There are games that are made merely to entertain out of sheer simplicity, such as Tetris and Fruit Ninja Kinect; there are games that rely on creativity and introduce something new to the landscape, like the recently reviewed The Gunstringer and the pairing of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, which just recently underwent an HD remake on PlayStation 3; and then there’s Dark Souls. It belongs in a category in itself, right alongside the Ninja Gaiden series, particularly Black on the original Xbox. It’s in a category that very few gamers cherish, the kind where you actually have to put an effort into the whole thing to feel any kind of reward. And we don’t mean a meager stacking up to level two – we mean several hours worth of play, where you have to encounter death after death before you start to feel accomplishment. If you need a “chipper upper” sort of game, you might want to move along. Still here? Okay, now that we’ve gotten the “wussies” out of the way, here’s how it works. Like the original Demon’s Souls (which only came out for the PS3), Dark Souls puts you in the middle of a world of monsters, demons and other unspeakable creatures, armed with only weapons that you locate throughout the world or forge in a place of comfort where you can breathe for five seconds.
At first you’ll start off with the basics, like a longsword that you find off a fallen knight or a shield that barely protects you from a devastating hit or two. Eventually, though, you’ll gain powers that help you along, including magical spells that dish out powerful fire blasts, something you’ll need against bigger enemies in the game. And they start appearing…well, about five minutes in. Dark Souls doesn’t hide its intentions. It pounds you with them the millisecond you start a game. After entering our first room, we came face to face with a blob-like creature that smashed us into bits before we even knew what was going on. After barely surviving this encounter, you’ll make your way through villages, castles, murky graveyards, poison swamps and other locales, tracking down new items and attempting to kill any enemies that come your way. A word of warning: if you’re expecting a basic hack and slash journey with Dark Souls, you won’t get it. Sure, you can cut enemies down to size, but you’re VERY vulnerable, and making the mistake of rushing into a battle or leaving yourself unprotected could be very costly – even with a few swigs of a health flask or a Humanity recovery. If you’re not careful, your blood will be easily spilled. Proceed with caution, and think to yourself before every encounter – even the seemingly smaller ones – “how the hell am I gonna survive this?”.
As if the countless beasts and intricate trap rooms (one word when walking into a moving blade – OUCH) aren’t enough, you also have to contend with visitors that join you in multiplayer. In some aspects, they can lend a helping hand, guiding you with a tip or two on how to deal with greater enemies through Bloodstain markers and occasional battles. On the other, if you’re a bit on the human side, they can also attempt to drain you dry and slash you assassin-style. This game doesn’t bond too firmly on teamwork, though the multiplayer component does play a tremendous part, if you’re prepared for it. (And we have to admit, getting your assassination on with some unsuspecting players has a guilty pleasure feeling to it.) The gameplay is bound to frustrate a lot of you, and that’s exactly what From Software has in mind. It discourages hogging items, and instead gives you a “I need to stay alive” feel throughout the game, making the gameplay aspect that much more invigorating. Rookie players obviously won’t be prepared for it, and even those who insist Gears of War 3 is their bread and butter might be taken aback at how many times they easily perish here.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to read our final thoughts on Dark Souls.
