Dark S _BEST_
The games take place within a dark, medieval fantasy setting, where the player's character fights against knights, dragons, phantoms, demons, and other monstrous or supernatural entities. The accretion, loss, and recovery of souls are central to the narrative and gameplay of Dark Souls games. These games are linked through their setting and an overarching cyclic narrative centering around fire, and are linked through common themes and elements, including interactions with phantoms and battles with demons. At the end of each game, characters may reignite the "first flame" or allow it to fade, recurring a choice others have made before.
dark s
The opening cutscene of dark souls establishes the premise of the game. Dragons once ruled the world during the "Age of Ancients." A primordial fire known as the First Flame manifests in the world, establishing a distinction between life and death, and light and dark. Four beings find "Lord Souls" near the First Flame, granting immense power: Gwyn: the Lord of Sunlight, Nito: the First of the Dead, the Witch of Izalith, and the Furtive Pygmy. Gwyn, Nito, and the Witch use their new power to destroy the dragons and take control over the world, while the Furtive Pygmy is said to be forgotten, and thus begins the "Age of Fire." Over time, as the First Flame begins to fade while humans rise in power, Gwyn sacrifices himself to prolong the Age of Fire. The main story takes place towards the end of this second Age of Fire, at which point humanity is said to be afflicted with an undead curse related to a circular, flaming symbol on their bodies known as the Darksign. Those humans afflicted with the undead curse perpetually resurrect after death until they eventually lose their minds, a process referred to as "hollowing."
Miyazaki stated that the game draws direct inspiration from earlier works of fantasy and dark fantasy, especially the manga series Berserk.[14][15] He has described the driving aesthetic principle of the game as being "a certain kind of refinement, elegance, and dignity".[14] He also described the themes which guided the design of the game in the following way: "I put three major guidelines in place: Gods and knights centered around Anor Londo, demonic chaos and flames centered around Lost Izalith, and the theme of death centered around Gravelord Nito. To these themes we added the special concept of ancient dragons that predate all life, and this formed the basis for Dark Souls".[14] Many of the game's locations were inspired by the real-world, such as the Château de Chambord in France and Milan Cathedral in Italy.[14][16]
Dark Souls received positive reviews from critics upon its release. One of the reviewers for Dark Souls described it as "a very hardcore dark-fantasy [role-playing game]" 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 said that "the sheer happiness you get after the trial-and-error pays off and you overcome the challenge is absolutely impossible to replicate."[53]
GameSpot praised the online system and the sense of jubilation when conquering boss fights after numerous failed attempts. They also suggested that casual gamers may struggle to progress, whereas role-playing game enthusiasts will thrive on the difficulty.[44] IGN complimented the level design, variety, strong emphasis on online features, excessively dark tone and atmosphere, and deep gameplay. While praising the extreme difficulty, they stated that "there's a difference between punishing, and downright unfair."[54] Eurogamer also applauded the level design and atmosphere while noting that the game's difficulty might not appeal to casual gamers.[41]
The addition of the DLCs added new Bosses, NPCs, Events, and Items to the game, including a new dark Ending to the original campaign. Minor modifications and changes to the text and descriptions of some items found in the game upon the release of the Scholar of the First Sin Patch.
For a game as influential as Dark Souls, it's certainly quite hard to imagine that this game wasn't completely crafted from the ground up purely from the brilliant mind of its director. However, Miyazaki was an avid reader and a huge fan of dark fantasy work, and this shows in the rich and detailed world of Dark Souls.
In Berserk, the Brand of Sacrifice appears on the bodies of those destined to meet a dark fate. Those who have this mark seared into their flesh by supernatural means will one day become an apostle, or possibly a member of the hellish and powerful group known as the God Hand. Those with the Brand of Sacrifice will one day transcend their humanity, leaving it behind, in order to become a powerful creature of darkness.
Killing Gwynevere, which requires a single hit with any attack, will reveal that she is an illusion created by Gwyndolin. Gwyndolin then removes the rest of his enchantment, causing the sun to permanently set in Anor Londo. In addition, any player that darkens Anor Londo will become more susceptible to Blade of the Darkmoon invasions when human. All deaths within Anor Londo will return the player to a specific bonfire in that stage, regardless of the last bonfire used. In addition, all regular enemies will vanish, except Painting Guardians, a few Silver Knights and two new hostile characters.
The games take place in a Dark Fantasy world, where humans coexist with giants, dragons, gods, monsters, and "Undead", humans marked with a cursed brand that grants them Resurrective Immortality, but slowly leeches their body and mind till they're a Soulless Shell. In each game, you take the role of one of these Undead, who finds themselves swept up in a quest to rekindle the flame that keeps the world alight, and hold off the coming age of darkness... that is, unless you choose to usher in that age yourself.
This immensely heavy slab of iron weighs in at 16 units, making it a hefty defensive armament to use. However, for dragon and demon-slaying, there is nothing better. With the best fire damage reduction of almost any shield in the game, this wall of dark metal prevents 90% of incoming flames in addition to completely protecting its user from physical damage. 041b061a72