An early build of FromSoftware's influential action RPG, Demon's Souls, once featured a playable first-person mode, according to newly discovered footage from a 2007 developer presentation. Lance McDonald, a dataminer known for uncovering hidden game content, shared early gameplay, images, and presentation slides from an internal Sony Computer Entertainment showcase.
These materials, compiled by Japan Studio's PD#3, reveal that the game, then a working title, was envisioned as a "worldwide blockbuster" set in "cursed locations" and populated by "enemies and twisted mutants and creatures, bosses, gigantic chaos beyond the knowledge of this universe." While many elements from the presentation made it into the final 2009 release, the camera perspective was significantly different. The prototype footage demonstrates a player character engaging in combat entirely from a first-person viewpoint, a feature McDonald states was a selectable option at the time.
The prototype's third-person camera also differed from the final game, automatically following the player instead of offering free rotation. The left analog stick was apparently used for strafing and backsteps, a control scheme that McDonald suggests bears a deliberate resemblance to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The presentation also highlighted cut content, including snake-headed enemies that would later appear in Dark Souls' Sen's Fortress, and touched upon the ghost mechanic that became a series staple.
An unexpected reference to South Park was also found in the slides. A screenshot from the "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode was used by Japan Studio to illustrate the "stereotype image for MMO RPG gamers" that the team aimed to avoid with Demon's Souls' unique blend of offline and online role-playing elements. McDonald's previous discoveries include an unused Elden Ring cutscene that provided additional lore context.