Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition review

Exceptional

by Simorico

Sixth game of this style attempted, third try of this game in particular (played Demon's Souls first when it first came out, then this when it was released, then this a couple years later, then Bloodborne, then Lords of the Fallen, then The Surge, then finally Dark Souls again, with Jedi Fallen Order and Blasphemous in the middle there as well if you want to include them as well). I've done all kinds of playstyles and man this formula just does nothing for me. It's a dungeon crawler ARPG with obtuse quest design, overly punishing checkpoints, heavy damage output, and NPCs that cackle at you at the end of dialogue to show you how cRaAzY they are. I get it and it's just not that interesting. These games, The Surge included (not LotF because that game is hot garbage), are saved by their boss designs and some enemy designs as well as their Wookiepedia style of lore, but there's only so much bullshit (namely the entirety of Lower Undead Burg as well as any area with tiny quadripedal animal enemies - I actually liked everything else about the Depths and Blighttown) and dungeon-crawling through generic mobs before I just want to move onto another game. Maybe if these games were 15ish hours it'd be a different discussion. Gazing at the design of Gaping Dragon just isn't worth the time investment.

And frankly, DS1 is kinda put together shittily. Inconsistent weapon collision, graphical glitches, poor signposting, lots of backtracking, obtuse leveling systems, "choice" that because of the weapon leveling system railroads you unless you really like grinding the Undead Parish, a stark drop-off in level design quality after Quelaag frankly, and environmental details physically put together so hastily that sometimes you can't walk up a half-inch high gap. Had these problems come from any other game, they would get torn apart and rightly so. From a technical standpoint, it's shocking this is the follow-up to Demon's Souls and not the other way around.

What is Dark Souls? Dark Souls is a Game from From Software, which has developed Bloodborne, Demon's souls and Ninja Blade. It was released in 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. You certainly think "Dark Souls" isn't that the sau heavy Game that made even hardcore Gamers cry? You're absolutely right about that, well definitely for the first few Hours of play. Gameplay: In Game, you control a character you create and beat you through the World of Dark Souls. There are different Classes that can be played differently and the Skillsystem also allows for different Possibilities. However, the Core of the Game is the Melee with optional Sword, Lance, Axe and more. Once you get out of the Combat System, Dark Souls shines brightest. It is one of the most fluid Systems available on this Market. You target an Opponent and then either strike, parry, block or dodge, all while the Character can move freely. You'll end up with a "Hit" if you've actually met your Opponent. Sounds natural, but defiantly worth mentioning, as Dark Souls owns one of the best Hit boxes. Combined with the Hit Sound and animation, it's very satisfying to land a Hit. When the Player dies, he becomes a "Shell." He can reverse this again in which the Player offers Humanity in order to become human again. This, of course, has some Advantages, Eg the Item drop rate increases. The Opponents are different, so each Enemy type has a slightly different Form of Attack. Some just storm on the Player, others try at a distance. Bosses Are also relatively different. So you have to watch the Movement of the Opponent closely and find out their Vulnerabilities. Does he always Attack 3 times and have to relax? Perfect Moment to attack. However, This can be repetitive, as it is actually only ever to evade, dodge, attack. But This is not too bad because of the Combat System. World The World of Dark Souls is grim and melancholy. However, it fits very much with the already very lonely Atmosphere and also with the Name. World Design is something that all future Level designers should take a close look at. The different Places are all more or less connected to Firelink Shrine. So it may well happen that the Player from Firelink Shrine goes in, enters a new Area and arrives back in Firelink Shrine After a few Hours, but from the other Side. Firelink Shrine is the Player's Recreation Area, which contains many NPCs and plays a "central" role. What is striking about Firelink Schrine is that it is very bright and colorful, which forms a Contrast to the actual Theme. Music music is Available in the Boss Fights, but there is no such thing on the Overworld. This creates a very lonely Atmosphere that fits perfectly with the Game. When It comes to Music in Boss Fights, choral Singing with fast Strings is often resorted to. Here is an Example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzWFWCH_lTE. Story The Story of Dark Souls is well hidden. So the Player has to get any of the Story along at all, read the Item Descriptions. This is a very interesting Way of Storytelling and World-building that doesn't exist in other Games. It also fits with the Philosophy of The Game that the Player is not taken in the Arm as in other Games. Here in Dark Souls, the Player is completely on his own. Multiplayer Naja, the Player is not alone. In Dark Souls, there is an Opportunity to "summon" other Players and go into battle together against sinister Bosses. Here, however, the Player has to be human, which also brings Dangers. If the Player is human, he can be "invaded" by other Players. They have the Task of killing the Host of the World, speaks which he has been invaded. This is a lot of Fun even in the Long run ... Wouldn't It be the bad Net code. This can happen several times that the Player has actually met someone, but the Hit does not lose any Health. This is very disturbed during Fights. Verdict Dark Souls is a Game for People who like to stand on Melee with Sword and are also willing to master the relatively tough Learning Curve. Dark Souls is not a Game for People who give up quickly and are unwilling to hang on to a Boss or an Area for several Hours. Finally, I can only recommend this Game. It's on the game design perspective of one of the innovative Games that has developed a new Genre ("Souls-like").