Why I Hate and Love Dark Souls

Dark Souls is one of the best and worst game franchises I’ve ever played. It entices me to go and explore densely populated environments but creates a punishing atmosphere where every step could mean life or death. This is the charm of the Dark Soul franchises, encouraging gamers to take on difficult challenges by offering elaborate environments to explore. It’s also the primary reason that many avoid the series like it's plague.

You Died, this message has become white noise to every Dark Souls player. Dying is natural part of the game and that’s why the game was difficult to pick up. Gamers don’t want to die, they want to feel like their progress meant something and that’s where the frustration of Dark Souls lies. You can lose hours of work because of either foolishness, vanity, or bad luck. A redemption system is in place where you can regain your lost Souls however this risk of reentering that same area adds a new layer of fear. And that’s why I wanted to complete this game.

That challenge of overcoming the Bell Gargoyle or finding the Centipede Demon’s weakness reinvoked the same feelings I had when beating a level in Ghost 'n Goblins. The sense of wonder of exploring new areas and the fear that at any moment I could die and lose everything. Since the the inclusion of achievements and trophies I would complete games to obtain the 100% completion rate, now it was about finding secret areas and simply defeating a mandatory boss. From Software gave me a test and as a gamer I had to finish it.

I know it’s going to take me a long time to finish Dark Souls 3. I’ve beaten Dead Space 2 and 3 on Hardcore, BioShock Infinite on 1999 mode, and made it through the original Ninja Gaiden but Dark Souls is on a whole new level. I want to play this game but at the same time I know it's going to cause me great anger. But I have to beat it. Agree or disagree with me, but one there’s one thing you cannot argue against. Dark Souls is about dying, and a lot of people are doing that right now.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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