The Evolution of Dark Souls Level Design (and Bloodborne!)

[@IronPineapple]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you like to use halberds For real though, really great thoughts especially in regards vertical vs horizontal level designs.

[@donatboy]

+Iron Pineapple Why are you everywhere?

[@HyperlordB]

+Iron Pineapple DS1 Halberd op.

[@fabulousknight1960]

+Iron Pineapple I, too, was glad to see that Bunnyhop acknowledges the OBJECTIVELY SUPERIOR weapon.

[@misterfish36]

You're going to love me and fucking like it

[@DIEGhostfish]

+Iron Pineapple My one disagreement with him so far is the Ballista, that thing is basically a puzzle you can use to trivialize other fights and to unlock at least one item. Oh and he didn't think to try the Dagger step. (And if you're going BACK to the swamp after getting the Milk Ring that works too)

[@PlagueOfGripes]

I think you got sidetracked from level design into "I'm super gay for Bloodborne" for a long while there.

[@ElwoodPlays]

+PlagueOfGripes why do you think Bloodborne is male?

[@skaninja21]

+PlagueOfGripes You've got a heart of gold. Don't let them take it from you.

[@huwsinden7934]

+PlagueOfGripes In the end, aren't we all gay for Bloodborne?

[@QuestionmarkTimes2]

+PlagueOfGripes UPLOAD SOMETHING PLEASE

[@GBDupree]

+PlagueOfGripes You just dislike it for being too "slice of life", I mean you already have a farm of reverse mermaids and Eldritch horrors, why would Bloodborne be interesting to you?

[@blaccmajicc]

In DS1 when I finally made it to the dragon on the bridge and kicked that ladder down to the bonfire my jaw literally dropped. Best level design ever!

[@TheVertical92]

Amen...

[@MetalliBucket]

Had the same moment! So cool

[@CDB522]

I got to the point where I constantly tried running across after ringing the first bell

[@kuwakaney2443]

It was a unique level design but I wouldn’t call it the best

[@WafleEnterprises]

KuwakaNey What would you call the best then? That alone is super rare to see in games, is having to rise/drop through many enemies and possibly bosses, only to turn a corner and open up a way back to the beginning, allowing you to explore previous areas but with better stats and gear. And to mesh between the beginning of a spot and the end easily

[@hotwheelsdeepstate]

02:06 Dark Souls 1 08:36 Dark Souls 2 14:05 Dark Souls 2 DLC 15:15 Bloodborne 22:50 Dark Souls 3

[@Daniel_C_Griffin]

uber late reply. That ballista in the smouldering lake. Why not have a giant control it, you kill the giant for a reward (2 chunks, maybe?) and then allow you to use the ballista to kill the lightning wurm and maybe break open a few extra areas which then leads to the Demon King boss fight. Would make the whole ordeal a bit more worthwhile, no?

[@sonytekkno]

Same as the Cannon in Forbidden Woods in Bloodborne. Enemy uses it? Thing has sniper precision. You use it? Falls down after 3m lul...

[@asparagusmelontoast]

You do use the tower to kill the worm, you just run behind it and let the tower takes shots at while you enjoy the free kill

[@ecchi4196]

Very late reply, but I do agree. It would also make more sense if it actually had a living giant operating it. Maybe even have one of those white trees in Smouldering Lake to give them a reason to shoot at things around it in the first place. I would've also liked if they had taken the time to give Lost Izalith its justice in DS3. What made the area bearable for me in DS1 was the lore surrounding it. As far as the DS3 version goes, you can totally skip over that. Maybe having had the Old Demon King deeper into the level would've made more sense. That way it builds up the suspense of seeing their dying society and actually regret being the one to put it out of its misery.

[@Robert399]

Great analysis! Just 2 things I disagreed with: 1) I'm glad Dark Souls 3 brought back the multiple paths and shortcuts but, like DS2, it felt very contained within levels with very little between them. So it's more like beads on a string than the cup of spaghetti. It felt more like a refinement of DS2 than a return to DS1. 2) I think level design (the map, enemy placement, etc.) and environment design (the aesthetics) need to be separated. To be fair, you mostly kept them separate but I want to make that distinction explicit because a lot of people say "the level design's great" when they mean an area looks good. P.S. I bet "Loot Crate" are regretting their name now.

[@clag1109]

you make some good points also why is loot crate regretting their name

[@Robert399]

@@clag1109 Because people despise loot boxes/prize crates and it sounds like they're branding themselves after that (even though they probably predate them).

[@hemangchauhan2864]

I'd love to have a dark, Indian Mythology based setting. There are a LOT of Indian Mythological stories where demons are as distraught and helpless at times as humans are, and God are as selfish and ruthless as their counterparts. Plus the Indian palaces and temples are so elaborate IRL, that they can serve as good examples for designing levels around it. Plus, many demons drawn in the traditional art are quite terrifying.

[@peterkeleher]

+Hemang Chauhan nice idea! but im not sure how theyd avoid the fantasy-horror theme

[@hemangchauhan2864]

peter keleher I AM talking about horror-fantasy, but in an Indian setting. I'm just thinking of a way to make it fresh and original (like Bloodborne)

[@dylangibson6349]

That sounds amazing

[@JifftasticGhozt]

+Hemang Chauhan A Japanese narrative take on Indian mythology and architecture would be extremely exciting. Look at what they did with European mythos! I think your idea would be *my* favorite of the future From Soft projects.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Jifftastic Ghozt Someone tweet Miyazaki :P

[@cool140000]

I've heard that Miazaki wants his next game to be a sci fi one. I think it'd be incredible for From to turn it's dark, punishing game design style on a genre solely in need of a good kick in the pants.

[@AngraMainiiu]

Shadow Tower 3 perhaps?

[@matts252]

Okay but what about a goofy mech game. like metal wolf chaos

[@Tejan45]

+DaS Guardians From Soft has literally already made a few very punishing sci-fi games. They're called Armored Core. They aren't the same sort of gameplay as the Souls games, and quite a few missions are easy to cheese, but going into that game blind will usually end with you in debt.

[@cool140000]

Tejan455 I meant another action RPG instead of ultra complex Armored Core style gameplay.

[@DeathToDrugUsers21]

Goddamnit, when did Miazaki tell you that?? I already fucking told him that we will not publish or help distribute a sci-fi Dark Souls title.

[@dying4laughing]

I absolutely hated the place right after The Gutter screw those poison statues

[@MustafaKulle]

Yeah, the level design there felt very lazy. It was obvious they couldn't think of anything else to fill it with.

[@ub3rfr3nzy94]

I was disappointed it wasn't a full zone. The colours looked cool.

[@dying4laughing]

Visually it was certainly interesting, but still. Screw those statues.

[@nicholassheavils209]

there are a few little things (the giants etc.) but they are easy to miss and don't have any cues for those not looking for them.

[@pogo575]

Least favorite part of the whole game.

[@ambrosiaplatypus]

Ill never get tired of unenthusiastic, forced reviews of lootcrate crap. Thanks for not saying the phrase "Geek and gamer gear" atleast

[@Kalazar321]

+ambrosiaplatypus Mega 64 still has the best Lootcrate advertisements on their podcast. They know how to make sponsors fun and exciting.

[@bigredbehelit6124]

+Kalazar321 Mega64's are the only adverts I can tolerate.

[@Kalazar321]

Big Red Behelit They do go above and beyond with their improve during sponsor stuff. It's nice their sponsors pretty much let them say just about anything they want it seems.

[@lipsticksteve9156]

david bowie's cool right

[@U1TR4F0RCE]

He mentions it in the tovg podcast

[@ZPM7]

I've never seen the mosquitoes in Blighttown drop poison antidote.

[@JaimeDenizard]

+KroseZ Nope.

[@jaydeejay4166]

Me neither

[@lovepepsi7477]

i love george but he really rarely bothers to check the things he thinks he remembers right

[@EmperorZ19]

Yeah, I'm looking at the wikis (both Fandom and Fextralife) and the mosquitos don't have any item drops at all.

[@surlyandroid]

Got way too excited when I saw this was uploaded.

[@clag1109]

Exited? So you like left your house or something?

[@surlyandroid]

IntroExtro I can fix it if it's that important.

[@SuperArppis]

+SurlyAndroid Did you remember to clean up after? :D

[@MrBorderlands123]

+SurlyAndroid Just neck beard things

[@Wittemn]

+IntroExtro Don't be rude, he had to watch the whole video from outside his room.

[@joshuariser8605]

Agreed that DaS3 is more of a best-of album than a new LP. It takes all the elements from the previous games and fits them all into one game. The issue with that is DaS3 is lacking a lot of the nuance and quirks that made DeS, DaS, and BB so unique and interesting. I still love it and I'll probably play DaS3 way more than the Dark Souls that came before it, but it's simply fulfilled my expectations instead of subverting of exceeding them. Also, Demon's Souls is my favorite game in the series bar-none, so I hope you get an opportunity to give the game a full go. It's not nostalgia speaking (I didn't play DeS until after I beat DaS2), it's just really, really good. DeS has the most personality of all the Souls Series games and is certainly the most adventurous. There were no expectations so the entire game is full of risk taking and inventiveness. It's far from perfect, but even DeS's perceived flaws are unique and interesting.

[@joshuariser8605]

Also, you just made a video about a game with a very dedicated audience, so expect to have an inbox full of corrections about how wrong you are, even in relation to your personal opinions.

[@Ipurgepeople]

+Joshua Campbell Actually... I don't think it'll be too bad. George is very VERY good about being as unbiased as possible, and clearly states his opinions as opinions. I think we all have too much respect for George's journalistic approach to these types of videos to really expect any massive push back. I love the souls games, even if I've only finally just beaten one (DS1) earlier this year, and have only played it and Demon Souls for any length of time.. i'm one of those dedicated audience members. And while I'll admit I'm atypically way-too-logically driven than most, I still don't think most people over the age of 12 will get too hot in the gills over anything in this video.

