Case #1 of how horribly cruel it can be is this hansom fellow; your very first introduction to the combat system.
Granted it allows you to throw the first punch, but if you are new to the game that is barely recompense for the smack-down you are about to receive post-haste.
To be honest, if the tutorial was a bit easier, this game would have a much larger appeal. Newcomers prefer tutorials to hold their hand gently rather than crush their phalanges.
But one thing this big sod does well is set a tone. An oppressive tone that will lay heaped on your shoulders throughout the entire time you are within this game, saying; "you can't do it."
Of course, you can actually do it. Dark Souls may be difficult but it is also fair, and once you get the hang of combat, and memorize some tricks, it can become a very fun and rewarding experience. That which can be assisted or demolished by it's unique multiplayer aspects.
This is a visual list of groups, called Covenants, that may be joined within the game that affect how multiplayer works.
The more light-hearted ones, namely the Warrior of Sunlight covenant (Praise the Sun!), allow a person to summon players from other games more frequently to assist them in combat. When successful, all members who survived the fight get a shiny new medal to further their standing within their covenant, and gain access to useful items and spells.
As you can guess most other covenants are diametrically opposed, and for each player that they invade the world of, and kill, they get an item that helps them become more deeply rooted in their own covenant, and thereby gain access to more powerful items and spells as well.
Regardless of whether you think getting backstabbed during the middle of a long and arduous journey by a player that vastly out-levels you, and also has the added benefit of knowing what he is doing, you have to appreciate the level design. I'm talking about the lay of the land, the staircases and hallways, hills and trees, ladders and traps. The world was thought up and drawn out before the developers even added walkable paths within it; it's an art piece made into a video game.
Which makes it memorable, because it actually feels like walking through a big painting that has a plethora of wildly different landscapes and architectures. The places you explore emphasize the unique background story of every enemy you fight, fleshing out the lore that took place behind the scenes.
That, and it's vertical. It has high and low places - connected by shortcuts and ladders, but mainly by stretches of obstacles. This, I think, is a very important spatial feature. It makes the entire world an interconnected labyrinth that piques interest and cultivates a sense of adventure. It helps the player get a feel for where things are without making it a chore, and makes finding new locations a reward in and of itself.
And the shortcut's are masterfully placed. They are always activated with a thankful sigh in early game, and are used mid-game to skip locations that are too low-leveled for the player...in the
late-game you can teleport, but that's not important right now!
All in all, Dark souls is a game of accomplishments. It itself is an accomplishment of story telling by use of game mechanics, crafty enemy placement and level design, and beating it is an accomplishment for the player, because it will truly test your metal.
Of course, you can actually do it. Dark Souls may be difficult but it is also fair, and once you get the hang of combat, and memorize some tricks, it can become a very fun and rewarding experience. That which can be assisted or demolished by it's unique multiplayer aspects.
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The more light-hearted ones, namely the Warrior of Sunlight covenant (Praise the Sun!), allow a person to summon players from other games more frequently to assist them in combat. When successful, all members who survived the fight get a shiny new medal to further their standing within their covenant, and gain access to useful items and spells.
As you can guess most other covenants are diametrically opposed, and for each player that they invade the world of, and kill, they get an item that helps them become more deeply rooted in their own covenant, and thereby gain access to more powerful items and spells as well.
Regardless of whether you think getting backstabbed during the middle of a long and arduous journey by a player that vastly out-levels you, and also has the added benefit of knowing what he is doing, you have to appreciate the level design. I'm talking about the lay of the land, the staircases and hallways, hills and trees, ladders and traps. The world was thought up and drawn out before the developers even added walkable paths within it; it's an art piece made into a video game.
Which makes it memorable, because it actually feels like walking through a big painting that has a plethora of wildly different landscapes and architectures. The places you explore emphasize the unique background story of every enemy you fight, fleshing out the lore that took place behind the scenes.
 |
| world map, courtesy of DarkSouls.Wikia.com |
And the shortcut's are masterfully placed. They are always activated with a thankful sigh in early game, and are used mid-game to skip locations that are too low-leveled for the player...in the
late-game you can teleport, but that's not important right now!
All in all, Dark souls is a game of accomplishments. It itself is an accomplishment of story telling by use of game mechanics, crafty enemy placement and level design, and beating it is an accomplishment for the player, because it will truly test your metal.
 |
| obligatory giant dad |
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