JonathanDC64/Soulbrandt

What it is

Soulbrandt converts the original PS3 release of Demon's Souls into native Windows and Linux code, so the game runs without an emulator. It relies on ps3recomp, a PS3 recompiler and runtime, to lift the game's code into a form that can be compiled against a native port layer.

The port adds modern rendering up to 4K and 240 fps with fixed game timing, ultrawide and 16:10 support, HDR, keyboard and mouse plus Xbox/DualSense/DualShock 4 controllers, HUD layout controls, and optional changes such as stat respec and omni-directional rolls while locked on. It also runs its own online server for messages, bloodstains, co-op and invasions. The first release, 0.1.0, is an alpha that reportedly can be completed start to finish, but not every area and setting combination has been tested.

How to play

The release is a prebuilt program that builds the game on your machine from your own disc files. You need the US PS3 version (BLUS30443, v1.00) as a folder containing PS3_GAME; ISO images are not accepted yet. RPCS3 is used only to decrypt the encrypted game files, and an internet connection is needed during setup to download a compiler and Python.

1. Download the Windows zip or Linux tarball from Releases and unpack it into its own folder.
2. Run Soulbrandt.exe (or Soulbrandt on Linux) to open setup.
3. Choose Import from RPCS3 to unlock the game files and optionally import saves and trophies, or I have decrypted files if you already have EBOOT.elf and the .sdat files.
4. Start the build. It runs locally, may take a while, and writes about 4 GB into AppData on Windows or ~/.local/share on Linux; change the build folder first if needed.
5. Pick the Original or Enhanced preset, configure HDR and your online name, then press Play.

Windows may show a "Windows protected your PC" prompt for the unsigned executable; the how-to-play section instructs clicking More info and Run anyway. On Linux, glibc 2.35 or newer, a Vulkan driver, curl and tar are required; Vulkan is the primary renderer, with a fallback to the older renderer through vkd3d.

For source builds, follow the documented toolchain and code-lifting steps: clone the repository and ps3recomp, decrypt EBOOT.BIN with RPCS3, convert the game code with the provided scripts, then compile the runtime and des_boot with CMake and Ninja. Builds are machine-specific and must not be shared because they contain code derived from your game copy.

Constraints

• Only the US version BLUS30443 v1.00 is supported; the European version is under investigation and other versions are unsupported.
• The current setup cannot read ISO files; RPCS3 or manually decrypted files are required to unlock the game data.
• macOS is unsupported. Linux is newer and less tested than Windows; the README reports runs in WSL and one Steam Deck test, with the Vulkan renderer not yet exercised on a real Linux graphics driver.
• On-screen button prompts always show PlayStation buttons regardless of the keyboard or controller in use.
• Online play is enabled by default and connects to the project's own server; the privacy note describes what the server retains. RPCS3 players use different servers and cannot be met.
• Menu settings can be overridden by environment variables sharing the same names.
• The repository's own code is MIT-licensed, but the project ships no game code, game files, firmware or keys, and is not affiliated with Sony, FromSoftware or Atlus.

HotRepo's take

Soulbrandt has 301 stars and 8 forks, and in the C++ weekly snapshot dated 2026-11-07 it recorded 177 new stars and a best rank of 13. That is a strong one-week movement, but it is the only recorded snapshot, so the data supports that week's fact rather than a sustained trend.

The distribution model is the main thing to weigh: users download a prebuilt executable that builds from proprietary disc data, and the README documents source builds in detail but does not verify the binary-to-source relationship. For a project this young, that is the practical question readers should resolve before running the release.