[@lauramarx8098]

+Joshua Campbell yeah, me and some friends were talking about this when we first played DKS3. It feels like FromSoft have gotten really, really good at making Souls games but are *sick* of making Souls games.

[@logansetna316]

+Joshua Campbell a lot of the original images for the game really showed the team trying to innovate while looking pretty different from dark souls 1. the lighting was awfully different and i assume they changed a lot of stuff in those pre-release builds because of time constraints, but the game is still incredible

[@Darkjediiii]

+Joshua Campbell I kind of agree with you man. DS3 also meets my expectations for a Souls game. But those expectations are very high, since Dark Souls is one of the best games ever made. Dark Souls 2 disappointed, but I'm really happy with how Dark Souls 3 turned out.

[@RealHumanBean4U]

To be fair with the Nightmare of Mensis, if you Visceral or burn the Loran Silverbeasts, they don't spawn snakes.

[@bigsad6794]

I wondered why nobody mentioned that those enemies are the exact same mechanic as the Egg Carriers and their Vile Maggots in Dark Souls 1 but with actual damaging attacks because everything in Bloodborne has to be a shrieking, lurching berserker.

[@Dastsabre]

Ryan Home probably because the egg carriers aren’t actually something most players engage with to any degree, more just an environmental piece than anything else

[@filmwiebe1703]

The Nightmare of Mensis wasn't my favourite area at first, but when you realize that Frenzy is linked to your insight, and that you can get Frenzy Resist armour from the messengers for insight, I loved it. Its an area that requires a different playstyle to succeed, to fight in the shadows. I also found the Loran Silverbeasts to be not much of an issue, since they get chewed up by frenzy damage too, and any sweeping weapon can deal with the small dudes they spawn super easily. I like the analysis of this video, but I think my major critique with it is that Supper Bunnyhop always plays the same way, and thus, critiques the games after Dark Souls based on Dark Souls. Its interesting that he uses the same weapon shield combo for all DS games, and has an issue with the multiple enemies from DS2. DS 2 has its own issues, but I personally preferred the make space playstyle in the game. There's lots of enemies because you have to learn when to use the lock on mechanic and certain attacks. Its all about mobility, making the space to fight in, and then succeeding. Its a different kind of level design that pushes the player forward, but not in a simple way. Its why he has issues with Bloodborne's final areas, because Frenzy is a new challenge that forces the player to check there equipment, and how they engage with the game. But the Analysis is still well done.

[@Juanouo]

@@filmwiebe1703 Also something that was missing that I find makes Nightmare of Mensis very interesting is that you can make the Brain of Mensis drop from the tower. Not only that, if you manage to drop from the hole it dropped, you'll first find the only Blood Rock in the main game and then you'll find it in a pitch black room unable to cause Frenzy anymore. And not only that, 'cause if you perform a specific gesture for a whole minute it will give you the best rune for farming in the game. All of this being optional.

[@filmwiebe1703]

@@Juanouo I didn't know about the gesture! Which one? I find the Nightmare of Memphis to be one of the more challenging yet beneficial areas of the game. I am excited to finish my NG+ to get to the Nightmare again.

[@wampXs]

i really don't want they to do Dark Souls 4. DS3 being an end to the franchise was perfect, the revisiting of the themes and many elements from Dark Souls 1 did a full wrap and, in my opinion, a perfect ending for the trilogy. DS4 has a very high chance of sucking badly if it ever gets done.

[@nn6404]

+wampXs It's those even numbered dark souls games. I'm telling ya.

[@Sifer2]

I agree sometimes it's better to know when to stop while things are good. Like the vid says the theme is already getting a bit stale. But i'm sure the publisher is pushing them hard to keep it going since it makes money.

[@Sitruk86]

thematically, they can't really do a 4. the only reason 2 happened was because they fudged the lore abit with the whole "cycles" nonsense. the canon ending for 3 is "fuck Cycles. im taking the fire for myself. fuck you. I Am Become Flame." there's not really anywhere to go from there.

[@pendalftheone9082]

+Sitruk86 there is a ton of unanswered question remaining tho.

[@golDroger88]

Yep, DaS3 wasn't DeS or DaS but at least it was a Souls game, unlike DaS2. No more, please, hope they just do new games like Sekiro and Deracine.

[@ImperfectWeapons]

God, look at the walking animation in DS2. It looks so "video-gamey." Noticed it within five seconds of starting the game and it bothered me all the way through.

[@nathaneskin3572]

It bothered me the whole game. Most of the weapon animations (for enemies too!) felt that way as well.

[@InfernalMonsoon]

The whole of Dark Souls 2 in general bothered me from start to the point I dropped it because I just cannot bring myself to play any more of it but if I'm not enjoying the game then there's really no point for me to pick it back up.

[@donatboy]

+ImperfectWeapons Feels like characters are marionettes.

[@peterkeleher]

+ImperfectWeapons i literally have no idea why they didnt re-use the animations from DS1 - they were all pretty damn good for humanoids...

[@CaptainPsychopath69]

+ImperfectWeapons aren't the sound effects also really compressed in DS2? especially when walking in grass, sounds like OoT

[@saedt]

No idea why, but seeing Dark Souls 1's artstyle always makes me feel that the new "better graphics" are just less eerie. Also, if anything ever made DS2 and 3 worse than 1 for me, it's the early warping. I hate the idea and it kills immersion for me. i do love DS3 a LOT but man....

[@happytouch2671]

I think the DS3 Graphics are to similar to Bloodborne

[@pavith3817]

Happy Touch it is the same engine so...

[@NextGenesis88]

Pavith but I don't necessarily think having the same engine really means what you'll get will always look the same. They both look great though.

[@randomguy6679]

saedt then don't warp...

[@saedt]

randomguy6679 and never level up, makes perfect sense

[@Vidaluko]

You used the Halberd in DS1, 2 and 3, I like you

[@StrikeWarlock]

He used it's variant on Bloodborne as well.

[@Awellneededsmoke]

Spears are better

[@megaponful]

+Chris Tauscheck i used to love spears. then i came across axes.

[@Diskhate]

I still remember the "main weapons" i used in every souls game on my first run... Demon's souls: Uchigatana & Kiliji Dark Souls: Zweihander & Great axe Dark Souls 2: Winged Spear & Murakumo Dark Souls 3: Uchigatana & Short bow (I LOVE the short bow in DS3) Bloodborne: Blades of mercy & standard Saw Overall i would say that Halberds are probably the weapon i used the least in each game...i even used Fist weapons and Dragon torso (with naked punches) more than halberds and my favourite weapon type would probably be Dex based swords and Daggers ...don't hit me....

[@unsubme2157]

+HaohmaruHL pole. axe.

[@WritingOnGames]

Fucking hell, seven days? You're doing the lord's work George. you are my dad always

[@nickkern4109]

+Jabronie Johnson fuck you both. He's my Dad!

[@buffoonustroglodytus4688]

Fun fact: George is actually my mum! Hi mum!

[@WritingOnGames]

he's my favourite deputy

[@Diskhate]

+Writing on Games Well it really depends on how much he played them personally Dark Souls 1 (my first esperience with a souls game) took me over 70 hours on my first run, but now i usually go from start to finish in 3 hours (1 hour and a half if i use the "official" speedrunning route)..infact i remember the first time i tried to play the game as fast as i could: i managed to beat it in 6 hours, and it was probably only my fourth playthrough; which demonstrates that you don't have to know every possible route to beat it in an afternoon the same goes for all the other games, just took Dark souls 1 as an example once you know where to go, and have a vague of enemy placements, all games in the serie can be beaten extremely fast a week for all of them is definitely manageable, especially for George who takes gaming really seriously especially when he has to do it for work (he played POE somethin like 10 hours a day at the time to have the review done in a week) that said i'm definitely impressed on the quality of the video and it's analysis..that is indeed a lord's work : )

[@mrweatherby]

You really should go through Demon's if you like the design of DS3's levels. DS3's more densely packed, shortcut-dependent design is incredibly similar to Demon's philosophy of level design. There's also a boss who is a very clear nod to one from Demon's, though it's a bit on the nose. Demon's is a great game, and any fan of the Souls series owes it to themselves to experience it once. It might not stand out as your favorite, but it's interesting to see the genesis of so many tropes and design choices that persist throughout the series.

[@TarvynSero]

do you mean the one @28:30? :D

[@mrweatherby]

Tar vyn Probably, I'm still making my way through the video, kind of stop and go at the moment, so my comment was pretty premature. But man I can't pass up any excuse to talk up Demon's Souls.

[@BIZKITKID86]

I agree. DeS is a must play for Souls fans. It was my introduction to these games and is still one of my favorites in the series probably for that reason. Also, I am still hoping for them to do a re-release of Des for current-gen. Maybe add in that broken Archstone while their at it... I know I know, wishful thinking. *Sighs*

[@JordanSmith-yi3ji]

I had a weird entry into the series. My first encounter with the Souls games comes from watching the Demons Souls trailer on On Demand, years later im on KZbin and i stumbled upon one of Oroboros now old pvp videos and I was interested. A year later I get Demons Souls and Dark Souls at the same time for Christmas, I play hopping back and forth between them over the course of 3 months beating Dark Souls first then Demons Souls 2 weeks later. I was hooked and bought Dark Souls 2 as soon as I could. Beat it a month later, but spent over half a year to playing PVP. Now Im hopping between Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3.

[@BIZKITKID86]

Jordan Smith I can't imagine playing DeS & DaS at the same time. The funny part about my first experience with DeS is I had the same reaction that Shuhei Yoshida had with the game, you know what I'm talking about it (Lol). At least we both realized how wrong we were and now they're one of my all time favorite video games.

[@Xqvvzts]

9:37 That was supposed to be a shortcut?! I always thought it was a trap.

[@johns783]

i think it's you that is correct, and not the video.

[@NoTimeNoEffort]

Sadly it is a shortcut (there's no other ways to get to the boss from any bonfire in any reasonable amount of time). Which says a lot about how shittily made DS2 was.

