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Dark Souls

Developer / Publisher: FromSoftware
22 September 2011
Dark Souls - cover art
Glitchwave rating
4.38 / 5.0
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5,708 Ratings / 29 Reviews
#7 All-time
#1 for 2011
Centuries ago, Gwyn discovered the power of the First Flame. With it, he and his companions defeated the dragons which once ruled the land of Lordran. Now, with the flame dwindling, the Chosen Undead, cursed with undying, must travel the blighted land, overcome the most formidable of foes, and preserve the Age of Fire...or bring about a new Age of Dark.
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Title
There's not a lot to say about Dark Souls that hasn't already been said. It's a fantastic all round experience, from sound design, art direction, gameplay, story and lore, and its the way they all tie together that makes Dark Souls stand out as one of the greatest games ever made. No game has ever made me experience a theme or a feeling like Dark Souls has made me feel its atrophic decay.
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Diiny 2016-04-06T16:27:10Z
2016-04-06T16:27:10Z
4.5
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on behalf of a friend
As an ardent fan of the King's Field series (excluding 4/The Ancient City), I've always been wary of touching From Software's new games, partly because the fanboys of the Souls games are very annoying online, especially when they cite the King's Field series as "The Granddaddy of Dark Souls" when the games seriously have nothing in common. I know that especially now that I've tried this game.

After fumbling through the controls, dying several times not knowing where to go, attacking an NPC (and miraculously not soft-locking myself, because apparently if you attack them, they stay mad, but the one I attacked was not that tough so I was able to kill him), and even conversing with friends asking for advice, I made it through at least a good maybe 5% of the game. I figured out that killing the enemies was tedious due to them respawning after you save or die, so I assumed that it was intended for you to "speedrun" through them to the next area. Apparently that wasn't the case, as having more than 1 enemy run up next to you is a death sentence. Extremely bad game design in my opinion.

Anyway, I made it to the gargoyle boss, and I thought it wasn't that bad until I learned a second one shows up in the middle of the fight. That turned maybe a half an hour of trying to beat it into 2 hours. And that's where I dropped the game. Looking online for tips on the boss, most people are saying to either summon some guy to distract one of the gargoyles (I had no idea you could do this) or use the "Gold Resin" item which makes your sword shoot lightning or something (which I also had no idea you could do). Oh, and I forgot to mention the fact that every time you die to the boss, you have to run through the church place to get back there, and actually getting past all the zombie enemies without dying is like rolling a die. Whether you try to fight them or not.

Now I know what people are going to say to me. They're going to say "The game is hard", or "You just need to get good". The thing is, I actually love hard games. I've beaten games that are harder than any game a Souls fanboy will ever play. Kamilia 2, Boshy, other IWBTG fangames, really hard Roblox Obbies, 1cc'd some Touhou games, some arcade games, other indie freeware games that probably weren't even meant to be beaten (Kubus games for example). Dark Souls is not a hard game. It's a bad game. You can't just do a boss or level over and over again and learn it from muscle memory, because sometimes what the enemies choose to do is completely random. Every single weapon has too many complicated attacks that knowing what to do against an enemy—when you don't even know what the enemy is going to do—is completely impossible.

When you need guides and/or friends to tell you exactly what to do in a game, and they actually disagree with each other, and when you try all the options most of them don't even work half of the time, I don't think your game is good. Sorry From Software. I shouldn't have touched this game because now I feel like a dick. You've been going downhill since King's Field 4, and people just eat this stuff up. Guess it's back to retro games for me.
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tanasinn 2021-07-01T20:06:03Z
2021-07-01T20:06:03Z
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Wow, what a fucking game. I played this game originally on PS3 while my obsession for Demon's Souls was still on-going and I was always convinced this game was inferior. I felt there was a lot of cheap shit in the game like "how would I know that without dying to it?" etc. and it frustrated me a lot, even compared to the even harder Demon's Souls. I beat Demon's Souls and pretty much gave up interest in Dark Souls completely. Fast forward to the Steam Summer Sale of 2013, I bought Dark Souls on PC due to it being 75% off, a deal I couldn't resist. I installed it, and started over again.

