Dark Souls

I’ll start of this review with an admission. Before I played Dark Souls, I thought even the very idea of it was awful. The idea of a game that hid away basic concepts, had barely any visible story and was punishing in seemingly vindictive ways sounded like a clear-cut example of shoddy programming.

Even then, a morbid curiosity drew me to this odd game until I finally took the plunge and decided to give Dark Souls a try through the lovely people at my local Blockbuster.

Over the course of my week with the game, I experienced frustration and pleasure in almost equal measure. Despite being left with the experience that the game was coldly mocking my pathetic efforts, my interest had been piqued and many of my preconceptions about the game had been blown away.

A long time passed until I finally purchased the game for real, but it was then that the game truly got it’s talons in me and refused to let go.

Dark Souls, for all its reputation as a punishing exercise in masochism, is a game that must be experienced in long stretches and adapted to. Unlike nearly any other game, it requires the player to think about their actions and tailor themselves to its demands.

Be rash and impatient and the game will severely punish you throughout its hefty running period. However, if you keep level-headed and inquisitive, the game will reward you with a combat system that ranks as one of the most rewarding and deep in any title of recent years.

The satisfaction for perfectly timing a riposte or felling a previously tricky enemy with a single, well timed swing are nearly unmatched. The way different weapons and styles radically change every single encounter in the game keep you wanting to try new and interesting ways of slaying your formidable foes. It’s this variety and complexity that makes the core of Dark Souls not only exciting and rewarding, but constantly intriguing.

Oddly enough, the exact same can be said of the game’s visuals. While at first glance seemingly dull and grainy when compared to other RPGs like Skyrim, the intricate details and ingenious creature designs that permeate the world From Software has created only really reveal their beauty over time. Now, coming up on it's second anniversary, its lustre is stronger than ever.

It's the boss battles though that have become the defining aspect of Dark Souls, and with good reason, as they one of the most rewarding parts of any game this generation. Whether it’s fighting against a pair of ruthless armoured knights out for your blood, or trying to destroy a horrific dragon that lurks in the sewers, defeating these dastardly adversaries leaves you breathless and hankering for more. Luckily enough, there are more than enough to satisfy your hunger throughout your quest in the cursed land of Lordran.

Then there’s the multiplayer, a side that is as deep and complex as the single player aspect of the game. With systems set up to reward and encourage players to act in both co-operative and hostile ways, it opens your world up to brilliant and memorable experiences with others. Unfortunately, the game hides this away in item descriptions, and when discovered, is unreliable at best.

That’s not the only problem with Dark Souls either. The game’s lack of explanation and guidance can lead to levels of frustration for newcomers that borders on the unreal. On a technical level, the game (on console at least, the only version I’ve played) suffers from severe frame-rate issues on occasion and a camera that sometimes feels like another antagonist.

Dark Souls will test the patience of anyone who plays it to the absolute limit. It’s obtuse to the point of the ridiculous and sometimes forgets to play by its own rules, but it’s a test that every single gamer should experience. From the excellent controls to the gameplay that manages to make hours melt away, Dark Souls is a slow burn, but one that when lit, will never fade.