Now, before people get all angry at me(because really, the internet hates you), let me get something clear: I like this game! I wouldn't say I love this game but I definitely like this game. I enjoy it. But I still have not figured it out WHY. It is hard, you can easily lose your souls, which are basically currency for everything, it does not tell you anything what-so-ever, you'll be screaming at your TV, you pretty much have to figure it out your paths by going head first and die fighting an enemy that is out of your level, you will be stuck in the same area for hours thinking "where the hell am I supposed to go from here??" etc etc. It is a brutal brutal game. Everything about it, I hate it, and yet I get more obsessed everyday. So what is it about this game that you like? Is it the difficulty? Is it your video game masochism? Or is it your sense of accomplishment? Why are you drawn to this game?
Dark Souls
Game » consists of 14 releases. Released Sep 22, 2011
A quasi-sequel to From Software's action-RPG Demon's Souls, set in a new universe while retaining most of the basic gameplay and the high level of challenge. It features a less-linear world, a new checkpoint system in the form of bonfires, and the unique Humanity system.
The ultimate question; Why do you like this game?
I just like RPGs, and I like how different of a game Dark Souls is. It's hard but far more rewarding than any other game. I like how you can play the game hundreds of different ways and you are never restricted to one class type. You can cast spells, and wield a sword and shield with heavy armor if you want to. The PvP is also really cool.
I like the exploration elements, can sometimes feel a bit Metroid-y. I'm also a massive fan of the 3 Gothic games ;) and Risen aswell, so i'm heavily into the progession element of the game, start out as a guy in rags, end 80 hours later shooting laser beams out of my eyes, that sort of thing.
I enjoy the combat and the exploration. I like having to learn and memorize enemy's attack patterns in order to succeed. It's also nice to play a game that can actually kill me more than once or twice. Multiplayer is also a ton of fun. There's a lot of satisfaction in helping other players beat bosses.
@CJduke:
@Nitrocore:
It is really interesting how I enjoy this game because I hated Demon's Souls. I probably played about 5 hours and just gave up at the end. But for some reason, I am drawn to this game... Maybe this game is easier than Demon's Souls or maybe I was preparing for myself better. Either way, what a.... painfully fun game...
@Br3adfan said:
I hate myself.
LOL
I find it to be the most fun, challenging but fair, rewarding game I've played in a long time. It kind of feels like a modern day Diablo (Diablo 1) to me in some ways.
There's stuff about it I cant explain but after getting a grasp on the controls I have not been frustrated by the game since. As long as I take it slow and be patient I've been taking down some difficult stuff. That's the most satisfying thing to me. I just find it incredibly fun to play.
I think the most difficult and frustrating thing to me now is describing it to my friends, because it feels like no other RPG I've ever played.
"So, what's it like? What kind of game is it?"
"Well, it's a really hard RPG, but it's a ton of fun to play."
And I mean this when I say, I haven't played a game that I've been excited to get back to everyday for a really long time. There's a lot of good games still, but none that I can say I felt compelled to keep playing. It's kinda weird. Then again, Uncharted 2 was really good.
But ya, I just find it incredibly fun I guess haha
I'm never any good at specifying why I like a certain game. I just have fun playing it. One thing I can say is that despite it's difficulty, I don't find myself getting super frustrated. I do get plenty frustrated at times, but not as bad as with some other games. I think that's mainly because I haven't ran into something that I thought felt cheap or something. Biggest problem I have is that I can get burned out running through the same area multiple times if I keep dying on a certain spot. When that happens I just tend to quit for the day and come back the next day.
Honestly i picked it up (having never played Demon Souls) because it was something different. Pure exploration with no hand holding, where there are tons of different play styles available and non of them are useless. It is great for someone like me because it felt like it got me out of my usual gaming rut. Video games seem to be a little lacking in variety now days and this is a great change of pace.
You know that feeling you get when one of the knights, once down to 25% health or so, backs up and pulls out a potion and you knew it was gonna happen so you're already lunging at him, finishing him off with one powerful strike? You know that feeling?
That's why I play it.
I'll speak from my experience of Demons Souls. Learning about a world and exploring/ discovering that world is interesting. Combat is intense because of the huge amount of risk making every action impactful. With the exception of a few bosses, most enemy encounters are fun sword fights againt bad ass knights or demons. The worlds are atmospheric and creepy. Nothing else is quite like it.
After about 4 hours of bashing my head against a wall I started to get it. At about 8 hours I realized how much I really didn't get it. Now I'm really making progress and it feels good. Also I like turning a corner and seeing something bad ass and thinking; "Not now but someday I will come for you." It gives me something to look forword to and know that when I get there; I've earned it.
@nohthink: It's fun. I think the main thing is that people mistake this game as a hardcore RPG, or as a character action game with RPG elements. In actuality, I believe those tropes don't describe the game very well. If anything, I think if you go into the game with an understanding that it's an open-world survival horror game, you'll have a much better time with it and managing your expectations of what the game is.
Dark Souls is pure gameplay. There is hardly no story and it is crazy punishing. But THIS is what Jaffe has been going on about all year. He wants to make a game that is all about the gameplay and not really about the story. Well, Namco beat him to the punch. That's what I've divined so far, but hey I could be wrong.
From the perspective of someone who has never so much as touched Demon's Souls or Dark Souls, the appeal of this game seems to not be the actual playing it but the feeling of alleviation after you accomplish your goal. Super Meat Boy is a game that I love and when I beat the final level of it, I literally jumped off my couch and started screaming. I assume that's how people feel every time they defeat a boss in Dark Souls.
so is it all bland looking castle throughout?
