(Note: this hack was played on Normal Mode, alongside the INT/Luck Fix patch. Soma was Lv. 48 at the end of the game).

With a few caveats, I was ready to recommend this hack as a must-have for players wishing to replay Aria of Sorrow. The majority of changes served to breathe new life into the game, and I found myself using weapons and souls I would originally ignore or sell immediately. The reworked equipment and Yellow Souls also aided in making builds that favor either STR or INT, without feeling biased towards one or the other. Most importantly, the Claimh Solais got a much-needed nerf, allowing weapons such as the Dainslef or Balmung to shine.

However, where this hack falls apart lies within the changes made to the final boss, Chaos. It was given resistances to everything besides Holy damage, in addition to much higher HP and Defense. As a result, only 1-2 points of damage could be done to it, even with the best stats and loadout. Eliminating the four eyes at the corners of the screen did nothing to weaken it, and even hard-hitting souls such as Balore couldn’t break it.

It’s because of this that I cannot endorse this hack, despite the good things it does to the rest of the game. Ideally, an update would address the issues it has, but it’s not known if the hack’s creators are still active.