[@NoTimeNoEffort]

The lone tower bonfire is ASTOUNDINGLY far away and also requires (and I do mean REQUIRES, there's not enough space to skip them) to go through the awful gauntlet of like seven angry men with zweihanders and it takes forever. Popping in the door skips the entirety of the bastille and puts you literally one ladder away from the boss fight. Again, it just shows how shoddily DS2 was made. I guess they looked at the shortcut for the four kings in New Londo and thought "yeah, that's an acceptable design choice"

[@Efreeti]

It's not a shortcut, dude. It's really not meant to be a shortcut. The bonfire run is not that bad.

[@kornboy22]

I agree. Dodge the guys all the way down to the ladder then go up the ladder and you were safe.

[@berbonayeaye2800]

I have never, I repeat never had a mosquito in blight town drop a moss clump for me. I've never seen it in a video either, sorry to nitpick cause this is a great video but I think you're wrong in saying that those enemies drop poison remedies.

[@EggBastion]

+berbon ayeaye That's because it doesn't happen. I can see how he might have made this mistaken assumption though. Maybe, one time, he received a moss clump from a toxic dart guy suffering a fatal fall at the same time as he was delivering the killing blow to a mosquito. Maybe.

[@adq1864]

+berbon ayeaye You're right, they absolutely do not drop them.

[@zesork5627]

in the prepare to die edition they drop

[@JaimeDenizard]

No they don't. They only drop souls.

[@TheOutlanderReport]

Yeah they drop from the bushy tree guys in darkroot right? At least that's were I farmed them if I remember correctly.

[@TotallyToonsTV]

You managed to complete all the Souls game AND Bloodborne in just one week?! And here's me still stuck on just The 4 Kings on Souls 1 after about a year. I still haven't gotten gud.

[@bergonath8851]

Gitting gud might be a long process but don't give up. I almost gave up in Tower of Latria; I've platinumed the game twice afterwards.

[@chan4est]

+TotallyToonsTV You should restart your play through and give it another shot. Any souls veteran can do what he did, + Demon's Souls in far less time.

[@zerogear976]

+TotallyToonsTV that is sad if true

[@ninjawitasniper3766]

+TotallyToonsTV I've beaten Dark Souls 3 the day it came out .-. and the first time I saw 4 kings, I first tried it. and Gwyn too. Dark Souls isn't hard, you just need patience.

[@Ebb0Productions]

What a fantastic horrible place that was. I got Demon's back at release but rage quit when i hit Flamelurker. Gonna have to pay him a re-visit soon.

[@joesiegel1573]

"I have almost every enemy placement in Anor Londo memorized." "almost" Casul

[@zyzdzy]

the mind would much rather repress certain memories. like a certain pair of archers.

[@Doctor_Pazuzu]

Gotta be honest, I really didn't care for Bloodbornes level design. From a visual standpoint it might be the strongest of all the Souls/borne games, but from an exploration standpoint it's fairly weak in comparison to the other souls games. I found the use of shortcuts to be far less impressive than in comparison to Dark Souls 1 where you might find yourself seemingly miles away from Fire Link shrine only for a shortcut to immediately show that you've been much closer than thought, which was both interesting from a perspective of scale of the games world and useful from a gameplay perspective. Shortcuts in Bloodborne rarely felt very useful besides a rare few moments. A shortcut was occasionally a different but just as long route to your destination in Bloodborne. I also hated it's constant reliance on going back to the Hunters dream so that you can warp to certain locations. The act of getting your lamp, waiting for a loading screen, running to the warp stones, and waiting for another loading screen to continue your adventure is simply tedious. It also doesn't help that for the first few hours the first couple of arenas are so...linear. Many of the areas in Yharnam just felt like hallways with a few small alleys for me, luckily it's not so much the case in areas outside of Yharnam (although they still feel far more linear than that of other souls games) but it's still rather upsetting that the main location in Bloodborne is so very often a long narrow area that may bend itself a bit to give a faint illusion that you're not running through a dull line. Maybe it's because exploration takes more of a back seat in comparison to other Souls games, but I can't help that I still felt so bored by running around what should be really interesting locales. I simply don't think they used the urban city setting to it's full potential with Bloodborne. Other than that though, Bloodborne is damn near perfect and I don't hate the game by any means, hell I'd even still consider it's level design to be a cut above many other games but in comparison to it's Dark/Demon Souls kin, I found it to be incredibly underwhelming in the regard of level design. Still looks pretty lookin' though.

[@JonesyMcDanes]

Dark souls 2 isnt a bad game but if you play it after playing any of the other souls game it might as well be ET.

[@MizukiTheUnderPro]

+JonesyMcDanes Well DaS2 had alot of replayability because NG+ changed stuff around by not just giving you better rings. Also the build variation was huge compared to DaS1 and DaS3, also it gets bonus points for working covernants. Design wise it was the weakest ill give you that but even DaS1 is weak when you hold it against DeS.

[@JXZX1]

... No? I enjoyed my first time with it more than I enjoyed my first time with Dark Souls. Hell, I still go back to DS2 after all these years.

[@LocoTony64]

+JonesyMcDanes its still a fun game.

[@Shmandalf]

I feel like the PvP was the best it has been in DaS2.

[@Shmandalf]

***** Dark Souls 3 completely removed the poise system, though.

[@MGlBlaze]

Personally I disagree with your assessment of the Gutter, though I suppose I can see that Black Gulch was super oppressive. I felt that The Gutter was a bunch of fairly dull wooden boxes strung together, and lacked the immediate sense of scale and threatening presentation of Blight Town. The poison-spitting statues meanwhile are an inanimate object that doesn't offer much in the way of conflict interaction, and I feel they get extremely tedious due to their large number. The blowdart snipers at least were more spaced out, a significant threat for their low numbers instead of a frequent annoyance, and as actual enemies provided a source of conflict and a permanent goal within each playthrough as they didn't re-spawn. It is at least one of the few areas which fucking knocks it off with all the multiple enemy bullshit encounters though, which is nice. The Shaded Woods proper was pretty interesting, even if everywhere else from there was boring too. As for the DLC; I never played it. I lost interest in anything to do with playing Dark Souls 2 long before any of them came out. Which is a shame because it looks like the DLC level design actually goes back to the previous series competence based on your video.

[@Finalgear14]

The level design of the dlc was much better than the base game. I however found the fighting to be tedious. Nothing but groups of 3-6 enemies that have a lot of health, have infinite poise (I used ultra great swords and couldn't stun shit), and have infinite stamina. Add in the absolute bullshit npc invades and it was just tedious (npc invaders were like mini bosses with infinite stamina, several thousand HP, and infinite spells if they used spells).

[@x5132]

+MGlBlaze I must mention, the DLCs are my favorite part of DaS 2. Ivory king over the others, it felt more grandiose, at least plot and design wise. You should give it a chance. The shaded woods I found amazing the first time through, but since, each time I cross it, it feels too short, and filled with unused potential, but I love it. I guess the only fault I find there is that I wanted more of it than there was.

[@Noh_Mercy]

+MGlBlaze felt the same way. I quit ds2 and didnt bother going into ng because I just hated it. But then my friend got the game and bought me scholar of the first sin to coop with him and the dlc ~kinda~ rescues it. I hated the pvp most, so that will never change, but the level quality of the dlc is so great, buying ds2 without it is an outright scam. ds2 non-sotfs shouldn't have existed at all.

[@onlycosm]

+MGlBlaze The gutter was actually the only area of the base game of DS2 I thought was good, didn't care much for the dlc either however I didn't end up playing the sunken king stuff.

[@RuneKatashima]

I agree with your assessment about the poison statues and the toxic snipers. I like the Shaded Woods as well as it was the only area in the entirety of DS2 that gave me pause and one of the few areas where an enemy killed me. I one or two shot every boss. I died very little in DS2. Mostly to falls, honestly. Falls when jumping for an item :/ I don't like DS2's level design, but I'm going to play the DLC regardless.

[@HalikBun]

I actually like the diversity of aesthetics in DS2 levels, even if the level designs were straight forward. Each area had a very distinct color palette, for the most part.

[@TheDeliciousMystery]

You pretty much summed up my feelings. Its not perfect but the tone, artstyle, story, gameplay and music of Bloodborne is so up my alley my DS3 experience always felt like a step backwards into safe fan service heavy stuff after something fresh and new and in my experience tremendously enjoyable. When you really think about how you can go from the clinic to gascgoine, then buy the shortcut to amerlia and then basically sequence break all the way to martyr logarius there is so much variance in Bloodborne that i think is tremendously overlooked because of lot of people purely see the souls games as a game you only replay for a different 'build' rather than enjoy the experience. and theres nothing wrong with wanting to try fights different ways, its great fun. But the more limited builds sort of lead to an assumption the game itself is simple and linear and compared to everything in DS3 up to Irithyll its anything but. Its not everyones favourite but its definitely my favorite in the series. But then i'm more of a lovecraft than berserk fan soo...

[@digitalintent]

+TheDeliciousMystery I've yet to play Bloodbourne but from what I've seen, it will probably be my favorite too. I like the art style and I like the idea of faster combat. Dark Souls and Demon's Souls are two of my favorite games yet Dark Souls 3 looks really generic to me.

[@trunksbriefs4132]

+TheDeliciousMystery Got way into eldritch horror (Lovecraft) around the time of Bloodborne and I saw all of Berserk plus have been collecting the manga just before DkS3, both games thematically came at the right time for me but I think that Bloodborne is better, never really felt that builds were a problem, I seriously preferred being able to wield everything in one play. I finally got to using heavy equipment at the end of my second run for DkS3 but it was too late, love the game but had enough at that point. Mostly used Artorias' sword and armor, in Bloodborne I frequently switched between different weapons, a lot more fun that way.

[@DotRD12]

+Koalasonfire that's the only thing you can do tho and even that requires you cheese the boss untill you're strong enough. and by that point you're already pretty much at the point were you unlock Lothric Castle anyway.

