videogameblog

Usually when I hear discussion about Dark Souls its regarding how its for 'real gamers only!!!' due to it's difficulty. After playing it, the idea that it's nothing but 'hard video game' seems kind of reductive. Sure, it's not easy by any means, but the decision to make the game harder than others feels like it was done to accompany the atmosphere of dread and despair that the land of Lordran is soaked in. It's so unforgiving that it makes you afraid to turn corners, it makes you feel dread when you see a big, open space for a boss fight. I'm currently doing a module on Gothic Cinema at university and Dark Souls feels like THE gothic video game. One trope of 'gothic' media are themes that simultaneously repulse and intrigue the audience, like death and murder. Every enemy, environment and narrative device in Dark Souls has some element of horror to it. I'd argue that this concept of simultaneous repulsion and intrigue is so intertwined with Dark Soul's identity that it's present even in it's gameplay; players feel fear, disgust, frustration and dread as they explore, but that's what motivates them to keep going. Slaying repulsive enemies like the 'Gaping Dragon' or the unidentifiable mass named 'Ceaseless Discharge' are far from what would most would consider fun or enticing, but there's something strangely alluring to facing these difficult challenges and coming out against all odds. It's extremely cathartic.

There's this video of Dark Soul's map being modded into Tony Hawks Underground 2. It's pretty silly, but I think it speaks to how the architecture of Dark Soul's levels create an atmosphere of unbelonging; the areas you navigate through don't feel like they're made with the player's comfort in mind, so much so that they can be reused for something like skateboarding. Areas are confusing and unforgiving, you won't find anything akin to a convieniently placed piece of cover like you would in an FPS. Sometimes you'll walk down a steep staircase only to find that it's crumbled halfway down, causing you to fall to your death. One area, The Tomb of The Giants, is completely pitch black, forcing you to locate and hold a lantern in order to advance. Despite the fact that hostility is oozing from every facet of the game, you're still able to push through. You fight through countless horrors, trying over and over again, learning more each time you do. Eventually you'll create a mental image of the map in your mind (which you'll need to do as the game doesn't provide you with one) and be able to carve your way through these hostile environments. After running to the boss in the Tomb of the Giants for the 4th time, you probably won't need that lantern anymore. You can remember where everything is. FromSoftware did a masterful job presenting the player with tasks that seem impossible, but ensuring a balance of fairness to make sure that in the end they're able to conquer everything they encounter. The map of Dark Souls is almost perfect in my eyes; you never feel as if its accomodating, or as if it was built for you to navigate. The land of Lordran feels like a place once populated by others, and you are an unwelcome visitor.

FromSoftware titles have always been controversial for their approach to storytelling; you can expect a large portion of information regarding their in-game universes to be expressed through the environment or item descriptions. The decision to 'hide away' some aspects allows players to consume the narrative however they'd like, offering an almost bespoke experience. Those more interested in combat can experience a simple, non-intrusive narrative. If interested, players can delve as deep as they'd like into the lore, piecing together character relationships and family trees. I can see why some people have issues with the way worldbuilding is done in FromSoftware titles, but I think it's insanely effective at fleshing out the worlds of their games. I'm especially fond of the way that item descriptions are used. They convert weapons, armor and spells into conduits of worldbuilding knowledge, offering the player a peek behind the curtain into the history of whatever they possess. The 'Silver Knight's Helm' is an item that can be found in a chest in Anor Londo. It's description reads: "Helm of the Silver Knights who protect Anor Londo. When Lord Gwyn departed to link the Fire, his knights split into two groups. The Silver Knights remained in the forsaken capital in the service of their goddess". The fact that item descriptions are one of the only major ways that players can learn about the world around them creates a sense of involvement with the history unfolding in Lordran. They're now in possession of one of these coveted 'Silver Knight Helms' and every time they fight a Silver Knight, they'll remember their motivations and history. Using item descriptions like this also prioritises information that the player is closely familiar with. The helm is guarded by two Silver Knights, and they would have fought through countless of them by the time they find it. Even if the player doesn't want to stitch together every facet of the in-game lore, these 'peeks behind the curtain' grant them an understanding of where every item in their inventory came from. The way information is presented through these 'peeks' also implies the player is only recieving a fraction of the potential knowledge regarding their surroundings, fleshing out the world much more. Personally, after I finish a FromSoftware game I like to watch videos by people who have pieced together the lore into a cohesive story. I find consuming the narrative this way extremely interesting, as it's a nice way of wrapping up every narrative loose end that might have confused me during my playthrough. Consuming the narrative retrospectively like this makes the journey you went on during your playthrough feel more fleshed out in hindsight, almost as if you have switched from the role of the hero in the story to a reader. A second playthrough after understanding how each piece of lore fits together is always extremely rewarding, when I replayed Elden Ring it was like a non-stop barrage of information I didn't understand on my first. It's like learning a secret language.

There's alot more I want to say about Dark Souls but if I wrote everything I enjoyed about the game this would be way too long. I think the main thing that seperates FromSoftware's games from others is their indifference to the player; you don't get special treatment in order to consume the game. If you can't push through to the end, that's on you. It's YOU DIED, not GAME OVER. They truly utilise the medium to the most effective degree, even if you WANT to consume the narrative it's been encoded within the game's menus, almost gamifying the act. If you put Miyazaki infront of me I would probably hit him a little bit but I still think that this is probably one of the best games ever made.