Man VS Dark Souls or: How I learned to love to die

FROM SOFTWARE has always been known for developing some interesting titles; titles that always had fantastic ideas but at times not the greatest follow-through. It’s almost a bit of a wonder that FROM SOFTWARE hit it out of the park this generation with the cult hit Demon’s Souls on the PS3. A title that at first seemed to pass by everyone’s radar, well everyone but the most devoted of gamers looking for a Japanese fix. 

Little-by-little Demon’s Souls gained a reputation for delivering an experience unlike anything else this generation: A hard as nails role-playing dark fantasy wrapped in mystery with some rather innovative online features. 

Demon’s Soul’s had become a cult sensation, so much so that even though Sony decided not to bring it to the West, Atlus, the little publisher that could decided to give it the audience it deserved. 

While a small run; Demon’s Souls was a smash success in the West. Proving that a tough but fair game can survive, and hell even flourish in the West. 

Fast forward two years and we have the spiritual sequel that fans have been clamoring for in Dark Souls. A grim and beautiful fantasy title that kicks you in the face and smiles smugly. 

I never did get a chance to play Demon’s Souls and was more than a bit resistant to the idea of signing up for what I heard was a masochists dream. But, despite my reservations , I said f*ck it and signed up day 1. 

Oh Lord, what have I done?

I had some rather interesting expectations for Dark Souls. I heard it was brutally tough, and it is. I head it was mysterious, and boy is it ever. But what I’ve come to learn in my first 7 hours with the game is that Dark Souls is without a doubt one of most unique gaming experiences I’ve had this generation. 

Dark Souls dares to be different. In a landscape full of developers that are constantly dumbing down difficulty and making control schemes accessible for everyone, FROM SOFTWARE has created a title that forces you to leave expectations and also your Conan attitude at the start screen.

Dark Souls could easily be a horror game. It’s a title dripping in atmosphere where danger lies just around the corner. It easily beats even Dead Space for sheer intensity. It’s a game that every moment reminds you, “You’re in danger, but be brave, you can overcome”.

And when moments become dire and seem hopeless you’ll stumble across a message scrawled on the ground from another would be adventurer pushing you forward letting you know that victory is possible. Whether is be a message like, “Good job!”, or a warning that danger lies ahead; Dark Souls online system really does an amazing job of drawing you into this somber dark world like no other game I’ve played. 

I’m slowly coming to terms with Dark Souls combat system. It’s a game of give and take, constantly measuring your reach, speed, stamina and your surroundings. Decide to try and battle an enemy in a tight corridor and you will hear the clang of your sword or axe scrap against the stone walls as it struggles for reach against a monstrous foe. And don’t think that just because they appear weak and slow they are. In a moment that shambling monster could gain a terrible speed and run you through. 

Dark Souls is a game of live and learn, or more precisely die and learn. I’ve been at it for at least 7 hours and for 2 of those I stubbornly decided I wanted to head into a direction that I wasn’t ready for, a consequence of Dark Souls open-world structure. Sure, I could have kept it for a few more hours but a friend who’s also tackling the game told me to instead take a different route. I begrudgingly did, but found a challenge which was much more bearable for my current character. I didn’t have to mind you, but the option was there. 

Dark Souls is a title that totally caught me off guard, truth be told it a was a game I didn’t think I’d enjoy at all. When a game has an almost urban legend like infamy for being the bastard of all game challenges, I wasn’t really looking forward to it.

You can blame my off putting experience with the Battlefield 3 beta which changed my mind on Octobers purchases for giving Dark Souls a chance. Well that and a friend of mine Pete, telling me, “If you don’t give a try, you’ll regret it. There really is nothing else like it out there”. He was right. 

In my brief time with the game I’ve picked up some tips from fellow adventurers and also some from the school of hard knocks that I’d love to share with those new to FROM SOFTWARE’s title, a beginners list of tips, so to speak:

Targeting, use it!

Don’t forget about targeting! I forgot about it early on and it took a somewhat embarrasingly long time to remember to use it. You can allegedly change targets using the right stick, but since it doesn’t really work that well, get used to double-clicking in on the stick to un-target and re-target.

Humanity, Bonfires, and Kindling

Humanity is that number in the upper-left-hand corner, next to your health and stamina bars. Without over-explaining the mechanics: you can spend one Humanity at a Bonfire to become Human again, instead of Hollow (zombie-looking). When you die, you respawn as a Hollow again, but any other Humanity that you hadn’t spent is saved at your bloodstain. Therefore, you should only spend Humanity to become Human if you’re going to do something with it.

You can also spend one Humanity at a Bonfire to “Kindle” it, but you can only do this if you are Human. Thus, if you are Hollow, it technically takes two Humanity to Kindle a Bonfire. Kindling a Bonfire will increase the number of Estus Flask uses you get when you rest there by five. This is incredibly important; having ten swigs of your Flask instead of five makes a ton of difference early on, allowing you to venture further away from your Bonfire in a single run. Humanity is also your currency for summoning a friend or fellow warrior to take on a tough boss. Remember, Humanity is a key to success; use it wisely.

Patience, young one.

Most important is not to get greedy or cocky. Dark Souls will eat you for breakfast and sh*t you out by noon if you decide to take a Rambo approach to enemies. Combat plays out like a game of Chess. Slowly evaluate your foes weakness and measure your strikes carefully. No need to be in a rush and remember, there’s no shame in running away. 

It would have been easy for me to review Dark Souls here at GND and given it rousing score; but in truth, I feel the game belies a given score. Dark Souls is the kind of experience that any gamer even slightly interested in a unique and thrilling experience should try out.

Admittedly, it’s not for everyone — it really really isn’t. But for those looking for a challenge and a game that encompasses a dark and foreboding fairy tale like nothing before, I highly recommend it. Best of all, it’s an experience to be shared like few games have this generation. Its good and all to play a game co-op online with a friend, but Dark Souls brings back the old days of sitting around a lunch table with friends regaling each other with tales of digital battles and survival by the skin of your teeth. Its a game that seeps into your thoughts and makes each battle won, a victory that no trophy or achievement can ever hope to fulfill.

By: Mike