderboard'.