Demon's Souls is full of terrifying enemies and powerful foes, and players will have to face those demons if they want to progress through the game. Though the whole thing has a dreadful atmosphere to it, one of the more notably unsettling levels is the third Archstone, the Tower of Latria. While there's plenty that could be said about what makes this area so horrific, one of the key contributing factors is the Mind Flayer enemies that are unique to this Archstone. When players first encounter them, they are serving as guards for the Prison of Hope, and stand in between players and the area's boss.
Due to Demon's Souls' non-linear story progression, players can enter this area as soon as they finish world 1-1 theoretically. That would make for a challenging experience to be sure, as the enemies here are difficult even for well-leveled and well-equipped players. Add into consideration the unique fear caused by the Mind Flayers and the rest of the level and things get intense very quickly. Though these enemies are certainly frightening, they are actually inspired by the Mind Flayers of Dungeons and Dragons. Digging into the lore of each, players will quickly discover that the original incarnation of these enemies is much more chilling.
Mind Flayers in Demon's Souls
As enemies, Mind Flayers are very powerful. They are capable of firing soul magic at the player and dealing heavy damage to those not resistant to magic. What's more, they can also shoot a blast that paralyzes characters, opening them up to a deadly follow-up attack. This follow-up attack is the crux of what makes the monster so intimidating. The Mind Flayer lifts the player's character up off the ground by grabbing their head with its tentacles and then swiftly impales them with another tentacle. This move does massive damage and is wholly unpleasant to look at.
They also can use magic to create an AoE burst, knocking the player down and setting up a combo into the paralysis blast. Alone this enemy is formidable, but in pairs they are capable of overwhelming players rather easily. The one saving grace that players have is their slow speed, as they can easily be maneuvered around. This means the best way to dispatch them is to simply backstab them before they have a chance to launch their AoE attack. This will subsequently leave them vulnerable enough to finish off.
Mind Flayers in D&D
Created by the progenitor of Dungeons and Dragons himself, Gary Gygax, the Mind Flayer is one of the most iconic creatures in the TTRPG to date. Also called Illithids, they look very similar in appearance to the ones from Demon's Souls but have a few extra abilities. Perhaps the most notable difference is that Mind Flayers in D&D draw their power from Psionics rather than Magic, making most of their effects undetectable. The paralysis bolt featured in Demon's Souls is a magical variant of the Mind Flayer's Mind Blast ability, with a succinct disadvantage that it can be dodged.
What truly makes Mind Flayers more terrifying in D&D is what they do after they've paralyzed a foe. Rather than simply impaling the target, an Illithid's tentacles will invade enemies through their mouth, ears, nose, and even eyes, working its way up towards the brain. Once inside, the brain is then eaten out of the victim while they are still alive in a torturous and painful process. Alternatively, some Mind Flayers use their Psionic and Arcane powers to enslave their victims, keeping them on the brink of death for use as a consistent food source and slave labor.
Behind the Scenes of the Prison of Hope
Though it's never explicitly shown whether Mind Flayers in Demon's Souls have these powers, a lot can be inferred by the state of the prisoners in the Prison of Hope level. Aside from Sage Freke, the Former Noble's Wife, and the phantom of Sir Rydell, every prisoner found in this level is emaciated and seemingly insane. They've lost any semblance of self (almost as if they've gone hollow) and instead look for any chance at salvation they can find, praying to the Fool's Idol for redemption and even to the player after being rescued.
It's clear that they've been tortured, as there are numerous grizzly torture devices scattered throughout the map, but it's implied that the Mind Flayers are capable of doing something more than physical torture. Whether or not this is something like the mind affecting abilities of D&D's Illithid or something else is unknown, but they're clearly capable of more than they let on. Though probably for the sake of creating more interesting gameplay, it seems strange that the Mind Flayers of the prison opt to kill the player rather than capture and torture them as they've done to so many others.
Mind Flayer Lore Comparison
All of this said, there is a big difference in the lore of the two creatures that could explain these other contrasting features. In Dungeons and Dragons, Mind Flayers are an advanced race of creatures capable of traversing the numerous planes of existence and enslaving civilizations as they go. At one point, much of the multiverse was under their grasp before a slave rebellion led by the Githyanki destroyed their empire. This caused them to retreat to the underdark where they live in relative secrecy terrifying any foolish enough to venture down.
By contrast, not much is known about the Mind Flayers of Demon's Souls. In this incarnation, they are a form of demon that accompanied the Old Monk when he returned to seek vengeance on Latria's people after his exile at the hand of the queen. They are clearly powerful as they were able to defeat and capture Sage Freke the Visionary, the most renowned mage in Demon's Souls, but beyond that the rest is unclear. Both incarnations are definitely not something to be trifled with, but the Dungeons and Dragons version definitely has an edge in terms of power and terrifying capabilities.
Demon's Souls is available now on PS5.