As I started playing, memories of originally playing it were flying through my head. Quickly falling in love with it, I started playing non-stop. The opinion that this game was merely "decent" had been diminished. Demon's Souls is much different than Dark Souls considering it's linear level design, the complete opposite of the seamless open world feel of DaS. DaS is only a "spiritual successor" to DeS but the gameplay is pretty much the exact same. If you like one, you'll like the other, I guarantee it. The bosses are just as amazing, the npcs are unique and intriguing, and of course, the difficulty is very satisfying.

My favorite part of this series is how you can interact with other players: messages which give warnings or hints, black phantoms which come to your world to wreak havoc, and white phantoms that come to aid you in your journey. The lore is deep and the world is immersive, there's just a LOT to love in this game. I've beaten the game, but I probably know about 40% of what the game has to offer. The replay value is very high as there is so much more to discover. I'm sure I'll have much more to say as I get more familiar with the material, but for now, the review ends here. Try this game anyway you can and give it an honest try before you give up completely, this won't be an easy journey.

Update: beaten all bosses explored all areas, gonna stay a 10/10 probably forever
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An ode to great game design and world building.
Dark Souls astounded me with it's masterful level design, it manages to pull so much depth from simple concepts - it's level design isn't revolutionary or particularly massive but it accomplishes an interconnected world with various paths of progression that urge exploration.

Each subsequent encounter you experience trains you for what to expect with FromSoftware, at the beginning of the game I would constantly be startled by the hidden enemies and foreboding and ambiguous signs people would leave, but once I had been grandfathered into the process I began to expect the unexpected and that's when the developers would often perform their double bluff.

Levels are designed with a plethora of shortcuts and hidden passages to open and explore which keep repeated visits of areas fresh and without the monotony of having to trudge through miles of re-counted steps. It also provides for many combat opportunities due to the ability to knock enemies from ledges and the plunging attack being particularly useful.

The multiplayer aspect of this game surrounds the experience in a gothic, post-death, gritty RPG world with a joyful, idealized communitarian journey. The summoning and messaging encourages the community to create the game inside the game, this is one of the many avenues through which the game earns character. It's many NPCs are brief and remain mostly in the background, but are memorable with their little dialogue and often can assuage the heart that this game rarely shows (Solaire in particular).

Combat, for the time it was released (an even now) is impressive - the standard RPG stats married with Poise and the critical hit mechanic, staggering, magic, weapon type, one-handed/two-handed stances - this combination of simple rules creating a complex system works very well to ensure that there are many viable weapons and weapon types to use, enemies are varied enough to where each one must be learned before they can be defeated comfortably.

I had previously not attempted this game as it's reputation professed it as stressful, overly-difficult boss grind. This could not be further from the truth, the bosses have their strengths and weaknesses and are there to be learned, once you delve further into the game, you begin to understand that deaths will teach you lessons and learning an enemies move set before you engage is necessary for knowing how to capitalize on opportunities and avoid unnecessary damage.

This was my first FromSoftware game, which I only began this year after a decade of avoiding it for the pointless headache I had been promised it would provide. Thankfully this was not the case, it's really hard not to give this game full marks - I left this experience thinking "Why can't more RPG's be like this?".
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Still, to this day, I consider this to be the best action/exploration game of all time. It's so good it quite literally spawned the now disgustingly over-saturated "soulslike" subgenre, which it is STILL the best example of. In fact I think DkS is arguably the most influential action RPG of all time. Not most popular, most influential - so many developers still take notes from this game.

This game wants to kill you because everything is already dead, and so you should be too. "Dread" is the theme. There are no heroes, and that includes you. Everything in this game, including you, is suffering. The mooks don't attack out of anger, rather out of fear and confusion. The bigger enemies are more menacing and intimidating. Players are encouraged to leave and read messages on the ground to help or hurt one another. Invasions are essentially crimes against humanity.

