I’ve been struggling to figure out how I wanted to approach Dark Souls. It has been nearly half a year since its release, and I couldn’t find the words to talk about it. So let me just talk, and see where it goes.
It takes a whole lot to actually make me impressed with a game. It is rare you get that very tight, lushes looking mistress that indulges you and your every fetish. Most of us have been doing this for twenty years, so some habits are easy to indulge; and impossible to break. It doesn't matter if you’re living the Hollywood lifestyle, when you feel that breeze on a warm summer night, you’re a kid again. Maybe it was the innocence that made it so easy to explore the unknown. So when it comes time to keeping the past in mind, you have to make sure the ones you pick count.
You could easily say that there have always been those soulless husks some call games, and you’re probably right. It has always been a part of the process, and will always be. The panic only comes when there is confusion between what will stand the test of time, and what will be easily forgotten. Many great artists have masterpieces that seem to transcend race or language. They are framed for the whole world to see and it consumes you. Why is it so hard to imagine the same future for what we love so unboundedly.
Despite what the credits may say, when you come across one of those masterpieces, you just know it. Any of the great work has always been a work in progress. So with your expectations in check, you can find some really rewarding memories. Dark Souls is exactly one of those experiences. From the moment you step foot into Lordran, you are demanded to roll the hard six. Even though it falls short to the most common plagues of this medium, it keeps you constantly engaged and questions your every conception of skill. Just when you feel that you’re on top of it, you will be dragged down; the entire time begging for salvation.
Once you finally put it to submission though, you will be able to dance through every challenge as if it was designed just for you. That first journey is something to cherish though, because you’ll never get that same feeling again. You will be taken to a world that is so fleshed, everything else fails in comparison. Your achievements will feel like badges on honor for your tour through hell. It never punishes without pleasure, and it never lets the pleasure last. So tread lightly, or you’ll die the thousand deaths of a man gone mad.