A Fight for Humanity: Dark Souls Review

Born: Humanity, a fragile balance that dances in between life and death…The final chapter, the final curtain call. Life is violently beautiful, and much like Dark Souls these little deaths make us who we are.

Chaos: Dark souls makes getting over it with Bennet Foddy look like child’s play. The mechanics, the timing when fighting enemies and story are all an interwoven cacophony of “what the hell did I get myself into? But lets keep going”. This game is one of the best games, the most difficult games, AND mechanically challenging games I have ever played/seen. This game has substance, merit, it has a good story and is a well oiled machine. While being diverse and beautifully connected in the concept and the map the world that just breathes and Dark Souls takes storytelling to the next level! I could list a dozen more things that truly make this game now one of my favorites but I will spare you guys from the sentimental theatrics. With a good story and good universe there will always be something that is just a bit off and that is the controls. Probably the only thing I actually dislike about the game in its entirety. The controls are clunky, unpredictable and don’t flow well when fighting since they stall and have a bit of a delay. It’s a predicament I face since the game is amazing but the controls are questionable and make me wonder if its an internal design to make the game that frustrating at times.

Survival: In the soul’s universe, survival is key. Knowing how to survive in Dark Souls in a play style most beneficial to you, the player is the most important thing you can do in this game. You work off the risk-reward value that comes through level after level. In that risk and reward there is more risk at times that you’re partaking in purely because it is a souls game and the controls are built in a very unforgiving way. When you survive in this game, psychologically it shows you that you can overcome anything. Activating the dopamine centers in your brain each victory is millions of neurons communicating via the synapses. With the boss battle between smough and orstien for example it is one where you really have to look at your opponents and figure out what tactics would be best suited to dispose of them, when to heal, when to block, when to just move the hell out of the way and when to die and try again because every death in this game is a lesson, not a punishment. Trials: Having a strong will power, patience of a saint and the stubbornness of knight Artorias will get you past the terribly unforgiving and seemingly cruel areas. Dark Souls is known for being tough, and its mentality is dying is a part of life, so die a lot so you can learn and keep learning until the moment when it clicks. Are the controls bad? Oh yes, but to an extent that’s the charm of what makes Dark Souls an interesting game. The lore, the story and all the areas are amazing and challenging in their own right and have their own personality when broken down into their finite points. This game is vibrant enough that the control work and glitchy movement system really don’t make the game bad. They add to the character of it and make it, dare I say, a masterpiece. Through the trials and tribulations that this game puts us through its safe to say that Dark Souls creates the illusion of being difficult when in reality, the mental block that the player puts in front of themselves is what’s stopping them, not the difficulty of the game. But on another side of the coin, should there be an easy mode on these games purely for accessibility purposes, and including other types of players? Yes. I feel as if not having varying levels of difficulty in games is a form of gatekeeping, and with dark souls we just accept it because that's become the games branding now.

Humanity: Life is a fragile thing. It’s a balance of the little deaths that teach us to work harder, improve on our skills and never give up. The concept of the souls in this game is this tiny sprite, the incorporeal thing that defines us, and puts us in the category of human. Fragile. Small. and always looking for that one thing to belong to. We are not gods, we do not tower 20 feet tall and wave magic wands, but the soul is out magic and the soul defines us as an undead warrior (in this game) and we are on a journey to claim our humanity and reverse our hollowed nature. AKA, finding that purpose in our life if you will. you learn that your mind is the only thing stopping you from succeeding. Spend you humanity to get more humanity, spend other's souls to increase your worth the message is PROFOUND. So sit at the bonfire, hang your coat, fill your estus and praise the sun dear undead warrior. Your time has come.