[@theBlindDeafMute]

And there in the field stood three sheperds, tending their flocks by night And the angel of the lord came upon them, and they were so afraid But the angel said, fear not, for I bring on this day tidings of great joy, Super Bunnyhop finally uploaded

[@Olodus]

+Gnomey Gnomeson And from the eather a melody sprung forth as hundreds of angels sang in unison: "Du du du du du du du duuu pling!". And the stars formed the image of a giant bunny winking at the shepards.

[@thalamay]

I love Dark Souls 3. I know, it’s heresy in certain circles, but I feel differently. People say it’s too easy, but I think it’s simply less unfair while still immensely challenging, particularly once you look at the DLCs. And of course veterans already went through the whole ”get gud“ phase with the first games, so of course they won’t have the same experience as the first time around. But when you try to look at it objectively, Dark Souls is the best Souls game. I also don’t mind them reusing assets from Bloodbourne where appropriate. The devs still wove a unique tapestry of a world that is very immersive.

[@Punkandtokelife]

thalamay The DLC bosses were all so badass. Especially Gale.

[@FIN791998]

You sure you dont mean DS2? because that game is really hated by the comunity. On the other hand comunity loves DS3 in fact there has been so many passionate debates if DS1 or DS3 is the best souls game and mocking the other one. In my opinion its mostly dependent on the first title you played not because of nostalgia, but because the game sets your standards and expectations from the series. People who started demons and DS1 do have a huge appreciation of the world, imersion, general pve, atmosphere and of course story, DS3 is mostly about the bosses. With that being said what DS3 really lacks in its gameplay is variety. Yeah sure enemies do have a huge amount of attacks and feel very different, its all about pressing the roll button and avoiding it all. Bosses are completely the same... just keep pressing the roll button untill you can attack. Sure some people might say its what these games are about. However, bosses and areas in demons souls or dark souls were or sometimes even in bloodborne not about "lets learn this guys moveset and learn roll timings" but it was about "lets figure out the best way to take him down". Bosses like Phalanx, Maiden Astrea, Fools Idol, Pinwheel, Gaping dragon, Quelaag, Gwyndolin, Micolash, Amygdala, Celestial Emisary... have all certain gimicks you have to figure out and feel completely different to Gael, DSA, ODK, Vordt, Gundyr, Pontif... dudes in armour just starts to get all samy. Not to mention that you have way too much i frames on your rolls so its too easy to avoid attacks and most of the time you can disregard roll direction completely. On the other hand this limits your ability to punish enemy attacks and you have way less openings then youd have in bloodborne for example. This results in a very deffensive dodgefest most of the time. Some people might like this but personally dont enjoy this type of combat. Lastly the most talked about issue of DS3 is that it coppies so much content from all 4 games without adding much to it nor does it have any original content what so ever. While some of them are cool easter eggs, most of them are just in way too big chunks to not be annoying. Like Storm ruller, Boletarian palace clone, Latria clone, valley of defilement clone, anor londo clone, another painted world, lady maria clone, living failures clone, fume knight clone, gwyn clone, artorias clone, maiden in black clone... I guss you get the point. So all in all DS3 is a very good game but it has just way too many issues to be the best one. Id say that all of the dark souls sequels are worse then the three fromsoft original titles: demons souls, dark souls and bloodborne.

[@thalamay]

FINs_empire Your opinion is exactly what I was referring to when calling my love for DS3 heresy. I’ve been following the community and most old school fans of the series were ripping on DS3. Mainly for the story, but also level design. Criticising the combat is a bit of an outlier though, I haven’t heard that before, in fact, this is usually where everybody loves DS3. At least partially, it sounds a bit like you have an issue with PvP. Since I‘m not into PvP at all, I don’t have an informed opinion on that topic. I always turn off all online features. Anyway, DS3 is one of my all time favourite games. I respect other people‘s criticism, but for me it is pretty much the perfect game.

[@zemirukaiba]

@@thalamay ds3 has the best level design of them all, not even close.. Not the best world design but the best intralevel design, it has the best bosses, don't know what this guy is saying aha talking about ds1 bosses aha they suck except O&S and Artorias.. dragonslayer armor is better than the whole roster of ds1 and ds2 bosses. Ds3 has thank god the warping ability available from the beginning but that came from ds2. ds3 has the perfect lenght and even its dlcs! speaking of wich... Friede Midir and Gael are why we all here talking about from software masterpieces

[@Emanicas]

AND DEMON SOULS?

[@Emanicas]

oh :(

[@bergonath8851]

Yeah, I feel ya.

[@leadguitarofmayhem]

+Emanicas its the best souls game hands down!

[@GamerLord821]

+Emanicas Demon souls tu gud for George He's not praising the umbasa

[@Yoop74]

+Emanicas KEEP CALM AND PRAISE UMBASA

[@gustavod.4795]

Chalice dungeons definitely lack in level design. But it's completely optional and can be good for a challenge, but not a sight to behold. Even crazier, the chalice dungeon holds unique bosses you won't even find in the main game.

[@Kalazar321]

+Gustavo Davalillo One of the most thrilling and exciting moments for me was fighting the Watchdogs of the old Lords in the defiled chalice. One of the hardest things in that game and it sucks many people don't get to it.

[@BarakalypseNow]

+Gustavo Davalillo Chalice Dungeons are definitely a mixed bag. They can get stale and repetitive, especially if you have multiple characters that you want to use in PvP (meaning you have to farm good gems from the dungeons). Still, the Chalice Dungeons represent the hardest challenge that the game can offer you, and there is some unique content to be had.

[@idon896]

They really should've just used those bosses and put them in the main game and used the effort into making the chalice dungeons into more levels.

[@mithunselvaratnam4655]

I had way more fun with the Chalice Dungeons than I expected to. I think they worked because Bloodborne is the only Souls game where the combat is so tight and fun on its own that it doesn't need level design and lore to be satisfying. It definitely benefits from those things, but I had a lot of fun experimenting with different weapon combinations and honing my skills against the bosses in CDs. In fact, I don't think I truly appreciated the nuance of the game's combat until I had beaten the Defiled and Loran chalices, along with the DLC.

[@RagingKarma2]

Yeah and then the defiled dungeon came along and I had to fight Amygdala a total of 172 times to beat her once. I hated the dungeons they were not challenging they just kept sending enemies at you. Also those big dog enemies were retarded.

[@zdf14]

Always enjoyed that whole vertically stacked level design in the first Souls game. Loved going down to Dark Root Basin and pointing the camera up to see the castle I was just at. Most games don't give you the privilege of seeing many of the areas you've been to by just simply looking around. Thought it was so cool.

[@IfJesusWoreAHat]

I really hate DS2 fanboys. I don't hate DS2, I hate parts of it but overall it's my least favorite of the series, and that's all it takes to have them jump down your throat and accuse you of being a DS1 or a Miyazaki fanboy, and then say silly things like it's the best game because it's the hardest or because the multiplayer is the best (while conveniently forgetting soul memory existed.)

[@suftenevenstevens5767]

+Plebeian+ Or because it "has more quantity of content". Just because it has more content sure as hell doesn't make all the content good.

[@jjstraka1982]

+410,757,864,530 DEAD COPS As opposed to the second half of Dark Souls 1, which is generally completely anticlimactic after Anor Londo and Ornstein and Smough?? As is mentioned in this video, Lost Izalith isn't even finished, the bosses in the Catacombs are a joke, and so is Seath for the most part. Yes, the first half of Dark Souls has a nearly perfect, looping design. The worst thing you can say about Dark Souls 2 is that it has some repetitive bosses and that it doesn't loop back on itself. Neither does ANY OTHER game in the series except Dark Souls 1. All the interconnection in Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne are on a level by level basis, just like Dark Souls 2. And yes 2 doesn't do that particular element that well. But it more than makes up for it in variety and build choices.

[@Pokedude19140]

+Plebeian+ I see more Miyazaki fanboys if anything. They'll dismiss anything you say regarding the positives of DS2. It may not be my favorite souls game but it had the best pvp even with soul memory imo

[@JXZX1]

+Plebeian+ It's odd: I've gotten so bitter with the direction of the Souls series after 2 that I might in some ways resemble the 'Miyazaki fanboy' critic. I do think DS2 is probably my favorite of the Dark Souls series--though my overall favorite Souls game is Demon's Souls--and most of the arguments people make for DS2 being inferior could be easily used to argue that Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3 are worse. I dunno, I think both sides have gotten a bit too used to their positions.

[@Nicolas-Kage]

+Plebeian+ Oh, boy. Soul memory.. I agree. Dark Souls 2 feels like the game in beta. They even rearranged the enemies.

[@rogaldorn2109]

That forced Loot Crate advertising was cringy

[@meris8486]

+Rogal Dorn A man's gotta eat

[@qinoga]

There's nothing anyone can do to make Lootcrate sound good. Cut the man some slack.

[@SolusBatty]

+Rogal Dorn He made it cringy intentionaly. He is always like that for sponsorships. How did you not notice that? A necessery evil. EDIT: Just focus on Bowie comment for example.

[@DJ_Macphisto]

+Rogal Dorn At least this month they didn't pack in a *FUCKING INFLATABLE FUCKING CROWN*. They still suck ass, though.

[@GreenLockProduction]

+Rogal Dorn dont underestimate them loot crates, dorn you might find your hands in one of those boxes ;-)

[@Gakusangi]

You're gonna love the second part of the Valley of Defilement in Demon's Souls.

[@PeterEhik]

Is there a love button cause I wanna click that every time you make a video about a AAA game, I can watch you talk about From Software games for years bro, please make more, you can do critical close-ups for Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3, Bloodborne is the only game in the series I've played and I'm not even close to being done with it yet but having a blast and it's so awesome to hear you talk about a game I'm playing.

[@je3237]

Glad to see you're loving Bloodborne, it's my personal favorite out of the three. What part are you at?

[@meaningawaitsforyou]

a critical close up of bloodborne would be amazing.

