๐ข FOUL TARNISHED! IN SEARCH OF THE ELDEN - ๐ข
Wrong game fool! ๐ค
I am on a fromsoft kick right now, so we're doing all fromsoft games! Yay! I know, I know, you can barely contain your excitement. Same! These games have been a topic of discourse as long as they've been in the public eye. With good reason, their design revolutionized the gaming industry. When you have something that is new and inspiring it is bound to draw controversy.
So let's discuss whyโ๏ธ In this edition of Through the Lens ๐, we'll be taking a look at fromsoftware's death simulator from 2011: Dark Souls, โ๏ธ
(there was also a remastered version releassed in 2019, but we won't be talking about that one)
Roll it! ๐ฝ
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๐ท UP TOP ๐ถ
Most of the soulslike soundtracks fall into the same vein - epic, moody, atmospheric. The boss fights are epic, we're talking world-defining epic here. The town or settlement [ieces are moody, signifying a dying world. And the exploration suites are atmospheric, making sure you are swept deep into the tales of the land you are venturing.
Give it a listen while reading why don't ya? ๐ถ
Took me a while to get around to playing these games. And by a while I mean the release of Elden Ring. After I got enraptured by the magnificence of that game, I went back and played all of fromsoftware's gems. So let's talk about the big one. For many people their best game of all time. I wouldn't go so far in categorizing this one, but it is definitely a great game.
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๐ท METROIDVANIA ๐ถ
The best thing about this game is its level design. It's not its difficulty, its art direction, its amazing bosses, or epic music. No. It's the level design. And it's not even a question frankly. ๐ฏ
One of my favorite genres in gaming are Metroidvanias. And I have also dabbled as a Level Designer in the past as well. So I am quite drawn to this aspect of game development. And believe me when I say that Dark Souls is the closest thing we have to a 3D Metroidvania yet. Why does this matter? Well, it's the core design principle behind the game. You fool!
You constantly go through the same areas of the game to get to later locations. Everything you see in the distance you eventually get to. This feeling of space, and of oneness in the world, is what makes the Soulsborne games special in so many ways.
Above all are the many paths you could unexpectedly trek through. High-level areas that you have no business being in, yet you can still go there. This counter to everything modern design stands for - and it's better for it. It makes the world feel alive, and not gamey. It makes your adventure your own. Something old games were amazing at, and something newer titles are missing. ๐ฎโ๐จ
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๐ท DIFFICULTY ๐ถ
Dark Souls is famous (or rather, infamous) for its difficulty. It has become synonymous with the game to the extent that the true core of why it's difficult has been lost to people trying to imitate it. Being hard for hard's sake is not why Dark Souls is hard. // that was a hell of a sentence, proud of that one.
The game's director, Miyazaki, has stated that the joy of gaming is overcoming obstacles. And I agree. Conflict is at the center of all good media. Beating challenges creates a feeling like nothing else. Fair, beatable challenges, that don't rely on repetition or pattern recognition - but your own skill. Oh, we'll talk about how this slightly changes in the later games. ๐
You can beat Dark Souls with a level 1 character only using a club. Sure, it will take you a long ass time, but it's doable. I ask you: how many games let you do this? Very few if any is the right answer. This again emphasizes that freedom principle I aforementioned.
And the bosses are what fromsoft would become known for as well. Tough, and sturdy, but with recognizable patterns that are easy to avoid once you get the hang of it. These battles become a dance, and very addictive. Their core design principle has always been: hard but fair.
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๐ท DIRECTION ๐ถ
I have to give a shout-out to the other thing that makes these games unique: the world. The way the story is drip-fed to you. The dynamic nature in which you consume it. The feeling of this is my story is something more games should strive for. Granted, you might need to watch some YouTube videos to get the full picture. ๐ But such is the price we must pay.
On another note, the art direction is amazing. The graphics, not so much. Fromsoft has never been obsessed with graphics, they like their gameplay to do the talking. And I for one appreciate that. However, their art direction has always been superb. Enemy and environmental design = top-notch quality across the board. Imaginative yet uneasy yet beautiful.
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๐ท LEGACY ๐ถ
Dark Souls is one of those games that will be remembered forever. Probably unjustly because of its difficulty. But regardless, it is a part of gaming history 10000%. // I just added a random number of zeroes there
Its legacy, and the legacy of its series, is established and set in stone. It is a genre definer, much like Doom and Half-Life. It is in a league of its own, as it should be in my honest opinion.
Is it for everyone? No. But you know what? No great games are for everyone. The mark of uniqueness is lost nowadays, where everything has become this bland samey porridge. Some spice is required from time to time.
Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) ๐๐๐
Shout-out to the ๐PIZZA๐ gang, ๐ค gang. ๐ค
Yay! We're doing all the fromsoft games! I think we will do them in release order. So the remade Demon Souls will come last. Next up, is the infamous sequel Dark Souls 2. Hope you fine gentlemen and gentleladies (is that a term? gentleladies? Isn't it just ladies?) join me as we analyze these industry albatrosses.
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I hope you are having an amazing start to your weekend! ๐
Return from Dark Souls ๐ฝ Through the Lens to ะะพัะบะพ's Web3 Blog
