Most of Demon’s Souls is spent battling unsightly demons and those that have lost their souls to these beasts, but there are a few fellow humans that players will encounter along the way. Those that still have their sanity such as Stockpile Thomas, the Dregling Merchant, Biorr of the Twin Fang, and others will often appear as allies to the player, but some manifest as Black Phantoms to try and kill them instead. While there are a plethora of Black Phantom NPCs that players will face (especially if they reach Pure Black World Tendency), there are three in particular that are very important to the lore of the game. Players will find these three Black Phantoms in world 1-4, the King’s Tower.
Although it is most likely the last area that players will explore, Demon’s Souls‘ story is non-linear and therefore can be approached in a variety of different ways. At the very least, players can’t get to this area until they’ve defeated six other bosses (not counting the Vanguard Demon in the tutorial). Even disregarding the power of the boss of the King’s Tower area, these three Black Phantoms can be very difficult to take down, especially if they are fought all at once.
The first of the three Black Phantoms found in the King’s Tower area is actually the spirit of Longbow Oolan. In Black Phantom form, they appear as a lightly armored archer wielding the White Bow, and can be very deadly from afar. Their arrows have very long range, making fighting them from a distance futile, and their projectiles travel faster than most bows would normally allow. It’s best to take them out by luring them away from the others or after the other two are dead, but this isn’t always an option.
Before the deep, colorless fog engulfed Boletaria, Longbow Oolan was one of King Allant’s trusted knights. Though their gender seems to be a point of confusion (characters sometimes refer to Oolan as a male but the Black Phantom version of Oolan is a female), they are described as an incredibly skilled archer with a fearsome legion under their command. After the demons came to Boletaria, Longbow Oolan lost their soul and they and their legions transformed into The Phalanx, the first boss in area 1-1. This Black Phantom version that the player fights is their soul still defending King Allant even after they’ve been slain twice.
Next, players will also see a Black Phantom wielding a large Tower Shield and the Scraping Spear. This is Alfred, Knight of the Tower, and another one of King Allant’s most trusted elite knights. When his shield is raised, Alfred takes no damage from physical attacks and highly reduced damage from both magic and fire. The only way to break past his defenses is to slip around behind him for a backstab or land a lucky parry and riposte. Thankfully, his spear moveset leaves him relatively open to backstabs, but he can be a difficult foe to take down when aided by the other two Black Phantoms.
Infamous for his towering size and massive shield, Alfred was the king’s shield, but he too fell when the demons arrived. After falling victim to them and losing his soul, Alfred was reincarnated as The Tower Knight, the boss of world 1-2. It doesn’t take much to see the resemblance between this Black Phantom and the boss of the Lord’s Path, and it is a testament to Alfred’s devotion to his king that he still defends him both as a demon and as a Black Phantom.
Finally, the third Black Phantom in the King’s Tower, and he is depicted as a moderately armored knight that wields the Penetrator’s Sword. This Black Phantom is actually the spirit of Metas, the Lance, yet another member of King Allant’s Round Table. If Oolan strikes down the king’s foes from afar and Alfred is the king’s shield, than Metas is the king’s sword, acting as his right-hand man. Defeating him is fairly easy if players manage to get him alone, although they should still be careful as his attacks deal high damage.
If it wasn’t already obvious, Metas fell to the demons just like the others did, and he too was reincarnated as a demon to continue protecting the king. The Penetrator is the boss of the Inner Ward, world 1-3, and represents the final challenge players must face before reaching the King’s Tower. Also like the others, Metas managed to return as a Black Phantom to once again attempt to keep the king safe from those that would harm him. Together, these three make a deadly team that is enough to fend off any that would challenge King Allant, but these aren’t the only elite knights that Allant employed.
The final two members of King Allant’s Round Table are Biorr and Vallarfax, the Twin Fangs. Players can encounter Biorr at the end of world 1-2 right before the Tower Knight Archstone, but this requires a key that is obtained in the Inner Ward (world 1-3). If players free Biorr before challenging the Penetrator, he will come to help in the fight. Later on in world 1-4, Biorr will also appear to help the player take down the Blue Dragon. He does not appear in Black Phantom form because he never lost his soul.
The other Twin Fang is called Vallarfax, and although players don’t get to meet him in the game, he is arguably one of the most important characters to the lore of Demon’s Souls. After the colorless, deep fog engulfed Boletaria and brought with it unspeakable horrors, Vallarfax of the Twin Fang was the only one that was able to penetrate the fog and make it back to the outside world. There he spread the story of what happened to Boletaria, sharing stories of the power of demon souls in order to entice heroes to brave the fog and save the land. This is ultimately what drew the player character to come to Boletaria, meaning the events of the game wouldn’t have happened if not for Vallarfax’s brave efforts.
Demon’s Souls is available now on PS5.
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