[@chrissk08]

I'd argue that while 3 utilizes more open areas, not all of them are connected. In terms of exposition I think 1 is stronger and less predictable.

[@chrissk08]

Aside from Izalith lmao.

[@LN.2233]

chrissk08 That's the thing isn't it? It seems like Souls 1 is the only souls game that connects most areas together which is something Souls 2, 3 & Bloodborne (from what I played) doesn't do.

[@SchizoLingvo]

+chrissk08 to be completely honest, there're only two really interconnected areas in DS3. Lothric Castle and the Cathedral of the Deep. Especially the Cathedral, I, personally, unlocked the shortcuts in the castle, but never really used them, except for the last right near the boss. The Garden is kinda small and the shortcut leads you to some of the most BS enemies in the game, the other areas are just..open fields with some branching,

[@Sifer2]

Yeah lol it's called Does not open from this side Souls for a reason. Yet despite the over use of one way door shortcuts it still feels like there is too many bonfires. Cathedral of the Deep though was a solid level that approached original DS1 levels of efficient connected level design.

[@Drew88317]

DS2-3 and bloodborne never gave me that feeling of "where am I?" DS1 and Demon Souls did a great job of making these impossible changes to landscape one of the best in my opinion being descending the tree from blight town to a well lit underground beach with archtrees. I always knew where I was in relation to the other areas in DS2-3 and Bloodborne. Don't let it sound like a negative to those games they're still really good, but I prefer being lost and bewildered :)

[@gatorboiy5269]

Never thought I’d hear someone say the gutter was their favorite area, since it’s just a darker, more cramped, and more bs version of blighttown

[@SirZelean]

I actually like it too :c I always make sure to light every single torch on the area

[@ecchi4196]

Lighting every sconce in the area is pretty neat. Also memorating the place by heart and invading there felt great. By the time I would've invaded a poor sod the third time there, I'd take the time to lead them through the level. That place is quite enjoyable once you get used to it

[@nullbraintheconfused1993]

My favourite area in DS 2. That long decent and then black gulch. Love it to bits. Blighttown (even in remastered with 60 fps) is my least favourite. Also I have fallen to death so many times in DS 1 because I got stuck on some invisible thing or got the camera turned forcefully. Guess experiences are different :)

[@zaclovesschool2273]

yeap

[@avd7288]

"Every entity seems to have been placed well..." Anor Londo Archers

[@HandOfVecna1188]

Oh man, those are the best ones of all!

[@StrikeWarlock]

Miyazaki decided to be an asshole the day he decided where those 2 Archers should be

[@john_john_john]

13:33 the transparent hunters, and players with the fog ring, couldn't be targeted when the game came out on console. Back then, every invader used the fog ring, and since we were all inexperienced, dealing with a player you couldn't target was very hard.

[@royalflukes4148]

ds 1 had best lvl design by far not even close

[@zaclovesschool2273]

yep

[@rodrigopacheco12]

i really cant understand when people say that Dark Souls 3 perfected the level design of the series. Its the most bland and predictable it has ever been, with shortcuts immediately on sight and incredibly short levels that dont let you breath in the atmosphere. Dark Souls 3 was a plain chore to play through, its almost at the level of Dark Souls 2. The bonfires are no longer a breath of relief and an escape from a cruel world, they are just checkpoints. If this is what people wanted from Dark Souls, then im fucking glad the franchise is over, at least for now.

[@LN.2233]

Hatt Hanz souls 3 probably has the longest levels. Bonfires have always been just checkpoints.

[@Bryndleson]

The reason you no longer feel relief from seeing a bonfire is because you've gotten really good at souls games, because in actuality, the distance between ds3 bonfires and ds1 bonfires is about the same.

[@Tamatzu]

It's not terrible, but yeah, none of the levels in ds3 can even compare to going through the entirety of blight town. From the very beginning after the gaping dragon to fighting the spider lady (I forget her name) that level was ridiculously big both in verticality and its horizontal space when you got to the bottom.

[@LN.2233]

Tamatzu blighttown is overrated.

[@rodrigopacheco12]

TheShapesnatch no, I didnt feel that at all with Bloodborne. But even so, if its because i have gotten good, then al the more reason that DS3 does nothing new to surprise me

[@ratska96]

of course you're going to get frenzied quick with 48 insight

[@Kwotzi]

I've just noticed. Why doesn't this channel have like close to a million subs? The content on here is fucking excellent.

[@AzureSymbiote]

The voice.

[@mooganify]

AzureSymbiote Hey, look who it is!

[@AzureSymbiote]

mooganify It's a me, Micolash!

[@mooganify]

AzureSymbiote 😂

[@oafkad]

Frenzy buildup speed is based on your insight level iirc. The reason that loft was awful was because you had so much insight. I kept mine nearly at 0 and they did almost no frenzy buildup, you had what felt like eons to respond.

[@oafkad]

+Isles of Scion PS. Chalice dungeons are awful. It is the lowest point in the series imo. Hiding one of my favorite boss fights at the end...

[@lancelot2099]

+Isles of Scion Why make a good boss like Yharnam there. Just why. She is so good.

[@oafkad]

Lancelot Yeah, its fucked up. Edit: It felt like a moment of malice in coding for me. I doubt those dungeons got through QA without someone going "This feels awful."

[@pulsartu05]

+Isles of Scion You are absolutely right about Mensis. That place punishes hoarding of insight. But if the player is aware of it and spends it in the hunters dream, not only can they lower it, but they can acquire the most effective frenzy resistant equipment in the game(via taking Djura's stuff). It's another one of those things that can be tricky on a first run, but another factor to consider on a second. Also, the chalice dungeons suck. There were things working in their favor such as Yharnam as well as the fact that the blood originated from them, but they were such a grind that it became a chore to complete them. Making them an optional place beneath Byrgenwerth and making them more compact could have been very cool and they could have served as a place to give hints as to the early days of Byrgenwerth and the creation of the Healing Church. No ones perfect.

[@kiyoskedante]

The main problem with tying frenzy to insight level is there's no standout indicator that the two are related until you spend insight at the store; spending insight to coop doesn't show the frenzy meter drop, nor is there a tooltip that tells people "visit /r/bloodborne to understand half the mechanics in the game! Don't forget the sticky on hidden weight value systems that we patch in and out on a random basis!". Bloodborne was easily my favorite of the souls games, but the depth penetration is almost impossible without researching everything. Chalice dungeons were okay, but hiding the secret boss behind what was probably thirty hours of F/R/C chalices was groan inducing.

[@139nene]

0:54 to skip ad

[@kieranm9340]

I think the reason you thing ds2 combat is clunky is because you're playing it like ds1. At 11:16 you just strafe around the sorcerer for a backstab (wasting time and letting the sorcerer's shots as well as the swamp thing catch up to you) You run out all of your stamina attacking (which is punished harder in ds2 than 1) with a poor hit box of the halberd (again added in ds2) and run away without looking at the magic bolts being shot at you to time your rolls (which you don't do) correctly. You just need to understand how to analyse and deal with multiple enemies better. ds2 gets a lot of hate because of it's "dudes in armor" but they give opportunity for more diverse enemy attacks as well as more armor sets, two things that ds2 do better than 1. ds2 has the most complex combat system of ANY souls game, and a lot of ds2 haters fail to grasp this game's complexities. If ds1's focus was the world, then ds2's focus was the combat.

[@silliussoddus1449]

Kieran Mondok I just wanna contribute some things. 1. Ds2 directional controls are imprecise, objectively. There are 8 angles of movement, while Ds1 and Ds3 have the full 360. 2. Ds2 has imperfect hitboxes. Like that Samurai guy in the DLC with his grab attack grabbing you when you behind him. These things are possible to not notice; I don’t really blame you. But they exist and decrease the quality of the game.

[@Dastsabre]

For a game that focuses purely on combat, the awkward movement and awful hit boxes are pretty problematic

[@easy8077]

Kieran Mondok •4 Roll directions •There are barely any grab- or combo attacks, but single swings which are purely dodged by invincibility frames and not by actually having no connection to the swing, considering this ofc flaws in hitboxes are more common

[@HeelPower200]

Lost Izalith does not constitute the "second half of the game".I wish people would stop that.There's the archives, tomb of the giants,the catacombs,new londo ruins...They are all brilliant areas that make up that dreaded "second half of dark souls".

[@dotanuki3371]

+HeelPower200 second half of the game is weak, izalith is just the worst of it. catacombs isn't second half, it's pre lordvessel. dukes is good, but caves is garbage. tomb isn't good, it's just the place with the gimmick. seath is trash, nito is trash, boc is trash, and kings is the worst bossfight in the game

[@ebinsprolo7844]

+HeelPower200 which are all weak areas compared to the start of the game, as soon as you get the lord vessel the game drops in quality and this is unanimously agreed upon

[@ronanvankessel6329]

AlyZa brilliant my ass. Those areas sucked as well

[@jazzmaster909]

Ronan Van Kessel Tomb of the Giants and Dukes Archives were awsome as hell. Lol

[@ronanvankessel6329]

jazzmaster909 tomb of giants really sucked for me. I hated it. And the dukes archives are soo unimmersive for me. Grand archives are much more immersive, IMO

[@MASTER_ORB]

>using drangleic armour unironically >using a shield >slow rolling >using a halberd 1 handed maybe he just needs to get good?

[@JohnSmith-kt3yy]

He's playing on hard mode.

[@KaoZorri]

He is having trouble fighting more than one enemy at a time and thinks that it is a terrible experience if it ever happens. Yeah he is just not good.

[@SpartanWolf222]

What are you talking about? Halberds are great for crowd-control, especially when you can line up enemies for the overhand (1-handed) swings.

[@fartchamber12]

Using a shield literally increases your ability to survive, I don't use shields myself but come on.

