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Why Dark Souls is a hardcore gamer's dream ticket
FromSoftware's epic fantasy series won the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere, and that's why we can't wait for the next entry.
Despite boasting a long and proud history that stretches all the way back to the 1980s, Japanese studio FromSoftware are hardly a household name in the same league as Nintendo, Sega and Capcom.
Initially founded to produce productivity software in 1986, FromSoftware didn't release their first video game until almost a decade later. 1994's King's Field was notable for being one of the 32-bit PlayStation's first RPGs, but never saw release outside of Japan, and the studio's subsequent output – King's Field sequels, the mech combat series Armored Core and left-field fantasy games such as Evergrace, Eternal Ring and Forever Kingdom – never really captured the imagination of the mainstream audience.
While hardcore gamers will no doubt digest that opening paragraph and beat their chests as they proudly proclaim they know their Armored Core: Last Raven from their Metal Wolf Chaos, few would argue that FromSoftware's true claim to fame in 2018 is the Souls series.
Developed in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment and therefore exclusive to the PlayStation 3, 2009's Demon's Souls was a revelation; it offered deep and rewarding gameplay mechanics tied with an intriguing yet obtuse online system that allowed you to assist – or slay – other players or leave glowing messages to warn them of upcoming threats or shortcuts.
"This is core to the experience," explains video game journalist and author of A Brief History of Video Games, Richard Stanton. "Certainly, it's what kept me playing after the first few run-throughs of each Souls game. It's also much more interesting than most games in how it mixes singleplayer and multiplayer. You don't get the 'invasion' feeling anywhere else."
The brainchild of Hidetaka Miyazaki, Demon's Souls was the video game equivalent of that interesting TV show you haven't seen, but everyone seems to be talking about. Miyazaki joined the project when it was still envisaged as a King's Field entry, and was struggling to find focus. The rudderless nature of the game's development allowed him to forcibly shape it into his own personal vision. Even then, Demon's Souls wasn't seen as a potential smash hit, and sold slowly following its launch in Japan – it was word-of-mouth which triggered a change in its fortunes.
Players couldn't stop talking about this obscure action RPG, which was hard as nails and seemed to be packed with secrets that could only be uncovered through trial and error, or working with others. As soon as the western gaming community began to pick up on the hype – aided by the region-free nature of the PlayStation 3 – Atlus and Bandai Namco stepped in to localise the game for North America and Europe. The rest is history.
While Demon's Souls lacked some of the key features that would be introduced later in the series, it laid down the core tenets of the franchise. Players gain souls – the game's currency – for slaying enemies, and these can be exchanged in order to level up or purchase new equipment. However, souls cannot be 'banked' between purchases, and when you die (which is often), all of the souls you currently have in your possession are dropped. When you revive, it's possible to reclaim those lost souls if you're able to fight your way back to the same location, but should you succumb a second time, those hard-won souls are lost forever.
While it would be disingenuous to suggest that this is the core mechanic of the series, it's the hook that has made FromSoftware's gothic creation so instantly appealing; a riveting cycle of risk versus reward that makes each and every hostile encounter tense and compelling.
Rather than create a direct sequel, FromSoftware decided to work on a spiritual successor that would share the same basic mechanics, but would be created independently from Sony, paving the way for a release on the Xbox 360. 2011's Dark Souls, therefore, marks the starting point for many fans of the series. It introduced the idea of bonfires, which could be used to save progress and spend souls, and created a sprawling connected world, moving away from Demon's Souls stand-alone levels.
Dark Souls II and III followed in 2014 and 2016 respectively, and 2015's Bloodborne saw FromSoftware reunite with Sony Computer Entertainment for an offshoot, which replaced the fantasy setting with something out of your worst Lovecraftian nightmare. This year, the original Dark Souls is getting remastered on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch, bringing the series to a whole new generation of players.
"Everybody has a favourite way to experience Dark Souls, and Souls games in general," says Keza Macdonald, video game journalist and co-author of the book You Died, which celebrates the Souls series. "There's a series of questions called the Bartle Test, developed around 2000 by psychologists, which is essentially a gamer personality quiz. Based on your responses to questions, it puts you in one of four player personality categories. Killers are motivated mostly by player-versus-player competition. Achievers are all about proving and displaying their skills. Socialisers play games primarily to connect with other people. Explorers enjoy games where they can gain knowledge, and experience the thrill of discovery. Dark Souls is unusual in that it caters to every one of these player personalities."
The fact that there are so many ways to play is arguably one of the key reasons why the franchise has made such an indelible connection with gamers, many of whom might not ordinarily approach a high-fantasy franchise.
"Some people just live for duelling, invading other players and fighting them, honourably or dishonourably," Macdonald explains. "Others are all about archaeology and secrets, mining the world and its inhabitants for clues about the plot or the authorial intent. More play with their friends, enjoying the extraordinary community that has sprung up around Dark Souls. For others it's a test: if you finish Dark Souls, you've conquered one of the biggest challenges in video games."
"The original Dark Souls and Bloodborne are in a different galaxy to almost every other game out there in terms of sophistication," adds Richard Stanton, who regularly regales his Twitter followers with tales of Bloodborne mastery even today, almost three years after its initial release. "Mastering the combat is a long road, but a real rush. Essentially, whatever time you put in, it rewards you in spades.
"Approach it in the manner you would approach a great book, be prepared to re-read sections and have your early thoughts challenged, and be curious about the world you find yourself in. FromSoftware's attention to detail is enormous, and it rewards players who want to delve deeper into the themes and characters. Try to leave preconceptions about AAA games at the door – most big-budget stuff is like a children's lift-the-flap book next to Souls."
