Versus: Dark Souls

James

Dark Souls is the spiritual successor of the love-it-or-hate-it game Demon's Souls on the PS3. And when I say “love it or hate it,” I cannot stress that enough. You either fall in love with Dark Souls, or it becomes the bane of your existence. I have pumped more than 100 hours into Dark Souls across multiple characters and different play styles, and have every intention of jumping back in again soon.  This is a game for old school players who remember how games used to be.

Andrew

When Demon’s Souls was released for the PlayStation 3 in October 2009, critics and fans alike praised the title, stating that it was “the first truly great Japanese RPG of this generation”. However, whenever I heard about Demon’s Souls, its brutal difficulty and uncompromising mechanics were mentioned in the exact same breath. At the time I didn’t own Sony’s console, so I never experienced this so-called “classic.” That changed in 2011, when Dark Souls made its multiplatform debut. After only an hour of this pixilated poison, I realize that this title is for the most hardcore gaming masochists.

Visual Presentation

James

Visually, Dark Souls has completely breathtaking vistas, looking down from the bottom of the wood scaffolding hovel in Blight Town, to the awesome towers and pearl white vistas of Anor Londo. The visual weight and movement of yourself and enemies will ultimately help you succeed or fail in combat. You simply must read and memorize the tells in an enemies move set so that you know when to dodge or block, and the animation system does this perfectly. The enemy types change with each new location, giving every area its own personality, from the Ghosts in Lost Izalith to the snake people of Sen’s Fortress, you could know your location from enemy types alone. 

Andrew

So I’ll agree with James that even in the small amount of time with the game, the visuals were very pleasing, presenting the player with a dark and brooding outlook on a world corrupted with the undead and other inhumane entities. Although I was only familiar with the dark recesses of dungeons and holding cells, I can imagine that From Software did a great job of capturing a fantasy epic with style and visuals that would lock the player into the experience. I suppose you would have to if you are being forced to stare at the same enemy for what may seem like an eternity. 

Gameplay

James

No other game has as beautiful of a combat system as Dark Souls. I have never felt more in control of my own fate than with the “block, dodge, attack” mechanics of this game. Choosing a weapon that best fits you play style could make or break the game. Whether I go for the classic sword and board, use a pike to keep enemies at a distance, or fling spells at my enemies, there are multiple options of engagement in the combat.  Dark Souls also was one of the most nerve racking games I played last year. Should I risk my precious souls and continue on deeper into this castle, jumping at every movement and inching around every dark corner? The risk reward system in this game was brilliant, I never got frustrated, because of the combat system I knew it was my own fault when I died, making it one of the best Gameplay Systems I’ve experienced in years.

Andrew

Where James rewards Dark Souls for its risk/reward gameplay, I disagree with it completely. The gameplay is straight forward enough; however, I do not believe that the developer gives you the proper tools to succeed. Call me spoiled or naïve, but I can’t imagine how someone would find the mechanics rewarding when you have to struggle just to switch weapons, or attempt to parry and strike with any kind of ease. I found the camera to be my own worst enemy, more dangerous than any hollow or demon I may encounter. I was happy that there was a lock on ability, but when you’re trying to take on a much larger foe, that will provide no help whatsoever. I felt like the only way to succeed was to swing wildly and hope I didn’t get killed. Sadly, that never happened in my brief play through.

Difficulty

James

I normally dislike difficult games, but this game drug me kicking and screaming into its world. Difficulty is what Dark Souls is known for, and is also what will make or break the game for many people. The game is brutal and unforgiving. So much so that you could lose thousands of souls that you have been gathering for hours with one botched sword swing. Insta-kill traps could be waiting around any corner, requiring patience and not barreling into every room. Enemy patterns, blind spots and weaknesses must be exploited to ensure success in this hostile world. Some people may say that it’s broken because it doesn’t tell you anything, but that’s why I loved it. This game encourages you to discover its systems on your own.  Within days of playing, I was diving into the deep end of the community looking for tips on where the good items were, or where to go next for the best chance of progressing, then making that my mission. I have never been so involved with a game that killed me so much, and I will go back to it again.  

Andrew

So here is the make-or-break point of this entire game. Was I a bad enough dude to take on the challenge that Dark Souls was going to provide? No, absolutely not. Kudos to the people that accept playing the video game equivalent of having their genitals trapped in a vice, but I am not a strong enough person to be punished repeatedly like I was in the first hour of playing Dark Souls. Even with the terrible camera and lackluster battle mechanics, I managed to traverse to what I can assume was the last part of my “tutorial”. That’s correct; I didn’t make it past the actual tutorial of the game. Once I faced off with the Asylum Demon, I knew that my time with Dark Souls was coming to an end. I found it near impossible to roll or dodge out of the way of the demon’s massive hammer pounds and sweeping swings. Attempting to run away from the beast proved useless, as I would either fight with the camera to avoid an attack, or run into endless pots that would trap me in front of my impending death. Why are all these pots lying around? I know it’s some sort of decrepit middle age but surely we can find some way to store all these damn pots.

Overall Interpretation

James

I cannot stress this enough -- I loved this game. It was my favorite game of last year, and is probably in my top five games of all time. The perfect blend of self discovery, adventure and the best combat system in ages surprised me and won me over after hours of gameplay. Accessibility be damned, this game got itself stuck in my head for weeks after its launch, falling head over heels into the games world and systems. The community for this game is amazing, and the unique online component can drastically change the way you think of online games. If you don’t love this game, I understand, but I have to tell any self respecting gamer that they must give it a try. You may be surprised by how much you love it.

Andrew

Overall, I’d have to say with all certainty that I am not a fan. I appreciate the community of players that enjoyed this game, and I am happy that a game that other companies thought would be a failure proved to be successful. However I just don’t find it as rewarding and innovative as other fans and critics would have me believe. It’s 2012, and I have become accustomed to a certain style or accessibility that comes with modern RPGs and games in general. I wholeheartedly agree with James on the fact that within minutes of playing Dark Souls, players will either love or hate it. I’m sure you can figure out where I stand on the matter.