[@MASTER_ORB]

Kunt using a shield is the easy way out; getting good is about learning boss movesets and subconsiously memorising hitbox placement. shields don't do shit in most boss fights

[@sandwich1601]

It's a shame you had such a lukewarm impression of Bloodborne's DLC. I think the Research Hall has arguably the best level design in the game, and given that it's apparently a _'reiteration of Duke's Archives'_ (which honestly feels like a mere pit-stop in DS1) where you're still complementary of other reiterative levels is honestly confusing.

[@Aspratameme]

So, Dark Souls 2 is my favorite Souls game. It was not my first played, so I am not nostalgic. Is this bad?

[@mikeb6410]

I love the level design of 1 and the quicker more complex combat and weapons of 3. 2 is good.. but nothing about it was better than the other 2 in my opinion.

[@TheFelipeBZ]

Dark Souls 2 is great, the combat feels much more interesting for me then the other ones. You really have to commit to each attack, it is not like DS3 with faster attacks and lower cost in rolling. I do understand that Dark Souls 1 is really good, probably the best one, but DS2 is still my favourite

[@abyssalrayz9499]

Yay people like me

[@Jp4Real0]

Same, don't feel bad DS2 is awesome

[@jaguartony]

I full on dislike ds2 design philosophies (big weapons gud & cheap tricks) but I had a great time with it because I finished it with a friend.

[@emonthemutated643]

*When you said Bloodborne is your favorite of the four* "PREACH SISTER PREACH"

[@sirfijoe450]

What? I love Farron keep. It’s so fun. It and blightown are some of my favorite areas. I also like the gutter. Poison areas really aren’t a problem as long as you bring the proper poison counters.

[@vighneshsivakumar3418]

I really miss the world design of DS1, and I really want to find another game that does that. DS3 is great, but because of its DS2 style world design, it felt a bit flat for me. I don't have a PS4 so I can't try Bloodborne, but that sounds like a game I'd like better. What are your suggestions on other 3D games with DS1 style world design?

[@justindloski9129]

Sadly, there are none. That's why the original Dark Souls ruined every other game for so many people, including me. In fact, when I play 3, it just makes me want to play the original again.

[@SirZelean]

Hah. It felt flat. Like, literally! :D

[@Andystuff800]

Metroid Prime. Play it in Dolphin with the mousecontrol mod.

[@NegaBot]

So what I got from this is that George is a halberds guy :D

[@reviewralphusa7255]

halberds 4 life son

[@KirillTheBeast]

I agree with 99% of the vid, but I see the Farron Keep as a probing/exploration test: you can purchase purple moss clumps at the shrine from the start, so when you traverse the crucifixion woods and "miss" the Sage, you get to a different area, with a bonfire and THEN you find out "crap, poison...", warp back to the shrine and stock up for the next area. The way I see it, it rewards you for not underestimating the poison threat (which is laughable in this game), since you won't have a lot of estus at that point.

[@GameCyborgCh]

i never get purple moss clumps when i get there. the poison doesn't do a lot of damage and with a weapon with the quick step weapon art you can travese the swamp way more quickly

[@thegreatmadhatter668]

24:25 Mosquitos don't drop moss. Only the toxic dart guys drop moss in Blighttown. Very good video, liked your analysis very much. Still won't buy a PS4 just for Bloodborne :P

[@potatolancer2274]

+The Great Mad Hatter I bought a PS4 for Bloodborne. Now I only use it for Netflix

[@tomasdelcampo2]

+The Great Mad Hatter I dont get why people keep saying a ps4 is just for bloodborne since ps3 had like 20 great exclusives and ps4 already has a decent amount with uncharted 4 just coming out and many more announced like last guardian, zero horizon, ni-oh, the last of us 2, the evil within 2(almost guaranteed) plus some of the best series are ps exclusive theres more but I struggle to keep track Xbox has like maybe 2 or 3 comparable exclusive games in between xbox 360 and 1

[@thegreatmadhatter668]

That's all nice and stuff, but I'm not interested in other games for PS4. You might be, but I just want to play Bloodborne. And that means I would have to buy a PS4 for a single game.

[@tomasdelcampo2]

Well in that case assuming you live in the US or somewhere similar you can buy it new for $200, sell it it for 150 and get bloodborne new for 40. Not bad since a shitty new game and its dlcs costs the same or more Besides games and consoles cost 3 or 4 times the price in Latin America and other places but people still buy games (hint hint) sell your ps4 there or somewhere similar and you would be making money by buying a ps4 If you dont believe me I sold a used ps3 for well over a thousand dollars in Argentina and GTA 5 for over 200 dollars in Brazil with like zero effort

[@StarlightDragon]

i was happy when I was under the impression that Dark Souls 3 would be the last one. After hearing that they plan to do more, I am not looking forward to that at all. I love the souls series, especially when directed by Miyazaki, but I feel like they will just get stale and generic if they keep pushing them out. They should focus on something new and original.

[@armoredp]

Agree with most of what he said, except his opinion of the Chalice dungeons. They are some of the most challenging content in the game. And albeit not crafted as meticulously as the main game, are still fun to play and offer a very interesting surprises and new enemy types and bosses. Not to mention you DO level up from them, in fact my current character probably did half it's levelling up from the chalice dungeons. And the gems you can get later in the dungeons are some of the best in the game. The only thing I will admit is that they only really get rewarding at the very end, by which time you will be woefully overpowered for the main game. I guess the intention was always to play them over several play-throughs, as they also don't reset with every play-through. But I think too many people are completionists like me and finished them in the first play-through anyway.

[@adams3627]

I would be REALLY interested in seeing how your opinions have changed over the years with the release of Sekiro, the DeS remaster, and Elden Ring. How has Fromsoft's approach to level design incorporated Sekiro's verticality and Elden Ring's open world?

[@shrouls]

I'll say pretty damn well. Sekiro's levels aren't as complex but have the verticallity to back them up. But the legacy dungeons in elden ring? Chefs kiss. Ds3/bb levels cranked up to eleven. But yea I would be curious in his opinion in all of this

[@nPr26_50]

​​@@shrouls How can you say that? Bloodborne restricts itself to one lamp per area whereas in Sekiro and Elden Ring you can't go 2 steps without encountering a Sculptor's Idol or a grace site. The guy in the video was stating it's commendable how Souls games especially Bloodborne offer these time saving shortcuts that lead back to the places you have been to making it easier to map out the areas mentally and give them a sense of cohesion. That does not sound like Elden Ring nor Sekiro at all

[@shrouls]

@@nPr26_50 bonfire placement isn't all level design is. It's not that important after your first playthrough

[@nPr26_50]

@@shrouls It's undeniably an important element of level design in Souls games given how corpse running is a major game mechanic. That's why, when breaking down the level design in these games into three broud categories, the guy in the video dedicated an entire category (The spiral) to this one aspect. Cause of course if you make bonfires too abundant, the areas lose all tension that comes from amassing a large amount of souls and risking losing them by pushing forward, or making the tough decision to return to the previous bonfire and expend your currency but lose all progress. And if bonfires are spaced out and there is a lack of time saving shortcuts then boss runbacks become tedious. It's a delicate balance and goes a long way in creating a suspensful experience. I will say Elden Ring has great exposition but Sekiro is a regression through and through.

[@shrouls]

@@nPr26_50 1. After the first playthrought if you're not doing a challenge run, you get so good at the game and know each bonfire placement that there is little tension left to be had. It only works when you aren't very skilled. 2. Sekiro is different, it's level design is different. Do I miss the interconnected levels filled with shortcuts when I play it, yeah but even still it's no regression bc it isn't an evolution of the souls games, in the traditional sense.

[@CozyCoffeeLofi]

World design is what kept me coming back in From Software's games! ✨ thanks for this amazing upload! 😊❤️

[@theCHEESEB3AST]

I'm so glad that you defended Dark Souls 2. I feel that the game is judged far too harshly. It's nowhere near as good as Dark Souls 1 but it's not some kind of 'black sheep' in the series to me as I stilk love it.

[@Ivkoni]

I think that Sekiro managed to strike home the great level design and was really different, but in a good way in its gameplay. I believe it managed to meet and even exceed expectations.

[@GreedAndSelfishness]

Very good game. You can feel how its not a souls game though. I personally prefer the soulsborne way of storytelling, while Sekiro also had that, it relied mostly on linear storytelling.

[@jazzmaster909]

@Linda Niemkiewicz *looks at Lost Izalith and Demon Ruins* Me: Yep this is better than those unfinished Sekiro levels

[@ElegyForTheMasses]

I've played through DS1 multiple times, and never noticed the mosquito things dropping antidotes!

[@TheFreshKeeper]

Personally I find your constant slowrunning/slowrollling distasteful

[@demonsweatthings8493]

TheFreshKeeper Makes me wonder how the hell he beat these games

[@CPSPD]

@@demonsweatthings8493 well he answers lol, he says ds3 returns to "sword and shield" gameplay. literally the most boring possible and its up to the player to decide. well maybe shield + magic, but at least you get cool explosions with magic.

[@zyzdzy]

@@demonsweatthings8493 its evolution, baby

[@ncshuriken]

I always thought these games had that awe-inspiring feel to the levels/worlds, right since Demons Souls. I love the sense of scale, how insanely huge the castles, structures & mountains are. I haven't played DS2 but I'm near the end of DS3 and that game had some amazing looking places. The first time I got to that village after the 1st boss, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. Its not just the gfx that made it beautiful, its that "weird dream" level design. The whole series is full of dreamworld places though. Much more interesting than realism.

[@metalliclark86]

ncshuriken you wont like ds2 very much if interesting scenary is what caughts your eye. It just dont feel or look like a coherent place. Lothric castle has dinning rooms, courtyards and whatnots, things you'd expect to find in a castle on its prime, while drangleic castle has wooden boxes and corridors and stairs. Im not shitting. And that is coming from someone who has beaten the game 3 times. If you ever have the chance try bloodborne. Level design is as good as it gets. Do you remember those clever shortcuts in ds1? They are all over the place and thats the only way to progress, lamps (bloodborne's bonfire like checkpoints) are really scarce, which adds up to the already tense and high stakes combat and atmosphere. It is like irithyll dungeon shorcuts to infinity and beyond. It is like the twisted love child of dark souls, resident evil 1, metroid, castlevania and lovecraft on steroids.

