Dark Souls
Daniel Hodges
10/13/2015
Mr.A
English 1510
I Had a Name. When most people are asked about the story of Dark Souls, they reply with a quizzical expression and, commonly, this question. “What story? I thought it was just a hard game, made to be hard.” While this previous statement certainly does ring true to the gameplay of Dark Souls, it does not do the story justice. It is true; at first glance there is not much story to go on. You are an Undead in a land known as Lordran, and you are tasked with killing four lords, holders of souls spawned by the first flame which gave life to the world. After those few things are explained, though, one could go the rest of his/her time playing Dark Souls without picking up on any semblance of story. It is only when one reads into the various situations in the game, delves deeper into the context given, that the true story and theme are revealed. Item descriptions, dialogue with non-player characters, and a simple knack for observation bring this world to life. Before we delve into the theme, we must first understand what Dark Souls is. As mentioned before, it is a video game with a very simple premise. In genre, it is an action RPG released in 2011 by From Software, chiefly …show more content…
For example, we have the hero Black Iron Tarkus. Some players can go through the entire game without encountering Tarkus, as one must be human when reaching the end of Sen’s Fortress, a vast house of death traps, in order to encounter him. Tarkus is a hero of grand stature, wielding a sword that is said to be unwieldy to all but few, including Black Iron Tarkus. If the player chooses to summon Tarkus, then this powerful phantom of the former warrior will, in most cases, defeat the area’s boss for the player. It is from this that we know Tarkus’ power. He was able to singlehandedly defeat a great challenge made only to stop pilgrims from reaching Anor Londo, the city of the
10/13/2015
Mr.A
English 1510
I Had a Name. When most people are asked about the story of Dark Souls, they reply with a quizzical expression and, commonly, this question. “What story? I thought it was just a hard game, made to be hard.” While this previous statement certainly does ring true to the gameplay of Dark Souls, it does not do the story justice. It is true; at first glance there is not much story to go on. You are an Undead in a land known as Lordran, and you are tasked with killing four lords, holders of souls spawned by the first flame which gave life to the world. After those few things are explained, though, one could go the rest of his/her time playing Dark Souls without picking up on any semblance of story. It is only when one reads into the various situations in the game, delves deeper into the context given, that the true story and theme are revealed. Item descriptions, dialogue with non-player characters, and a simple knack for observation bring this world to life. Before we delve into the theme, we must first understand what Dark Souls is. As mentioned before, it is a video game with a very simple premise. In genre, it is an action RPG released in 2011 by From Software, chiefly …show more content…
For example, we have the hero Black Iron Tarkus. Some players can go through the entire game without encountering Tarkus, as one must be human when reaching the end of Sen’s Fortress, a vast house of death traps, in order to encounter him. Tarkus is a hero of grand stature, wielding a sword that is said to be unwieldy to all but few, including Black Iron Tarkus. If the player chooses to summon Tarkus, then this powerful phantom of the former warrior will, in most cases, defeat the area’s boss for the player. It is from this that we know Tarkus’ power. He was able to singlehandedly defeat a great challenge made only to stop pilgrims from reaching Anor Londo, the city of the