Rating of
3/5
Death Comes Easy, Victory Comes Hard
Nick - wrote on 12/31/24
You play the role of the Chosen Undead, a cursed undead human who escapes the undead asylum in the kingdom of Lordran, who embarks on a perilous journey battling powerful foes, and must decide whether to rekindle the flame and prolong the age of fire or embrace the coming age of darkness.
Presentation
Dark Souls presents a dark atmospheric world, with intricate level design, and countless areas to explore. The game came out in 2011 on console, and in 2012 on PC, so the graphics are quite dated. I installed a graphics update known as DSFix, that improved the graphics dramatically. Definitely a must to enjoy the game fully.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Dark Souls is challenging, rewarding, and unforgiving. Simple as that. I chose a cleric knight build, based on some preliminary research. It gave me easy to understand upgrade path, a mix between melee and miracles (spells) for ranged attacks, as well as retaining plenty of mobility for dodging. I loved having the heal miracle in addition to the Estus flasks, I definitely needed it. My favorite go-to was the lightning spear miracle, an awesome ranged lightning attack that got me through numerous difficult encounters.
Pros
• I like how all the areas are intertwined, linking back to each other, and once clearing an area, shortcuts are opened to make traveling easier. The lord vessel being best of course, where you can warp between bonfires.
• Challenging combat, you get a great sense of achievement once you beat what seemed to be an impossible boss.
• A good introduction to learning parrying and dodging techniques.
• PVP doesn’t work anymore, so no invaders.
Cons
• This game requires grinding, and a lot of it. I chose a cleric knight build, which seemed like a good choice that was touted as not requiring grinding. I had to grind souls for level-ups for two main reasons. One, if you beat a boss and get rewarded thousands of souls, you don’t want to lose them. If you die, you must go back to where you died and pick up your lost souls before you die again. And if you die again before that happens, yep, they’re gone. So, I found myself grinding whenever I acquired a lot of souls so I could spend them to avoid the chance of losing them. The second reason I grinded was because I had to for more levels. It might be a skill issue on my part, but I had to level up a lot to get enough offense and defensive numbers to beat bosses.
• Could have used more story and guiding from NPCs. I suppose that’s part of the mystery of the game, but it was difficult to know what area I needed to go to next. Which is important, because if you go to somewhere you aren’t supposed to go to yet, you will not survive. This game definitely wants you to learn the hard way. I ended up using an online guide to help make the game enjoyable.
Best Grinding Areas
• The bridge in Undead Burg where the Hellkite Dragon is. It’s close to a bonfire, and the dragon kills enemies for you. By far the easiest grinding spot early on, and you don’t have to pay much attention while doing it.
• The Black Slimes just outside the bonfire in the Depths. Great grinding spot, and they can drop upgrade resources for your weapons.
• The pile of Phalanx in the Painted World of Ariamis. I didn’t grind very much here, but it is right by the bonfire. There is also a Berenike Knight near by that has a guaranteed Large Titanite Shard drop, which was worth the while to get a several more for upgrades.
• And by far the best grind spot is in the Darkroot Garden. There’s a sealed off area you’ll need to buy the Crest of Artorias for 20,000 souls from the blacksmith to open the door. It’s right next to a bonfire, and just inside the door you can get several Forest Protectors to run after you, and they like to jump off the cliff, or you can knock them off the cliff. 2000 souls per enemy.
Originality
Dark Souls, including its former Demon’s Souls, paved the way for the creation of the Soulslike subgenre. This game deserves credit for what it accomplished, and huge following it gets in a new subgenre space. Even if you don’t like Soulslike games, it’s worth playing to better understand the genre.
Replay Value
With numerous character builds and options, as well as various story choices throughout the game, you can discover new things playing it multiple times. If you like Soulslike games, this game has high replay value and enjoyment. If you struggled getting the through the game, it’s probably best to avoid the beating a second time.
Overall Recommendation
Darks Souls definitely has its mark in history for creating a new genre of games that have a large following. Whether this is a good thing or not, I highly recommend playing this game to understand how this franchise started, and why people love it or hate it. Even if you can’t finish the game, the experience is worth it, and might even give you a little sense of appreciation for the Soulslike genre.
Stats
Hours Played: 66.4 (Steam), at time of review
Achievements: 10/41 (24%), at time of review
Ratings
Story: 2/5
Presentation: 4/5
Game Play: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Replay Value: 2/5
Overall (not an average) 3/5
