Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a game unlike any other, it’s unashamedly proud of what it is and rightly so. Even before it’s release the industry was buzzing with talk of it’s difficulty, it’s creativity and it’s distance from the current crowd of releases. This is a hardcore action-RPG like no other, if you have the patience and the tenacity to handle this game without breaking you’re controller you could well be in for a completely unique experience.

You live in a world of darkness, where the fires are dimming and the undead are rising. Everything is descending back into the chaos it came from before a chosen few slew the dragons and ushered in the age of fire. Now the world has gone to hell and it’s seemingly up to you, the chosen undead, to restore everything. Don’t be tricked, this is no easy feat, along your way every living, non-living and seemingly inanimate creature in the game will try with fervor to end your life. This is something you have to quickly adjust to, you will die, over and over and over again.

As a newcomer to the Dark Souls experience, having never encountered Demons Souls, I definitely found it perculiar at first. There’s no attempt at hand holding, no real tutorial, the game begins as it means to go on, with a face crushing difficulty. Luckily though, despite it’s intimidation, it’s easy to settle into the rhythm of the game and really dig into the experience. Behind the snarling exterior lies some very simple rules that are fundamental to the game, because of this it’s deceptively easy to pick up.

Yes, Even Tree's will kill you.

Don’t be fooled though, whilst the game may easy to initially get to grips with, a difficulty curve reminiscent of a brick wall will quickly put you in your place if you’re not paying attention. The combat mechanics are simple enough to decifer but require precision timing and a certain level of patience to master; this results in the game playing very differently depending on your style. For those who are patient enough to figure out an enemies patterns the game can become a fast flowing masterpiece. Don’t despair if you’re not one of those lucky few though, even without perfecting the parry and riposte system it’s still possible to progress at a respectable rate, all be it slightly slower.

Partnered with a well thought out combat system lie some equally deep mechanics. In place of checkpoints the game uses bonfires, places of refuge that allow you to replenish any health flasks and restore any health and stamina. This being Dark Souls though they’re a double edged blade, resting at a bonfire will respawn every monster in the area other than bosses. Meaning that there’s an element of strategy around choosing when to rest. That’s not all though, bonfires serve much more of a purpose than simply restoring health, they can be used to repair or upgrade your weapons and armor or restore yourself to a more human state. Again with the double edge metaphor, bonfires can be kindled through offering humanity, a precious resource as they can be hard to come by and are your only means of reversing your hallowed state, which by the way is something you’ll find yourself in a lot as it occurs after death. Kindling a bonfire will allow you to carry twice the amount of Estus flasks, one of your only means of restoration, thus allowing you to venture further and further without using a bonfire.

This core of “should I/shouldn’t I” decision making is prominent throughout, whilst the game doesn’t discourage exploration and a good sense of adventure, it will challenge you for the right. The world itself is intensely vast, offering hundreds of nooks and crannies to search for precious loot, the cost of which is the fact that they’re likely filled with enemies. This makes the game very dynamic, as a confident and adventurous player can spend countless hours searching the ruined and desolate environments whilst the more cautious will stick to the main path, content with dying a whole lot less.

The beautiful and deadly Anor Londo

Graphically Dark Souls may not be a stand out experience, but it’s definitely up there. The opening cinematic is a piece of art that simply and cleverly lays the groundwork for the next 60+ hours of your life. With slick animations and some outstanding artistic choices Dark Souls keeps every area fresh and distinct, there’s never a feeling of repetition or Deja Vu within areas, which is important for a game that could see you repeat the same sections dozens of times. In fact the variety of environments in Dark Souls is refreshing, every time you think you’ve seen it all the game will show you something new. Time and time again I found myself in awe of the new area that was laid out before me, particularly in the later stages of the game. From the resplendent heights of Anor Londo to the Murky depths of Blighttown the game looks outstandingly creative. Unfortunately the cost of this is the occasional frame rate issue, particularly noticeable in Blighttown. Whilst chances are it won’t happen very often it can be frustrating when it does, especially if you happen to be mid-combat.

By far the most unique aspect to Dark Souls is it’s well designed and unrelenting boss fights. As much of a challenge as the normal enemies scattered throughout the world are, they’re nothing in comparison to the monolithic creatures you’ll have to face at some key points in the story. These interactions always felt distinct and well designed, and in the current climate where boss fights have come under scrutiny, they’re a welcome change. Though some bosses may be more taxing than others none of them feel like a repeat, in-fact From Software have done an amazing job at making them all feel so varied. A couple of the middle to later stage boss fights stand out in my mind as being extraordinarily good but I’ll leave them for you to work out yourself.

One of the more gruesome bosses you'll encounter

I’d love to end the review on this glowing note, but that would misrepresent the game somewhat. There are a couple of issues that I experienced that left me either disappointed or wanting more. Whilst the game does contain a rich and detailed back story you’ll have to do a fair amount of digging to get to it, barring the opening trailer everything else is gleamed from extensive interaction with NPC’s. Unfortunately some NPC dialogue felt slightly kitsch and conventional, not what I was expecting from a game that’s otherwise so different. Similarly there’s an almost complete lack of narrative direction, now arguably this can be interpreted both ways and I completely respect that point. To me however, the lack of any clear direction left me feeling overwhelmed in a game that contains as much as this. There are some saving graces, every time i was on the verge of putting the game down through frustration it would seemingly throw me a bone in the form of a hint or some much needed guidance.

Generally though these are my only gripes with an otherwise spectacular game. Once again I feel that to be fair to you as a reader I should explain that I didn’t complete the entire game, but I am currently sitting on the longer side of 40 hours played. I feel I’ve seen, heard, felt and died enough to really get to grips with what Dark Souls is, and certainly more than enough to subjectively explain the experience to you, the reader.

Conclusion

Dark Souls, more than any other game I’ve played, requires patience. It requires a certain kind of mental fortitude that not every gamer is going to possess, so it’s not for everybody. But that’s not how reviews work, a review pits a game against itself, how good is this game at what it’s trying to do? In this case Dark Souls succeeds almost flawlessly. It sets out to be a modern epic, something seemingly straight from ancient Greece, it’s a story told through heroic deeds and gallant victories rather than with conventional exposition. Even at the most basic levels it succeeds as a game, few games can offer the kind of longevity that you’re likely to get from this game, that’s before even considering replay value. With it’s atmospheric prowess, it’s beautifully orchestrated soundtrack and simple yet powerful mechanics, Dark Souls is simply brilliant. It may seem odd to praise a game that potentially alienates a section of it’s audience so highly, but consider it the same as a piece of eccentric or brilliant, art; It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but for those that can appreciate it it’s something not to be missed.