Dark Souls (video game)

For the 2011 film, see Dark Souls (film).

Dark Souls
Developer(s)	From Software
Director(s)	Hidetaka Miyazaki
Composer(s)	Motoi Sakuraba
Engine	PhyreEngine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Genre(s)	Action role-playing, Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, online multiplayer

Dark Souls (ダークソウル, Dāku Souru) is an action role-playing video game developed and published for PlayStation 3 by From Software in Japan, and published for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games internationally. Previously referred to as Project Dark, Dark Souls is the spiritual successor to Demon's Souls. It was released in Japan on September 22, 2011, on October 4 in North America, and on October 7 in Europe of the same year. Like its predecessor, the game is known for its high level of difficulty, which has prompted much interest and discussion.

Development

The game was initially planned to be called Dark Race, "dark" in this instance denoting "cursed" people. However, the developer soon realised that the title could be taken as a racist reference. The producer subsequently tried to title it as Dark Lord but failed to get a trademark for it so they opted for Dark Ring. However, just before the release, the developer realised that "dark ring" in British English is slang for "anus" and the title was changed to Dark Souls.

Gameplay

The game consists of dungeon crawling in hostile environments and exploits the tension instilled by risk versus reward game mechanics and penalties upon player death. Dark Souls takes place in an open world environment, with the player able to travel to and from areas and explore various available paths. Dark Souls allows players to light Bonfires, which function as respawn locations. These bonfires also replenish health, magic, and special items like Estus flasks - limited vials that restore health, but also respawn all enemies previously defeated, except for bosses and certain special enemies. The player must fight their way through various locations and defeat bosses to progress.

Dark Souls features an elaborate online mode, very much like that of Demon's Souls, which is active whenever the console is connected to the internet (an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required on the Xbox 360 version). The online mode adds numerous dynamic interactions between the individual worlds players, including limited co-op and player versus player within certain conditions. Communication between players is deliberately limited.

Plot

Like its predecessor Demon's Souls, Dark Souls has a notably minimalistic plot. Events and their significance are often implicit and left to player interpretation rather than fully shown or explained. Much of the story and lore of the world is given to the player through dialogue from characters within the world, item descriptions, or the scarce cutscenes. It is up to the player to put the pieces together.

In the founding of the universe, the earth was unformed, covered in crags, and dragons held sole dominion over the world. However, The Fire of Lords along with the human race eventually came into existence for reasons long lost to time. From the fire emerged four powerful entities who harnessed the Fire of Lords to combat the dragons, eventually overthrowing them and launching humanity and their new lordly gods into a golden era known as the Age of Fire.

The protagonist is a male or female Undead, who has yet to become Hollow. He/she escapes from the northern Undead Asylum with the help of another undead and learns of the prophecy concerning a chosen Undead who leaves the Undead Asylum in pilgrimage and rings the Bell of Awakening in the land of the gods, Lordran.

Once the character has rung the Bells of Awakening, the gate leading to Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo is opened, and the Primordial Serpent Kingseeker Frampt is awoken. He tells the player that he is the Chosen Undead that must succeed Lord Gwyn and remove the affliction of the Darksign. It is implied that Frampt is very old and has awaited the protagonist's arrival for a very long time. To achieve this given task, the character must get the Lordvessel from the land of Anor Londo. When the task is done, the character must obtain the four powerful Lord Souls from Seath the Scaleless, the Four Kings, the Bed of Chaos, and Gravelord Nito, and then offer them to the Lordvessel.

However, in the Abyss if the player has not placed the Lordvessel on the altar at that point then he/she can instead meet Darkstalker Kaathe, a different Primordial Serpent who opposes Frampt. After informing the player that he/she is a direct descendent of the pygmy, who obtained The Dark Soul, Kaathe will present the protagonist with a different path: to end the Age of Fire and "usher in the Age of Dark". Kaathe stated that Gwyn had wished to "avoid the course of nature" and prolonged the Age of Fire and in doing so branded undead with the Darksign which only caused suffering. The Age of Dark will erase this curse.