That said, the combat is weighty and slow. Some describe it as "clunky," but that's silly. The mechanics here are extremely fluent, but they certainly make you eat your mistakes. That's probably the hardest part to get used to if you're coming from DkS3, Bloodborne, or Elden Ring, which have completely different combat feels. Those games rely on memory and rhythm, Dark Souls relies on critical thinking and mechanical fluency.

The level design of this game is without a doubt the best in the soulsborne universe. I don't want to spoil too much but throughout your first 10 hours of playing this game you'll know what I mean. Levels loop back on each other in ways that seem so obvious in hindsight, but you somehow never notice at first. You'll constantly find yourself looking up, down, or in the distance and realizing that you were just there, without realizing how far you'd traveled because of the constant struggle to survive.

I could go on for days. I'll just say this: it was a running meme for a while that Dark Souls was the game that would ruin all other games for you, and for a lot of people that was exactly the case. FromSoft hit the nail on the head with this one. I know it's not their most popular title but it is ABSOLUTELY their most defining moment as a company.
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C9PLMS 2023-12-27T13:55:41Z
2023-12-27T13:55:41Z
5.0
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I don't really know where to start...
[Mild spoilers:]

This is and has been my favourite game for some time now so this will probably be my longest review if I, for some reason, want to make more in the future. I first played Dark Souls III and it captivated as I'd never played anything quite like it before so i was instantly curious to see where the franchise began. The first Dark Souls is such a clearly flawed game that I don't know how I've grown to like it so much, especially after being acclimatised to the smooth gameplay of the third entry. Miyazaki and his team created the most unforgettable gaming experience that's still yet to be matched on quite a few grounds in my opinion, so I'll just get to what makes this game so great for me.

Gameplay:
Yes, this game can feel slow, clunky and dated in the way that it plays. This is especially evident with the four-way rolling when locked on to an enemy which can be quite frustrating a lot of the time but at the very least you get used to it over time- still doesn't excuse its existence though. Despite this, the pace of the game manages to fit perfectly with the atmosphere and World being painted here; the bleak environment almost feels like it's holding your character back and the slower movement really brings out the tension of encountering some of these horrid but beautifully crafted creatures that plague Lordran. I'm gonna try not to compare this with its successor Dark Souls III but the one aspect of this game's gameplay that I prefer is still the methodical approach the player has to take when approaching enemies rather than mostly relying on their mechanical skill to overcome a challenge. The game itself is reasonably difficult mechanically speaking in some cases, but the notoriety this game gets for being so difficult is mostly attributed to the amount of times you have to die in order to learn what you have to do on top perfecting your strategy in dodging certain attacks. It's a relatively simple combat loop regardless of the class you choose and its complexity largely stems from the variety of different stats you can level up to better suit your chosen weapons or armour but it also provides one of the strongest senses of progression I've felt in any game. You genuinely feel like you're slowly mastering the game with every level and enemy overcome, despite the constant hardships thrown at you. The game might feel unforgiving at times mostly because of the jank but it's honestly part of the charm now (at this point it just sounds like I'm trying to justify the flaws by saying 'get good' so I'm gonna move on). One last important part of the gameplay is definitely the: 'you lose everything you had if you don't collect it after you die' feature in regards to the soul currency. This is somewhat catered to thanks to soul items you can collect scattered across Lordran but I would be lying if I didn't say that I didn't love this feature given how much more tense it makes the game feel as you desperately try to find the nearest campfire while you sprint past countless monstrosities. It has made me rage a lot though so... game bad now I guess.

