Ah, Dark Souls. In case you couldn't tell from the introductory line, I have a history with this game. If my memory serves me well, it was the first more "adult" game I ever bought with my own money at the age of about 14, solely because I'd heard it was very hard and I was a big boy now, I decided.
And my god was it.
But I persevered, admittedly with the help of some guides and such, and eventually, I did it. I walked away from that game feeling like a total boss, but also with the revelation that games really could be as valid of an artistic experience as any other. I think every gamer has that one game that triggered that realization in them, and this was most definitely mine. At the time, it was the single best game I had ever played.
And I don't think it quiiiiiiite holds that title for me today, but revisiting it today, I still think it's utterly amazing, and one of the best examples in gaming history of level design, storytelling, and world building.
First of all, you've all heard that this game is quite hard. Well, yes, it is, but I think the bigger thing that turns people off is not so much the difficulty as it is the learning curve. It is very steep, but at no point is it bad design. Nearly everything required to beat the game (leveling up, upgrading weapons, etc) is explained to you, but from there, it's all up to you. Yes, it's undoubtedly harsh, and you will get lost and confused early on, but it creates the hostile atmosphere that permeates the whole game, and there's no way the game would have been anywhere near as memorable without it.
Once you get past the steep learning curve, you'll realise that the art and level design is nothing short of breathtaking, with every area having its own unique identity, interesting lore, and often epic bosses. Much of the world is interconnected, and areas loop back in on themselves and others, which truly gives the feeling of a cohesive world better than any other game I know. The one sore spot in the areas is the Demon Ruins/Lost Izalith, which feels quite rushed, but other than that, every area is beautifully designed.
The few NPC's you'll come across are all entertaining, often adding some light-heartedness to the bleak atmosphere, and enemy and boss designs are mostly fantastic. Some bosses are okay, a few are frankly terrible, but all of them are at least memorable, and fun to fight and ultimately conquer.
And the lore...oh, sweet lord the lore. If you're willing to dig deep into item descriptions and listen to what NPC's have to tell you, you'll find one of the most engrossing fantasy worlds ever made waiting for you. It's a world that feels like such a remnant of what it once was, but never does that make it uninteresting. It manages to find a way of telling a story that mostly all happened before you came along that doesn't make you feel like you'd rather be participating in that story instead.
Most of the game's few flaws are in its gameplay, and at this point I should mention that these days, the game's multiplayer is pretty much dead, so I don't really see any point in talking about that. The combat and RPG elements are amazing for the most part, but the upgrading system can occasionally feel a little janky, the covenant system is a bit hit-and-miss, the UI could have been a lot better, Resistance is a stat you should just never, ever, ever, ever waste your souls on leveling up, and, although it's probably inevitable in an RPG as complex as this, there'll always be that occasional underpowered weapon or spell.
But really, for that small amount of flaws I could mention, none of them are worth not experiencing this amazing world for yourself, because I could gush about how much I love this game and how much of an impact it had on my view of video games overall for hours, but you should just play it for yourself if you somehow still haven't. You will die, you will get lost and confused, but if you can power through that, you'll see why it was all worth it.
I freakin' love this game.
