Dark Souls is, in a word, magnificent. I'd lived my entire life yearning for something like it, but due to the reputation it's garnered I thought that it wouldn't be something I'd enjoy. Not necessarily due to the overall difficulty of the game, but I had perceived that there was a complicated barrier to entry in order to play and enjoy the game. This game is shockingly simple to play on the most basic level, but the game's difficulty invites the player, or perhaps forces the player, to gain an intricate knowledge of the game's world and systems.
I'd never played a game that demanded so much from me before I played Dark Souls. A game which places a great barrier before you, and says, in a stern tone, you don't get to see any more of me until you can figure this out. I was instantly enraptured with the setting of Lordran, a setting at times both majestic and miserable. I powered through this game over the course of a week, living and eating and breathing Dark Souls.
I love absolutely every second of this game, including Lost Izalith and the Tomb of the Giants, because this game encapsulates the idea of an adventure so well. It doesn't feel like a world in which my triumph is an expected and obvious outcome. It's unfair, uncompromising. It's almost unbelievable how thrilling it feels to be well and truly challenged by a game.
I love the quirkiness of the game's mechanics, I love how there's a Resistance stat that seemingly does absolutely nothing. I've never once invested in the stat, but its appearance on the level up screen makes me happy in some unexplainable way. Dark Souls is a truly secretive game, in an era where every minute detail of a game is thoroughly and completely explained. Modern games have "secrets", but they feel intended to be found on some level. Dark Souls' secrets feel enthralling to come across, with entire areas and dedicated development time behind places where the average player may never come across. I never found Ash Lake on my first playthrough, and when I heard it existed I immediately started a new run, and beelined my way over.
Dark Souls is difficult and frustrating at times, but it's also a deeply joyful game. Beating a hard boss, finding a Bonfire when you have no more flasks, or even just finding a cool weapon feel one hundred times more rewarding than contemporary titles because the stakes of the world surrounding your gameplay make them feel like genuine victories on a personal level. I nearly cried tears of joy the first time I beat Ornstein and Smough. No other game has made me FEEL in the ways that Dark Souls has.
I'd never played a game that demanded so much from me before I played Dark Souls. A game which places a great barrier before you, and says, in a stern tone, you don't get to see any more of me until you can figure this out. I was instantly enraptured with the setting of Lordran, a setting at times both majestic and miserable. I powered through this game over the course of a week, living and eating and breathing Dark Souls.
I love absolutely every second of this game, including Lost Izalith and the Tomb of the Giants, because this game encapsulates the idea of an adventure so well. It doesn't feel like a world in which my triumph is an expected and obvious outcome. It's unfair, uncompromising. It's almost unbelievable how thrilling it feels to be well and truly challenged by a game.
I love the quirkiness of the game's mechanics, I love how there's a Resistance stat that seemingly does absolutely nothing. I've never once invested in the stat, but its appearance on the level up screen makes me happy in some unexplainable way. Dark Souls is a truly secretive game, in an era where every minute detail of a game is thoroughly and completely explained. Modern games have "secrets", but they feel intended to be found on some level. Dark Souls' secrets feel enthralling to come across, with entire areas and dedicated development time behind places where the average player may never come across. I never found Ash Lake on my first playthrough, and when I heard it existed I immediately started a new run, and beelined my way over.
Dark Souls is difficult and frustrating at times, but it's also a deeply joyful game. Beating a hard boss, finding a Bonfire when you have no more flasks, or even just finding a cool weapon feel one hundred times more rewarding than contemporary titles because the stakes of the world surrounding your gameplay make them feel like genuine victories on a personal level. I nearly cried tears of joy the first time I beat Ornstein and Smough. No other game has made me FEEL in the ways that Dark Souls has.