[@wazzap500]

metalliclark86 You are absolutely correct. Im tired of saying it but DS2 is unworthy. It's just bad.

[@JoshForeman]

It's amazing to me that I've been doing professional level design on AAA games for two decades, but still pick up nuggets of goodness from your work, George. Keep it up!

[@caliden2]

"student loan debtors" LOL

[@snapslav]

13:27 "Remember how Darkroot Garden has those transparent forest hunters? They weren't too hard, they had nothing to gain from thr transparency, they were easy to forget." This screams that you played the game well after it received a NUMBER of patches. The original version of the game's effect for the Ring of Fog (the transparency effect) also prevent players from locking on to enemies. This was deemed OP for PVP, so it was nerfed to simply lower the lock-on range. If you'd played the game when it was first released, you'd have a vivid memory of the enemies in the forest being a TRIAL to get past, because you could barely see them, and you could NOT lock onto them. So they had a habit of sneaking behind you and backstabbing you very easily, which is what they were designed to do. The nerf meant to balance PVP made the area much more trivial, but it wasn't always that way.

[@lookingglassknight139]

you still cant lock on to the forest enemies

[@mfisher9977]

yes you can

[@robertmoorhead2406]

Also, Crown of the Ivory King has a massive Frozen shoutout, which is hilarious to me. (The not-so-dark Child of the Dark who covers the land in an Eternal Ice and Snow... and is named Elsanna)

[@ZepTheGamer]

As much as I love your content, watching you medium/fat roll with a shield and halberd hurts my soul.

[@elliottvantonder5477]

You were certainly right about Sekiro's level design. Too bad the skyrim-ification continued with Elden Ring...guess the medieval setting really has gotten bland from all the repetition. To me Elden Ring felt like an open world full of b-sides of Miyazaki's best levels. Now that I'm watching this, they feel more like e-sides given how many swamp villages, gothic castles, catacombs, royal libraries, ancient fortresses and corrupted forests we've been through. I'm really hoping this "Spellbound" thing (or whatever comes next) will explore new environments.

[@danieladamczyk4024]

Elden ring world desing is flat. All games have this problem. They 3d only by name.

[@facundovera3227]

"Elden Ring's flat" Mfs can be in Siofra River, then to Radahn's arena, and go up to Mountaintops of the Giants. You have 4 paths to access Caelid, 4 to Altus Plateau, 3 ways to get to Volcano Manor, a front and s back entrance to Leyndell, Royal Capital. A whole underworld that connects with the Lands Between. Both Stormveil and the Capitol are some of Fromsoft's best level layouts. And Farum Azula is a pretty unique take.

[@alicaido6616]

You can teleport almost anywhere at any time in Bloodborne, (with an extra loading screen of course), so why does it work there? That was kind of just a question I asked myself, and I'd say the answer would be Bloodborne's level design. Incredibly well thought out short cuts along with the small amount of checkpoints makes it so that you stay in a "level," for hours. This is so goddam immersive, even going back to the Dream doesn't break my immersion, because it all works so well from a lore and story perspective and Gerhman is there with new dialogue for exposition constantly. Going back to the Dream also works because it's not just a place you go solely to stock back up, on my first playthrough I searched the Dream every time I came back just to see if anybody had new dialogue or if there was simply new stuff. It felt like that area could have connected up to different areas, making it truly feel like it was a place suspended in time and space. There are so many things I love to death about Bloodborne, so many missable details that add to the world and atmosphere but don't need to be seen. The game has so much character, and that's where I think both Dark Souls 2 and 3 fell short, they often lacked the character and the charm that the first game had. This is why I love Bloodborne, because it doesn't rely on a different game, it simply works as it is.

[@8304u]

"this usually well animated..." *Dark souls 2 in the background*

[@spacepirateivynova]

22:00 - as for the chalice dungeons... I'm just letting you know from a programmer's perspective: Making any procedural level is incredibly hard to make work properly mathematically in 2 dimensions. In 3 dimensions it is almost an impossibility unless your game was designed to be procedural from the word 'go' (ie: minecraft). The fact that this was included at all in such an otherwise carefully crafted world is somewhat amazing. Just wanted to clear that up from my own perspective :)

[@d4c-trice356]

Chalice dungeons are only good for fashion and echoes to me.

[@reviewralphusa7255]

and blood gems

[@satanslegacy]

+Gord Lord and the trophy

[@w00tehpwn]

+D4C-Trice the dungeons have some of the best (and most challenging) boss fights in the game (1st and 2nd Undead Giant, Watchdog)! Unfortunately, there's also a couple of _really_ bad ones.

[@tija1012]

+D4C-Trice Oh God the Watchdog......My love for Bloodborne made me want to get the platinum trophy so I had to do it

[@w00tehpwn]

***** I actually liked that fight! Yes, the one-shot charge kill sucks, but it forces you to really master the boss. Challenging, but fun (IMO)!

[@ericjensen7580]

I will never forget undeadburg. When i played through I didnt have great internet connection and it was really before the time of youtube walkthroughs so I had nothing to really guide me in my first run aside from the messages when I had decent connection. It was just such a tense and amazing run and finding that shortcut from the chapel to firelink really wowed me.

[@rocksteel9238]

Please review Doom 2016 .

[@rodrigopacheco12]

+Rock Steel of course hes gonna review Doom, thats right up his youth alley

[@TommyPKFire]

Hey George, thanks for your videos. They've gotten me through some of the hardest times in my life. Your videos make me smile in the worst of moods and helped get me clean from drugs. You kind of saved my life. Please keep doing what you're doing. Just stopped by to say thanks! Have a great day, bro. Cheers!

[@JumbaJumby]

Dark Souls 1 definitely has the best overall world design with how everything is interconnected. Dark souls 3 overall has very good level design, but as you said, the demon ruins are rather pathetic, and I'm overall not a fan of being able to teleport anywhere at any given time. In addition, I feel that Dark souls 3 lacked the level of branching paths that the other games had. At any given time, you have at most 3 different areas you can explore. This can make the game feel frustrating when you get stuck at a boss because you're forced to beat them before you can move on. Dark souls 2 gets a bad rap, and to some extent it deserves it. It is definitely the worst in the series. It lacks the interconnectivity that Dark souls 1 had, and its bosses, with a few exceptions, are all fairly uninspired. On its own, it is by no means a bad game. While its level design isn't as good as Dark Souls 3, I'd say that its overall world structure is better. The game is constantly opening up more areas to explore, meaning that at any given time, you have options if there's a particular boss you don't want to fight right now. This is especially the case considering you can access a number of areas relatively early (using branch of yore to access woods, dropping down pit in Majula using Cat's ring, etc.) It's not a bad game, or even a bad Dark Souls game. It just lacks in some areas compared to the others in the series. I haven't played Bloodborne yet so no comment.

[@debateyounoimgoingtoethery3676]

JumbaJumby bloodborne world design is nothing next to Dark Souls. like the rest of them it has warping from the start making exploration less exciting.

[@happytouch2671]

Bloodborne have two of those interconected World Shortcuts (Iosefkas Clinic and Paarl) but it is nothing worth because you can Fast Travel from the start... I think the most people who played bloodborne have used this shortcuts not even 1 time.

[@eighteen-naked-cowboys]

PichuLord why do people have a problem with warping? I'll take being able to go to every bonfire than having to sprint a half marathon to get to areas without warp-able bonfires, like blighttown and even just some of the places in anor londo.

[@happytouch2671]

+brandonger because you get not the Feeling for the Worlf

[@happytouch2671]

+Happy Touch *World

[@mrkilljr.8743]

Evolution? more like devolution. Since the first dark souls had an interconnected map that could get you playing in hard areas right out of the gate.While the following games had a more linear progression walkthroughs.

[@aaronjones3181]

I have always been a bigger fan of Dark Souls 1 as well. I love how you can see little bits of other areas off in the distance from basically every area. It really had an immersive feel that I don't get from the other souls titles. I remember my first time actually clearing out all of the Tomb of the Giants and seeing part of Izalith in the distance. Then getting to the ledge where it opens up, and you can see Ash Lake. Details like that make games much more memorable.

[@hairball2429]

I loved how the world felt very interconnected in ds1, but a lot of the actual areas were not actually all that great in my opinion. Anor Londo and Sen's Fortress were great, but areas like Lost Izalith, Tomb of the Giants, Crystal Cave and Darkroot Basin felt either boring with not much in them, or stupidly designed with gimmicky mechanics *cough cough darkness cough cough lava cough cough*

[@RoninDays]

This is the problem with hindsight, tbh. DS1 is still by far and away the best when you compare it to the peers of its time.

[@dt4236]

Im on my second playthrough and kinda done... once I got the Lord vessel I couldn't bring myself to go on. I just find those 3 areas (Archives, Izalith, and Tomb) to be so boring and not as well designed as the rest of the game. My favourite part of DS1 is the early game when it is hard as nails.

[@cbuckington2933]

Julio Cesar Tenorio Romero I hated the interconnected map xD linear walkthroughs are much more fun for me

[@PlantmandotEXE]

I have one comment and that is that those transparent enemies in the forest were originally "non lock onto able" but it was patched out of the game. So yes they did have something to gain from it.

[@ZeusTheMatti]

i like dark souls 2 :) its a fun game!

[@DrossProwler]

It really is. I love it a lot as well, since it objectively improves on a lot of things, but to be perfectly honest, the level design took a step or two back from previous games. Still, it's a great game in my book.

[@silliussoddus1449]

Mori no Ando graphics are the only improvement as far as I’m concerned.

[@SirZelean]

@@DrossProwler And the PvP! I'm not a pvper myself, but I loved it in DS2. I'm just getting into DS3 (reacher Lothric now) and I started farming covenants for the achievement spells and rings. GOD. THIS IS BEING AN AWFUL EXPERIENCE.

