In October of 2011, Dark Soul was unleashed on the world; mercilessly smearing players
on the walls for the PS3 and Xbox.
Surprisingly, PC gamers saw this masochistic nightmare and wanted in on the punishment.
Well, now we’ve got it… but be careful what you ask for and Prepare to Die.
Dark Souls is a game of walls, not the literal physical kind you can touch, but the metaphorical
kind that kick your ass.
These walls are obstacles that block your path forward.
And, behind the wall you can hear something; something that compels you to the other side,
creating a compulsion to knock this barrier down.
You can try to climb over, you can run head-first and slam into it, you can get friends to help,
or you can even combine all of these methods, but each failed attempt to conquer the challenge
adds a brick.
Yes, this bastard’s built out of your repeated deaths, but with each death you learn structural
weaknesses and, eventually, with perseverance the wall comes crashing down.
What was compelling you from the other side?
Satisfaction-all your victory is belong to us-holy crap triumph…
That’s what’s on the other side.
Dark Souls is a game of immense satisfaction for those with the patience to overcome its
extremely challenging obstacles.
But, as you tower over the rubble that was once a barrier standing in your way, elated;
reveling in the moment of your victory, you soon realize there’s another wall blocking
your path right around the corner.
These challenges, however difficult, are almost always entirely fair, because the combat in
Dark Souls is extremely tight, weighted and precise, while also being fairly straightforward.
Meaning, when you get hit or die, it’s usually your own fault.
Gameplay demands constant attention and in a game that stresses such precision; I found
the keyboard and mouse to be a touch unwieldy and opted to use an Xbox controller for Windows,
because, really, anything from a gigantic Minotaur to a little pawn can be your downfall
if you drop your guard in the treacherous environments of Lordran.
A land which could be the single most impactful change from Dark Souls’ 2009 predecessor,
the PS3 exclusive, Demon’s Souls.
While Demon’s Souls did have brilliant level design, Dark Souls takes it a step further
by creating a seamless, interconnected world that’s just as foreboding and terrifying
as it is meticulously crafted.
So any amount of new environments are welcome and the PC has a 6 hour landmass that wasn’t
in the console versions.
The lore of Lordran itself is phenomenal; it’s conveyed through a mystery that can
only be solved with item text and brief dialogue, almost like you’re an archeologist planted
in a civilization forgotten by time.
So any weight given to the story is actually a byproduct of the lore and without spoiling
anything, I’ll say the additional content rips you back in time to the land of Oolicile,
where it then tightens some lore loopholes and creates a brilliant piece of narrative
by placing you directly into that rich history.
The Prepare to Die Edition also has a handful of new bosses added to the already obscene
amount of fantastic boss encounters, like a particularly superb battle with the Knight
Artorias himself.
With added bosses come new souls to create gear and spells, which lead to a vast number
of character builds.
Another addition is an arena with 1 on 1, 2 on 2, or 4 person free-for-all.
The structured pvp system doesn’t largely add or detract to the game; it’s simply
there for fun and bragging rights.
So, if you’re a bit masochistic and prepared to die, then don’t hesitate for a second
to try out this masterpiece no matter the platform.
Whether it be Xbox, PC or PS3, it’s time to crumble some monstrous walls and bathe
in the satisfaction of victory that’s found in Dark Souls.