I'll always have a lot of respect for the first Dark Souls game for launching one of my favorite video game franchises of all time and really putting From Software onto the map because I think they're one of the few modern gaming companies consistently releasing one quality title after another but that doesn't mean I think Dark Souls is a masterpiece. It's kind of an unpopular opinion but I actually think the first Dark Souls game alongside its predecessor Demons Souls are the lesser titles in the series in terms of quality. Compared to my favorite games in the series Bloodborne and Dark Souls III, Dark Souls doesn't hold up as well in my opinion. There are certainly memorable moments in Dark Souls for better or for worse. And unfortunately, a lot of those moments are for worse. The series is known to be very difficult but fair and I've beaten all of them and I can say that's true for most of the games but Dark Souls resides in a little grey area between challenging and completely unfair due to certain areas just being poorly designed or crushingly difficult or even both at the same time, (I'm looking at you Blighttown and Snake Fortress) super stiff and clunky combat, a general lack of direction, and technical issues that are later improved on in later entries like a very choppy framerate and a camera that always gets stuck in places it shouldn't be. Despite those things that bog down the experience Dark Souls is still a pretty good game. The bosses are super intimidating and there's nothing like the rush of Dopamine you get from beating that one boss you just can't seem to get past and I'm quite fond of the storytelling approach in the Soulsborne series too. Unlike most RPGs, Dark Souls doesn't constantly cram expository dialogue down your throat, rather it goes for a more subtle, visual-oriented route by telling its stories through its rich set pieces, enemy designs, NPC dialogue, and item descriptions. A lot of the story in these games is shrouded in mystery and is left up to the interpretation of the player and that's what I like about it. It's a very important game and one I'm grateful for that's certainly not afraid to be unique and brings a lot to the table but the gameplay is just not as well executed as later entries in my opinion, but fans of the series should check this one out to see where it all started but if you're a newcomer I wouldn't recommend starting with this one.