[@Fyrestar]

Sillius Soddus lol ok. NG+ Mechanics PvP Lore NPC Questlines Power Stances Bosses (although they can be very hit or miss, the good ones are REALLY good) Fashion Alright, totally just the graphics were improved, nothing else.

[@SirZelean]

As for the bosses, I'd lile to point out that most people don't realise that the number of bad bosses is misleading. If you actually count the good bosses, DS2 has as many of them as any of the other two games, but you can be mistaken and think they have less, just because there are a lot of bosses and most are easy. Though I'd also argue that most of these aren't really bad, but we try to compared them to the harder bosses, while I think we should consider them minibosses.

[@SirVyre]

The addition of many bonfires in Dark Souls 3 makes sense, considering they limited your available recovery items for most of the game, because unlike DS2, you can't just get endless lifegems. I mean, in Dark Souls 1, right from the start, you can get 15 Heals between bonfires. Take into consideration verticality and hidden bonfires, and that's an amazing amount of healing, right from the start of the game(and w/o Miracles you get 10 anyway, and if you account for Humanity, more). In Demon's Souls they didn't include Bonfire type resting, because you could farm/buy an almost endless supply of healing grass and the areas were relatively small. Same thing in Bloodborne. So DS3 has this abundance on Bonfires, because you aren't setup for a long trek or taking a lot of damage. In DS1, you have so many avenues for healing, that a plethora of bonfires is unnecessary. Take into consideration vertical distance between bonfires, and most of the bonfires in the game become the bonfire that you are intended to use for two or 3 areas due to ladder links. DS3 is squished out horizontal, and really only has like 35% more bonfires than DS1(and many of them are courtesy bonfires for player convenience, set in boss rooms).

[@carltonlee17]

I'm hoping that from soft can combined things in souls series into armored core…

[@MustafaKulle]

Armored Souls? I like that. From Software, take notes!

[@ceral1871]

Mustafa Kulle armors borne*

[@Riael]

"Ds1 is open ended but meeting the victory conditions at least once" "Ds2 is mostly linear and requires to visit everywhere in a much more strict order" Did you confuse the two? Ds2 is the one with a lot of areas that branch off, out of which most are optional while ds1 is the one where you HAVE to ring the two bells and you HAVE to kill the 4 bosses or else you can't complete the game. How is that more open ended?

[@asmonull]

Storywise you're right, in terms of pacing and map layout - not so much. In DS1 main quest serves as more or less an excuse to send you into the world and explore on your own, completing main tasks mostly as you go, since they will quite often just happen to be around where you're exploring. Meanwhile in DS2 each of main story points/quests is in itself comparably long chain of areas you have to go through to reach the goal that's mostly at the end of said chain. So yes, DS2 has more branches, but those branches are also longer, while DS1 in terms of map layout and goal placement is mostly a maze (heavily interconnected map helps with that) that cuts on having long area chains quite heavily. DS1 is structured around having two free exploration stages (one starting with arriving at Firelink and ending with both bells, second starting with acquiring Lordvessel and ending with entering last area) with Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo as a linear interlude between them. During those stages longest continuous/linear part you go through during regular gameplay (and without having Master key, which cuts this run to 1/3 of regular length) is reaching Quelaag's Domain during first open stage - all other branches are much shorter. Meanwhile DS2 has a lot of branching off, but each of those branches is quite linear, and often quite long too. This makes DS2 (and DS3) feel much more linear - while there may be freedom to pick which direction you go first, you still basically have to go through the areas in more or less predetermined order for each goal. DS1 made most of the main quest areas seem as only short attachments to otherwise freely traversable map, most of the branches were short (both in distance and in time spent) and this helps seeing the game as nonlinear.

[@Riael]

>This makes DS2 (and DS3) feel much more linear - while there may be freedom to pick which direction you go first, you still basically have to go through the areas in more or less predetermined order for each goal. Again. You are confusing the two, DS2 is the game where most of the areas in it are optional. There is no predetermined order, you can choose to go to the rotten 4 times or to go to all 4 of the big bosses or to go to neither of them In ds1 you don't have that choice.

[@bizmonkey007]

Storytelling through level design--I never considered that. That's a completely novel way to exam level design in these games (any game, actually), and it really does help to explain why Dark Souls is such a memorable experience--and why Dark Souls II is so uneven.

[@starkravingmad31]

Great video, with really in-depth reviews of their level design. Never really thought about how DS2's levels contributed to me not liking it, but it's quite true. Also agreed on the spin-off front. Personally, I'd love to see a Souls-style return to From Software's own Armored Core mech series. Going fast, airborne, and anime didn't work, but using the Souls approach (and controls, honestly) to slower, methodical mecha mercenary missions and arenas would be amazing.

[@PheseantNetsuke]

I was confident you'd leave Demon's Souls out, filthy casual. lol

[@GobulTheGobbler]

That ONE spear hollow under the drake bridge in DS1 that stands on the ledge killed me more times than ANY other hollow in the game combined. This was before I knew of the bonfire behind the dragon and after killing the hollow I always ran through those damn rats...

[@joaogomes9405]

Just a small FYI, the acess to the Brain in the nightmare isn't that hard to reach, provided you simply walk out of the elevator when it is going up. A lot of people try jumping or rolling past it and end up clipping through and dying, but simply walking through the elevator as it is going up gurantees you'll make it everytime, at least in my experience. Just don't try it with the elevator going down, you'll most likely fall through the floor becasue the elevator is very buggy when going down, probably something related with your character losing surface to stand on faster than when the elevator is going up.

[@jollytemplar3670]

Maybe I’m just weird, but I kinda like some of DS2s level design. Sure, there’s a lot of frustrating sections in the game, but maps like Drangleic castle, the Dragon Aerie, and the Huntsman’s Copse all have some pretty cool parts.

[@DudeBroMan]

The thing about the DS2 DLC is that they were helmed by Miyazaki himself following his own dissatisfaction with the base game, then even more so in Scholar of the First Sin.

[@asparagusmelontoast]

Im not sure if you know this roughly 4 years later but you can move fast through the farron swamp by using the dagger special attack to jump hop, its faster than rolling and works even without FP. This video really shows your love and dedication the franchise

[@brim-skerdouglasson]

Ironic that Elden Ring has some of the most bland level design to date. Sure the world is pretty, but it doesn’t require as much thinking as these other towers. Each dungeon feels like it’s over before it really started.

[@Apwolsopcjrhei]

100% disagree, stormveil, leyndell and volcano manor were the best in the series

[@brim-skerdouglasson]

@@Apwolsopcjrhei you don’t think the legacy dungeons where really short? Design was great, so I take that back, but after like 2 hours they have nothing more to really offer imo. I hope the dlc has a monster of a dungeon to explore, or maybe a chalice dungeon to dig into.

[@Apwolsopcjrhei]

@@brim-skerdouglasson Tbf, you can say that about most areas, Anor Londo, boreal, Central Yharnam had nothing more to give after you complete them. If you include the sewers of Leyndell, I don’t think you can really say it was over before it really started. there’s also at least 4 or more different ways you can approach Stormveil, so ig it comes down to which path you took but stormveil took me hours as I was constantly exploring and finding branching paths. Jumping on roofs, exploring every nook and cranny. I can see the argument w the other areas such as Caria Manor and other legacy dungeons tho, but not the biggest in elden ring. It’s comparable w bloodborne for the most part imo. If you’re talking about going back to previous areas that’s more so world design than level

[@twixtwix2915]

Something that really brings ds2 down is how much spam they put in the game. It feels like there is no reason to fight 70% of the enemies in it so you just run past them because what’s the point when you know you’ll just get surrounded and destroyed because the devs spazzed out and hit ctrl v to many fucking times.

[@VT-mw2zb]

I think the combat of DS is tried and true; and perhaps it's time we do move away from the European Medieval fantasy world. Lord of the Fallen is an attempt at a DS game ALSO set in European Medieval fantasy world; to be more precise: snowy castles. DS setting is rather because of Miyazaki's own fascination with Western fantasy settings. Here and there in DS, we see diversions: Demon Ruins and Lost Izalith, half-baked as they were, were based of Angkor Wat: trees and root wrapping around old ruins. I can still remember the amazement I felt dropping down Ash Lake. I'll fucking buy the next Fromsoftware game. Keep the combat, but gimme something different. Like Ancient Rome, Greek, or Persia. Or better yet, since Fromsoftware is a Japanese dev: medieval Japan.

[@MustafaKulle]

I agree. Better yet, I would like a combination of all of the above. I would love to have an option to equip Samurai armour in a Middle-east looking environment, or a European knight in an ancient Greek environment.

[@MustafaKulle]

Although a wider ranger weapons would be even better, it would be really cool if they could bring some of the weapons back from the previous games. In Demon's Souls, there was the Kilij. When it was fully upgraded that guaranteed to make your enemies bleed, deliver more blows using less stamina. When I learned they got rid of the Kilij in Dark Souls 1, I was pissed! Of course there was falcion and scimitar, but wasn't the same. No way. You have to play it to really feel the difference.

[@theravenousrabbit3671]

I'm sorry but no. Dark Souls 3 doesn't have good level design. It has average level design. They're mainly just linear corridors that split sometimes.

[@I-Roy]

Good to know you haven't played Dark souls 3.

[@I-Roy]

***** Not you dummy :)

[@theravenousrabbit3671]

pop roy Over 700 hours of gameplay in Dark Souls 1. 900 in Dark Souls 2. 500 in Dark Souls 3. I know these games better than you do.

[@I-Roy]

Shadow111111 Are you aware of the concepts of sarcasm and exaggeration? "incompatible or at variance; contradictory" is the meaning of conflicting so nothing to do with what you wrote. Flaw's definition is "(of an imperfection) mar, weaken, or invalidate (something)" so, again, you don't seem to know what you're saying.

[@Sassy_Witch]

okay and?