The following is taken from an interview with Nintendo's Masahiro Sakurai in the latest issue of Famitsu.

"It's a game with the sort of difficulty level where you're killed instantly if you let your guard down. Every mistake causes you to pay a severe penalty. You're constantly watching out for back attacks and pincer attacks, always tapping on stone bridges before you cross them. Every corner you come across takes on vital meaning. What if there's some foe I can't defeat on the other side? Should I try not to make any sound? Am I all right on stamina? What if there are enemies on both sides? Anything behind me right now? And so on, and so on.

There are bonfires throughout the game that refill your life to maximum, but if you use them, all enemy positions are reset. In other words, you're traveling from a bonfire to the boss, or to another bonfire, and that's the equivalent of a 'round' in the game. You also have Est flasks which can be filled for 5 uses (later 10) at bonfires. If you feel like you're short on Est, you can either turn back or keep going. It's an item that inherently forces you to make a strategic decision during each 'round' of play.

There's an important item, called a Fire Keeper Soul, that enhances the effect of Est flasks. I was having trouble against this butterfly-shaped boss, so I was looking around for items that could help me. So I found this item and used it...but nothing seemed to happen. It raised the Humanity stat, but nothing else. Going back to the start point, I realized that you're supposed to offer the Fire Keeper Soul to a certain person in order to permanently power up your Est flask. This game runs on autosave, of course, so it was too late for that -- I had wasted a golden opportunity.

I thought to myself 'Well, should I really go through with this? Is it that bad of a mistake?'. The thing is, this sort of thing happens all the time in games, especially RPGs, running into situations where you permanently miss out on important items or story events because you didn't know any better. I make every effort to avoid reading strategy guides or sites because I want to explore worlds for myself, these worlds that dozens of people worked hard to build, with as fresh a perspective as possible. This can have its drawbacks, because there are some things where it's completely to your advantage to have previous knowledge about. In the end, though, there's a lot of fun that comes out from the fact that you can't go back. This game wouldn't have been half as fun if it wasn't built that way

It's really refreshing to play a title that so constantly has you wondering about the could-have-beens. It's a reminder that games can conjure feelings in you that no other form of entertainment can, something I'm reminded of as I toil through my restart."

- Masahiro Sakurai

Good on him. He appears to be going in with an open mind, trying to eek out the best experience he can possibly get. That is how we should all play this gem of a game.

i second that response this game is just incredible.

Respect to him for working his way through the world that is dark souls.

SAKURAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!

"It's a game with the sort of difficulty level where you're killed instantly if you let your guard down. Every mistake causes you to pay a severe penalty. You're constantly watching out for back attacks and pincer attacks, always tapping on stone bridges before you cross them. Every corner you come across takes on vital meaning. What if there's some foe I can't defeat on the other side? Should I try not to make any sound? Am I all right on stamina? What if there are enemies on both sides? Anything behind me right now? And so on, and so on."

In one paragraph, this dude has expressed why so many people love the Souls games. There are no other games out there that demand and reward patience like they do. And it's a refreshing change of pace from the guns blazing games of today.

I chuckled when I read that he was having trouble with the butterfly boss. I'm an elitist dick, dealwithit.

Sakurai is so awesome. Kudos to him for making Smash Bros.

I don't know a lot about this guy, but everything that I have heard have gone towards me respecting him more. This is another one of those things.

In the end, though, there's a lot of fun that comes out from the fact that you can't go back. This game wouldn't have been half as fun if it wasn't built that way

I agree. If you could load up old saves then this would just be another fallout / elder scrolls game. The fact that you have to continue on even after you messed up is all part of the appeal.

I hope this experience has a positive bearing on his future games. It should be noted Nintendo platforms in the past had some of the toughest games known to gamers, hopefully the same can happen again down the line.

@musclerider said:

I chuckled when I read that he was having trouble with the butterfly boss. I'm an elitist dick, dealwithit.

No no, i think everyone who's fought that boss laughed at that. That thing's a joke really.

But that FIre Keeper Soul thing is also pretty hilarious, that can screw you over in so many ways if you don't use Fire Keeper Souls properly.

He speaks the truth and nothing but the truth.

People in power like this game...

I'm friends with Yoshida-san on PSN (head of sony games) and he is ALWAYS playing Dark Souls.

Awesome.
 
Now he can start working on the next Smash Bros.
A console one, fuck the handhelds.

Definitely a great view on why so many people love this game. It's a unique experience and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Though, like some others, I did find it amusing that he had trouble with the Butterfly boss, definitely one of the easier encounters I've faced so far.

Maybe the lessons he learned from this game will make their way into his next Kirby.

@ryanwho said:

Maybe the lessons he learned from this game will make their way into his next Kirby.

Rest assured, that games so tough you need four players to beat it.