- Dark Souls
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For the 2011 film, see Dark Souls (film).
Dark Souls 
Developer(s) From Software Publisher(s) Director(s) Hidetaka Miyazaki Composer(s) Motoi Sakuraba[1] Engine PhyreEngine[2] Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Release date(s) Genre(s) Action-adventure, Role-playing game Mode(s) Single-player, online multiplayer Rating(s) Media/distribution Optical disc Dark Souls (ダークソウル Dāku Souru) is an action-adventure / role-playing game video game developed and published for PlayStation 3 by From Software in Japan, and published for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games internationally.[4] Previously referred to as Project Dark, Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls.[5] It was released in Japan on September 22, 2011, on October 4 in North America, and on October 7 in Europe of the same year.[3]
Contents
Gameplay
The game consists of dungeon crawling in almost relentlessly hostile environments and exploits the tension instilled by risk vs. reward game mechanics and penalties upon player death. Dark Souls takes place in an open world environment, with the player able to travel to and from areas and explore various available paths. Dark Souls allows players to light Bonfires, which function as respawn locations.[6] These bonfires also replenish health, magic, and special items like Estus flasks - limited vials that restore health, but also respawn all enemies previously defeated, except for bosses and special bosses.[7] The player must fight their way through various locations and defeat bosses to progress.
Dark Souls features an elaborate online mode, very much like that of Demon's Souls, which is active whenever the console is connected to the internet (an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required on the Xbox 360 version). The online mode adds numerous dynamic interactions between the individual worlds players, including limited co-op and player versus player within certain conditions. Communication between players is deliberately limited.
Plot
Like its predecessor Demon's Souls, Dark Souls has a notably minimalistic plot. Events, and the significance of these, are often implied and left to player interpretation, rather than fully shown or explained. Most of the story and lore of the world is given to the player through dialogue from characters within the world, item descriptions, or the scarcely few cutscenes.
The opening explains that in the founding of the world, the dragons held sole dominion over the world. However, The Fire of Lords along with the human race, eventually came into existence. Four entities; Nito (an undead), Gwyn (a knightly lord), The Witch of Izalith (a sorceress), and the elusive Furtive Pygmy harnessed the Fire of Lords to combat the dragons, eventually overthrowing them and launching humanity into a golden era known as the Age of Fire.
More recently, however, an affliction of unknown origin has begun to curse the beleaguered human race. When contracted, a mark known as the Darksign appears on the person, signifying that the person is now an immortal Undead; he/she always returns to life after death, but slowly loses his/her sanity over time and eventually becomes violent, ultimately becoming a shell of his/her former self and known as a Hollow.
The protagonist is a male or female Undead, who has yet to become Hollow. He/she escapes from the northern Undead Asylum with the help of another undead and learns of the prophecy concerning a chosen Undead who leaves the Undead Asylum in pilgrimage and rings the Bell of Awakening in the land of the gods, Lordran.
Once the character has rung the Bells of Awakening, the gate leading to Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo is opened, and the Primordial Serpent Kingseeker Frampt is awoken. He tells the player that he is the Chosen Undead that must succeed Lord Gywn and remove the affliction of the Darksign. It is implied that Frampt is very old and has awaited the protagonist's arrival for a very long time. To achieve this given task, the character must get the Lordvessel from the land of Anor Londo. When the task is done, the character must obtain the four powerful Lord Souls from Seath the Scaleless, the Four Kings, the Bed of Chaos, and Gravelord Nito, and offer them to the Lordvessel.
However, in the Abyss - if the player has not placed the Lordvessel on the altar at that point - he/she can instead meet Darkstalker Kaathe, a different Primordial Serpent who opposes Frampt. Kaathe will there present the protagonist with a different path: to end the Age of Fire and "usher in the Age of Dark".
After completing the task of offering the four Lord Souls to the Lordvessel, with the help of either Frampt or Kaathe, the character must go on to defeat Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder. Once the character has slain him, the player is given a vague choice which affects the ending. By choosing to link the fire, the character is consumed entirely by the fire as it burns intensely bright. The screen then goes white, before fading to dark as the credits roll. By choosing not to link the fire, the protagonist instead walks out of the area and is greeted by Primordial Serpents who bow down to the character, accepting him/her as the Dark Lord.
Reception
Famitsu gave the game a highly positive review, scoring it 37 out of 40, based on four scores of 9, 9, 9, and 10. One of the reviewers for Dark Souls described it as "a very hardcore dark-fantasy RPG" that is "role-playing right down to the roots," and stated that the "massive field map and powerful enemies serve to rev up both your sense of adventure and your sense of dread." Another reviewer stated that "the sheer happiness you get after the trial-and-error pays off and you overcome the challenge is absolutely impossible to replicate."[8]
Gamespot scored Dark Souls a 9.5/10, complimenting just about every aspect of it. Much praise was given to the online system, as well as the sense of jubilation felt when conquering boss fights after numerous failed attempts. They also suggested that casual gamers may struggle to progress, whereas RPG enthusiasts will thrive on the difficulty.
IGN gave Dark Souls a 9.0/10, praising the well-thought out level design, variety, strong emphasis on online features, excessively dark tone and atmosphere and deep gameplay. They also noted that it is not a game that one can simply jump into and play for plain enjoyment. They went as far to say that it is not a game for the timid and that the game requires both skill and strategy almost all the time. While praising the extremely high difficulty, they stated that "there's a difference between punishing, and downright unfair."
Eurogamer gave Dark Souls 9/10, saying "If adventure is to surprise and mystify you and invite you to uncover the secrets of a forgotten world, then Dark Souls is a great adventure game. If entertainment is fun without failure and progress without pain, you'll have to find it somewhere else. But you'll be missing out on one of the best games of the year."[9]
References
- ^ Jayson Napolitano (September 29, 2011). "Big names behind Dark Souls soundtrack". http://www.destructoid.com/big-names-behind-dark-souls-soundtrack-212582.phtml. Retrieved September 29, 2011.
- ^ "Face-Off: Dark Souls". Digital Foundry. October 5 2011. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-dark-souls-face-off. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d Anoop Gantayat (May 11, 2011). "Dark Souls Arriving First in Japan". andriasang. http://andriasang.com/comvfewgtrawhy6esgt5hy6kifti87tfdusetdaERQ353134Q23io/. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ^ Anoop Gantayat (February 1, 2011). "Demon's Souls Followup Officially "Dark Souls"". andriasang. http://andriasang.com/comtr2/. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ Andy Robinson (February 4, 2011). "Dark Souls 'is not a sequel to Demon's Souls' - Dev". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/287123/news/dark-souls-is-not-a-sequel-to-demons-souls-dev/. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Parker, Max. "Hidetaka Miyazaki Talks Dark Souls". The Game Guy. http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/the-game-guy/30157-hidetaka-miyazaki-talks-dark-souls. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ Pickard, James. "Dark Souls hands-on preview [360/PS3"]. http://beefjack.com/features/dark-souls-preview-360-ps3/. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ^ Gifford, Kevin (09/14/2011). "Japan Review Check: Dark Souls". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/news/japan-review-check-dark-souls. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-03-dark-souls-review
External links
- Official website (Japanese)
- Official website (English)
From Software RPG games King's Field series Shadow Tower series Shadow Tower · Shadow Tower AbyssEvergrace series Lost Kingdoms series Souls series Demon's Souls · Dark SoulsOther games Video game software Categories:- 2011 video games
- Action-adventure games
- Action role-playing video games
- Dark fantasy video games
- From Software games
- Horror video games
- Multiplayer online games
- Namco Bandai games
- Open world video games
- PlayStation 3 games
- Xbox 360 games
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