It might seem odd in this age of friends lists and voice chat that a developer would deliberately ignore such luxuries when it comes to online play, but the way in which players interact in the world of Dark Souls is yet another reason it's so unique. "It encourages collaboration and community in a way that few games had done before, because it's so opaque that players had to come together online to decipher it, share strategies, and explain what the heck was going on," explains Macdonald.
Miyazaki himself has said that this system, which made its debut in Demon's Souls, was inspired by an experience he had driving in icy conditions. Stuck on a hill, the car in front of him began to slide backwards, as did the car behind. However, the driver at the foot of the hill pushed the other cars forward so they could all safely make the ascent. Miyazaki lamented the fact that he was unable to share his gratitude to the group before they drove off, and described the moment as a "connection of mutual assistance between transient people."
This ethos has been transferred to the Souls games, where it's impossible to make lasting friends or verbosely express your thanks for any aid you may receive from other players. Despite these limitations, collaboration is a key part of the appeal, especially if you want to see everything that each game has to offer. "Dark Souls would be nowhere near as popular without this element," says Macdonald. "I've spent years talking to other Souls players, and they never cease to amaze me with the unexpected things they do with the game or the way it's touched their lives."
Another element that makes the Souls series stand out from the crowd is the way in which they deviate wildly from the traditional idea of video game heroism. In most other action titles, you represent a force of nature that, despite the odds, is usually better equipped, faster and stronger than the hordes you face. Victory is, to a certain degree, preordained. Not so in the Souls series.
"Most games, like a lot of popular entertainment, have a bit of an obsession with spoon-feeding you," Mcdonald says. "They repeat their plot beats, telegraph their intentions, make sure that you know all the rules, and they're never too difficult. They want you to feel like the monarch of your little virtual world. They are power fantasies. First and foremost, they are there to entertain. Dark Souls doesn't care about you or how powerful you feel. You'll only get something out of Dark Souls if you're willing to study it and apply yourself, to try, to fail.
"That makes it sound like some sort of test, but the truth is that applying yourself to Dark Souls is incomparably absorbing. As you're learning its rules, exploring and deciphering its tragic world, you're more than entertained: you're edified. It's extremely satisfying, both intellectually and mechanically. In most games, you start out a hero and end up a master. In Dark Souls, you start out as a nobody and end up as a slightly less inept nobody. It reflects your increasing mastery back at you. The design is such that you are occasionally funnelled back through areas that you've walked before, given the opportunity to test your much-improved skills on creatures and places that once filled you with dread – but it never lets you feel truly powerful. There's always more to learn."
It would be easy to assume that the appeal of the Souls series lies in its rewarding yet brutal gameplay, and its unique online system. However, that would be selling the work of Miyazaki and company criminally short; each and every Souls title is wrapped up in lore that is so dense and complex, you'd be forgiven for thinking it could have sprung from the pen of Tolkien.
Amazingly, despite some very small links between them, each Souls title is set in its own self-contained world, where even the smallest and most inconsequential item has a its own backstory to tell.
"Outside of the Dark Souls trilogy, which has obvious links between instalments, Bloodborne and Demon's Souls contain nods to other games – the most prominent being the NPC Patches. However, there's no real link between them all," explains Stanton. "I've read several thousand-word screeds 'proving' that Demon's Souls' Boletaria is the origin point for Dark Souls' Lordran, or that Bloodborne is the 'dark' element from Dark Souls 3, but I think certain loreheads have a tendency to confuse meta references and recurring themes with concrete through-lines."
But then, that's part of what makes the series so beloved; the yawning gaps in the narrative beg to be filled by your own imagination. "What I personally love about Dark Souls is its ambiguity," says Macdonald. "Miyazaki is interested in creating spaces between what's seen and what exists in the mind; intentional vacuums into which players can rush. I prefer art that lets you find your own meaning in it. Souls fans have spent years finding the meaning in it, divining their own theories about characters' backstories or what happened in Lordran before you arrived in it.
"Though there are compelling theses, there are very few clear and definite answers. I love that. It's why I've never been able to get Dark Souls out of my head. I'm fascinated by the way that so many people have convened in order to piece together this big mystery. Dark Souls is the only game I can think of that is capable of withstanding, and indeed benefiting from, such sustained examination. My academic background is in comparative literature so I'm a sucker for that kind of critical analysis. The more I learn about Dark Souls, the more I appreciate it. It's the only video game I've ever played that has the timelessness and depth of a great work of literature."
Dark Souls Remastered is set to revive our love of this series this year, but for Macdonald, the reliance on the 'core' Dark Souls trilogy is perhaps holding FromSoftware, and Miyazaki, back. "Miyazaki himself has intimated several times that he's done with them," she says. "I'm not convinced that he really wanted to make II or III at all – indeed, he withdrew largely for the development of Dark Souls 2, only returning for 3. I think Bandai Namco would love to sell many more games, but for me, with each iteration, the soul of the thing diminishes a little. The difference between Dark Souls II and III and Bloodborne – another Miyazaki original – is enormous. For me, you can tell that Bloodborne is another passion project for its director, where Souls has lost that creative urgency."
Stanton agrees. "Souls is at its best when self-contained. I'd like to see standalone entries, with no real connections, rather than another trilogy. Oh, and though this may be a vain hope, but Miyazaki's involvement is a must."
The man behind the Souls series has risen from humble planner to the president of the company based on the success of his games, something which could potentially see him taking a backseat on future instalments. As Macdonald states, he's also said that he wants to move beyond the Souls series to work on new IP, which leaves the future of the franchise hanging in the balance somewhat. Will we get more one-off instalments like Bloodborne, or does the release of Dark Souls Remastered hint at more games in that lineage? Whatever happens, there'll be plenty of eyes watching what FromSoftware does next.
Dark Souls Remastered is coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 25, 2018.
