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Descending a granite staircase early in Dark Souls, you find a Black Knight obstructing the corridor below. He stands with his back turned, oblivious to your approach. A white loot orb glows cheekily at the far end of the passage. Lesser games might telegraph this enemy’s difficulty by showing it rear its head back and screech, flecking the camera lens with spittle. Such condescension would be superfluous in From Software’s action-RPG template. The mere outline of the knight’s horned helmet – instantly recognisable from the game’s box art – sets your pulse galloping.
You know he’ll be an ornery bastard, relentless and overpowering. He will carve you into slices finer than a deli ham. But the option here of whether or not to engage is a calculated farce. You know that, after wiping your palms off on your trouser legs and taking a deep breath, you’ll provoke the Black Knight. Because glowing loot is to the RPG enthusiast as fire is to the moth. Put simply, ‘compulsion’ is too weak a word.
In order to keep a reassuring distance, you hurl a throwing knife before switching hastily back to your primary weapon. The Black Knight hardly flinches as he pivots around to face you, still terrifyingly mute. Then he charges. Just like the moth, your flailing, flapping demise is both grim and comically Chaplin-esque.
You died, says the game, just in case you’d mistaken your hero’s slumping to the ground for a sudden fit of narcolepsy. You died. This curt declaration appears on your screen with such dispiriting frequency over the course of your time with Dark Souls, the words practically burn into your TV screen. You died.
Just like its 2009 predecessor Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls mirrors the Black Knight’s posture. The game stands with its back to gamers who feel entitled to the coddling of selectable difficulty tiers, enemies with neon-signposted weakspots, and checkpoints as tightly spaced as a trail of Pac-Man dots. Anyone who expects to button-mash their way to victory should avoid playing Dark Souls entirely and simply watch walkthrough videos with a bucket of popcorn in their lap. Dark Souls has all the trappings of a rote fantasy RPG. You’ll select from the usual bundle of character classes – warrior, hunter, pyromancer, cleric, et al. You’ll chop down undead and skeletons and plague-infested sewer rats – and if you persevere long enough, proud dragons. But don’t be fooled. Embracing a slew of the RPG genre’s hallmarks enables the game’s designers to subvert player expectations with sadistic glee.
Comments
11Yessss :)
I could see a ten coming for a minute there!
I know, right? The review was positively gushing. I want to know what were considered its flaws.
By the way, I like the writing style of the review.
Funny review, very entertaining. I'll go pick up the first game today... and a replacement controller should I destroy the first in a rage. Still, that feeling of succeeding despite the odds will be worth it.
Anyone know if you need need XBL Gold to read messages on the 360 version?
Very nice review and the game sounds pretty damn interesting. Is this like the Ikaruga of action RPGs then?? I liked it right up until the end where they said that few will complete it... how few?!!! My OCD isn't liking this.
Why doesn't Edge mark the reviewers to the end of the reviews. I'd really like to know, because I enjoyed reading this one and would love to read some more from this guy. Anyway, hilarious review and the game sounds awesome and extremely challenging. But just like Slesh said whatabout the cons? There has to be some if it's "only" nine points game.
I literally signed up to this website to say how fantastic I thought the writing was on this review. I'm insanely stoked for this game and have been since I braved Demon's Souls by import nearly two years ago, and this review completely epitomises what I have come to believe about this game - it is going to be fan-bloody-tastic!
Also, did the writer do a medicine or psychology degree or something - the use of et al. and the references to higher literature than most can appreciate is reassuring as it lets me know that the writer will have a stable and informed opinion rather than the same "You will die a lot" reviews that pop out about this game every hectare of virtual space on the internet.
Anyway, a very nicely written review :D
If you guys really want some Cons:
So far these are the only ones I have strife with.
- Framrate can get very slow and choppy. How much you think of it as a con is really persona opinion. It gets annoying though not game breaking.
- Sometimes the lock on system gets all freaky. Can get you killed if you are not careful.
I loved your review. A great read throughout.
It's been said several times now, but I have to concur; I really enjoyed reading this review. Very thoughtful, amusing, and articulate. This is why I love Edge.
I'm new to this website, but I just had to register to comment on how much I admire the writing in this review. This is one of the best reviews I've ever read. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right place....but it seems to me that there is no author to attribute this review to.
Anyways, Dark Souls seems like a gem. Oh how I wish they would port this to PC!