After offering the four Lord Souls to the Lordvessel, with the help of either Frampt or Kaathe, the character must go on to defeat Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder. Once the character has slain him, the player is given a vague choice which affects the ending. By choosing to link the fire, the character continues the Age of Fire and is consumed entirely by the fire as it burns intensely bright. The screen then goes white, before fading to dark as the credits roll. By choosing not to link the fire, the protagonist instead walks out of the area and is greeted by Primordial Serpents who bow down to the character, accepting him/her as the Dark Lord and the Age of Dark (Humans) begin.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	89 / 100
GameStats	9.0 / 10

Review scores

Publication	Score
1Up.com	A
Edge	9 / 10
Eurogamer	9 / 10 (UK) 9 / 10 (Italy) 9 / 10 (Portugal) 10 / 10 (Sweden)
Famitsu	37 / 40
G4	5 / 5
GamePro
GameRevolution	A-
GameSpot	9.5 / 10
GamesRadar+	9 / 10
GamesTM	9 / 10
GameTrailers	9.2 / 10
GameZone	9 / 10
IGN	9.0 / 10
PlayStation Official Magazine – UK	9 / 10
Official Xbox Magazine (UK)	9 / 10
PALGN	10 / 10
Play	90%
PSM3	9.1 / 100
Metro GameCentral	9 / 10
The Telegraph

Awards

Publication	Award
Game Revolution, IncGamers	Game of the Year
GameTrailers	Best Role-Playing Game
GameZone	Best Action/Adventure
Game Informer, GameSpot	Best Boss Fights
The Telegraph	Best Integration of Online Features
1UP.com	Most Rewarding Game
GameZone, TeamXbox	Best RPG (Runner-Up)

Famitsu gave the game a highly positive review, scoring it 37 out of 40, based on four scores of 9, 9, 9, and 10. One of the reviewers for Dark Souls described it as "a very hardcore dark-fantasy RPG" that is "role-playing right down to the roots," and stated that the "massive field map and powerful enemies serve to rev up both your sense of adventure and your sense of dread." Another reviewer stated that "the sheer happiness you get after the trial-and-error pays off and you overcome the challenge is absolutely impossible to replicate."

GameSpot scored Dark Souls a 9.5/10, complimenting just about every aspect of it. Much praise was given to the online system, as well as the sense of jubilation felt when conquering boss fights after numerous failed attempts. They also suggested that casual gamers may struggle to progress, whereas RPG enthusiasts will thrive on the difficulty.

IGN gave Dark Souls a 9.0/10, praising the well-thought out level design, variety, strong emphasis on online features, excessively dark tone and atmosphere and deep gameplay. They also noted that it is not a game that one can simply jump into and play for plain enjoyment. They went as far to say that it is not a game for the timid and that the game requires both skill and strategy almost all the time. While praising the extremely high difficulty, they stated that "there's a difference between punishing, and downright unfair."

Eurogamer gave Dark Souls 9/10, saying "If adventure is to surprise and mystify you and invite you to uncover the secrets of a forgotten world, then Dark Souls is a great adventure game. If entertainment is fun without failure and progress without pain, you'll have to find it somewhere else. But you'll be missing out on one of the best games of the year."

Game Revolution gave Dark Souls the Community Choice Game of the Year award. IncGamers also gave it the "Game of the Year" award. GameTrailers gave it the "Best Role-Playing Game" award, beating other high-profile releases such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. GameTrailers also nominated Dark Souls for the "Best Multiplayer Game", "Best Trailer" and "Game of the Year" awards. GameZone gave the game the "Best Action/Adventure" award and chose it as the runner-up for the "Best RPG" award. The Telegraph gave the game the "Best Integration of Online Features" award, and nominated it for the awards of "Best Director" (Hidetaka Miyazaki), "Best Level Design", "Best Sound Design", "Best Original Score" (Motoi Sakuraba), "Best Developer" (From Software), and "Game of the Year". GameZone gave it the "Best Action/Adventure" award and chose it as the runner-up for the "Best RPG" award. TeamXbox gave it an honorable mention as the runner-up for the "Best RPG" award. 1UP.com gave it the "Most Rewarding Game" award. Game Informer gave it the award for "Best Boss Fight" (Sif). It also received the "Best Boss Fights" awards from GameSpot, including both the Editors' Choice and Readers' Choice awards.

External links

• Official website Template:Ja icon
• Official website Template:En icon