Dark Souls: Final
So I'm closing the book on Dark Souls. I expect to start playing the sequel going into this weekend, as the PC version is available Friday. I didn't actually beat the game - with two DLC bosses and the final primary boss left. Alas, I went back to try to take a whack at them and the Windows for Gaming Live setup was acting up again, not letting me sign in to get into the game cleanly (no sign-in means no save function). As I didn't think I could one-shot them all, I just sort of said "heck with it" and watched videos for the light and dark endings.
In the end, that outside-game system was the worst part of the experience. The game itself was... well... perhaps the best, most enjoyable 100+ hour exercise in ultimate futility I have ever experienced. It's odd to say it that way, but it's true. The game was good. It was fun. As I said before, it was an experience not unlike when I played the first Diablo. There's a sense of exploration, and definitely a feeling of accomplishment from overcoming challenges. At the same time, there's a pall of hopelessness and inevitability hanging over the entire game as most NPCs "go hollow" and turn on you. The "good" ending you're mostly pointed toward does little more than try to maintain a questionable status quo for a little longer. The "bad" ending embraces what seems to be an unavoidable future with no particular guarantee that it isn't horrible for everyone involved. Both endings are pretty ambiguous, really, leaving the question of what happens next pretty well unanswered.
Some of that may count as a strike against it in my book, but it's still a net positive, and a game I'm glad to have played.
In the end, that outside-game system was the worst part of the experience. The game itself was... well... perhaps the best, most enjoyable 100+ hour exercise in ultimate futility I have ever experienced. It's odd to say it that way, but it's true. The game was good. It was fun. As I said before, it was an experience not unlike when I played the first Diablo. There's a sense of exploration, and definitely a feeling of accomplishment from overcoming challenges. At the same time, there's a pall of hopelessness and inevitability hanging over the entire game as most NPCs "go hollow" and turn on you. The "good" ending you're mostly pointed toward does little more than try to maintain a questionable status quo for a little longer. The "bad" ending embraces what seems to be an unavoidable future with no particular guarantee that it isn't horrible for everyone involved. Both endings are pretty ambiguous, really, leaving the question of what happens next pretty well unanswered.
Some of that may count as a strike against it in my book, but it's still a net positive, and a game I'm glad to have played.
Note to self: Not my game.
ReplyDeleteAmusing to me since you seem to think Western audiences should accept more 'bleak' or 'downer' endings in their media where the hero passes on.
ReplyDelete