I kinda wanna play it after watching videos but the world looks so bland ans same-y....generic castles n stuff
@Vinny_Says:
Check out the game trailers review. It shows the different places the game takes you. It's never too same-y.
I like it because it feels like The Legend of Zelda for NES. Constant exploration, terrifyingly difficult enemies that become less terrifying once you learn their attack patterns, wide variety of areas, enemies and bosses, rewarding item based character power, shortcuts that are revealed as you push on. They should have called this game Evil Zelda.
I like it because they don't hold your hand, explain anything or point you in the right direction at any time. Because they don't do any of those things it's much more rewarding to explore the world. When I find a new item or kill a boss in most other games it's not as rewarding because you know that at this point in the game you're suppose to be killing that boss, but in Dark Souls I have no idea if I'm even in the right part of the world for my level. Playing Dark Souls is like going into uncharted territory.
I've been asking myself this question a lot, I mean it has a lot of elements of bad games, such as a terrible camera, animation prioritization over responsiveness, underwritten tutorial. But, it's not a bad game, far from it. The feeling of accomplishment can be exhilarating but I also find the journey to those accomplishments fun. It's fun to explore the world and few games can match how good the melee combat feels when you get the timing down and it all starts to click. And as a game developer the online components sort of fascinate me, as the Bombcast mentioned the Zeitgeist around this game is part of it's appeal and you can literally feel it inside the game. Dark Souls is the antithesis of modern game design and it stands out in a very good way against the crowd despite shortcomings that may have crippled lesser games.
It's fun to play, challenging in the right ways for me (slow and methodical), and in Dark Souls, a good lore. The game never lays any of this out front, but should you talk to darkwraith kaathee or discover the truth behind what's really going on in Anor Londo, man, what a misnomer the name Dark Souls is.
I really enjoy doing tedious work, there's a certain meditative quality to it, so I really enjoy playing through areas of the game over and over trying to progress. I also enjoy methodical battle where you need to learn enemy patterns like in monster hunter, so this is a perfect fit that way as well.
@Vinny_Says
There's a pretty huge variety of environments from what I've seen actually.
tons of armor, tons of weapons, dozen different weapon upgrade paths, Long game, have to play the game on hard without a choice in the matter (Since it is set to be hard), full control over how you play your character (gear, stats, spells) No annoying voice chat of people bitching about dieing. Whats not to love? I have died over 200 times easily and I got back to killing. I have lost over 100K in souls, So I just farmed them all back.
I think it's the exploration of the unknown, the character skill progression (stats, weapons, equipments, etc.) and the player skill progression. The game forces you to stay on your toes even against enemies in old areas. I've had a few near death situations in low level areas simply because I was in a rush to get somewhere and I figured my stat increases would buffer the mistakes I was prepared to take. I learned very quickly that 3 low level enemies surrounding you can take you out pretty quick if you don't treat every fight like the real deal.
Death means something. That one fact is the basis of the game for me, as without it, none of the tension in battle or sense of satisfaction/achievement would be there in victory. Rather than thinking, "Great I killed the boss, what's next", I think "Fuck yeah! I killed it! I'm amazi... oh god what is that, no.. stay away, oh shit!".
Because the atmosphere and level design is really good, the combat is really satisfying, worlds feels authentic, weapons are all unique and fun to use, and the feeling after clearing an area is unlike any other game.
@Z3RO180:
I personally picked the Warrior class over the Knight class because I wanted my character to be strong but at the same time, nimble enough to roll around. Of course, you can always change your armors to something lighter and make your equip load lighter. But I know that the Knight class does not flinch that much when he gets attacked. So I guess that's a good trade off?
I like the risk/reward of the gameplay and just the subtle, contextual nature of everything in the world. There is some kind of narrative that is more hinted at than told directly, yet items and purely functional things like online play and the hint system are woven into the fiction. I appreciate it when a game at least tries to avoid breaking the fiction. Things like make it really easy to look up and realize I've been playing for far too long.
I play it and like it because of one thing, fear. Being scared of losing all the souls you gained and doing your best to survive is a wonderful feeling to have and being able to succeed in the end brings out a euphoria that I have never felt before in many other games.
This game does everything I've ever wanted from an action RPG:
- No quests and lengthy uninspired dialog trees. Atmosphere > story.
- Simple combat that actually requires skill - make no mistakes about the heavy combat animations: it's NOT bad design, is not lazy, but is cleverly thought out and provides some of the most exciting combat I have ever played.
- Damage is high both for you and your enemies, so combat never drags out, but is quick and dirty.
- No generic enemies. All the different enemies pose a unique threat.
- Fine tuned level design, no generic semi-random boring landscapes. Every corner you turn is new and exciting.
- An online implementation where other players don't pull me out of the atmosphere with their endless complaints, dirty talk, and LOL's, and what not. Instead, here they seem a natural part of the game world and fiction.
In short.. I honestly think that most RPGs will be immensely boring after Dark Souls.
It truly says something that a game with a horrible framerate and lack of polish in its graphical presentation as well as its sound effects, still ends up being the best gaming experience I have had all year. No other RPG, or game in any genre for that matter, have had me this completely absorbed into its world.
Dark souls has soul. It's fresh, original, creative, and it's clearly done by people who do not care how other companies make their games. Love it.
Please Log In to post.
This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:
Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.Comment and Save
Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.
Log in to comment