Level design:
Many applaud Dark Souls for its level design and I will say, I don't think I've played a game where the level design has captivated more so than this one. It might seem like I'm just following the crowd but for anyone that's played this game blind, don't tell me you weren't at the very least pleasantly surprised when the Undead Parish elevator took you back to Firelink Shrine. Or when the New Londo ruins connected to the Valley of Drakes after draining the water. Or when you saw Ash Lake and Demon Ruins from Tomb of Giants. Or when- you get the point. The metroidvania-esque level design which creates an interconnection of the areas, the unique but ultimately fair enemies (apart from those curse Basilisks, no one likes those), the memorable locations, the boss fights, it all just combines into this fantastic experience where you truly feel like you're on a grand adventure. There's so many little things you can explore that elevate this game so instead I'll focus on one part of the level design that's more controversial: the second half. Many argue that the game takes a big hit in the quality of the second half's areas and that the previously masterfully executed interconnection disappears which to be fair, is partly right. None of the areas leading up to the four Lords boss fights are as interconnected with the rest of Lordran as Undead Burg or Blighttown are and one could make the case they're not as enjoyable to traverse however I'm here to give as concise of a counter-argument as I can (if you don't want to bother with this just skip to the graphics part).
What exactly do you even class as the second half? Because the Painted World of Ariamis you could argue is in the second half and that area is greatly designed. Ash Lake is an unforgettable area too and you could make the case that's in the second half. The same case could even be made for the DLC and the DLC for this game is also amazingly crafted, especially in the boss fight department as I'm sure many would agree. Demon Ruins, an area which many hate, could be explored very early on. What I'm trying to say is that you can approach many of the areas in the game whenever you want and at your own pace- essentially like in an open world game.
Secondly, the areas that are only accessible after you acquire the Lordvessel are on average actually decent and don't really need further interconnection because the acquisition of the Lordvessel alters the pace of the game and creates a differing experience. New Londo is as greatly designed and connected to other areas as any others in the "first half" are described to be so that's out of the equation (yes I know you can go to New Londo without the Lordvessel but it's the area of the Four Kings and the Abyss doesn't count, let's be honest). Duke's Archives and Crystal Cave, although a bit more linear, are still great levels with memorable moments and many people complain about the invisible bridges when they're clearly shown to you through obvious particle effects and the main path to Seath is easy to take. The Tomb of Giants is mainly hated for being dark when in reality it adds a sense of dread that's unique to it and continues adding to the game's wide variety of moods throughout the locations. Catacombs is fantastic. The only one I will agree is poor is Lost Izalith because of its asset reuse, boring runs and mediocre level design but at least it has intersting architecture and great character moments with some of the NPCs. Boss fights-wise, Gravelord Nito is one of the game's best with Seath being a solid fight and the Four Kings arena being quite unique. I'm not gonna talk about the Bed of Chaos because there's just no point. I just wanted to get that off my chest and put my argument out there as to why Dark Souls fans blow the dip in quality out of proportion.

Graphics:
I think we can all agree that the most important part of a game's graphics is the execution of the style it's going for and the art direction. In that department, Dark Souls nails it and creates one of the greatest atmospheres in gaming history. Like I mentioned earlier, every area has its own unique feel like the mystery of Ash Lake, the majestic golden coating of Anor Londo and the suicidal tendencies I developed from exploring Blighttown. Every part of the journey has something to offer and it's greatly complimented by the different styles, aesthetics and colour palettes used that contribute to the game's brilliant world building.

Story:
I'm not gonna lie, I'm not the most well versed in the lore of Dark Souls as much as I'd like to take some time at one point to better understand the mysteries of Lordran. But one thing I am certain of is that Dark Souls' story isn't your average run-of-the-mill plot but instead a story that's intertwined with all other aspects of the game and an intriguing cast of characters. In order to appreciate the subtly told story of Dark Souls, the gameplay, level design, art, atmosphere, pace and everything else that comes with a game must be experienced with it which might seem weird or obvious that I'm stating this but it's what sets this game apart from stories set in stone or told through cutscenes- not that those games' stories are bad. The story of Dark Souls is told almost entirely through the actions you take, the way you play and the World around you which is what makes Dark Souls my all-time favourite game alongside all its other qualities. The ending area of the game with the final boss fight will also be one of the best moments in any FromSoft game, coupled with the two endings of whether you want to maintain the status-quo of the never-ending Age of Fire or become a Dark Lord.

