dark Souls Review
Dark Souls is a fantasy action RPG designed by From Software, who I presume only hire programmers who write ‘sadist’ in the hobbies section of their CVs. The game is designed and marketed around the premise of extreme difficulty, bearing the tag line ‘prepare to die’ and aimed squarely at those who feel, as I do, that modern gaming has taken a turn for the easy. Darks Souls contains no mini maps, re-generating health bars or quicktime events, and punishes button mashers with barely disguised joy.
The gameplay is, if examined on a superficial level, deeply traditional. In the classic Dungeons and Dragons mould you play a mute kleptomaniac adventurer with a large sword, a genocidal hatred of monsters, and a laissez faire attitude towards various ancient relics which should probably be in a museum. You trawl through fantastical environments, subjecting monsters to the discipline of cold steel and trading in their souls for improved stats so that you can kill bigger monsters. The difference between this game and most others stems from how draconically unforgiving Dark Souls’ combat system is. Every action you take- swinging your sword, blocking attacks- depletes your stamina bar. Without stamina you cannot attack or defend yourself, and although it takes only a second for the bar to recharge, most enemies in the game can take half your health bar with one swing of their weapon. Mistakes mean either death, or limping around with barely visible HP, praying for a healing flask. Coupled with the level designers’ cruel sense of humor (there’s no way I could possibly have known a flaming barrel would roll down those stairs, you assholes) you’ll frequently find yourself dying and being reborn at a campfire.
The player must learn to accept constant death to get anything from Dark Souls. The game stays true to one of the oldest principles in videogame history- trial and error. The first time you encounter a new monster or trap you’re likely to become a thin paste on the walls, because you’ll have no idea what the thing you’re facing is capable of. However, with repeated attempts you’ll discover that every monster has a rigid pattern of attacks and points at which it is vulnerable. Learn the pattern, manage your stamina reserves, and you will find yourself victorious. There is a thick vein of this ‘harsh but fair’ philosophy running through the game. If you spam the attack button like a baby monkey and then get your head sliced off by a demonic knight, it’s your own fault. The game is difficult but mastery is possible, and the crisply responsive controls mean that each death feels entirely avoidable. There’s a zen like pleasure to be found in storming a room full of undead swordsmen and pulling off the exact right series of parries and dodge rolls that eliminates all of them without taking a hit.
The multiplayer system is obtuse, and far removed from the traditional multiplayer features you’ll be used to in other games. You are connected with every other player who is online, and although Dark Souls is essentially a single player game, you can interact with other players in very interesting ways. You can leave messages on the ground for them, either warning them (skeleton up ahead!) or misleading them (jump into the spike pit for a secret passage!). From time to time you’ll encounter bloodstains on the ground, which when activated show a ghostly replay of another players‘ last moments before death. The overall effect is pleasing, and although most of your adventure is spent alone you are constantly reminded that thousands of other people are struggling with the exact same area that you are. More direct intervention is available in the form of invasions. Using a ‘red eye stone’ item, one can invade another player’s game as a ‘black phantom’, a glowing red ghost whose mission is to kill the hosting player for a large bonus of souls. I’ve yet to initiate or experience one of these invasions, but the idea of an intelligent human player pursuing me through Dark Souls’ bleak world is frankly horrifying. As in every other aspect of the game, the multiplayer components are original and interesting and add a dark flavor that you won’t have experienced before.
This isn’t to say I have no complaints about Dark Souls. Although I respect the decision that was made re: the game not holding your hand, the degree of complexity is staggering, and there is no ingame resource from which to learn. I’m beginning to understand some of the more complex game mechanics due to internet searches, but part of me resents having to go outside the game itself in order to understand it. Occasionally my character will kick an enemy off a cliff, or perform a devastating backstab, but I still have no idea how to reproduce these attacks using my controller. Are they random events? I can’t say. Another complaint is the lock on system, which doesn’t allow you to change targets while locked on and has resulted in quite a few deaths which I don’t think were entirely deserved. I also dislike the lack of traditional co-op multiplayer features. Although you can summon friendly players as blue phantoms to counteract the hostile black ones, you can’t choose to play with your Xbox Live friends, and the game has a hissy fit if you try to use party chat. Although I understand where this decision comes from, to make you feel alone in a hostile world, I can’t help but yearn for proper co-operative Dark Souls sessions. Like everything else in the game, the multiplayer features are unique and polarizing.
Which is where I get to the crux of the review. Dark Souls is incredible. It’s beautiful, challenging, complex, and has a weighty, satisfying combat system quite unlike any other game I’ve played. It’s also not for everyone. If you like a challenge, and you have soundproof walls and reinforced controllers, then I cannot recommend this enough. However, if you enjoy Wii Sports Puppy Bonanza 2011 Party Edition and similar titles, you might wish to give Dark Souls a wide berth. There are no motion controls here, only constant agonizing death.
Leo Hunt
