![]() Explosions and such allegedly happen, but in no way do the sounds or graphics give any indication that an ability has done anything of import. The skill trees and their abilities are so unimpressive partly because the abilities aren’t flashy. So my only reaction after beating a boss is relief that it’s over rather than a rush of pride or anticipation of some cool new toy to help me with the next fight. At the end of the day, a player’s prowess decides who wins, and while this is wonderful in its own right, it can also make every skill point or boss gem feel pretty ineffective. These abilities and buffs, while helpful, do not drastically change the flow of battle. Boss gems can be used to add unique properties to various abilities (dodge rolling, charging up an attack, etc.), while skill points provide passive buffs. Every boss grants one skill point and one boss gem. Each special ability offers two skill trees. In this game, however, no such options exist.Įldest Souls only offers players the ability to respec a skill tree and choose one of three special abilities. Try a new weapon, improve a weapon, coat your weapon in lightning, use spells, grind out some levels, go to an entirely new part of the game, go to an old part of the game, spam healing items you’ve been stocking up, improve your Estus flask, and of course, get an NPC or friend to help you. As I mentioned earlier, Dark Souls is a phenomenal game because of its options and the ability to play how you want. The sad reality is that the developers seem to think that excruciating, frustrating difficulty is what Dark Souls is all about, and I could not disagree more. Of course, the first boss takes almost no time, and the second boss only requires a bit of practice. The developers predict that Eldest Souls will be about a ten-hour experience for most people, which if you’re counting at home, is about an hour per boss. need not apply, as the halls of the Citadel are vacant aside from a few friendly NPCs.ĭefinitely my favorite boss fight. Skeletons, peons, kobolds, golems, et al. Sporting ten or so bosses, Eldest Souls is simply that: ten fights. So what happens when a developer thinks Dark Souls is all about its supposedly punishing boss fights and wants to create a title based on this inspiration? Well, we get Eldest Souls, which is more of a teeth-grindingly tedious boss rush than it is a Souls-like. If it were as difficult as word of mouth would have you believe, it certainly wouldn’t be the success that it is. I’ve never understood why Dark Souls is praised for its intense difficulty. Worst-case scenario, you can always phone a friend and tag team a boss. This never made sense to me, and I am by no means claiming people need to “git gud.” Bonfires are everywhere, shortcuts make getting around a snap, and the game absolutely overloads players with goodies like buffs and ores to enhance weapons. Most folks readily call other difficult games “ Dark Souls hard” when describing the challenge. ![]() ![]() ![]() And of course, there are those who enjoy the intricately designed, memorable bosses.īut one way in which I differ from the vast majority of people who’ve played Dark Souls is my opinion of its difficulty. Griefers write all sorts of inspiring messages, and others just want to praise the sun. Some can’t wait to discover all the secrets as they slash or roll into every wall in the game. Others adore learning how to beat every single enemy as efficiently as possible. For some, Dark Souls is defined by its world, both in terms of lore and atmosphere. What’s fascinating is that it’s so incredibly deep that everyone can get something different out of the game. Go from point A to point B, kill some enemies, die a few times (or a lot), find a bonfire, kill more skellies and die more, then fight a boss. On its surface, Dark Souls is a well-designed, crisp action RPG.
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