Conclusion:
Ultimately, the game is about hope- both through the story of Solaire of Astora and the struggles in your World to push through and overcome even the challenges that seem most impossible within this decrepit environment. Dark Souls creates an experience that's so unforgettable, through its deeply flawed ways- something that never ceases to amaze me. At the end of the day however, I will acknowledge it's not for everyone and that the constant struggle may seem futile to many who end up going hollow in favour of playing a game that isn't as janky or slow; which I can't blame them for. I just wish everyone could enjoy this game as much as I do for what it is.
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SymptomaticSeb 2023-06-01T17:40:46Z
2023-06-01T17:40:46Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
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Catalog

JoaoNeto Dark Souls 2024-03-29T03:05:32Z
Windows
2024-03-29T03:05:32Z
5.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
rokcman Dark Souls 2024-03-29T01:46:36Z
2024-03-29T01:46:36Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Xantha_Paij Dark Souls 2024-03-29T00:55:32Z
2024-03-29T00:55:32Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
JazzRush14 Dark Souls 2024-03-28T22:37:41Z
2024-03-28T22:37:41Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
yaiez Dark Souls 2024-03-28T11:23:15Z
2024-03-28T11:23:15Z
4.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Spyarmf Dark Souls 2024-03-28T01:43:55Z
2024-03-28T01:43:55Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
L9Nio Dark Souls 2024-03-27T15:53:36Z
2024-03-27T15:53:36Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
jcselement Dark Souls 2024-03-27T09:10:21Z
2024-03-27T09:10:21Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Pumas Dark Souls 2024-03-27T00:54:36Z
2024-03-27T00:54:36Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
golin42 Dark Souls 2024-03-26T23:33:51Z
Windows
2024-03-26T23:33:51Z
5.0
1
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Ali5ia Dark Souls 2024-03-26T06:53:00Z
PS4
2024-03-26T06:53:00Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
pilnyak Dark Souls 2024-03-26T01:12:42Z
2024-03-26T01:12:42Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Content rating
CERO: D
Media
1x Blu-ray
Multiplayer modes
Cooperative , Deathmatch / FFA
Multiplayer options
Online
Franchises
In collections

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  • Previous comments (369) Loading...
  • white_calx 2024-02-28 07:46:56.799831+00
    bro my friend recently started playing this game for the first time and is complaining about swords clanging off walls if you’re too close to them and hit them mid fight 😭😭 dare i say… skill issue ?
    reply
    • Previous replies (3) Loading...
    • ThrashingFairy 2024-03-09 06:32:02.365853+00
      ^ Sucking at the game and calling it "ass" is not based.
    • KesiMiao 2024-03-18 16:13:36.015634+00
      That weapon bounce off thing can get annoying. The rest is definitely skill issue. Tell them to ditch the lock on, the 4 direction dodge is awful.
    • white_calx 2024-03-19 11:27:14.21415+00
      i will thank u for the advice 😁 i forget about the incredibly steep learning curve for this game
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • EhLeeUht 2024-03-02 19:59:35.51744+00
    It's a shame From never went back to this style of metroidvania-esque world design, instead favouring either isolated branches off of a hub (DkS2 & BB) or just linear progression (DkS3).
    reply
    • CrackTheSky 2024-03-18 14:00:59.065913+00
      This is kind of a bummer to read. I've only played through DS1 and DS2 so far but was really hoping DS2's hub world was an anomaly, as the metroidvania-ness of this game was one of my favorite aspects of it.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • fleshtache 2024-03-11 17:18:13.366062+00
    Thank God I beat this before my depression completely took over and zapped my will to play vidya away
    reply
    • renegadexavier06 2024-03-15 04:57:12.88847+00
      Now THIS is based. Fortunately, your redemption arc has just begun. There five other games, waiting to be played.
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • duckienation 2024-03-20 10:57:37.043615+00
    i brought this off steam, but i cant hell outta it, i used to play the prepare to die edition, and it was perfect
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • Paracaue 2024-03-22 16:03:29.39162+00
    replaying this is so fun because of how connected the first areas are
    reply
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • swordsfortheinfuriated 2024-03-25 02:10:51.765131+00
    holy fuck this sucks
    reply
    • renegadexavier06 2024-03-25 13:02:04.414303+00
      0%
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