I remember playing Demon's Souls for the first time, and being completely overwhelmed! I've never played a game so unforgiving up to that point, and wasn't sure how to tackle it.
It wouldn't be until Dark Souls that the formula truly clicked with me, and once it did I revisited Demon's Souls. Which, has become one of my favorites as well!
I haven't played it yet, but I'm very much looking forward to checking out the remake on the PS5. Bluepoint did such an amazing job not only updating the graphics, but also the gameplay!