Highlights

  • Old King Allant offers a combat-focused challenge, a break from gimmicky boss fights in Demon's Souls.
  • The theme of facing bosses in their prime is seen in Allant, setting the stage for future Soulsborne games.
  • Allant represents the corrupting power of souls, urging players not to succumb to the hunger for power.

With so many boss fights in Demon's Souls including some sort of gimmick meant to be figured out in order to come out victorious, Old King Allant is a welcome change of pace for the final challenge of the game. Instead of a test of perception and wit forcing victory through some key feature of the fight, this becomes a fight more in line with FromSoftware's later boss designs that ask for mastery over combat above all else.

Beyond the commitment to gameplay that Old King Allant embodies, the themes of what this boss really is will later be reflected beyond Demon's Souls and into the future of the Soulsborne series. These are themes about larger-than-life figures in their primes, as well as what happens to them as they continue to progress well beyond the highest points in the lore.

demon's souls adjudicator
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Fighting King Allant in His Distant Prime

A Final Test of Combat Skill

False King Allant

When compared to later FromSoftware titles, the combat of Demon's Souls is among the most primitive of these 3rd-person entries, although it does still hold many of the deliberate hallmarks of the developer's gameplay. So, even if it is an early version of the combat that would eventually evolve all the way from Dark Souls through to Elden Ring, there is still plenty to engage with against most regular enemies. This is what makes the fight against Old King Allant so refreshing in the final moments before the end, as he blocks players from the finish line with a legitimate challenge of the game's systems.

The fight against Old King Allant itself might come from an older game, but it does still remain on par with later final bosses, like Gwyn and Soul of Cinder. With combos that can't simply be rolled or blocked with a single input, the Old King keeps players on their toes when stuck on the defensive, and offers only a few chances to punish in response. It makes for a tense fight that would set the stage for future Soulsborne games to improve on Demon's Souls' combat without the gimmicks that generally define the rest of the game.

Proving the Player's Worth by Beating the Allant in His Prime

Allant Demon's Souls

In following the common themes of the grimdark style of the Soulsborne series, many enemies and even final bosses are often faced well after the peak of their power and influence. This is the case for bosses like Gwyn in Dark Souls, and even Radagon and Elden Beast in Elden Ring, all of which are fallen versions of their former selves that need to be put out of their misery. The same even goes for the eventual fight against the True King Allant at the end of Demon's Souls, but the illusion of Old King Allant still forces players to go face-to-face with the boss at both his strongest and weakest.

This concept of fighting a boss in their prime is rarely repeated in the FromSoftware catalog, not seen again until Isshin, the Sword Saint in Sekiro's better endings. It is a theme that helps to push the power fantasy that comes with fighting and defeating literal gods and demons, although that isn't often exactly the theme that the developer is always trying to tell with its stories. However, it does work for Demon's Souls as the game uses victory against the peak strength Old King Allant to showcase the corrupting power of devouring souls for power.

The Old King as a Shadow of Demon's Souls' Corruption

demon's souls true king allant

The final thing that Old King Allant represents to players is the heights that the Slayer of Demons can achieve if he is to take the power of souls for themselves in the end. It is one of the strongest cases for a player to take Demon's Souls' evil ending, as they are directly shown how powerful they will become if they succumb to the power offered by the souls of Demons. However, the fact that this is a false illusion of King Allant should sway players from this choice, as it becomes painfully obvious how the Demons decay and corrupt those that focus entirely on a hunger for power.

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